Job 3
1 After this Job has opened his mouth, and reviles his day.
After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed his day.
2 And Job answers and says:
And Job answered and said,
3 “Let the day perish in which I am born, And the night that has said: A man-child has been conceived.
Let the day perish in which I was born, and the night that said, There is a man child conceived.
4 That day—let it be darkness, Do not let God require it from above, Nor let light shine on it.
That day — let it be darkness, let not God care for it from above, neither let light shine upon it:
5 Let darkness and death-shade redeem it, Let a cloud dwell on it, Let them terrify it as the most bitter of days.
Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it; let clouds dwell upon it; let darkeners of the day terrify it.
6 That night—let thick darkness take it, Let it not be united to days of the year, Let it not come into the number of months.
That night — let gloom seize upon it; let it not rejoice among the days of the year; let it not come into the number of the months.
7 Behold! That night—let it be barren, Let no singing come into it.
Behold, let that night be barren; let no joyful sound come therein;
8 Let the cursers of day mark it, Who are ready to wake up Leviathan.
Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to rouse Leviathan;
9 Let the stars of its twilight be dark, Let it wait for light, and there is none, And let it not look on the eyelids of the dawn.
Let the stars of its twilight be dark; let it wait for light, and have none, neither let it see the eyelids of the dawn:
10 Because it has not shut the doors Of the womb that was mine! And hide misery from my eyes.
Because it shut not up the doors of the womb that bore me, and hid not trouble from mine eyes.
11 Why do I not die from the womb? I have come forth from the belly and gasp!
Wherefore did I not die from the womb, — come forth from the belly and expire?
12 Why have knees been before me? And what [are] breasts, that I suck?
Why did the knees meet me? and wherefore the breasts, that I should suck?
13 For now, I have lain down, and am quiet, I have slept—then there is rest to me,
For now should I have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept: then had I been at rest,
14 With kings and counselors of earth, These building ruins for themselves.
With kings and counsellors of the earth, who build desolate places for themselves,
15 Or with princes—they have gold, They are filling their houses [with] silver.
Or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver;
16 (Or I am not as a hidden abortion, As infants—they have not seen light.)
Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants that have not seen the light.
17 There the wicked have ceased troubling, And there the wearied rest in power.
There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the wearied are at rest.
18 Together prisoners have been at ease, They have not heard the voice of an exactor,
The prisoners together are at ease; they hear not the voice of the taskmaster.
19 Small and great [are] the same there. And a servant [is] free from his lord.
The small and great are there, and the bondman freed from his master.
20 Why does He give light to the miserable, and life to the bitter soul?
Wherefore is light given to him that is in trouble, and life to those bitter of soul,
21 Who are waiting for death, and it is not, And they seek it above hid treasures.
Who long for death, and it [cometh] not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures;
22 Who are glad—to joy, They rejoice when they find a grave.
Who rejoice even exultingly and are glad when they find the grave? —
23 To a man whose way has been hidden, And whom God shuts up?
To the man whose way is hidden, and whom God hath hedged in?
24 For before my food, my sighing comes, And my roarings [are] poured out as waters.
For my sighing cometh before my bread, and my groanings are poured out like the waters.
25 For I feared a fear and it meets me, And what I was afraid of comes to me.
For I feared a fear, and it hath come upon me, and that which I dreaded hath come to me.
26 I was not safe—nor was I quiet—Nor was I at rest—and trouble comes!”
I was not in safety, neither had I quietness, neither was I at rest, and trouble came.
