Job 3
1 After this Job has opened his mouth, and reviles his day.
At length Job opened his mouth, and cursed the day of his birth.
2 And Job answers and says:
And Job spake and said:
3 “Let the day perish in which I am born, And the night that has said: A man-child has been conceived.
Perish the day in which I was born, and the night which said, “A man-child is conceived!”
4 That day—let it be darkness, Do not let God require it from above, Nor let light shine on it.
Let that day be darkness; Let not God seek it from above; Yea, let not the 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 redeem it; Let a cloud dwell upon it; Let whatever darkeneth 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.
As for that night, let darkness 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.
O let that night be unfruitful! Let there be in it no voice of joy;
8 Let the cursers of day mark it, Who are ready to wake up Leviathan.
Let them that curse the day curse it, Who are skilful to stir up the 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 darkened; Let it long for light, and have none; Neither let it see the eyelashes of the morning!
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 my mother's womb, 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!
Why died I not at my birth? Why did I not expire when I came forth from the womb?
12 Why have knees been before me? And what [are] breasts, that I suck?
Why did the knees receive me, And why the breasts, that I might suck?
13 For now, I have lain down, and am quiet, I have slept—then there is rest to me,
For now should I lie down and be quiet; I should sleep; then should I be at rest,
14 With kings and counselors of earth, These building ruins for themselves.
With kings and counsellors of the earth, Who built up for themselves—ruins!
15 Or with princes—they have gold, They are filling their houses [with] silver.
Or with princes that had gold, And 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 perished; As infants which never saw the light.
17 There the wicked have ceased troubling, And there the wearied rest in power.
There the wicked cease from troubling; There the weary are at rest.
18 Together prisoners have been at ease, They have not heard the voice of an exactor,
There the prisoners rest together; They hear not the voice of the oppressor.
19 Small and great [are] the same there. And a servant [is] free from his lord.
The small and the great are there, And the servant is free from his master.
20 Why does He give light to the miserable, and life to the bitter soul?
Why giveth He light to him that is in misery, And life to the bitter in 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 hid treasures;
22 Who are glad—to joy, They rejoice when they find a grave.
Who rejoice exceedingly, Yea, exult, when they can find a grave?
23 To a man whose way has been hidden, And whom God shuts up?
Why is light given to a man from whom the way is hid, 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 I eat, And my groans are poured out like water.
25 For I feared a fear and it meets me, And what I was afraid of comes to me.
For that which I dread overtaketh me; That at which I shudder cometh upon me.
26 I was not safe—nor was I quiet—Nor was I at rest—and trouble comes!”
I have no peace, nor quiet, nor respite: Misery cometh upon me continually.
