Job 3
1 At length Job opened his mouth, and cursed the day of his birth.
After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.
2 And Job spake and said:
And this is what he said:
3 Perish the day in which I was born, and the night which said, “A man-child is conceived!”
“May the day of my birth perish, and the night it was said, ‘A boy is conceived.’
4 Let that day be darkness; Let not God seek it from above; Yea, let not the light shine upon it!
If only that day had turned to darkness! May God above disregard it; may no light shine upon it.
5 Let darkness and the shadow of death redeem it; Let a cloud dwell upon it; Let whatever darkeneth the day terrify it!
May darkness and gloom reclaim it, and a cloud settle over it; may the blackness of the day overwhelm it.
6 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!
If only darkness had taken that night away! May it not appear among the days of the year; may it never be entered in any of the months.
7 O let that night be unfruitful! Let there be in it no voice of joy;
Behold, may that night be barren; may no joyful voice come into it.
8 Let them that curse the day curse it, Who are skilful to stir up the leviathan!
May it be cursed by those who curse the day — those prepared to rouse Leviathan.
9 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!
May its morning stars grow dark; may it wait in vain for daylight; may it not see the breaking of dawn.
10 Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, And hid not trouble from mine eyes.
For that night did not shut the doors of the womb to hide the sorrow from my eyes.
11 Why died I not at my birth? Why did I not expire when I came forth from the womb?
Why did I not perish at birth; why did I not die as I came from the womb?
12 Why did the knees receive me, And why the breasts, that I might suck?
Why were there knees to receive me, and breasts that I should be nursed?
13 For now should I lie down and be quiet; I should sleep; then should I be at rest,
For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest
14 With kings and counsellors of the earth, Who built up for themselves—ruins!
with kings and counselors of the earth, who built for themselves cities now in ruins,
15 Or with princes that had gold, And filled their houses with silver;
or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver.
16 Or, as a hidden untimely birth, I had perished; As infants which never saw the light.
Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child, like an infant who never sees daylight?
17 There the wicked cease from troubling; There the weary are at rest.
There the wicked cease from raging, and there the weary find rest.
18 There the prisoners rest together; They hear not the voice of the oppressor.
The captives enjoy their ease; they do not hear the voice of the oppressor.
19 The small and the great are there, And the servant is free from his master.
Both small and great are there, and the slave is freed from his master.
20 Why giveth He light to him that is in misery, And life to the bitter in soul,
Why is light given to the miserable, and life to the bitter of soul,
21 Who long for death, and it cometh not, And dig for it more than for hid treasures;
who long for death that does not come, and search for it like hidden treasure,
22 Who rejoice exceedingly, Yea, exult, when they can find a grave?
who rejoice and greatly exult when they can find the grave?
23 Why is light given to a man from whom the way is hid, And whom God hath hedged in?
Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?
24 For my sighing cometh before I eat, And my groans are poured out like water.
I sigh when food is put before me, and my groans pour out like water.
25 For that which I dread overtaketh me; That at which I shudder cometh upon me.
For the thing I feared has overtaken me, and what I dreaded has befallen me.
26 I have no peace, nor quiet, nor respite: Misery cometh upon me continually.
I am not at ease or quiet; I have no rest, for trouble has come.”
