Job 3
1 At length Job opened his mouth, and cursed the day of his birth.
After this Job has opened his mouth, and reviles his day.
2 And Job spake and said:
And Job answers and says:
3 Perish the day in which I was born, and the night which said, “A man-child is conceived!”
“Let the day perish in which I am born, And the night that has said: A man-child has been conceived.
4 Let that day be darkness; Let not God seek it from above; Yea, let not the light shine upon it!
That day—let it be darkness, Do not let God require it from above, Nor let light shine on it.
5 Let darkness and the shadow of death redeem it; Let a cloud dwell upon it; Let whatever darkeneth the day terrify it!
Let darkness and death-shade redeem it, Let a cloud dwell on it, Let them terrify it as the most bitter of days.
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!
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.
7 O let that night be unfruitful! Let there be in it no voice of joy;
Behold! That night—let it be barren, Let no singing come into it.
8 Let them that curse the day curse it, Who are skilful to stir up the leviathan!
Let the cursers of day mark it, Who are ready to wake up 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!
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.
10 Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, And hid not trouble from mine eyes.
Because it has not shut the doors Of the womb that was mine! And hide misery from my eyes.
11 Why died I not at my birth? Why did I not expire when I came forth from the womb?
Why do I not die from the womb? I have come forth from the belly and gasp!
12 Why did the knees receive me, And why the breasts, that I might suck?
Why have knees been before me? And what [are] breasts, that I suck?
13 For now should I lie down and be quiet; I should sleep; then should I be at rest,
For now, I have lain down, and am quiet, I have slept—then there is rest to me,
14 With kings and counsellors of the earth, Who built up for themselves—ruins!
With kings and counselors of earth, These building ruins for themselves.
15 Or with princes that had gold, And filled their houses with silver;
Or with princes—they have gold, They are filling their houses [with] silver.
16 Or, as a hidden untimely birth, I had perished; As infants which never saw the light.
(Or I am not as a hidden abortion, As infants—they have not seen light.)
17 There the wicked cease from troubling; There the weary are at rest.
There the wicked have ceased troubling, And there the wearied rest in power.
18 There the prisoners rest together; They hear not the voice of the oppressor.
Together prisoners have been at ease, They have not heard the voice of an exactor,
19 The small and the great are there, And the servant is free from his master.
Small and great [are] the same there. And a servant [is] free from his lord.
20 Why giveth He light to him that is in misery, And life to the bitter in soul,
Why does He give light to the miserable, and life to the bitter soul?
21 Who long for death, and it cometh not, And dig for it more than for hid treasures;
Who are waiting for death, and it is not, And they seek it above hid treasures.
22 Who rejoice exceedingly, Yea, exult, when they can find a grave?
Who are glad—to joy, They rejoice when they find a grave.
23 Why is light given to a man from whom the way is hid, And whom God hath hedged in?
To a man whose way has been hidden, And whom God shuts up?
24 For my sighing cometh before I eat, And my groans are poured out like water.
For before my food, my sighing comes, And my roarings [are] poured out as waters.
25 For that which I dread overtaketh me; That at which I shudder cometh upon me.
For I feared a fear and it meets me, And what I was afraid of comes to me.
26 I have no peace, nor quiet, nor respite: Misery cometh upon me continually.
I was not safe—nor was I quiet—Nor was I at rest—and trouble comes!”
