Job 3
1 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day he was born.
After this Job has opened his mouth, and reviles his day.
2 He said,
And Job answers and says:
3 “May the day on which I was born perish, the night that said, 'A boy has been conceived.'
“Let the day perish in which I am born, And the night that has said: A man-child has been conceived.
4 May that day be dark; may not God from above call it to mind, neither may the sun shine on it.
That day—let it be darkness, Do not let God require it from above, Nor let light shine on it.
5 May darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own. May a cloud live over it; may everything that makes the day black truly 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, may thick darkness seize it. May it not rejoice among the days of the year; may 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 See, may that night be barren; may no joyful voice come into it.
Behold! That night—let it be barren, Let no singing come into it.
8 May they curse that day, those who know how to wake up Leviathan.
Let the cursers of day mark it, Who are ready to wake up Leviathan.
9 May the stars of that day's dawn be dark. May that day look for light, but find none; neither may it see the eyelids of the dawn,
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 did not shut up the doors of my mother's womb, and because it did not hide trouble from my eyes.
Because it has not shut the doors Of the womb that was mine! And hide misery from my eyes.
11 Why did I not die when I came out from the womb? Why did I not give up my spirit when my mother bore me?
Why do I not die from the womb? I have come forth from the belly and gasp!
12 Why did her knees welcome me? Why did her breasts receive me so that I should suck?
Why have knees been before me? And what [are] breasts, that I suck?
13 For now I would have been lying down quietly. I would have slept and been at rest
For now, I have lain down, and am quiet, I have slept—then there is rest to me,
14 with kings and counselors of the earth, who built up tombs for themselves that are now in ruins.
With kings and counselors of earth, These building ruins for themselves.
15 Or I would have been lying with princes who once had gold, who had filled their houses with silver.
Or with princes—they have gold, They are filling their houses [with] silver.
16 Or perhaps I would have been stillborn, like infants that never see the light.
(Or I am not as a hidden abortion, As infants—they have not seen light.)
17 There the wicked cease from trouble; there the weary are at rest.
There the wicked have ceased troubling, And there the wearied rest in power.
18 There the prisoners are at ease together; they do not hear the voice of the slave driver.
Together prisoners have been at ease, They have not heard the voice of an exactor,
19 Both small and great people are there; the servant is free from his master there.
Small and great [are] the same there. And a servant [is] free from his lord.
20 Why is light given to him who is in misery? Why is life given to the one who is bitter in soul,
Why does He give light to the miserable, and life to the bitter soul?
21 to one who longs for death without it coming; to one who digs for death more than for hidden treasure?
Who are waiting for death, and it is not, And they seek it above hid treasures.
22 Why is light given to one who rejoices very much and is glad when he finds the grave?
Who are glad—to joy, They rejoice when they find a grave.
23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, a man whom God has hedged in?
To a man whose way has been hidden, And whom God shuts up?
24 For my sighing happens instead of eating; my groaning is poured out like water.
For before my food, my sighing comes, And my roarings [are] poured out as waters.
25 For the thing that I feared has come on me; what I was afraid of has come to me.
For I feared a fear and it meets me, And what I was afraid of comes to me.
26 I am not at ease, I am not quiet, and I have no rest; trouble comes instead.”
I was not safe—nor was I quiet—Nor was I at rest—and trouble comes!”
