Job 3

1 Aftir these thingis Joob openyde his mouth,

After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.

2 and curside his dai, and seide, Perische the dai in which Y was borun,

And Job answered and said:

3 and the nyyt in which it was seid, The man is conceyued.

Let the day perish wherein I was born, And the night which said, There is a man-child conceived.

4 Thilke dai be turnede in to derknessis; God seke not it aboue, and be it not in mynde, nethir be it liytned with liyt.

Let that day be darkness; Let not God from above seek for it, Neither let the light shine upon it.

5 Derknessis make it derk, and the schadewe of deeth and myist occupie it; and be it wlappid with bittirnesse.

Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own; Let a cloud dwell upon it; Let all that maketh black the day terrify it.

6 Derk whirlwynde holde that niyt; be it not rikynyd among the daies of the yeer, nethir be it noumbrid among the monethes.

As for that night, let thick 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 Thilke nyyt be soleyn, and not worthi of preisyng.

Lo, let that night be barren; Let no joyful voice come therein.

8 Curse thei it, that cursen the dai, that ben redi to reise Leuyathan.

Let them curse it that curse the day, Who are ready to rouse up leviathan.

9 Sterris be maad derk with the derknesse therof; abide it liyt, and se it not, nethir the bigynnyng of the morwetid risyng vp.

Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark: Let it look for light, but have none; Neither let it behold the eyelids of the morning:

10 For it closide not the doris of the wombe, that bar me, nethir took awei yuels fro min iyen.

Because it shut not up the doors of my [mother’s] womb, Nor hid trouble from mine eyes.

11 Whi was not Y deed in the wombe? whi yede Y out of the wombe, and perischide not anoon?

Why died I not from the womb? Why did I not give up the ghost when my mother bare me?

12 Whi was Y takun on knees? whi was Y suclid with teetis?

Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should suck?

13 For now Y slepynge schulde be stille, and schulde reste in my sleep,

For now should I have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept; then had I been at rest,

14 with kyngis, and consuls of erthe, that bilden to hem soleyn places;

With kings and counsellors of the earth, Who built up waste places for themselves;

15 ethir with prynces that han gold in possessioun, and fillen her housis with siluer;

Or with princes that had gold, Who filled their houses with silver:

16 ethir as a `thing hid not borun Y schulde not stonde, ethir whiche conseyued sien not liyt.

Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been, As infants that never saw light.

17 There wickid men ceessiden of noise, and there men maad wery of strengthe restiden.

There the wicked cease from troubling; And there the weary are at rest.

18 And sum tyme boundun togidere with out disese thei herden not the voys of the wrongful axere.

There the prisoners are at ease together; They hear not the voice of the taskmaster.

19 A litil man and greet man be there, and a seruaunt free fro his lord.

The small and the great are there: And the servant is free from his master.

20 Whi is liyt youun to the wretche, and lijf to hem that ben in bitternesse of soule?

Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, And life unto the bitter in soul;

21 Whiche abiden deeth, and it cometh not;

Who long for death, but it cometh not, And dig for it more than for hid treasures;

22 as men diggynge out tresour and ioien greetly, whanne thei han founde a sepulcre?

Who rejoice exceedingly, And are glad, when they can find the grave?

23 Whi is liyt youun to a man, whos weie is hid, and God hath cumpassid hym with derknessis?

[Why is light given] to a man whose way is hid, And whom God hath hedged in?

24 Bifore that Y ete, Y siyhe; and as of watir flowynge, so is my roryng.

For my sighing cometh before I eat, And my groanings are poured out like water.

25 For the drede, which Y dredde, cam to me; and that, that Y schamede, bifelde.

For the thing which I fear cometh upon me, And that which I am afraid of cometh unto me.

26 Whether Y dissymilide not? whether Y was not stille? whether Y restide not? and indignacioun cometh on me.

I am not at ease, neither am I quiet, neither have I rest; But trouble cometh.