Job 3

1 Aftir these thingis Joob openyde his mouth,

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

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

saying,

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

Let the day perish in which I was born, and that night in which they said, Behold a boy!

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 night be darkness, and let not the Lord regard it from above, neither let light come upon it.

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

But let darkness and the shadow of death seize it; let blackness come upon it;

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

let that day and night be cursed, let darkness carry them away; let it not come into the days of the year, neither let it be numbered with the days of the months.

7 Thilke nyyt be soleyn, and not worthi of preisyng.

But let that night be pain, and let not mirth come upon it, nor joy.

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

But let him that curses that day curse it, [even] he that is ready to attack the great whale.

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 that night be darkened; let it remain [dark], and not come into light; and let it not see the morning star arise:

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 gates of my mother's womb, for [so] it would have removed sorrow from my eyes.

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

For why died I not in the belly? and [why] did I not come forth from the womb and die immediately?

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

and why did the knees support me? and why did I suck the breasts?

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

Now I should have lain down and been quiet, I should have slept and been at rest,

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

with kings [and] councillors of the earth, who gloried in [their] swords;

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

or with rulers, whose gold was abundant, 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 [I should have been] as an untimely birth proceeding from his mother's womb, or as infants who never saw light.

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

There the ungodly have burnt out the fury of rage; there the wearied in body rest.

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

And the men of old time have together ceased to hear the exactor's voice.

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

The small and great are there, and the servant that feared his lord.

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

For why is light given to those who are in bitterness, and life to those souls which are in griefs?

21 Whiche abiden deeth, and it cometh not;

who desire death, and obtain it not, digging [for it] as [for] treasures;

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

and would be very joyful if they should gain it?

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

Death [is] rest to [such] a man, for God has hedged him in.

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

For my groaning comes before my food, and I weep being beset with terror.

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

For the terror of which I meditated has come upon me, and that which I had feared has befallen me.

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

I was not at peace, nor quiet, nor had I rest; yet wrath came upon me.