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,
And Job answered and said,
3 and the nyyt in which it was seid, The man is conceyued.
Let the day perish in which I was born, and the night that 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.
That day — let it be darkness, let not God care for it from above, neither let 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; let clouds dwell upon it; let darkeners of 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.
That night — let gloom 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.
Behold, let that night be barren; let no joyful sound 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 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 its twilight be dark; let it wait for light, and have none, neither let it see the eyelids of the dawn:
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 the womb that bore me, and hid not trouble from mine eyes.
11 Whi was not Y deed in the wombe? whi yede Y out of the wombe, and perischide not anoon?
Wherefore did I not die from the womb, — come forth from the belly and expire?
12 Whi was Y takun on knees? whi was Y suclid with teetis?
Why did the knees meet me? and wherefore 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 build desolate places for themselves,
15 ethir with prynces that han gold in possessioun, and fillen her housis with siluer;
Or with princes who 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 have not seen the 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 wearied are at rest.
18 And sum tyme boundun togidere with out disese thei herden not the voys of the wrongful axere.
The prisoners together are at ease; 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 great are there, and the bondman freed 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 trouble, and life to those bitter of soul,
21 Whiche abiden deeth, and it cometh not;
Who long for death, and it [cometh] not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures;
22 as men diggynge out tresour and ioien greetly, whanne thei han founde a sepulcre?
Who rejoice even exultingly and are glad when they find the grave? —
23 Whi is liyt youun to a man, whos weie is hid, and God hath cumpassid hym with derknessis?
To the man whose way is hidden, 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 my bread, and my groanings are poured out like the waters.
25 For the drede, which Y dredde, cam to me; and that, that Y schamede, bifelde.
For I feared a fear, and it hath come upon me, and that which I dreaded hath come to me.
26 Whether Y dissymilide not? whether Y was not stille? whether Y restide not? and indignacioun cometh on me.
I was not in safety, neither had I quietness, neither was I at rest, and trouble came.
