Job 3
1 Aftir these thingis Joob openyde his mouth,
After this Job opened his mouth, and cursed the day of his birth.
2 and curside his dai, and seide, Perische the dai in which Y was borun,
Job answered:
3 and the nyyt in which it was seid, The man is conceyued.
“Let the day perish in which I was born, the night which said, ‘There is a boy 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. Don’t let God from above seek for it, neither let the light shine on 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 on it. Let all that makes the day black 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 on 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 voice come therein.
8 Curse thei it, that cursen the dai, that ben redi to reise Leuyathan.
Let them curse it who 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 its twilight be dark. Let it look for light, but have none, neither let it see 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 didn’t shut up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor did it hide trouble from my eyes.
11 Whi was not Y deed in the wombe? whi yede Y out of the wombe, and perischide not anoon?
“Why didn’t I die from the womb? Why didn’t I give up the spirit when my mother bore me?
12 Whi was Y takun on knees? whi was Y suclid with teetis?
Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breast, that I should nurse?
13 For now Y slepynge schulde be stille, and schulde reste in my sleep,
For now I should have lain down and been quiet. I should have slept, then I would have been at rest,
14 with kyngis, and consuls of erthe, that bilden to hem soleyn places;
with kings and counselors 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 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 who never saw light.
17 There wickid men ceessiden of noise, and there men maad wery of strengthe restiden.
There the wicked cease from troubling. 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 don’t hear 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. 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?
“Why is light given to him who is in misery, life to the bitter in soul,
21 Whiche abiden deeth, and it cometh not;
who long for death, but it doesn’t come; 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 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 hidden, whom God has hedged in?
24 Bifore that Y ete, Y siyhe; and as of watir flowynge, so is my roryng.
For my sighing comes before I eat. 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 comes on me, that which I am afraid of comes to 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 do I have rest; but trouble comes.”
