< Job 3 >

1 After this hath Job opened his mouth, and revileth his day.
After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed his day.
2 And Job answereth and saith: —
And Job answered and said,
3 Let the day perish in which I am born, And the night that hath said: 'A man-child hath been conceived.'
Let the day perish in which I was born, and the night that said, There is a man child conceived.
4 That day — let it be darkness, Let not God require it from above, Nor let light shine upon it.
That day — let it be darkness, let not God care for it from above, neither let light shine upon it:
5 Let darkness and death-shade redeem it, Let a cloud tabernacle upon it, Let them terrify it as the most bitter of days.
Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it; let clouds dwell upon it; let darkeners of the day terrify it.
6 That night — let thick darkness take it, Let it not be united to days of the year, Into the number of months let it not come.
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 Lo! that night — let it be gloomy, Let no singing come into it.
Behold, let that night be barren; let no joyful sound come therein;
8 Let the cursers of day mark it, Who are ready to wake up Leviathan.
Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to rouse Leviathan;
9 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.
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 Because it hath not shut the doors Of the womb that was mine! And hide misery from mine eyes.
Because it shut not up the doors of the womb that bore me, and hid not trouble from mine eyes.
11 Why from the womb do I not die? From the belly I have come forth and gasp!
Wherefore did I not die from the womb, — come forth from the belly and expire?
12 Wherefore have knees been before me? And what [are] breasts, that I suck?
Why did the knees meet me? and wherefore the breasts, that I should suck?
13 For now, I have lain down, and am quiet, I have slept — then there is rest to me,
For now should I have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept: then had I been at rest,
14 With kings and counsellors of earth, These building wastes for themselves.
With kings and counsellors of the earth, who build desolate places for themselves,
15 Or with princes — they have gold, They are filling their houses [with] silver.
Or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver;
16 (Or as a hidden abortion I am not, As infants — they have not seen light.)
Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants that have not seen the light.
17 There the wicked have ceased troubling, And there rest do the wearied in power.
There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the wearied are at rest.
18 Together prisoners have been at ease, They have not heard the voice of an exactor,
The prisoners together are at ease; they hear not the voice of the taskmaster.
19 Small and great [are] there the same. And a servant [is] free from his lord.
The small and great are there, and the bondman freed from his master.
20 Why giveth He to the miserable light, and life to the bitter soul?
Wherefore is light given to him that is in trouble, and life to those bitter of soul,
21 Who are waiting for death, and it is not, And they seek it above hid treasures.
Who long for death, and it [cometh] not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures;
22 Who are glad — unto joy, They rejoice when they find a grave.
Who rejoice even exultingly and are glad when they find the grave? —
23 To a man whose way hath been hidden, And whom God doth shut up?
To the man whose way is hidden, and whom God hath hedged in?
24 For before my food, my sighing cometh, And poured out as waters [are] my roarings.
For my sighing cometh before my bread, and my groanings are poured out like the waters.
25 For a fear I feared and it meeteth me, And what I was afraid of doth come to me.
For I feared a fear, and it hath come upon me, and that which I dreaded hath come to me.
26 I was not safe — nor was I quiet — Nor was I at rest — and trouble cometh!
I was not in safety, neither had I quietness, neither was I at rest, and trouble came.

< Job 3 >