Job 3

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

此後約伯開口詛咒自己的生日。

2 saying,

約伯開始說：

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

願我誕生的那日消逝，願報告「懷了男胎」的那夜滅亡。

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

願那日成為黑暗，願天主從上面不再尋覓它，再沒有光燭照它。

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

願黑暗和陰影玷污它，濃雲遮蓋它，白晝失光的晦暗驚嚇它。

6 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.

願那夜常為黑暗所制，不讓它列入年歲中，不讓它算在月分裏。

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

願那夜孤寂煢獨，毫無歡呼之聲。

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

願那詛咒白日者，有術召喚海怪者，前來詛咒那夜。

9 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:

願晨星昏暗，期待光明而光明不至，也不見晨光熹微，

10 because it shut not up the gates of my mother's womb, for [so] it would have removed sorrow from my eyes.

因為它沒有關閉我母胎之門，遮住我眼前的愁苦。

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

我為何一出母胎沒有立即死去﹖為何我一離母腹沒有斷氣﹖

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

為何兩膝接住我﹖為何兩乳哺養我﹖

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

不然現今我早已臥下安睡了，早已永眠獲得安息了，

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

與那些為自己建陵墓的國王和百官，

15 or with rulers, whose gold was abundant, who filled their houses with silver:

與那些金銀滿堂的王侯同眠；

16 or [I should have been] as an untimely birth proceeding from his mother's womb, or as infants who never saw light.

或者像隱沒的流產兒，像未見光明的嬰孩；

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

在那裏惡人停止作亂，在那裏勞悴者得享安寧；

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

囚徒相安無事，再不聞督工的呼叱聲，

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

在那裏大小平等，奴隸脫離主人。

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

為何賜不幸者以光明，賜心中憂苦者以生命﹖

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

這些人渴望死，而死不至；尋求死亡勝於寶藏，

22 and would be very joyful if they should gain it?

見到墳墓，感覺歡樂，且喜樂達於極點!

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

人的道路，既如此渺茫，天主為何賜給他生命，又把他包圍﹖

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

歎習成了我的食物，不停哀嘆有如流水。

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

我所畏懼的，偏偏臨於我身；我所害怕的，卻迎面而來。

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

我沒有安寧，也沒有平靜，得不到休息，而只有煩惱。