Job 3
1 After this Job opened his mouth, and cursed the day of his birth.
Aftir these thingis Joob openyde his mouth,
2 Job answered:
and curside his dai, and seide, Perische the dai in which Y was borun,
3 “Let the day perish in which I was born, the night which said, ‘There is a boy conceived.’
and the nyyt in which it was seid, The man is conceyued.
4 Let that day be darkness. Do not let God from above seek for it, neither let the light shine on it.
Thilke dai be turnede in to derknessis; God seke not it aboue, and be it not in mynde, nethir be it liytned with liyt.
5 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.
Derknessis make it derk, and the schadewe of deeth and myist occupie it; and be it wlappid with bittirnesse.
6 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.
Derk whirlwynde holde that niyt; be it not rikynyd among the daies of the yeer, nethir be it noumbrid among the monethes.
7 Behold, let that night be barren. Let no joyful voice come therein.
Thilke nyyt be soleyn, and not worthi of preisyng.
8 Let them curse it who curse the day, who are ready to rouse up leviathan.
Curse thei it, that cursen the dai, that ben redi to reise Leuyathan.
9 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,
Sterris be maad derk with the derknesse therof; abide it liyt, and se it not, nethir the bigynnyng of the morwetid risyng vp.
10 because it did not shut up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor did it hide trouble from my eyes.
For it closide not the doris of the wombe, that bar me, nethir took awei yuels fro min iyen.
11 “Why did not I die from the womb? Why did not I give up the spirit when my mother bore me?
Whi was not Y deed in the wombe? whi yede Y out of the wombe, and perischide not anoon?
12 Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breast, that I should nurse?
Whi was Y takun on knees? whi was Y suclid with teetis?
13 For now I should have lain down and been quiet. I should have slept, then I would have been at rest,
For now Y slepynge schulde be stille, and schulde reste in my sleep,
14 with kings and counselors of the earth, who built up waste places for themselves;
with kyngis, and consuls of erthe, that bilden to hem soleyn places;
15 or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver;
ethir with prynces that han gold in possessioun, and fillen her housis with siluer;
16 or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been, as infants who never saw light.
ethir as a `thing hid not borun Y schulde not stonde, ethir whiche conseyued sien not liyt.
17 There the wicked cease from troubling. There the weary are at rest.
There wickid men ceessiden of noise, and there men maad wery of strengthe restiden.
18 There the prisoners are at ease together. They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.
And sum tyme boundun togidere with out disese thei herden not the voys of the wrongful axere.
19 The small and the great are there. The servant is free from his master.
A litil man and greet man be there, and a seruaunt free fro his lord.
20 “Why is light given to him who is in misery, life to the bitter in soul,
Whi is liyt youun to the wretche, and lijf to hem that ben in bitternesse of soule?
21 who long for death, but it does not come; and dig for it more than for hidden treasures,
Whiche abiden deeth, and it cometh not;
22 who rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave?
as men diggynge out tresour and ioien greetly, whanne thei han founde a sepulcre?
23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?
Whi is liyt youun to a man, whos weie is hid, and God hath cumpassid hym with derknessis?
24 For my sighing comes before I eat. My groanings are poured out like water.
Bifore that Y ete, Y siyhe; and as of watir flowynge, so is my roryng.
25 For the thing which I fear comes on me, that which I am afraid of comes to me.
For the drede, which Y dredde, cam to me; and that, that Y schamede, bifelde.
26 I am not at ease, neither am I quiet, neither do I have rest; but trouble comes.”
Whether Y dissymilide not? whether Y was not stille? whether Y restide not? and indignacioun cometh on me.
