Job 3

1 After this Job opened his mouth, and cursed the day of his birth.

After this hath Job opened his mouth, and revileth his day.

2 Job answered:

And Job answereth and saith: —

3 “Let the day perish in which I was born, the night which said, ‘There is a boy conceived.’

Let the day perish in which I am born, And the night that hath said: 'A man-child hath been conceived.'

4 Let that day be darkness. Do not let God from above seek for it, neither let the light shine on it.

That day — let it be darkness, Let not God require it from above, Nor let light shine upon it.

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.

Let darkness and death-shade redeem it, Let a cloud tabernacle upon it, Let them terrify it as the most bitter of days.

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.

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.

7 Behold, let that night be barren. Let no joyful voice come therein.

Lo! that night — let it be gloomy, Let no singing come into it.

8 Let them curse it who curse the day, who are ready to rouse up leviathan.

Let the cursers of day mark it, Who are ready to wake up Leviathan.

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,

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.

10 because it did not shut up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor did it hide trouble from my eyes.

Because it hath not shut the doors Of the womb that was mine! And hide misery from mine eyes.

11 “Why did not I die from the womb? Why did not I give up the spirit when my mother bore me?

Why from the womb do I not die? From the belly I have come forth and gasp!

12 Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breast, that I should nurse?

Wherefore have knees been before me? And what [are] breasts, that I suck?

13 For now I should have lain down and been quiet. I should have slept, then I would have been at rest,

For now, I have lain down, and am quiet, I have slept — then there is rest to me,

14 with kings and counselors of the earth, who built up waste places for themselves;

With kings and counsellors of earth, These building wastes for themselves.

15 or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver;

Or with princes — they have gold, They are filling their houses [with] silver.

16 or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been, as infants who never saw light.

(Or as a hidden abortion I am not, As infants — they have not seen light.)

17 There the wicked cease from troubling. There the weary are at rest.

There the wicked have ceased troubling, And there rest do the wearied in power.

18 There the prisoners are at ease together. They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.

Together prisoners have been at ease, They have not heard the voice of an exactor,

19 The small and the great are there. The servant is free from his master.

Small and great [are] there the same. And a servant [is] free from his lord.

20 “Why is light given to him who is in misery, life to the bitter in soul,

Why giveth He to the miserable light, and life to the bitter soul?

21 who long for death, but it does not come; and dig for it more than for hidden treasures,

Who are waiting for death, and it is not, And they seek it above hid treasures.

22 who rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave?

Who are glad — unto joy, They rejoice when they find a grave.

23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?

To a man whose way hath been hidden, And whom God doth shut up?

24 For my sighing comes before I eat. My groanings are poured out like water.

For before my food, my sighing cometh, And poured out as waters [are] my roarings.

25 For the thing which I fear comes on me, that which I am afraid of comes to me.

For a fear I feared and it meeteth me, And what I was afraid of doth come to me.

26 I am not at ease, neither am I quiet, neither do I have rest; but trouble comes.”

I was not safe — nor was I quiet — Nor was I at rest — and trouble cometh!