Job 3

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

Aftir these thingis Joob openyde his mouth,

2 And Job spoke, and said,

and curside his dai, and seide, Perische the dai in which Y was borun,

3 Let the day perish when I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.

and the nyyt in which it was seid, The man is conceyued.

4 Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon 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 stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day 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 darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined to 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 Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come in it.

Thilke nyyt be soleyn, and not worthi of preisyng.

8 Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning.

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 dawning of the day:

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 shut not up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor hid sorrow from my eyes.

For it closide not the doris of the wombe, that bar me, nethir took awei yuels fro min iyen.

11 Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the womb?

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 breasts that I should be nursed?

Whi was Y takun on knees? whi was Y suclid with teetis?

13 For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,

For now Y slepynge schulde be stille, and schulde reste in my sleep,

14 With kings and counsellors of the earth, who built desolate places for themselves;

with kyngis, and consuls of erthe, that bilden to hem soleyn places;

15 Or with princes that 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 an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which 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; and there the weary are at rest.

There wickid men ceessiden of noise, and there men maad wery of strengthe restiden.

18 There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.

And sum tyme boundun togidere with out disese thei herden not the voys of the wrongful axere.

19 The small and great are there; and 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 that is in misery, and 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 cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid 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 hid, and whom God hath hedged in?

Whi is liyt youun to a man, whos weie is hid, and God hath cumpassid hym with derknessis?

24 For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters.

Bifore that Y ete, Y siyhe; and as of watir flowynge, so is my roryng.

25 For the thing which I greatly feared hath come upon me, and that which I feared hath come to me.

For the drede, which Y dredde, cam to me; and that, that Y schamede, bifelde.

26 I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

Whether Y dissymilide not? whether Y was not stille? whether Y restide not? and indignacioun cometh on me.