Job 3

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

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

2 Job answered:

And this is what he said:

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

“May the day of my birth perish, and the night it was said, ‘A boy is conceived.’

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

If only that day had turned to darkness! May God above disregard it; may no 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.

May darkness and gloom reclaim it, and a cloud settle over it; may the blackness of the day overwhelm it.

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.

If only darkness had taken that night away! May it not appear among the days of the year; may it never be entered in any of the months.

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

Behold, may that night be barren; may no joyful voice come into it.

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

May it be cursed by those who curse the day — those prepared to rouse 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,

May its morning stars grow dark; may it wait in vain for daylight; may it not see the breaking of dawn.

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

For that night did not shut the doors of the womb to hide the sorrow from my eyes.

11 “Why didn’t I die from the womb? Why didn’t I give up the spirit when my mother bore me?

Why did I not perish at birth; why did I not die as I came from the womb?

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

Why were there knees to receive me, and breasts that I should be nursed?

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 would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest

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

with kings and counselors of the earth, who built for themselves cities now in ruins,

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

or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver.

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

Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child, like an infant who never sees daylight?

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

There the wicked cease from raging, and there the weary find rest.

18 There the prisoners are at ease together. They don’t hear the voice of the taskmaster.

The captives enjoy their ease; they do not hear the voice of the oppressor.

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

Both small and great are there, and the slave is freed from his master.

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

Why is light given to the miserable, and life to the bitter of soul,

21 who long for death, but it doesn’t come; and dig for it more than for hidden treasures,

who long for death that does not come, and search for it like hidden treasure,

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

who rejoice and greatly exult when they can find the grave?

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

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

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

I sigh when food is put before me, and my groans pour out like water.

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

For the thing I feared has overtaken me, and what I dreaded has befallen me.

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

I am not at ease or quiet; I have no rest, for trouble has come.”