Job 3

¹Afterward Iob opened his mouth, and cursed his day.

²And Iob cryed out, and sayd,

³Let the day perish, wherein I was borne, and the night when it was sayde, There is a man childe conceiued.

⁴Let that day bee darkenesse, let not God regarde it from aboue, neyther let the light shine vpon it,

⁵But let darkenesse, and the shadowe of death staine it: let the cloude remayne vpon it, and let them make it fearefull as a bitter day.

⁶Let darkenesse possesse that night, let it not be ioyned vnto the dayes of the yeere, nor let it come into the count of the moneths.

⁷Yea, desolate be that night, and let no ioy be in it.

⁸Let them that curse the day, (being readie to renue their mourning) curse it.

⁹Let the starres of that twilight be dimme through darkenesse of it: let it looke for light, but haue none: neither let it see the dawning of the day,

¹⁰Because it shut not vp the dores of my mothers wombe: nor hid sorowe from mine eyes.

¹¹Why died I not in the birth? or why dyed I not, when I came out of the wombe?

¹²Why did the knees preuent me? and why did I sucke the breasts?

¹³For so shoulde I now haue lyen and bene quiet, I should haue slept then, and bene at rest,

¹⁴With the Kings and counselers of the earth, which haue buylded themselues desolate places:

¹⁵Or with the princes that had golde, and haue filled their houses with siluer.

¹⁶Or why was I not hid, as an vntimely birth, either as infants, which haue not seene the light?

¹⁷The wicked haue there ceased from their tyrannie, and there they that laboured valiantly, are at rest.

¹⁸The prisoners rest together, and heare not the voyce of the oppressour.

¹⁹There are small and great, and the seruant is free from his master.

²⁰Wherefore is the light giuen to him that is in miserie? and life vnto them that haue heauie hearts?

²¹Which long for death, and if it come not, they would euen search it more then treasures:

²²Which ioy for gladnes, and reioyce, when they can finde the graue.

²³Why is the light giuen to the man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?

²⁴For my sighing commeth before I eate, and my roarings are powred out like the water.

²⁵For the thing I feared, is come vpon me, and the thing that I was afraid of, is come vnto me.

²⁶I had no peace, neither had I quietnesse, neither had I rest, yet trouble is come.

Job 3

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

²And Job spake, and said,

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

⁴Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.

⁵Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.

⁶As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months.

⁷Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein.

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

⁹Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day:

¹⁰Because it shut not up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.

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

¹²Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?

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

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

¹⁵Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver:

¹⁶Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.

¹⁷There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.

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

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

²⁰Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;

²¹Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures;

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

²³Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?

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

²⁵For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.

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