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.

Job 3

¹After this hath Job opened his mouth, and revileth his day.

²And Job answereth and saith:

³Let the day perish in which I am born, And the night that hath said: `A man-child hath been conceived.'

⁴That daylet it be darkness, Let not God require it from above, Nor let light shine upon it.

⁵Let darkness and death-shade redeem it, Let a cloud tabernacle upon it, Let them terrify it as the most bitter of days.

⁶That nightlet thick darkness take it, Let it not be united to days of the year, Into the number of months let it not come.

⁷Lo! that nightlet it be gloomy, Let no singing come into it.

⁸Let the cursers of day mark it, Who are ready to wake up Leviathan.

⁹Let 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.

¹⁰Because it hath not shut the doors Of the womb that was mine! And hide misery from mine eyes.

¹¹Why from the womb do I not die? From the belly I have come forth and gasp!

¹²Wherefore have knees been before me? And what are breasts, that I suck?

¹³For now, I have lain down, and am quiet, I have sleptthen there is rest to me,

¹⁴With kings and counsellors of earth, These building wastes for themselves.

¹⁵Or with princesthey have gold, They are filling their houses with silver.

¹⁶(Or as a hidden abortion I am not, As infantsthey have not seen light.)

¹⁷There the wicked have ceased troubling, And there rest do the wearied in power.

¹⁸Together prisoners have been at ease, They have not heard the voice of an exactor,

¹⁹Small and great are there the same. And a servant is free from his lord.

²⁰Why giveth He to the miserable light, and life to the bitter soul?

²¹Who are waiting for death, and it is not, And they seek it above hid treasures.

²²Who are gladunto joy, They rejoice when they find a grave.

²³To a man whose way hath been hidden, And whom God doth shut up?

²⁴For before my food, my sighing cometh, And poured out as waters are my roarings.

²⁵For a fear I feared and it meeteth me, And what I was afraid of doth come to me.

²⁶I was not safenor was I quietNor was I at restand trouble cometh!