Job 3

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

²Job answered:

³"Let the day perish in which I was born, the night which said, 'There is a boy conceived.'

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

⁵Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own. Let a cloud dwell on it. Let all that makes black the day terrify it.

⁶As 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.

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

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

⁹Let the stars of its twilight be dark. Let it look for light, but have none, neither let it see the eyelids of the morning,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.