Job 3

¹At length Job opened his mouth, and cursed the day of his birth.

²And Job spake and said:

³Perish the day in which I was born, and the night which said, "A man-child is conceived!"

⁴Let that day be darkness; Let not God seek it from above; Yea, let not the light shine upon it!

⁵Let darkness and the shadow of death redeem it; Let a cloud dwell upon it; Let whatever darkeneth the day terrify it!

⁶As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; Let it not rejoice among the days of the year; Let it not come into the number of the months!

⁷O let that night be unfruitful! Let there be in it no voice of joy;

⁸Let them that curse the day curse it, Who are skilful to stir up the leviathan!

⁹Let the stars of its twilight be darkened; Let it long for light, and have none; Neither let it see the eyelashes of the morning!

¹⁰Because it shut not up the doors of my mother’s womb, And hid not trouble from mine eyes.

¹¹Why died I not at my birth? Why did I not expire when I came forth from the womb?

¹²Why did the knees receive me, And why the breasts, that I might suck?

¹³For now should I lie down and be quiet; I should sleep; then should I be at rest,

¹⁴With kings and counsellors of the earth, Who built up for themselves—ruins!

¹⁵Or with princes that had gold, And filled their houses with silver;

¹⁶Or, as a hidden untimely birth, I had perished; As infants which never saw the light.

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

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

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

²⁰Why giveth He light to him that is in misery, And life to the bitter in soul,

²¹Who long for death, and it cometh not, And dig for it more than for hid treasures;

²²Who rejoice exceedingly, Yea, exult, when they can find a grave?

²³Why is light given to a man from whom the way is hid, And whom God hath hedged in?

²⁴For my sighing cometh before I eat, And my groans are poured out like water.

²⁵For that which I dread overtaketh me; That at which I shudder cometh upon me.

²⁶I have no peace, nor quiet, nor respite: Misery cometh upon me continually.

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.