Job 3

1 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day he was born.

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

2 He said,

And Job answered and said,

3 “May the day on which I was born perish, the night that said, 'A boy has been conceived.'

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

4 May that day be dark; may not God from above call it to mind, neither may the sun shine on it.

Let that day be darkness. Let not God from above seek for it, nor let the light shine upon it.

5 May darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own. May a cloud live over it; may everything that makes the day black truly terrify it.

Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own. Let a cloud dwell upon it. Let blackness come upon it.

6 As for that night, may thick darkness seize it. May it not rejoice among the days of the year; may it not come into the number of the months.

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

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

Lo, let that night be barren. Let no joyful voice come in it.

8 May they curse that day, those who know how to wake up Leviathan.

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

9 May the stars of that day's dawn be dark. May that day look for light, but find none; neither may it see the eyelids of the dawn,

Let the stars of the twilight of it be dark. Let it look for light, but have none, nor let it behold the eyelids of the morning.

10 because it did not shut up the doors of my mother's womb, and because it did not hide trouble from my eyes.

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

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

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

12 Why did her knees welcome me? Why did her breasts receive me so that I should suck?

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

13 For now I would have been lying down quietly. I would have slept and been at rest

For now I should have lain down and been quiet. I should have slept. Then I would have been at rest

14 with kings and counselors of the earth, who built up tombs for themselves that are now in ruins.

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

15 Or I would have been lying with princes who once had gold, who had filled their houses with silver.

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

16 Or perhaps I would have been stillborn, like infants that never see the light.

Or I should have been as a hidden untimely birth, as infants that never saw light.

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

There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest.

18 There the prisoners are at ease together; they do not hear the voice of the slave driver.

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

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

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

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

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

21 to one who longs for death without it coming; to one who digs for death more than for hidden treasure?

who long for death, but it comes not, and dig for it more than for hid treasures,

22 Why is light given to one who rejoices very much and is glad when he finds the grave?

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

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

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

24 For my sighing happens instead of eating; my groaning is poured out like water.

For my sighing comes before I eat, and my groanings are poured out like water.

25 For the thing that I feared has come on me; what I was afraid of has come to me.

For the thing which I fear comes upon me, and that which I am afraid of comes to me.

26 I am not at ease, I am not quiet, and I have no rest; trouble comes instead.”

I am not at ease, nor am I quiet, neither have I rest, but trouble comes.