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. Don’t 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 didn’t shut up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor did it hide trouble from my eyes. ¹¹“Why didn’t I die from the womb? Why didn’t I give up the spirit when my mother bore me? ¹²Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breast, that I should nurse? 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 don’t 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 hidden, 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.”

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.