Job 3

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

1Then, opening his mouth, and cursing the day of his birth,

2And Job answereth and saith: --

2Job made answer and said,

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

3Let destruction take the day of my birth, and the night on which it was said, A man child has come into the world.

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

4That day--let it be dark; let not God take note of it from on high, and let not the light be shining on it;

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

5Let the dark and the black night take it for themselves; let it be covered with a cloud; let the dark shades of day send fear on it.

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

6That night--let the thick dark take it; let it not have joy among the days of the year; let it not come into the number of the months.

7Lo! that night--let it be gloomy, Let no singing come into it.

7As for that night, let it have no fruit; let no voice of joy be sounded in it;

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

8Let it be cursed by those who put a curse on the day; who are ready to make Leviathan awake.

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.

9Let its morning stars be dark; let it be looking for light, but may it not have any; let it not see the eyes of the dawn.

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

10Because it did not keep the doors of my mother's body shut, so that trouble might be veiled from my eyes.

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

11Why did death not take me when I came out of my mother's body, why did I not, when I came out, give up my last breath?

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

12Why did the knees take me, or why the breasts that they might give me milk?

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

13For then I might have gone to my rest in quiet, and in sleep have been in peace,

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

14With kings and the wise ones of the earth, who put up great houses for themselves;

15Or with princes--they have gold, They are filling their houses <FI>with<Fi> silver.

15Or with rulers who had gold, and whose houses were full of silver;

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

16Or as a child dead at birth I might never have come into existence; like young children who have not seen the light.

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

17There the passions of the evil are over, and those whose strength has come to an end have rest.

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

18There the prisoners are at peace together; the voice of the overseer comes not again to their ears.

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

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

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

20Why does he give light to him who is in trouble, and life to the bitter in soul;

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

21To those whose desire is for death, but it comes not; who are searching for it more than for secret wealth;

22Who are glad--unto joy, They rejoice when they find a grave.

22Who are glad with great joy, and full of delight when they come to their last resting-place;

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

23To a man whose way is veiled, and who is shut in by God?

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

24In place of my food I have grief, and cries of sorrow come from me like water.

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

25For I have a fear and it comes on me, and my heart is greatly troubled.

26I was not safe--nor was I quiet--Nor was I at rest--and trouble cometh!

26I have no peace, no quiet, and no rest; nothing but pain comes on me.