The Book of Job

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- Chapter 3 -

Job laments his birth

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

And he said:

Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said: A man child is conceived.

Let that day be turned into darkness, let not God regard it from above, and let not the light shine upon it.

Let darkness, and the shadow of death cover it, let a mist overspread it, and let it be wrapped up in bitterness.

Let a darksome whirlwind seize upon that night, let it not be counted in the days of the year, nor numbered in the months.

Let that night be solitary, and not worthy of praise.

Let them curse it who curse the day. who are ready to raise up a leviathan:

Let the stars be darkened with the mist thereof: let it expect light and not see it, nor the rising of the dawning of the day:

Because it shut not up the doors of the womb that bore me, nor took away evils from my eyes.

Why did I not die in the womb, why did I not perish when I came out of the belly?

Why received upon the knees? why suckled at the breasts?

For now I should have been asleep and still, and should have rest in my sleep.

With kings and consuls of the earth, who build themselves solitudes:

Or with princes, that possess gold, and All their houses with silver:

Or as a hidden untimely birth I should not be, or as they that being conceived have not seen the light.

There the wicked cease from tumult, and there the wearied in strength are at rest.

And they sometime bound together without disquiet, have not heard the voice of the oppressor.

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

Why is light given to him that is in misery, and life to them that are in bitterness of soul?

That look for death, and it cometh not, as they that dig for a treasure:

And they rejoice exceedingly when they have found the grave.

To a man whose way is hidden, and God hath surrounded him with darkness?

Before I eat I sigh: and as overflowing waters, so is my roaring:

For the fear which I feared hath come upon me: and that which I was afraid of, hath befallen me.

Have I not dissembled? have I not kept silence? have I not been quiet? and indignation is come upon me.

Job laments his birth

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

Job answered:

“Let the day perish in which I was born, the night which said, ‘There is a boy conceived.’

Let that day be darkness. Don’t let God from above seek for it, neither let the light shine on it.

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

As 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.

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

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

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

because it didn’t shut up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor did it hide trouble from my eyes.

“Why didn’t I die from the womb? Why didn’t I give up the spirit when my mother bore me?

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

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

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

or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver;

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

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

There the prisoners are at ease together. They don’t hear the voice of the taskmaster.

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

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

who long for death, but it doesn’t come; and dig for it more than for hidden treasures,

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

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

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

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

I am not at ease, neither am I quiet, neither do I have rest; but trouble comes.”