1After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.
1After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed his day.
2And this is what he said:
2And Job spoke and said:
3“May the day of my birth perish,
and the night it was said,
‘A boy is conceived.’
3“May the day perish on which I was born, and the night that one said, ‘A male child has been conceived.’
4If only that day had turned to darkness!
May God above disregard it;
may no light shine upon it.
4That day—may it be darkness; let not God seek it above, nor let light shine upon it.
5May darkness and gloom reclaim it,
and a cloud settle over it;
may the blackness of the day overwhelm it.
5Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it; may a cloud dwell over it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.
6If only darkness had taken that night away!
May it not appear among the days of the year;
may it never be entered in any of the months.
6That night—let darkness take it! Let it not it rejoice among the days of the year; into the number of the months let it not come.
7Behold, may that night be barren;
may no joyful voice come into it.
7Behold, that night—may it be barren, let no joyful shout come into it.
8May it be cursed by those who curse the day—a
those prepared to rouse Leviathan.
8May they curse it, those cursing the day, those ready to rouse Leviathan.
9May its morning stars grow dark;
may it wait in vain for daylight;
may it not see the breaking of dawn.
9May the stars of its morning light be dark; may it look for light and there be none, and do not let it see the eyelids of the dawn;
10For that night did not shut the doors of the womb
to hide the sorrow from my eyes.
10for it did not shut the doors of my womb, and hide trouble from my eyes.
11Why did I not perish at birth;
why did I not die as I came from the womb?
11Why did I not die from the womb? I should have come forth from the belly and expired!
12Why were there knees to receive me,
and breasts that I should be nursed?
12Why did the knees meet me, and why the breasts that I should suck?
13For now I would be lying down in peace;
I would be asleep and at rest
13For now I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept—then there would be rest for me
14with kings and counselors of the earth,
who built for themselves cities now in ruins,
14with the kings and counselors of the earth, who built up ruins for themselves;
15or with princes who had gold,
who filled their houses with silver.
15or with the princes with gold unto them, those filling their houses with silver.
16Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child,
like an infant who never sees daylight?
16Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child, like infants who had not seen the light?
17There the wicked cease from raging,
and there the weary find rest.
17There the wicked cease from trouble, and there those weary of power are at rest—
18The captives enjoy their ease;
they do not hear the voice of the oppressor.
18together the captives are at rest; they do not hear the voice oppressing them.
19Both small and great are there,
and the slave is freed from his master.
19The small and the great there the same, and the servant is free from his master.
20Why is light given to the miserable,
and life to the bitter of soul,
20Why is light given to the one toiling, and life to the bitter of soul,
21who long for death that does not come,
and search for it like hidden treasure,
21those waiting for death and there is none, and those digging for it more than hidden treasures,
22who rejoice and greatly exult
when they reach the grave?
22those being glad unto joy; they rejoice that they should find the grave?
23Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden,
whom God has hedged in?
23To a man for whom his path is hidden, and God has hedged around him?
24I sigh when food is put before me,
and my groans pour out like water.
24For before my food my sighing comes, and my groanings pour out like the waters.
25For the thing I feared has overtaken me,
and what I dreaded has befallen me.
25For the dreadful thing I dreaded, and it has met me, and that which I had feared has come to me.
26I am not at ease or quiet;
I have no rest, for trouble has come.”
26I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; and I do not have rest, and turmoil has come.”