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Lamentos de Job

Después de esto, Job abrió su boca y maldijo el día de su nacimiento[a]. Y dijo Job:

«(A)Perezca el día en que yo nací,
Y la noche que dijo: “Un varón ha sido concebido”.
-»Sea ese día tinieblas,
No lo tome en cuenta Dios desde lo alto,
Ni resplandezca sobre él la luz.
-»Apodérense de él tinieblas y densa oscuridad(B),
Pósese sobre él una nube,
Llénelo de terror la negrura del día.
Y en cuanto a aquella noche, apodérense de ella las tinieblas;
Que no se alegre entre los días del año,
Ni se cuente en el número de los meses.
-»Que sea estéril aquella noche,
No entren en ella gritos de júbilo.
-»Maldíganla los que maldicen el día,
Los que están listos[b] para despertar a Leviatán[c](C).
-»Oscurézcanse las estrellas de su alba;
Que espere la luz pero no la tenga,
Que tampoco vea el rayar[d] de la aurora;
10 Porque no cerró las puertas[e] del vientre de mi madre,
Ni escondió la aflicción de mis ojos.
11 ¶»¿Por qué no morí yo al nacer[f],
O expiré al salir del vientre(D)?
12 -»¿Por qué me recibieron las rodillas,
Y para qué los pechos que me dieron de mamar?
13 -»Porque ahora yo reposaría tranquilo;
Dormiría, y entonces tendría descanso(E)
14 Con los reyes(F) y los consejeros(G) de la tierra,
Que reedificaron ruinas(H) para sí;
15 O con príncipes(I) que tenían oro,
Que llenaban sus casas de plata(J).
16 -»O como aborto desechado[g], yo no existiría,
Como los niños que nunca vieron la luz.
17 -»Allí los impíos dejan de sentir ira,
Y allí reposan los cansados[h](K).
18 -»Juntos reposan los prisioneros;
No oyen la voz del capataz.
19 -»Allí están los pequeños y los grandes,
Y el esclavo es libre de su señor.
20 ¶»¿Por qué se da luz al que sufre(L),
Y vida al amargado de alma;
21 A los que ansían[i] la muerte, pero no llega[j](M),
Y cavan por ella más que por tesoros(N);
22 Que se alegran sobremanera,
Y se regocijan cuando encuentran el sepulcro?
23 -»¿Por qué dar luz al hombre cuyo camino está escondido(O),
Y a quien Dios ha cercado(P)?
24 -»Porque al ver mi alimento(Q) salen mis gemidos,
Y mis clamores se derraman como agua(R).
25 -»Pues lo que temo[k] viene sobre mí,
Y lo que me aterroriza me sucede(S).
26 -»No tengo reposo ni estoy tranquilo,
No descanso, sino que me viene turbación(T)».

Footnotes

  1. 3:1 Lit. su día.
  2. 3:8 O son hábiles.
  3. 3:8 O al monstruo marino.
  4. 3:9 Lit. los párpados.
  5. 3:10 O la abertura.
  6. 3:11 Lit. desde la matriz.
  7. 3:16 Lit. oculto.
  8. 3:17 Lit. cansados de fuerzas.
  9. 3:21 Lit. esperan.
  10. 3:21 Lit. hay ninguna.
  11. 3:25 Lit. el temor que yo temo.

Job’s Lament

After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. [a]And Job said,


“Let the day on which I was born perish,
And the night which announced: ‘There is a man-child conceived.’

“May that day be darkness;
Let God above not care about it,
Nor light shine on it.

“Let darkness and gloom claim it for their own;
Let a cloud settle upon it;
Let all that blackens the day terrify it (the day that I was born).

“As for that night, let darkness seize it;
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
Let it not be counted in the number of the months.

“Behold, let that night be barren [and empty];
Let no joyful voice enter it.

“Let those curse it [b]who curse the day,
Who are skilled in rousing up Leviathan.

“Let the stars of its early dawn be dark;
Let the morning wait in vain for the light,
Let it not see the eyelids of morning (the day’s dawning),
10 
Because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb,
Nor hide trouble from my eyes.

11 
“Why did I not die at birth,
Come forth from the womb and expire?
12 
“Why did the knees receive me?
And why the breasts, that I would nurse?
13 
“For now I would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept then, I would have been at rest [in death],
14 
With kings and counselors of the earth,
Who built up [now desolate] ruins for themselves;
15 
Or with princes who had gold,
Who filled their houses with silver.
16 
“Or like a miscarriage which is hidden and put away, I would not exist,
Like infants who never saw light.
17 
“There [in death] the wicked cease from raging,
And there the weary are at rest.
18 
“There the prisoners rest together;
They do not hear the taskmaster’s voice.
19 
“The small and the great are there,
And the servant is free from his master.(A)

20 
“Why is the light given to him who is in misery,
And life to the bitter in soul,
21 
Who wait for death, but it does not come,
And dig (search) for death more [diligently] than for hidden treasures,
22 
Who rejoice exceedingly,
And rejoice when they find the grave?
23 
Why is the light of day given to a man whose way is hidden,
And whom God has hedged in?
24 
“For my groaning comes at the sight of my food,
And my cries [of despair] are poured out like water.
25 
“For the thing which I greatly fear comes upon me,
And that of which I am afraid has come upon me.
26 
“I am not at ease, nor am I quiet,
And I am not at rest, and yet trouble still comes [upon me].”

Footnotes

  1. Job 3:2 The prose introduction ends at v 1 and the poetic heart of the book begins with v 2. One of the features of Hebrew poetry is the prevalence of pairs of statements in which the second statement either is parallel in thought to the first or contrasts with it. There is no rhyming or metrical correspondence.
  2. Job 3:8 Some ancient sorcerers claimed the ability to curse a day by calling up a terrifying, legendary creature, such as Leviathan, to devour the sun.

Job Speaks

After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.(A) He said:

“May the day of my birth perish,
    and the night that said, ‘A boy is conceived!’(B)
That day—may it turn to darkness;
    may God above not care about it;
    may no light shine on it.
May gloom and utter darkness(C) claim it once more;
    may a cloud settle over it;
    may blackness overwhelm it.
That night—may thick darkness(D) seize it;
    may it not be included among the days of the year
    nor be entered in any of the months.
May that night be barren;
    may no shout of joy(E) be heard in it.
May those who curse days[a] curse that day,(F)
    those who are ready to rouse Leviathan.(G)
May its morning stars become dark;
    may it wait for daylight in vain
    and not see the first rays of dawn,(H)
10 for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me
    to hide trouble from my eyes.

11 “Why did I not perish at birth,
    and die as I came from the womb?(I)
12 Why were there knees to receive me(J)
    and breasts that I might be nursed?
13 For now I would be lying down(K) in peace;
    I would be asleep and at rest(L)
14 with kings and rulers of the earth,(M)
    who built for themselves places now lying in ruins,(N)
15 with princes(O) who had gold,
    who filled their houses with silver.(P)
16 Or why was I not hidden away in the ground like a stillborn child,(Q)
    like an infant who never saw the light of day?(R)
17 There the wicked cease from turmoil,(S)
    and there the weary are at rest.(T)
18 Captives(U) also enjoy their ease;
    they no longer hear the slave driver’s(V) shout.(W)
19 The small and the great are there,(X)
    and the slaves are freed from their owners.

20 “Why is light given to those in misery,
    and life to the bitter of soul,(Y)
21 to those who long for death that does not come,(Z)
    who search for it more than for hidden treasure,(AA)
22 who are filled with gladness
    and rejoice when they reach the grave?(AB)
23 Why is life given to a man
    whose way is hidden,(AC)
    whom God has hedged in?(AD)
24 For sighing(AE) has become my daily food;(AF)
    my groans(AG) pour out like water.(AH)
25 What I feared has come upon me;
    what I dreaded(AI) has happened to me.(AJ)
26 I have no peace,(AK) no quietness;
    I have no rest,(AL) but only turmoil.”(AM)

Footnotes

  1. Job 3:8 Or curse the sea

Job Deplores His Birth

After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. And Job [a]spoke, and said:

“May(A) the day perish on which I was born,
And the night in which it was said,
‘A male child is conceived.’
May that day be darkness;
May God above not seek it,
Nor the light shine upon it.
May darkness and (B)the shadow of death claim it;
May a cloud settle on it;
May the blackness of the day terrify it.
As for that night, may darkness seize it;
May it not [b]rejoice among the days of the year,
May it not come into the number of the months.
Oh, may that night be barren!
May no joyful shout come into it!
May those curse it who curse the day,
Those (C)who are ready to arouse Leviathan.
May the stars of its morning be dark;
May it look for light, but have none,
And not see the [c]dawning of the day;
10 Because it did not shut up the doors of my mother’s womb,
Nor hide sorrow from my eyes.

11 “Why(D) did I not die at birth?
Why did I not [d]perish when I came from the womb?
12 (E)Why did the knees receive me?
Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?
13 For now I would have lain still and been quiet,
I would have been asleep;
Then I would have been at rest
14 With kings and counselors of the earth,
Who (F)built ruins for themselves,
15 Or with princes who had gold,
Who filled their houses with silver;
16 Or why was I not hidden (G)like a stillborn child,
Like infants who never saw light?
17 There the wicked cease from troubling,
And there the [e]weary are at (H)rest.
18 There the prisoners [f]rest together;
(I)They do not hear the voice of the oppressor.
19 The small and great are there,
And the servant is free from his master.

20 “Why(J) is light given to him who is in misery,
And life to the (K)bitter of soul,
21 Who (L)long[g] for death, but it does not come,
And search for it more than (M)hidden treasures;
22 Who rejoice exceedingly,
And are glad when they can find the (N)grave?
23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden,
(O)And whom God has hedged in?
24 For my sighing comes before [h]I eat,
And my groanings pour out like water.
25 For the thing I greatly (P)feared has come upon me,
And what I dreaded has happened to me.
26 I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
I have no rest, for trouble comes.”

Footnotes

  1. Job 3:2 Lit. answered
  2. Job 3:6 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. be joined
  3. Job 3:9 eyelids of the dawn
  4. Job 3:11 expire
  5. Job 3:17 Lit. weary of strength
  6. Job 3:18 are at ease
  7. Job 3:21 Lit. wait
  8. Job 3:24 Lit. my bread