Job 3
Revised Geneva Translation
3 Afterward, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.
2 And Job cried out, and said,
3 “Let the day on which I was born perish, and the night when it was said, ‘There is a male child conceived.’
4 “Let that day be darkness. Do not let God seek it from above or let the light shine upon it.
5 “Let darkness, and the shadow of death, stain it. Let the cloud remain upon it. And let them make it fearful, as a bitter day.
6 “Let darkness possess that night. Do not let it be joined to the days of the year or let it come into the count of the months.
7 “Yea, let that night be desolate! And let no joy be in it!
8 “Let those who curse the day, curse it (being ready to renew their mourning).
9 “Let the stars of that twilight be dim through the darkness of it. Let it look for light but have none. Nor let it see the dawning of the day,
10 “because it did not shut up the doors of my mother’s womb or hide sorrow from my eyes.
11 “Why did I not die at birth? Or why did I not die when I came out of the womb?
12 “Why did the knees prevent me? And why did I suck the breasts?
13 “For I would now have lain down and been quiet. I would have slept then, and been at rest
14 “with the kings and counselors of the Earth, who have built themselves desolate places,
15 “or with the princes who had gold and have filled their houses with silver.
16 “Or, why was I not hidden, as a stillborn birth, or as infants who have not seen the light?
17 “There the wicked have ceased from tyranny. And there those who labored valiantly are at rest.
18 “The prisoners rest together, not hearing the voice of the oppressor.
19 “The small and great are there. And the servant is free from his master.
20 “Why is the light given to him who is in misery, and life to those who have heavy hearts,
21 “who long for death? And if it does not come, they will search for it even more than treasures,
22 “who rejoice exceedingly and are glad when they can find the grave.
23 “Why is the light given to the man whose way is hidden, and whom God has hedged in?
24 “For my sighing comes before I eat. And my roarings are poured out like the water.
25 “For the thing I feared has come upon me. And the thing that I was afraid of has come to me.
26 “I had no peace. Nor had I quietness. Nor had I rest. Yet trouble has come.”
Job 3
New American Standard Bible 1995
Job’s Lament
3 Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed [a]the day of his birth. 2 And Job [b]said,
3 “(A)Let the day perish on which I was to be born,
And the night which said, ‘A [c]boy is conceived.’
4 “May that day be darkness;
Let not God above care for it,
Nor light shine on it.
5 “Let (B)darkness and black gloom claim it;
Let a cloud settle on it;
Let the blackness of the day terrify it.
6 “As for that night, let darkness seize it;
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
Let it not come into the number of the months.
7 “Behold, let that night be barren;
Let no joyful shout enter it.
8 “Let those curse it who curse the day,
Who are [d]prepared to (C)rouse Leviathan.
9 “Let the stars of its twilight be darkened;
Let it wait for light but have none,
And let it not see the [e]breaking dawn;
10 Because it did not shut the opening of my mother’s womb,
Or hide trouble from my eyes.
11 “(D)Why did I not die [f]at birth,
Come forth from the womb and expire?
12 “Why did the knees receive me,
And why the breasts, that I should suck?
13 “For now I (E)would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept then, I would have been at rest,
14 With (F)kings and with (G)counselors of the earth,
Who rebuilt (H)ruins for themselves;
15 Or with (I)princes (J)who had gold,
Who were filling their houses with silver.
16 “Or like a miscarriage which is [g]discarded, I would not be,
As infants that never saw light.
17 “There the wicked cease from raging,
And there the [h]weary are at (K)rest.
18 “The prisoners are at ease together;
They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.
19 “The small and the great are there,
And the slave is free from his master.
20 “Why is (L)light given to him who suffers,
And life to the bitter of soul,
21 Who [i](M)long for death, but there is none,
And dig for it more than for (N)hidden treasures,
22 Who rejoice greatly,
And exult when they find the grave?
23 “Why is light given to a man (O)whose way is hidden,
And whom (P)God has hedged in?
24 “For (Q)my groaning comes at the sight of my food,
And (R)my cries pour out like water.
25 “For [j](S)what I fear comes upon me,
And what I dread befalls me.
26 “I (T)am not at ease, nor am I quiet,
And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.”
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