Job Laments His Birth

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

(B)“Let the day perish on which I was born,
    and the night that said,
    ‘A man is conceived.’
Let that day be darkness!
    May God above not seek it,
    nor light shine upon it.
Let gloom and (C)deep darkness claim it.
    Let clouds dwell upon it;
    let the blackness of the day terrify it.
That night—let thick darkness seize 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 cry enter it.
Let those curse it who curse the day,
    who are ready to rouse up (D)Leviathan.
Let the stars of its dawn be dark;
    let it hope for light, but have none,
    nor see (E)the eyelids of the morning,
10 because it did not shut the doors of my mother's womb,
    nor hide trouble from my eyes.

11 “Why (F)did I not die at birth,
    come out from the womb and expire?
12 Why did (G)the knees receive me?
    Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?
13 For then I would have lain down and been quiet;
    I would have slept; then I would have been at rest,
14 with kings and counselors of the earth
    who (H)rebuilt ruins for themselves,
15 or with princes who had gold,
    who filled their houses with silver.
16 Or why was I not as a hidden (I)stillborn child,
    as infants who never see the light?
17 There the wicked cease from troubling,
    and there the weary are at (J)rest.
18 There the prisoners are at ease together;
    they hear not the voice of (K)the taskmaster.
19 The small and the great are there,
    and the slave is free from his master.

20 “Why is light given to him who is in misery,
    and life to (L)the bitter in soul,
21 who (M)long for death, but it comes not,
    and dig for it more than for (N)hidden treasures,
22 who rejoice exceedingly
    and are glad when they find the grave?
23 Why is light given to a man whose (O)way is hidden,
    whom God has (P)hedged in?
24 For my sighing comes (Q)instead of[a] my bread,
    and my (R)groanings are poured out like water.
25 (S)For the thing that I fear comes upon me,
    and what I dread befalls me.
26 I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
    I have no rest, but trouble comes.”

Footnotes

  1. Job 3:24 Or like; Hebrew before

约伯诅咒自己

此后,约伯开口诅咒自己的生日[a] 约伯说:

“愿我生的那日灭没,
说‘怀了男胎’的那夜也灭没。
愿那日变为黑暗,
愿 神不从上面寻找它,
愿亮光不照于其上。
愿黑暗和死荫索取那日,
愿密云停在其上,
愿白天的昏暗[b]恐吓它。
愿那夜被幽暗夺取,
不在一年的日子中喜乐,
也不列入月中的数目。
看哪,愿那夜没有生育,
其间也没有欢乐的声音。
愿那些诅咒日子且能惹动力威亚探[c]的,
诅咒那夜。
愿那夜黎明的星宿变为黑暗,
盼亮却不亮,
也不见晨曦破晓[d]
10 因它没有把怀我胎的门关闭,
也没有从我的眼中隐藏患难。

11 “我为何不出母胎而死?
为何不出母腹就气绝呢?
12 为何有膝盖接收我?
为何有奶哺养我呢?
13 不然,我现在已躺卧安睡,
而且,早已长眠安息;
14 与那些为自己重建荒凉之处,
地上的君王和谋士在一起;
15 或与把银子装满房屋,
拥有金子的王子在一起;
16 我为何不像流产的胎儿被埋藏,
如同未见光的婴孩?
17 在那里恶人止息搅扰,
在那里困乏人得享安息,
18 被囚的人同得安逸,
不再听见监工的声音。
19 大的小的都在那里,
奴仆脱离主人得自由。

20 “遭受患难的人为何有光赐给他呢?
心中愁苦的人为何有生命赐给他呢?
21 他们等死,却不得死;
求死,胜于求隐藏的珍宝。
22 他们寻见坟墓,
就欢喜快乐,极其高兴。
23 这人的道路遮隐,
 神又四面围困他。
24 我吃饭前就发出叹息,
我的唉哼涌出如水。
25 因我所恐惧的临到我,
我所惧怕的迎向我;
26 我不得安逸,不得平静,
也不得安息,却有患难来到。”

Footnotes

  1. 3.1 “自己的生日”:原文是“自己的日子”。
  2. 3.5 “白天的昏暗”或译“日蚀”。
  3. 3.8 “力威亚探”是音译,一种海兽;或译“鳄鱼”。
  4. 3.9 “晨曦破晓”:原文直译“清晨的眼皮”。

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

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

And Job spake, and said,

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

Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.

Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.

As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months.

Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein.

Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning.

Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day:

10 Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.

11 Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?

12 Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?

13 For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,

14 With kings and counsellors of the earth, which build desolate places for themselves;

15 Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver:

16 Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.

17 There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.

18 There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.

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

20 Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;

21 Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures;

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

23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?

24 For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters.

25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.

26 I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.