1 ب َعدَ هَذا ابتَدَأ أيُّوبُ يَتَحَدَّثُ، فَلَعَنَ يَومَ مَولِدِهِ،

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

2 و َقالَ:

And Job spoke and said,

3 « لَيْتَهُ مُحِيَ ذَلِكَ اليَومُ الَّذِي وُلِدتُ فِيهِ، وَتِلكَ اللَّيلَةُ الَّتِي قالُوا فِيها حَبَلَتِ امْرأةٌ بِوَلَدٍ.

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

4 ل َيْتَ ذَلِكَ اليَومَ ظَلَّ مُظلِماً، وَلَيْتَ اللهَ فِي سَمائِهِ لَمْ يَصنَعْهُ. لَيْتَ النُّورَ لَمْ يُشرِقْ عَلَيهِ.

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

5 ل َيْتَ الظُّلمَةَ وَعَتْمَةَ المَوتِ اشْتَرَياهُ. وَلَيْتَ السُّحُبَ الكَثِيفَةَ خَيَّمَتْ فَوقَهُ، وَغَمَرَتْهُ ظُلُماتُ الخُسُوفِ.

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

6 أ مّا اللَّيلَةُ الَّتِي وُلِدتُ فِيها، فَلَيْتَ ظُلمَةً عَمِيقَةً طَوَتَها، وَلَمْ يُحتَفَلْ بِها مَعَ أيّامِ السَّنَةِ، وَلا حُسِبَتْ بَينَ الشُّهُورِ.

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.

7 ل َيْتَ تِلكَ اللَّيلَةَ كانَتْ عَقِيمَةً وَلَمْ تَتَرَدَّدْ فِيها أغانِي الفَرَحِ.

O, let that night be solitary; let no song come therein!

8 ل َيْتَ السَّحَرَةَ الَّذِينَ يَلعَنُونَ الأيّامَ، وَيُوقِظُونَ لَوِياثانَ، لَعَنُوا ذَلِكَ اليَومَ.

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

9 ل َيْتَ نَجمَةَ الصُّبحِ لَمْ تُشرِقْ فِي ذَلِكَ اليَومِ، وَلَيْتَ اللَّيلَ انتَظَرَ النُّورَ فَلَمْ يَأتِ. لَيْتَها لَمْ تَرَ خُيُوطَ الشَّمسِ الأُولَى.

Let the stars of its dawn be darkened; they waited for light, but have none; neither let them see the dawning of the day;

10 ل أنَّها لَمْ تَمنَعْ أُمِّي مِنْ وِلادَتِي، وَلَمْ تُخْفِ المَصائِبَ عَنِّي.

because it did not shut up the doors of my mother’s womb nor hide the misery from my eyes.

11 ل ِمَ لَمْ أُولَدْ مَيِّتاً؟ لِمَ لَمْ أنْتَهِ فَورَ خُرُوجِي مِنَ البَطنِ؟

¶ Why did I not die from the womb? Why did I not give up the spirit when I came out of the belly?

12 ل ِماذا كَانَتْ هُناكَ رُكْبَتانِ لِتَحْمِلانِي، وَثَدْيانِ لِأرضَعَ مِنهُما؟

Why did the knees receive me? Of what use the breasts that I should suck?

13 ف َلَوْ مِتُّ لَدَى وِلادَتِي، لَكُنتُ الآنَ نائِماً لا يُزعِجَنِي شَيءٌ، وَلَكُنتُ راقِداً مُستَرِيحاً

For now I should have lain still and been quiet; I should have slept; then I would have been at rest,

14 م َعَ مُلُوكِ الأرْضِ وَالمُشِيرِينَ الَّذِينَ بَنُوا لِأنفُسِهِمْ قُصُوراً صارَتْ خَراباً.

with the kings and the counsellors of the earth, who built desolate places for themselves;

15 أ وْ مَعَ النُّبَلاءِ الَّذِينَ امتَلَكُوا الذَّهَبَ وَمَلأوا قُبُورَهُمْ بِالفِضَّةِ.

or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver.

16 أ َما كانَ يُمكِنُ أنْ تُسقِطَنِي أُمِّي وَتَدفِنَنِي، فَأكُونَ كَالأطفالِ الّذِينَ لَمْ يَرَوْا نُورَ النَّهارِ؟

Or, why was I not hidden as an untimely birth, as infants who never saw light?

17 ف َهُناكَ يَتَوَقَّفُ المُجْرِمُونَ عَنْ إثْمِهِمْ، وَيَستَرِيحُ المُرهَقُونَ،

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

18 و َيَطمَئِنُّ الأسرَى جَمِيعاً. لِأنَّهُمْ لايَسمَعُونَ صَوتَ مُضطَهِدِهِمِ المُخِيفِ.

There the prisoners rest together, they do not hear the voice of the oppressor.

19 ا لوَضِيعُ وَالعَظِيمُ هُناكَ، وَالعَبدُ حُرٌّ مِنْ سَيِّدِهِ.

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

20 « لِماذا يُعطَى البَائِسُونَ نُورَ الحَياةِ، وَلِماذا يَعيشُ ذَوُو النَّفُوسِ المُرَّةِ؟

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

21 ف َهُمْ يَرغَبُونَ بِالمَوْتِ وَلا يَأتِي. يَبحَثُونَ عَنْهُ كَمَنْ يُنَقِّبُونَ عَنْ كَنْزٍ مَدفُونٍ؟

who long for death, but it comes not; and search for it more than for hid treasures;

22 ي َفرَحُونَ إلَى أقصَى الفَرَحِ يُغَنُّونَ بابتِهاجٍ، عِنْدَما يَصِلُونَ إلَى القَبْرِ؟

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

23 ل ِماذا تُعطَى حَياةٌ لإنسانٍ لا يَرَى طَرِيقَهُ، لأنَّ اللهَ أقامَ حَولَهُ سِياجاً؟

to the man who does not know which way he goes and whom God has hedged in?

24 ه ا إنَّ تَنَهُّدِي يَأتِي إلَى فَمِي كَالخُبزِ، وَأنّاتِي تَجرِي كَالمِياهِ.

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

25 م ا خِفْتُ مِنهُ هَجَمَ عَلَيَّ، وَجاءَنِي ما كُنتُ أفزَعُ مِنهُ.

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

26 و َأنا لَستُ مُطمَئِنّاً أوْ صافِياً أوْ مُرتاحاً، وَلَسْتُ إلّا فِي اضْطِرابٍ.»

I never had prosperity, nor did I secure myself, neither was I at rest; yet trouble came.