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

After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.

2 و َقالَ:

And Job spoke, and said:

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

“May the day perish on which I was born, And the night in which it was said, ‘A male child is conceived.’

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

May that day be darkness; May God above not seek it, Nor the light shine upon it.

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

May darkness and the shadow of death claim it; May a cloud settle on it; May 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, may darkness seize it; May it not rejoice among the days of the year, May it not come into the number of the months.

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

Oh, may that night be barren! May no joyful shout come into it!

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

May those curse it who curse the day, Those who are ready to arouse Leviathan.

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

May the stars of its morning be dark; May it look for light, but have none, And not 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 sorrow from my eyes.

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

“Why did I not die at birth? Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?

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

Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?

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

For now I would have lain still and been quiet, I would have been asleep; Then I would have been at rest

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

With kings and counselors of the earth, Who built ruins for themselves,

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

Or with princes who 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 like a stillborn child, Like 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 great are there, And the servant is free from his master.

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

“Why is light given to him who is in misery, And life to the bitter of soul,

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

Who long for death, but it does not come, And search for it more than hidden 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؟

Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, 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 groanings pour out like water.

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

For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I dreaded has happened to me.

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

I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for trouble comes.”