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

After this hath Job opened his mouth, and revileth his day.

2 A nd Job spoke and said,

And Job answereth and saith: --

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

Let the day perish in which I am born, And the night that hath said: `A man-child hath been conceived.'

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

That day -- let it be darkness, Let not God require it from above, Nor let light shine upon it.

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

Let darkness and death-shade redeem it, Let a cloud tabernacle upon it, Let them terrify it as the most bitter of days.

6 A s 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.

That night -- let thick darkness take it, Let it not be united to days of the year, Into the number of months let it not come.

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

Lo! that night -- let it be gloomy, Let no singing come into it.

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

Let the cursers of day mark it, Who are ready to wake up Leviathan.

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

Let the stars of its twilight be dark, Let it wait for light, and there is none, And let it not look on the eyelids of the dawn.

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

Because it hath not shut the doors Of the womb that was mine! And hide misery from mine eyes.

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

Why from the womb do I not die? From the belly I have come forth and gasp!

12 W hy did the knees receive me? Of what use the breasts that I should suck?

Wherefore have knees been before me? And what breasts, that I suck?

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

For now, I have lain down, and am quiet, I have slept -- then there is rest to me,

14 w ith the kings and the counsellors of the earth, who built desolate places for themselves;

With kings and counsellors of earth, These building wastes for themselves.

15 o r with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver.

Or with princes -- they have gold, They are filling their houses silver.

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

(Or as a hidden abortion I am not, As infants -- they have not seen light.)

17 T here the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary are at rest.

There the wicked have ceased troubling, And there rest do the wearied in power.

18 T here the prisoners rest together, they do not hear the voice of the oppressor.

Together prisoners have been at ease, They have not heard the voice of an exactor,

19 T he small and the great are there, and the slave is free from his master.

Small and great there the same. And a servant free from his lord.

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

Why giveth He to the miserable light, and life to the bitter soul?

21 w ho long for death, but it comes not; and search for it more than for hid treasures;

Who are waiting for death, and it is not, And they seek it above hid treasures.

22 w ho rejoice exceedingly and are glad when they can find the grave;

Who are glad -- unto joy, They rejoice when they find a grave.

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

To a man whose way hath been hidden, And whom God doth shut up?

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

For before my food, my sighing cometh, And poured out as waters my roarings.

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

For a fear I feared and it meeteth me, And what I was afraid of doth come to me.

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

I was not safe -- nor was I quiet -- Nor was I at rest -- and trouble cometh!