1 A fterward Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.

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

2 A nd Job said,

And Job spoke and said,

3 “ Let the day perish on which I was to be born, And the night which said, ‘A boy is conceived.’

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

4 “ May that day be darkness; Let not God above care for it, Nor light shine on it.

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

5 “ Let darkness and black gloom claim it; Let a cloud settle on it; Let the blackness of the day terrify it.

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

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 “ Behold, let that night be barren; Let no joyful shout enter it.

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

8 “ Let those curse it who curse the day, Who are prepared to rouse Leviathan.

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

9 “ Let the stars of its twilight be darkened; Let it wait for light but have none, And let it not see the breaking dawn;

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 B ecause it did not shut the opening of my mother’s womb, Or hide trouble from my eyes.

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

11 “ Why did I not die at birth, Come forth from the womb and expire?

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

12 “ Why did the knees receive me, And why the breasts, that I should suck?

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

13 “ For now I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept then, I would have been at rest,

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

14 W ith kings and with counselors of the earth, Who rebuilt ruins for themselves;

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

15 O r with princes who had gold, Who were filling their houses with silver.

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

16 “ Or like a miscarriage which is discarded, I would not be, As infants that never saw light.

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

17 “ There the wicked cease from raging, And there the weary are at rest.

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

18 “ The prisoners are at ease together; They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.

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

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

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

20 “ Why is light given to him who suffers, And life to the bitter of soul,

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

21 W ho long for death, but there is none, And dig for it more than for hidden treasures,

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

22 W ho rejoice greatly, And exult when they find the grave?

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

23 “ Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, And whom God has hedged in?

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

24 “ For my groaning comes at the sight of my food, And my cries pour out like water.

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

25 “ For what I fear comes upon me, And what I dread befalls me.

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

26 “ I am not at ease, nor am I quiet, And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.”

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