1 A fter this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day he was born.

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

2 H e said,

And Job spoke and said,

3 “ Let the day be lost on which I was born, and the night which said, ‘A boy is born.’

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

4 M ay that day be darkness. May God above not care for it. May light not shine on it.

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

5 L et darkness and a heavy shadow take it for their own. Let a cloud come upon it. Let the darkness of the day bring fear upon 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 A s for that night, let darkness take hold of it. Let it not have joy among the days of the year. Let it not come into the number of 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 Y es, let that night be alone and empty. Let no sound of joy come into it.

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

8 L et those curse it who curse the day, who are able to wake up the Leviathan.

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

9 L et the early morning stars be made dark. Let it wait for light but have none. Do not let it see the light of day.

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 keep my mother from giving birth to me, 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? Why did I not come from my mother and die?

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

12 W hy did the knees receive me, or why the breasts, that I should have milk?

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

13 F or 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 wise men of the earth who built cities for themselves that are now destroyed.

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

15 I would have been at rest with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver.

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

16 W hy did I not die before I was born, hidden and put away, as babies that never see the light?

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

17 T here the troubles of the sinful stop. There the tired are at rest.

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

18 T hose in prison are at rest together. They do not hear the voice of the one who rules over their work.

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

19 T he small and the great are there. And the servant is free from his owner.

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

20 “ Why is light given to him who suffers? Why is life given to those who feel sad in their soul?

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

21 T hey wait for death, but there is none. They dig for it more than for hidden riches.

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

22 T hey are filled with much joy and are glad, when they find the grave.

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

23 W hy is light given to a man whose way is hidden, and around whom God has built a wall?

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

24 F or I cry inside myself in front of my food. My cries pour out like water.

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

25 W hat I was afraid of has come upon me. What filled me with fear has happened.

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 rest, and I am not quiet. I have no rest, but only trouble.”

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