The Book of Job

⭑ Unlocked Literal Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 3 -

Job laments his birth

After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day he was born.

He said,

“May the day on which I was born perish, the night that said, ‘A boy has been conceived.’

May that day be dark; may not God from above call it to mind, neither may the sun shine on it.

May darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own. May a cloud live over it; may everything that makes the day black truly terrify it.

As for that night, may thick darkness seize it. May it not rejoice among the days of the year; may it not come into the number of the months.

See, may that night be barren; may no joyful voice come into it.

May they curse that day, those who know how to wake up Leviathan.

May the stars of that day’s dawn be dark. May that day look for light, but find none; neither may it see the eyelids of the dawn,

because it did not shut up the doors of my mother’s womb, and because it did not hide trouble from my eyes.

Why did I not die when I came out from the womb? Why did I not give up my spirit when my mother bore me?

Why did her knees welcome me? Why did her breasts receive me so that I should suck?

For now I would have been lying down quietly. I would have slept and been at rest

with kings and counselors of the earth, who built up tombs for themselves that are now in ruins.

Or I would have been lying with princes who once had gold, who had filled their houses with silver.

Or perhaps I would have been stillborn, like infants that never see the light.

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

There the prisoners are at ease together; they do not hear the voice of the slave driver.

Both small and great people are there; the servant is free from his master there.

Why is light given to him who is in misery? Why is life given to the one who is bitter in soul,

to one who longs for death without it coming; to one who digs for death more than for hidden treasure?

Why is light given to one who rejoices very much and is glad when he finds the grave?

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

For my sighing happens instead of eating; my groaning is poured out like water.

For the thing that I feared has come on me; what I was afraid of has come to me.

I am not at ease, I am not quiet, and I have no rest; trouble comes instead.”

Job laments his birth

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

Job answered:

“Let the day perish in which I was born, the night which said, ‘There is a boy conceived.’

Let that day be darkness. Don’t let God from above seek for it, neither let the light shine on it.

Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own. Let a cloud dwell on it. Let all that makes the day black terrify it.

As for that night, let thick darkness seize on it. Let it not rejoice among the days of the year. Let it not come into the number of the months.

Behold, let that night be barren. Let no joyful voice come therein.

Let them curse it who curse the day, who are ready to rouse up leviathan.

Let the stars of its twilight be dark. Let it look for light, but have none, neither let it see the eyelids of the morning,

because it didn’t shut up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor did it hide trouble from my eyes.

“Why didn’t I die from the womb? Why didn’t I give up the spirit when my mother bore me?

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

For now I should have lain down and been quiet. I should have slept, then I would have been at rest,

with kings and counselors of the earth, who built up waste places for themselves;

or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver;

or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been, as infants who never saw light.

There the wicked cease from troubling. There the weary are at rest.

There the prisoners are at ease together. They don’t hear the voice of the taskmaster.

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

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

who long for death, but it doesn’t come; and dig for it more than for hidden treasures,

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

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

For my sighing comes before I eat. My groanings are poured out like water.

For the thing which I fear comes on me, that which I am afraid of comes to me.

I am not at ease, neither am I quiet, neither do I have rest; but trouble comes.”