JobChapter 3

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¹After this, Job opened his mouth. He cursed the day he was born. ²This is what he said: ³"Let the day I was born be wiped out.
Let the night be wiped out when someone said, 'A boy is on the way.' ⁴I wish that day had turned dark!
May God up above not care about it.
May no light shine on it. ⁵May darkness and deep gloom take it back.
May a cloud sit over it.
May blackness fill that day with fear. ⁶I wish darkness had taken that night away!
May it not be counted with the days of the year.
May it not be part of any month. ⁷Yes, may that night have no children born in it.
May no happy shout be heard in it. ⁸May those who curse days put a curse on it.
They are the ones ready to wake up Leviathan. ⁹May its morning stars go dark.
May it wait for daylight, but get none.
May it never see the first light of dawn. ¹⁰For that night did not shut my mother's womb.
It did not hide trouble from my eyes. ¹¹Why didn't I die at birth?
Why didn't I die as I came out of the womb? ¹²Why were there knees to hold me?
Why were there breasts to feed me? ¹³For now I would be lying down in peace.
I would be asleep and at rest. ¹⁴I would be with kings and advisers of the earth.
They built cities for themselves that now lie in ruins. ¹⁵I would be with princes who had gold.
They filled their houses with silver. ¹⁶Or why wasn't I buried like a baby born dead?
Why wasn't I like a baby who never saw the light? ¹⁷In the grave, wicked people stop their raging.
There, tired people find rest. ¹⁸Prisoners rest easy together.
They no longer hear the shout of the slave driver. ¹⁹Small and great people are both there.
And the slave is free from his master. ²⁰Why is light given to those who suffer?
Why is life given to those who are bitter inside? ²¹They long for death, but it does not come.
They search for it more than for hidden treasure. ²²They are filled with joy.
They are very glad when they reach the grave. ²³Why is life given to a man who cannot see his way?
God has fenced him in. ²⁴I groan when food is put in front of me.
My moans pour out like water. ²⁵For the thing I feared has caught up with me.
What I was afraid of has happened to me. ²⁶I have no peace or quiet.
I have no rest, for trouble has come."