Job 3

He Cursed the Day He Was Born

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Job Curses His Day

3:1After this Job opened his mouth and cursed his day,

3:2saying:

3:3“May the day perish on which I was born,
and the night in which they said, ‘Look, a male child!’

3:4May that day be darkness;
may the Lord above not seek it out,
and may no brightness come upon it.

3:5May darkness and death’s shadow take possession of it;
may gloom come upon it.

3:6May that day and night be cursed;
may darkness carry it away.
May it not belong among the days of the year
or be numbered among the days of the months.

3:7But may that night be pain,
and may neither gladness nor joy come upon it.

3:8But may the one who curses that day curse it,
the one who is about to subdue the great sea creature.

3:9May the stars of that night be darkened;
may it wait and not come into light,
and may it not see the morning star rising,

3:10because it did not close the gates of my mother’s womb;
for it would have removed pain from my eyes.

3:11For why did I not die in the womb,
come out from the belly and immediately perish?

3:12Why did knees meet me?
Why did I suck breasts?

3:13Now I would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept and rested

3:14with kings, counselors of the earth,
who exulted in swords,

3:15or with rulers who had much gold,
who filled their houses with silver,

3:16or like a miscarriage coming out of a mother’s womb,
or like infants who never saw light.

3:17There the ungodly kindled the fury of anger;
there those worn out in body rested.

3:18Together the age-old ones
did not hear a tax collector’s voice.

3:19Small and great are there,
and the servant does not fear his master.

3:20For why has light been given to those in bitterness,
and life to souls in pain,

3:21who long for death and do not obtain it,
digging for it as for treasures,

3:22and become overjoyed if they obtain it?

3:23Death is rest for a man,
for God has shut him in.

3:24For sighing comes to me before my food,
and I weep, gripped by fear.

3:25For the fear I thought about came upon me,
and what I had feared met me.

3:26I had no peace, no quiet, no rest;
yet wrath came upon me.”

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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.