The Book of Job

⭑ Geneva Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 3 -

Job laments his birth

Afterward Iob opened his mouth, and cursed his day.

And Iob cryed out, and sayd,

Let the day perish, wherein I was borne, and the night when it was sayde, There is a man childe conceiued.

Let that day bee darkenesse, let not God regarde it from aboue, neyther let the light shine vpon it,

But let darkenesse, and the shadowe of death staine it: let the cloude remayne vpon it, and let them make it fearefull as a bitter day.

Let darkenesse possesse that night, let it not be ioyned vnto the dayes of the yeere, nor let it come into the count of the moneths.

Yea, desolate be that night, and let no ioy be in it.

Let them that curse the day, (being readie to renue their mourning) curse it.

Let the starres of that twilight be dimme through darkenesse of it: let it looke for light, but haue none: neither let it see the dawning of the day,

Because it shut not vp the dores of my mothers wombe: nor hid sorowe from mine eyes.

Why died I not in the birth? or why dyed I not, when I came out of the wombe?

Why did the knees preuent me? and why did I sucke the breasts?

For so shoulde I now haue lyen and bene quiet, I should haue slept then, and bene at rest,

With the Kings and counselers of the earth, which haue buylded themselues desolate places:

Or with the princes that had golde, and haue filled their houses with siluer.

Or why was I not hid, as an vntimely birth, either as infants, which haue not seene the light?

The wicked haue there ceased from their tyrannie, and there they that laboured valiantly, are at rest.

The prisoners rest together, and heare not the voyce of the oppressour.

There are small and great, and the seruant is free from his master.

Wherefore is the light giuen to him that is in miserie? and life vnto them that haue heauie hearts?

Which long for death, and if it come not, they would euen search it more then treasures:

Which ioy for gladnes, and reioyce, when they can finde the graue.

Why is the light giuen to the man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?

For my sighing commeth before I eate, and my roarings are powred out like the water.

For the thing I feared, is come vpon me, and the thing that I was afraid of, is come vnto me.

I had no peace, neither had I quietnesse, neither had I rest, yet trouble is come.

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.”