English Standard Version

King James Bible

Job Laments His Birth

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

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Job Laments his Birth

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

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And Job said:

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And Job spake, and said,

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“Let the day perish on which I was born,
and the night that said,
‘A man is conceived.’

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

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Let that day be darkness!
May God above not seek it,
nor light shine upon it.

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

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Let gloom and deep darkness claim it.
Let clouds dwell upon it;
let the blackness of the day terrify it.

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Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.

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That night — let thick darkness seize it!
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
let it not come into the number of the months.

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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.

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Behold, let that night be barren;
let no joyful cry enter it.

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Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein.

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Let those curse it who curse the day,
who are ready to rouse up Leviathan.

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

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Let the stars of its dawn be dark;
let it hope for light, but have none,
nor see the eyelids of the morning,

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Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day:

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

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Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.

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“Why did I not die at birth,
come out from the womb and expire?

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Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?

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

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Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?

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For then I would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept; then I would have been at rest,

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For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,

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with kings and counselors of the earth
who rebuilt ruins for themselves,

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With kings and counsellers of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves;

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

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Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver:

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Or why was I not as a hidden stillborn child,
as infants who never see the light?

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Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.

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

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

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There the prisoners are at ease together;
they hear not the voice of the taskmaster.

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

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

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

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

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

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who long for death, but it comes not,
and dig for it more than for hidden treasures,

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Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures;

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

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

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

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

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For my sighing comes instead ofa my bread,
and my groanings are poured out like water.

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

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For the thing that I fear comes upon me,
and what I dread befalls me.

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For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.

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I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
I have no rest, but trouble comes.”

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I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

Parallel

English Standard Version

King James Bible

Job 3

Job 3