New King James Version

English Standard Version

Job Deplores 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 Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.

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And Job [a]spoke, and said:

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And Job said:

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“May the day perish on which I was born,
And the night in which it was said,
‘A male child is conceived.’

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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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May that day be darkness;
May God above not seek it,
Nor the light shine upon it.

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

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May darkness and the shadow of death claim it;
May a cloud settle on it;
May the blackness of the day terrify 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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As for that night, may darkness seize it;
May it not [b]rejoice among the days of the year,
May it not come into the number of the months.

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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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Oh, may that night be barren!
May no joyful shout come into it!

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

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May those curse it who curse the day,
Those who are ready to arouse Leviathan.

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

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May the stars of its morning be dark;
May it look for light, but have none,
And not see the [c]dawning of the day;

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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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Because it did not shut up the doors of my mother’s womb,
Nor hide sorrow from my eyes.

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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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“Why did I not die at birth?
Why did I not [d]perish when I came from the womb?

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

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

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For now I would have lain still and been quiet,
I would have been asleep;
Then I would have been at rest

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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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With kings and counselors of the earth,
Who built ruins for themselves,

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with kings and counselors of the earth
who rebuilt ruins 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 who had gold,
who filled their houses with silver.

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Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child,
Like infants who never saw light?

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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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There the wicked cease from troubling,
And there the [e]weary are at rest.

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

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There the prisoners [f]rest together;
They do not hear the voice of the oppressor.

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

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

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

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

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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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Who long[g] for death, but it does not come,
And search for it more than hidden treasures;

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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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Who rejoice exceedingly,
And are glad when they can find the grave?

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

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

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

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For my sighing comes before [h]I eat,
And my groanings pour out like water.

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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 the thing I greatly feared has come upon me,
And what I dreaded has happened to me.

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

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

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

Parallel

New King James Version

English Standard Version

Job 3

Job 3