New King James Version

New Living Translation

Job Deplores His Birth

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

1

Job’s First Speech

At last Job spoke, and he cursed the day of his birth.

2

And Job [a]spoke, and said:

2

He said:

3

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

3

“Let the day of my birth be erased,
and the night I was conceived.

4

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

4

Let that day be turned to darkness.
Let it be lost even to God on high,
and let no light shine on it.

5

May darkness and the shadow of death claim it;
May a cloud settle on it;
May the blackness of the day terrify it.

5

Let the darkness and utter gloom claim that day for its own.
Let a black cloud overshadow it,
and let the darkness terrify it.

6

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.

6

Let that night be blotted off the calendar,
never again to be counted among the days of the year,
never again to appear among the months.

7

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

7

Let that night be childless.
Let it have no joy.

8

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

8

Let those who are experts at cursing —
whose cursing could rouse Leviathana —
curse that day.

9

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;

9

Let its morning stars remain dark.
Let it hope for light, but in vain;
may it never see the morning light.

10

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

10

Curse that day for failing to shut my mother’s womb,
for letting me be born to see all this trouble.

11

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

11

“Why wasn’t I born dead?
Why didn’t I die as I came from the womb?

12

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

12

Why was I laid on my mother’s lap?
Why did she nurse me at her breasts?

13

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

13

Had I died at birth, I would now be at peace.
I would be asleep and at rest.

14

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

14

I would rest with the world’s kings and prime ministers,
whose great buildings now lie in ruins.

15

Or with princes who had gold,
Who filled their houses with silver;

15

I would rest with princes, rich in gold,
whose palaces were filled with silver.

16

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

16

Why wasn’t I buried like a stillborn child,
like a baby who never lives to see the light?

17

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

17

For in death the wicked cause no trouble,
and the weary are at rest.

18

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

18

Even captives are at ease in death,
with no guards to curse them.

19

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

19

Rich and poor are both there,
and the slave is free from his master.

20

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

20

“Oh, why give light to those in misery,
and life to those who are bitter?

21

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

21

They long for death, and it won’t come.
They search for death more eagerly than for hidden treasure.

22

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

22

They’re filled with joy when they finally die,
and rejoice when they find the grave.

23

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

23

Why is life given to those with no future,
those God has surrounded with difficulties?

24

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

24

I cannot eat for sighing;
my groans pour out like water.

25

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

25

What I always feared has happened to me.
What I dreaded has come true.

26

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

26

I have no peace, no quietness.
I have no rest; only trouble comes.”

Parallel

New King James Version

New Living Translation

Job 3

Job 3