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Job Laments His Birth

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

“Let the day perish in which I was born
    and the night in which it was said, ‘A male child is conceived.’
As for that day, let it be darkness;
    let God above not regard it;
    and let not light shine upon it.
Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it;
    let a cloud settle on it;
    let the blackness of the day terrify it.
As for that night, let darkness capture it;
    let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
    let it not come into the number of the months.
Yes, as for that night, let it be barren!
    Let no joyful cry come into it!
Let them curse it who curse any day,
    those who are prepared to rouse Leviathan.
Let its morning stars be dark;
    let it look for light, but have none;
    let it not see the rays of dawn,
10 because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb,
    nor hide trouble from my eyes.

11 “Why did I not die at birth?
    Why did I not expire when I came out of the womb?
12 Why did her knees receive me?
    And why her breasts that I should nurse?
13 For now I would be lying down and would be at peace;
    I would have slept; then there would be rest for me,
14 with kings and counselors of the earth,
    who built ruins for themselves,
15 or with princes who had gold,
    who filled their houses with silver.
16 Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child,
    like infants who never saw light?
17 There the wicked will have stopped causing trouble,
    and there the exhausted will rest.
18 Captives will relax together;
    they do not hear the voice of the oppressor.
19 The small and great, they are there,
    and the servant is free from his master.

20 “Why is light given to the miserable,
    and life unto the bitter in soul,
21 who look for death, but it is not there;
    and they search for it more than for hidden treasures;
22 who rejoice exceedingly,
    and they are glad when they find the grave?
23 And why is light given to a man
    whose way is hidden,
    whom God has hedged in?
24 For my sighing comes before I eat,
    and my groaning pours forth like the waters.
25 For the thing which I greatly feared has happened to me,
    and that which I dreaded has come to me.
26 I am not at peace; I have no quiet,
    I cannot rest, and turmoil has come.”

After this opened Iyov his mouth, and cursed his yom.

And Iyov spoke, and said,

Let the yom perish wherein I was born, and halailah in which it was said, There is a gever born.

Let that yom be choshech; let not Elohim regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.

Let choshech and the tzalmavet (shadow of death) claim it; let an anan dwell upon it; let the blackness of the yom terrify it.

As for that lailah, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the yamim of the shanah, let it not come into the number of the months.

Hinei, let that lailah be barren; let no joyful shout come therein.

Let them curse it that curse the yam, who are ready to rouse Leviathan.

Let the kokhavim of the dawn thereof be dark; let it look for ohr, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the shachar,

10 Because it shut not up the dalatot of my mother’s womb, nor hid amal (tzoros) from mine eyes.

11 Why did I not come to mot at birth? Why did I not perish when I came out of the beten (belly, womb)?

12 Madua (why) were there birkayim to receive me? Or why the shadayim that from them I should nurse?

13 For atah (now) I would be lying still and quiet, have slept and been at rest,

14 With melachim and yo’atzim of ha’aretz, which build ruins for themselves;

15 Or with sarim (princes) that had zahav, who filled their batim (houses) with kesef;

16 Or as a hidden stillborn—I had not been!—as olelim which never saw ohr.

17 There the resha’im cease from troubling; and there the weary are at rest.

18 There the asirim (prisoners, captives) rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.

19 The katon and gadol are there; and the eved is free from his adon.

20 Why is ohr given to him that is in misery, and chayyim unto the bitter in nefesh;

21 Which long for mavet, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hidden treasures;

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

23 Why is ohr given to a gever whose derech is hidden, and whom Elohim hath hedged in?

24 For my sighing cometh instead of lechem, and my groanings are poured out like the mayim.

25 For the pachad (terror) which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I dreaded is come unto me.

26 I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; and rogez (tzoros, turmoil) came.