Job 3
3
Job Laments His Birth
1After this Job #ch. 33:2; Ps. 78:2opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2And Job said:
3 # [ch. 10:18, 19]; See Jer. 20:14-18 “Let the day perish on which I was born,
and the night that said,
‘A man is conceived.’
4Let that day be darkness!
May God above not seek it,
nor light shine upon it.
5Let gloom and #ch. 10:21, 22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; 38:17; Ps. 23:4; Isa. 9:2; Matt. 4:16deep darkness claim it.
Let clouds dwell upon it;
let the blackness of the day terrify it.
6That 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.
7Behold, let that night be barren;
let no joyful cry enter it.
8Let those curse it who curse the day,
who are ready to rouse up #ch. 41:1Leviathan.
9Let the stars of its dawn be dark;
let it hope for light, but have none,
nor see #ch. 41:18the eyelids of the morning,
10because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb,
nor hide trouble from my eyes.
11“Why #ch. 10:18, 19did I not die at birth,
come out from the womb and expire?
12Why did #Gen. 30:3; 50:23; Isa. 66:12the knees receive me?
Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?
13For then I would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept; then I would have been at rest,
14with kings and counselors of the earth
who #[Isa. 58:12]rebuilt ruins for themselves,
15or with princes who had gold,
who filled their houses with silver.
16Or why was I not as a hidden #Ps. 58:8; Eccles. 6:3; [1 Cor. 15:8]stillborn child,
as infants who never see the light?
17There the wicked cease from troubling,
and there the weary are at #ch. 17:16rest.
18There the prisoners are at ease together;
they hear not the voice of #Ex. 3:7the taskmaster.
19The small and the great are there,
and the slave is free from his master.
20“Why is light given to him who is in misery,
and life to #Prov. 31:6the bitter in soul,
21who #Rev. 9:6 long for death, but it comes not,
and dig for it more than for #Prov. 2:4hidden treasures,
22who rejoice exceedingly
and are glad when they find the grave?
23Why is light given to a man whose #Isa. 40:27 way is hidden,
whom God has #[ch. 1:10]; See ch. 19:8hedged in?
24For my sighing comes #[Ps. 42:3; 80:5; 102:9] instead of#3:24 Or like; Hebrew before my bread,
and my #Ps. 22:1; 38:8groanings are poured out like water.
25 # [Prov. 10:24] For the thing that I fear comes upon me,
and what I dread befalls me.
26I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
I have no rest, but trouble comes.”
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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Job 3
3
Job Regrets His Birth
1Afterward#Literally “After thus” Job opened his mouth and cursed#A different term than that employed in 1:5, 11; 2:5, 9 his day. 2Thus#Hebrew “And” Job spoke up#Literally “answered” and said,
3“Let the day perish on which I was born,
and the night that said, ‘A man-child is conceived.’
4Let that day become#Or “be” darkness;
may God not seek it from above,
nor may daylight shine on it.
5Let darkness and deep shadow claim it;
let clouds#Literally “cloud” settle on it;
let them#Masculine plural referring to all three entities mentioned in this verse terrify it with the blackness#Literally “blacknesses” of day.
6Let darkness seize that night;#Literally “That night, let darkness seize it”
let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
let it not enter among the number of the months.
7Look, let that night become#Or “be” barren;
let a joyful song not enter it.
8Let those who curse the day curse it,
those who are skilled at rousing Leviathan.
9Let the stars of its dawn be dark;
let it hope for light but#Hebrew “and” there be none,
and let it not see the eyelids of dawn
10because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb,
nor#Hebrew “And” did it hide trouble from my eyes.
Job Wishes He Had Died
11“Why did I not die at#Literally “from” birth?
Why did I not come forth from the womb and expire?
12Why did the knees receive me
and the breasts, that I could suck?
13For now I would lie down, and I would be at peace;
I would be asleep; then I would be at rest#Literally “it would be at rest for me”
14with kings and counselors of the earth,
who rebuild #Literally “build” ruins for themselves,
15or with high officials who have gold,#Literally “gold is for them”
who fill up their houses with silver.
16Or why was I not hidden like a miscarriage,
like infants who did not see the light?
17There the wicked cease from troubling,
and there the weary#Literally “weary of strength” are at rest;
18the prisoners are at ease together;
they do not hear the oppressor’s voice.
19The small and the great are there,
and the slave is free from his masters.#Or “master”
Job Wishes He Might Die
20“Why does he#Most likely God give light to one in misery
and life to those bitter of soul,
21who wait for death, but#Hebrew “and” it does not come,#Literally “it is not”
and search#Or “dig” for it more than for treasures,
22who rejoice exceedingly,#Literally “unto rejoicing”
and they are glad when they find the grave?
23Why does he#Most likely God give light to a man whose way is hidden,
and God has fenced him in all around?
24For#Or perhaps emphatic, “Indeed” my sighing comes before#Or “in place of” (NET); literally “to the faces of” my bread,#Or “food”
and my groanings gush forth like water
25because the dread that I feel#Literally “dread” has come upon me,
and what I feared befalls me.
26I am not at ease, and I am not at peace,
and I do not have rest, thus#Hebrew “and” turmoil has come.”
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