Job laments his birth
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After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.
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And this is what he said:
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“May the day of my birth perish, and the night it was said, ‘A boy is conceived.’
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If only that day had turned to darkness! May God above disregard it; may no light shine upon it.
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May darkness and gloom reclaim it, and a cloud settle over it; may the blackness of the day overwhelm it.
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If only darkness had taken that night away! May it not appear among the days of the year; may it never be entered in any of the months.
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Behold, may that night be barren; may no joyful voice come into it.
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May it be cursed by those who curse the day (a)— those prepared to rouse Leviathan.
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May its morning stars grow dark; may it wait in vain for daylight; may it not see the breaking of dawn.
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For that night did not shut the doors of the womb to hide the sorrow from my eyes.
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Why did I not perish at birth; why did I not die as I came from the womb?
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Why were there knees to receive me, and breasts that I should be nursed?
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For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest
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with kings and counselors of the earth, who built for themselves cities now in ruins,
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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 an infant who never sees daylight?
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There the wicked cease from raging, and there the weary find rest.
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The captives enjoy their ease; they do not hear the voice of the oppressor.
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Both small and great are there, and the slave is freed from his master.
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Why is light given to the miserable, and life to the bitter of soul,
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who long for death that does not come, and search for it like hidden treasure,
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who rejoice and greatly exult when they can find the grave?
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Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?
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I sigh when food is put before me, and my groans pour out like water.
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For the thing I feared has overtaken me, and what I dreaded has befallen me.
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I am not at ease or quiet; I have no rest, for trouble has come.”
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