New International Version | International Standard Version |
1After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. | 1After this, Job spoke up solemnly, cursing the day he was born. |
2He said: | 2This is what Job said: |
3"May the day of my birth perish, and the night that said, 'A boy is conceived!' | 3"Let the day when I was born be annihilated, along with the night when it was announced, 'It's a boy!' |
4That day--may it turn to darkness; may God above not care about it; may no light shine on it. | 4Let that day be dark; let God above not care about it; let no light shine over it. |
5May gloom and utter darkness claim it once more; may a cloud settle over it; may blackness overwhelm it. | 5Let darkness and deep gloom reclaim it; let clouds settle down on it; let blackness in mid-day terrify it. |
6That night--may thick darkness seize it; may it not be included among the days of the year nor be entered in any of the months. | 6Let darkness carry that night away; let it not take its place joyfully among the days of the year; let it not be entered into the calendar. |
7May that night be barren; may no shout of joy be heard in it. | 7"Yes, let that night be barren; let it not appear with its joyful shout. |
8May those who curse days curse that day, those who are ready to rouse Leviathan. | 8Let whoever curses days curse it— those who are ready to awaken monsters. |
9May its morning stars become dark; may it wait for daylight in vain and not see the first rays of dawn, | 9Let the stars of its evening twilight be dark; let it hope for light but let there be none; let it not see the breaking rays of the dawn. |
10for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me to hide trouble from my eyes. | 10"Because that night refused to shut the doors of my mother's womb; it failed to keep me from seeing this trouble. |
11"Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb? | 11Why didn't I die while I was still in the womb, or die while I was being born? |
12Why were there knees to receive me and breasts that I might be nursed? | 12Why was there a lap to hold me, and why were there breasts to nurse me? |
13For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest | 13"If I had died, I would be lying down by now, undisturbed, asleep, and at rest, |
14with kings and rulers of the earth, who built for themselves places now lying in ruins, | 14along with kings and counselors of the earth, who used to build for themselves what are now only ruins, |
15with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver. | 15or princes who amassed gold for themselves, and who kept filling their houses with silver. |
16Or why was I not hidden away in the ground like a stillborn child, like an infant who never saw the light of day? | 16"Or why was I not buried like a stillborn child, like babies who never saw the light? |
17There the wicked cease from turmoil, and there the weary are at rest. | 17In that place, the wicked stop causing trouble, and there, those whose strength is exhausted are at rest. |
18Captives also enjoy their ease; they no longer hear the slave driver's shout. | 18In that place, those who once were prisoners will be at ease together; they won't hear the voice of oppressors. |
19The small and the great are there, and the slaves are freed from their owners. | 19The unimportant and the important are both there, and the servant is free from his master. |
20"Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, | 20"Why does God give light to the sufferer or life to the bitter person: |
21to those who long for death that does not come, who search for it more than for hidden treasure, | 21To those who are longing for death— even though it does not come? To those who search for it more than for hidden treasure? |
22who are filled with gladness and rejoice when they reach the grave? | 22To those who are happy beyond measure when they reach their graves? |
23Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in? | 23To the formerly successful man who lost his way in life, and God fenced him in? |
24For sighing has become my daily food; my groans pour out like water. | 24"As far as I'm concerned, my food comes to me in the form of sighs, and my cries of anguish pour out like water. |
25What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. | 25For the dreaded thing that I feared has happened to me, what caused me to worry has engulfed me. |
26I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil." | 26I will not be at ease; I will not be quiet; I will not rest; because trouble has arrived." |
New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
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