| New International Version | New Living Translation |
| 1After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. | 1At last Job spoke, and he cursed the day of his birth. |
| 3"May the day of my birth perish, and the night that said, 'A boy is conceived!' | 3“Let the day of my birth be erased, and the night I was conceived. |
| 4That day--may it turn to darkness; may God above not care about it; may no light shine on it. | 4Let that day be turned to darkness. Let it be lost even to God on high, and let no light shine on it. |
| 5May gloom and utter darkness claim it once more; may a cloud settle over it; may blackness overwhelm it. | 5Let the darkness and utter gloom claim that day for its own. Let a black cloud overshadow it, and let the darkness 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 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. |
| 7May that night be barren; may no shout of joy be heard in it. | 7Let that night be childless. Let it have no joy. |
| 8May those who curse days curse that day, those who are ready to rouse Leviathan. | 8Let those who are experts at cursing— whose cursing could rouse Leviathan — curse that day. |
| 9May its morning stars become dark; may it wait for daylight in vain and not see the first rays of dawn, | 9Let its morning stars remain dark. Let it hope for light, but in vain; may it never see the morning light. |
| 10for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me to hide trouble from my eyes. | 10Curse 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 perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb? | 11“Why wasn’t I born dead? Why didn’t I die as I came from the womb? |
| 12Why were there knees to receive me and breasts that I might be nursed? | 12Why was I laid on my mother’s lap? Why did she nurse me at her breasts? |
| 13For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest | 13Had I died at birth, I would now be at peace. I would be asleep and at rest. |
| 14with kings and rulers of the earth, who built for themselves places now lying in ruins, | 14I would rest with the world’s kings and prime ministers, whose great buildings now lie in ruins. |
| 15with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver. | 15I would rest with princes, rich in gold, whose palaces were filled 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? | 16Why wasn’t I buried like a stillborn child, like a baby who never lives to see the light? |
| 17There the wicked cease from turmoil, and there the weary are at rest. | 17For in death the wicked cause no trouble, and the weary are at rest. |
| 18Captives also enjoy their ease; they no longer hear the slave driver's shout. | 18Even captives are at ease in death, with no guards to curse them. |
| 19The small and the great are there, and the slaves are freed from their owners. | 19Rich and poor are both there, and the slave is free from his master. |
| 20"Why is light given to those 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? |
| 21to those who long for death that does not come, who search for it more than for hidden treasure, | 21They long for death, and it won’t come. They search for death more eagerly than for hidden treasure. |
| 22who are filled with gladness and rejoice when they reach the grave? | 22They’re filled with joy when they finally die, and rejoice when they find the grave. |
| 23Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in? | 23Why is life given to those with no future, those God has surrounded with difficulties? |
| 24For sighing has become my daily food; my groans pour out like water. | 24I cannot eat for sighing; my groans pour out like water. |
| 25What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. | 25What I always feared has happened to me. What I dreaded has come true. |
| 26I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil." | 26I have no peace, no quietness. I have no rest; only trouble comes.” |
| 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. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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