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

2: He said:

3: “Perish the day on which I was born and the night it was said, ‘A boy is born.’

4: May that day turn to darkness; may God not take note of it from above and may light not shine upon it.

5: May gloom and heavy darkness claim it; let clouds spread over it and blackness eclipse its light.

6: May thick darkness overpower it; let it not be numbered among the days of the year or reckoned in the cycle of the months.

7: “May that night be barren; let no cry of joy be heard during it.

8: Let those curse it who curse the sea and are prepared to rouse Leviathan.

9: May the stars of its twilight be darkened; let it wait in vain for daylight and never behold the first rays of dawn,

10: because it refused to shut the doors of the womb of my mother who bore me and shield my eyes from sorrow.

11: “Why did I not die at birth, perishing as I came forth from the womb?

12: Why were there knees to receive me or breasts for me to feed on?

13: “For now I would be lying in tranquility, asleep and resting peacefully

14: with kings and counselors of the earth who built palaces for themselves that now lie in ruins,

15: or with princes who possessed gold in abundance and filled their homes with silver.

16: Or why was I not laid in a grave like a stillborn child, like an infant that had never seen the light?

17: “In death the wicked are free from worldly troubles and the weary find rest.

18: There the captives enjoy the solace of peace without having to cringe at the voice of their masters.

19: The small and the great are there as equals, and servants are free from their masters.

20: “Why is light given to those in misery and life to those whose hearts are bitter,

21: who long for death that never comes and seek for it more than for hidden treasure,

22: who would rejoice to see the grave and exult on reaching the tomb,

23: who are unable to find their way and whom God has hemmed in on every side?

24: “Sighs are for me my only food, and my groans pour forth like water.

25: Everything that I fear has afflicted me, and whatever I dread befalls me.

26: I am unable to find peace of mind or tranquility; troubles assail me, and I find no rest.”