Job 3

 

אַחֲרֵי־כֵן פָּתַח אִיּוֹב אֶת־פִּיהוּ וַיְקַלֵּל אֶת־יוֹמוֹ׃   3:1

Job 3:1   After that, Job opened his mouth and cursed his day.

The style that the bible began with in Gene. 1:1 and 1:2, and that has been repeated several times, is repeated once more here.  This verse introduces and summarizes the rest of this chapter.  Can you see it?  Job opens his mouth in the next verse, and curses his day in much of the rest of the chapter.

וַיַּעַן אִיּוֹב וַיֹּאמַר׃   3:2

Job 3:2   And Job spoke and said,

יֹאבַד יֹום אִוָּלֶד בֹּו וְהַלַּיְלָה אָמַר הֹרָה גָבֶר׃   3:3

Job 3:3   "Let the day perish on which I was to have been born,

                            and the night someone said, 'A male is conceived.'"

הַיּוֹם הַהוּא יְהִי חֹשֶׁךְ אַל־יִדְרְשֵׁהוּ אֱלוֹהַּ מִמָּעַל וְאַל־תּוֹפַע עָלָיו נְהָרָה׃   3:4

Job 3:4   "Let that day be of darkness;

                            let God not require it from above,

                  that daylight would not have shined on it.

יִגְאָלֻהוּ חֹשֶׁךְ וְצַלְמָוֶת תִּשְׁכָּן־עָלָיו עֲנָנָה יְבַעֲתֻהוּ כִּמְרִירֵי יוֹם׃   3:5

Job 3:5   Would that darkness and the shadow of death had claimed it,

                            a cloud had settled on it,

                  the blackest things of a day had overwhelmed it."

הַלַּיְלָה הַהוּא יִקָּחֵהוּ אֹפֶל אַל־יִחַדְּ בִּימֵי שָׁנָה בְּמִסְפַּר יְרָחִים אַל־יָבֹא׃   3:6

Job 3:6   "That night, would that gloom had seized it,

                            it had not been made glad among the days of the year,

                  had not entered in the number of months."

הִנֵּה הַלַּיְלָה הַהוּא יְהִי גַלְמוּד אַל־תָּבֹא רְנָנָה בוֹ׃   3:7

Job 3:7   "Lo, would that night had been barren,

                            had come no joyful cry in it."

יִקְּבֻהוּ אֹרְרֵי־יוֹם הָעֲתִידִים עֹרֵר לִוְיָתָן׃   3:8

Job 3:8   "Would that any cursers of a day had cursed it,

                            those prepared to arouse leviathan."

יֶחְשְׁכוּ כֹּוכְבֵי נִשְׁפֹּו יְקַו־לְאֹור וָאַיִן וְאַל־יִרְאֶה בְּעַפְעַפֵּי־שָׁחַר׃   3:9

Job 3:9   "Would that the stars of its twilight had been black,

                            it had yet waited for light, there was none,

                  and could not see with the sun's rays of dawn."

כִּי לֹא סָגַר דַּלְתֵי בִטְנִי וַיַּסְתֵּר עָמָל מֵעֵינָי׃   3:10

Job 3:10   "Because it did not close up the gates of my birthing place,

                            or hid trouble from my eyes."

לָמָּה לֹּא מֵרֶחֶם אָמוּת מִבֶּטֶן יָצָאתִי וְאֶגְוָע׃   3:11

Job 3:11   "Why could I not have died from the womb,

                            to come out of the belly and perish?"

מַדּוּעַ קִדְּמוּנִי בִרְכָּיִם וּמַה־שָּׁדַיִם כִּי אִינָק׃   3:12

Job 3:12   "Why did the knees receive me,

                            and why the breasts, that I could suck?"

כִּי־עַתָּה שָׁכַבְתִּי וְאֶשְׁקוֹט יָשַׁנְתִּי אָז יָנוּחַ לִי׃   3:13

Job 3:13   "That now I am lain down and at rest, I sleep;

                            then it could have given respite to me,

עִם־מְלָכִים וְיֹעֲצֵי אָרֶץ הַבֹּנִים חֳרָבוֹת לָמוֹ׃   3:14

Job 3:14   with kings and counselors of the earth,

                            the builders of their wastelands."

אֹו עִםשָׂ־רִים זָהָב לָהֶם הַמְמַלְאִים בָּתֵּיהֶם כָּסֶף׃   3:15

Job 3:15   "Or with princes, their gold,

                            whose houses were full of silver!"

אֹו כְנֵפֶל טָמוּן לֹא אֶהְיֶה כְּעֹלְלִים לֹא־רָאוּ אֹור׃   3:16

Job 3:16   "Or as a miscarriage buried, I would not have been,

                            as infants never to see the light."

שָׁם רְשָׁעִים חָדְלוּ רֹגֶז וְשָׁם יָנוּחוּ יְגִיעֵי כֹחַ׃   3:17

Job 3:17   "That way the wicked stop being troubled,

                            and that way the exhausted of strength can rest."

יַחַד אֲסִירִים שַׁאֲנָנוּ לֹא שָׁמְעוּ קוֹל נֹגֵשׂ׃   3:18

Job 3:18   "The prisoners are at peace together;

                            they do not hear the voice of the taskmaster."

קָטֹן וְגָדוֹל שָׁם הוּא וְעֶבֶד חָפְשִׁי מֵאֲדֹנָיו׃   3:19

Job 3:19   "Small and great are the same there,

                            so the servant is free from his master."

לָמָּה יִתֵּן לְעָמֵל אוֹר וְחַיִּים לְמָרֵי נָפֶשׁ׃   3:20

Job 3:20   "Why should light be given to a sufferer,

                            and life to the bitter of soul,

הַמְחַכִּים לַמָּוֶת וְאֵינֶנּוּ וַיַּחְפְּרֻהוּ מִמַּטְמוֹנִים׃   3:21

Job 3:21   those waiting for death but it is not for any of them,

                            as they search for it more than hidden treasures,

הַשְּׂמֵחִים אֱלֵי־גִיל יָשִׂישׂוּ כִּי יִמְצְאוּ־קָבֶר׃   3:22

Job 3:22   those rejoicing toward exultation,

                            would be glad when they could find the grave,

לְגֶבֶר אֲשֶׁר־דַּרְכּוֹ נִסְתָּרָה וַיָּסֶךְ אֱלוֹהַּ בַּעֲדוֹ׃   3:23

Job 3:23   to a man whose path is hidden,

                            and God had hedged in on his behalf?"

כִּי־לִפְנֵי לַחְמִי אַנְחָתִי תָבֹא וַיִּתְּכוּ כַמַּיִם שַׁאֲגֹתָי׃   3:24

Job 3:24   "For before my food my sighing must come,

                            as my roaring pours out like water."

כִּי פַחַד פָּחַדְתִּי וַיֶּאֱתָיֵנִי וַאֲשֶׁר יָגֹרְתִּי יָבֹא לִי׃   3:25

Job 3:25   "Because of the terror I dreaded and it came upon me,

                            and that I feared would come to me,

לֹא שָׁלַוְתִּי וְלֹא שָׁקַטְתִּי וְלֹא־נָחְתִּי וַיָּבֹא רֹגֶז׃   3:26

Job 3:26   I was not at ease and I was not undisturbed and I had no rest

                            -- and trouble came."

Most of this chapter has to be one of the most poignant, heart felt, and eloquent expressions of personal grief that can be found in world literature.  You can feel Job’s anguish and despair throughout his lament.

 

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