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New International Version (NIV) |
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1 Then Job broke the silence. He spoke up and cursed his fate:
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1 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.
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2
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2 He said:
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3 "Obliterate the day I was born. Blank out the night I was conceived!
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3 "May the day of my birth perish, and the night it was said, 'A boy is born!'
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4 Let it be a black hole in space. May God above forget it ever happened. Erase it from the books!
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4 That day--may it turn to darkness; may God above not care about it; may no light shine upon it.
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5 May the day of my birth be buried in deep darkness, shrouded by the fog, swallowed by the night.
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5 May darkness and deep shadow claim it once more; may a cloud settle over it; may blackness overwhelm its light.
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6 And the night of my conception - the devil take it! Rip the date off the calendar, delete it from the almanac.
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6 That 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.
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7 Oh, turn that night into pure nothingness - no sounds of pleasure from that night, ever!
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7 May that night be barren; may no shout of joy be heard in it.
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8 May those who are good at cursing curse that day. Unleash the sea beast, Leviathan, on it.
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8 May those who curse days curse that day, those who are ready to rouse Leviathan.
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9 May its morning stars turn to black cinders, waiting for a daylight that never comes, never once seeing the first light of dawn.
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9 May its morning stars become dark; may it wait for daylight in vain and not see the first rays of dawn,
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10 And why? Because it released me from my mother's womb into a life with so much trouble.
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10 for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me to hide trouble from my eyes.
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11 "Why didn't I die at birth, my first breath out of the womb my last?
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11 "Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb?
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12 Why were there arms to rock me, and breasts for me to drink from?
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12 Why were there knees to receive me and breasts that I might be nursed?
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13 I could be resting in peace right now, asleep forever, feeling no pain,
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13 For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest
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14 In the company of kings and statesmen in their royal ruins,
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14 with kings and counselors of the earth, who built for themselves places now lying in ruins,
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15 Or with princes resplendent in their gold and silver tombs.
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15 with rulers who had gold, who filled their houses with silver.
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16 Why wasn't I stillborn and buried with all the babies who never saw light,
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16 Or why was I not hidden in the ground like a stillborn child, like an infant who never saw the light of day?
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17 Where the wicked no longer trouble anyone and bone-weary people get a long-deserved rest?
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17 There the wicked cease from turmoil, and there the weary are at rest.
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18 Prisoners sleep undisturbed, never again to wake up to the bark of the guards.
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18 Captives also enjoy their ease; they no longer hear the slave driver's shout.
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19 The small and the great are equals in that place, and slaves are free from their masters.
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19 The small and the great are there, and the slave is freed from his master.
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20 "Why does God bother giving light to the miserable, why bother keeping bitter people alive,
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20 "Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul,
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21 Those who want in the worst way to die, and can't, who can't imagine anything better than death,
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21 to those who long for death that does not come, who search for it more than for hidden treasure,
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22 Who count the day of their death and burial the happiest day of their life?
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22 who are filled with gladness and rejoice when they reach the grave?
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23 What's the point of life when it doesn't make sense, when God blocks all the roads to meaning?
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23 Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?
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24 "Instead of bread I get groans for my supper, then leave the table and vomit my anguish.
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24 For sighing comes to me instead of food; my groans pour out like water.
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25 The worst of my fears has come true, what I've dreaded most has happened.
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25 What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.
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26 My repose is shattered, my peace destroyed. No rest for me, ever - death has invaded life."
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26 I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil."
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| Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved. (The Message Bible Online) |
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online) |
