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Job 3-4
Amplified Bible
Job 3-4
Amplified Bible
Job’s Lament
3 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 [a]And Job said,
3
“Let the day on which I was born perish,
And the night which announced: ‘There is a man-child conceived.’
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“May that day be darkness;
Let God above not care about it,
Nor light shine on it.
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“Let darkness and gloom claim it for their own;
Let a cloud settle upon it;
Let all that blackens the day terrify it (the day that I was born).
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“As for that night, let darkness seize it;
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
Let it not be counted in the number of the months.
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“Behold, let that night be barren [and empty];
Let no joyful voice enter it.
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“Let those curse it [b]who curse the day,
Who are skilled in rousing up Leviathan.
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“Let the stars of its early dawn be dark;
Let the morning wait in vain for the light,
Let it not see the eyelids of morning (the day’s dawning),
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Because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb,
Nor hide trouble from my eyes.
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“Why did I not die at birth,
Come forth from the womb and expire?
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“Why did the knees receive me?
And why the breasts, that I would nurse?
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“For now I would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept then, I would have been at rest [in death],
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With kings and counselors of the earth,
Who built up [now desolate] ruins for themselves;
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Or with princes who had gold,
Who filled their houses with silver.
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“Or like a miscarriage which is hidden and put away, I would not exist,
Like infants who never saw light.
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“There [in death] the wicked cease from raging,
And there the weary are at rest.
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“There the prisoners rest together;
They do not hear the taskmaster’s voice.
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“The small and the great are there,
And the servant is free from his master.(A)
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“Why is the light given to him who is in misery,
And life to the bitter in soul,
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Who wait for death, but it does not come,
And dig (search) for death more [diligently] than for hidden treasures,
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Who rejoice exceedingly,
And rejoice when they find the grave?
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“Why is the light of day given to a man whose way is hidden,
And whom God has hedged in?
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“For my groaning comes at the sight of my food,
And my cries [of despair] are poured out like water.
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“For the thing which I greatly fear comes upon me,
And that of which I am afraid has come upon me.
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“I am not at ease, nor am I quiet,
And I am not at rest, and yet trouble still comes [upon me].”
Eliphaz: Innocent Do Not Suffer
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
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“If we dare to converse with you, will you be impatient [or offended]?
But who can restrain himself from speaking?
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“Behold, you have admonished and instructed many,
And you have strengthened weak hands.
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“Your words have helped the one who was stumbling to stand,
And you have strengthened feeble knees.
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“But now [c]adversity comes upon you, and you are impatient and intolerant;
It touches you, and you are horrified.
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“Is not your fear of God your confidence,
And [is not] the integrity and uprightness of your ways your hope?
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“Remember now, who, being innocent, ever perished?
Or where [and in what circumstances] were those upright and in right standing with God destroyed?
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“As I have seen, those who plow wickedness
And those who sow trouble and harm harvest it.
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“By the breath of God they perish,
And by the blast of His anger they are consumed.
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“The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion,
And the teeth of the young lions are broken.
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“The lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
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“Now a word was secretly brought to me,
And my ear received a whisper of it.
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“Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on men,
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Dread and trembling came upon me,
Which made all my bones shake.
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“Then a spirit passed before my face;
The hair on my skin stood on end!
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“The spirit stood still, but I could not discern its appearance;
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence, and then I heard a voice, saying:
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‘Can [mortal] man be just before God or be more righteous than He?
Can a man be pure before his Maker or be more cleansed than He?(B)
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‘God puts no trust or confidence, even in His [heavenly] servants,
And He charges His angels with error.
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‘How much more [will He blame and charge] those who dwell in houses (bodies) of clay,
Whose foundations are in the dust,
Who are crushed like a moth.
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‘Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces and destroyed;
Unobserved and unnoticed, they perish forever.
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‘Is not their tent-cord drawn up within them [so that the tent collapses]?
Do they not die, and yet without [acquiring] wisdom?’
Footnotes
- Job 3:2 The prose introduction ends at v 1 and the poetic heart of the book begins with v 2. One of the features of Hebrew poetry is the prevalence of pairs of statements in which the second statement either is parallel in thought to the first or contrasts with it. There is no rhyming or metrical correspondence.
- Job 3:8 Some ancient sorcerers claimed the ability to curse a day by calling up a terrifying, legendary creature, such as Leviathan, to devour the sun.
- Job 4:5 Lit it.
Job 3-4
New International Version
Job 3-4
New International Version
Job Speaks
3 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.(A) 2 He said:
3 “May the day of my birth perish,
and the night that said, ‘A boy is conceived!’(B)
4 That day—may it turn to darkness;
may God above not care about it;
may no light shine on it.
5 May gloom and utter darkness(C) claim it once more;
may a cloud settle over it;
may blackness overwhelm it.
6 That night—may thick darkness(D) seize it;
may it not be included among the days of the year
nor be entered in any of the months.
7 May that night be barren;
may no shout of joy(E) be heard in it.
8 May those who curse days[a] curse that day,(F)
those who are ready to rouse Leviathan.(G)
9 May its morning stars become dark;
may it wait for daylight in vain
and not see the first rays of dawn,(H)
10 for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me
to hide trouble from my eyes.
11 “Why did I not perish at birth,
and die as I came from the womb?(I)
12 Why were there knees to receive me(J)
and breasts that I might be nursed?
13 For now I would be lying down(K) in peace;
I would be asleep and at rest(L)
14 with kings and rulers of the earth,(M)
who built for themselves places now lying in ruins,(N)
15 with princes(O) who had gold,
who filled their houses with silver.(P)
16 Or why was I not hidden away in the ground like a stillborn child,(Q)
like an infant who never saw the light of day?(R)
17 There the wicked cease from turmoil,(S)
and there the weary are at rest.(T)
18 Captives(U) also enjoy their ease;
they no longer hear the slave driver’s(V) shout.(W)
19 The small and the great are there,(X)
and the slaves are freed from their owners.
20 “Why is light given to those in misery,
and life to the bitter of soul,(Y)
21 to those who long for death that does not come,(Z)
who search for it more than for hidden treasure,(AA)
22 who are filled with gladness
and rejoice when they reach the grave?(AB)
23 Why is life given to a man
whose way is hidden,(AC)
whom God has hedged in?(AD)
24 For sighing(AE) has become my daily food;(AF)
my groans(AG) pour out like water.(AH)
25 What I feared has come upon me;
what I dreaded(AI) has happened to me.(AJ)
26 I have no peace,(AK) no quietness;
I have no rest,(AL) but only turmoil.”(AM)
Eliphaz
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite(AN) replied:
2 “If someone ventures a word with you, will you be impatient?
But who can keep from speaking?(AO)
3 Think how you have instructed many,(AP)
how you have strengthened feeble hands.(AQ)
4 Your words have supported those who stumbled;(AR)
you have strengthened faltering knees.(AS)
5 But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged;(AT)
it strikes(AU) you, and you are dismayed.(AV)
6 Should not your piety be your confidence(AW)
and your blameless(AX) ways your hope?
7 “Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished?(AY)
Where were the upright ever destroyed?(AZ)
8 As I have observed,(BA) those who plow evil(BB)
and those who sow trouble reap it.(BC)
9 At the breath of God(BD) they perish;
at the blast of his anger they are no more.(BE)
10 The lions may roar(BF) and growl,
yet the teeth of the great lions(BG) are broken.(BH)
11 The lion perishes for lack of prey,(BI)
and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.(BJ)
12 “A word(BK) was secretly brought to me,
my ears caught a whisper(BL) of it.(BM)
13 Amid disquieting dreams in the night,
when deep sleep falls on people,(BN)
14 fear and trembling(BO) seized me
and made all my bones shake.(BP)
15 A spirit glided past my face,
and the hair on my body stood on end.(BQ)
16 It stopped,
but I could not tell what it was.
A form stood before my eyes,
and I heard a hushed voice:(BR)
17 ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God?(BS)
Can even a strong man be more pure than his Maker?(BT)
18 If God places no trust in his servants,(BU)
if he charges his angels with error,(BV)
19 how much more those who live in houses of clay,(BW)
whose foundations(BX) are in the dust,(BY)
who are crushed(BZ) more readily than a moth!(CA)
20 Between dawn and dusk they are broken to pieces;
unnoticed, they perish forever.(CB)
21 Are not the cords of their tent pulled up,(CC)
so that they die(CD) without wisdom?’(CE)
Footnotes
- Job 3:8 Or curse the sea
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