3:1

אַחֲרֵי־כֵן פָּתַח אִיּוֹב אֶת־פִּיהוּ וַיְקַלֵּל אֶת־יוֹמוֹ׃

After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.

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3:2

וַיַּעַן אִיּוֹב וַיֹּאמַר׃

And Job spoke, and said:

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3:3

יֹאבַד יוֹם אִוָּלֶד בּוֹ וְהַלַּיְלָה אָמַר הֹרָה גָבֶר׃

Let the day perish wherein I was born, And the night wherein it was said: ‘A man-child is brought forth.’

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3:4

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

Let that day be darkness; Let not God inquire after it from above, Neither let the light shine upon it.

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3:5

יִגְאָלֻהוּ חֹשֶׁךְ וְצַלְמָוֶת תִּשְׁכָּן־עָלָיו עֲנָנָה יְבַעֲתֻהוּ כִּמְרִירֵי יוֹם׃

Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own; Let a cloud dwell upon it; Let all that maketh black the day terrify it.

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3:6

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

As for that night, let thick darkness seize upon it; Let it not rejoice among the days of the year; Let it not come into the number of the months.

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3:7

הִנֵּה הַלַּיְלָה הַהוּא יְהִי גַלְמוּד אַל־תָּבֹא רְנָנָה בוֹ׃

Lo, let that night be desolate; Let no joyful voice come therein.

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3:8

יִקְּבֻהוּ אֹרְרֵי־יוֹם הָעֲתִידִים עֹרֵר לִוְיָתָן׃

Let them curse it that curse the day, Who are ready to rouse up leviathan.

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3:9

יֶחְשְׁכוּ כּוֹכְבֵי נִשְׁפּוֹ יְקַו־לְאוֹר וָאַיִן וְאַל־יִרְאֶה בְּעַפְעַפֵּי־שָׁחַר׃

Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; Let it look for light, but have none; Neither let it behold the eyelids of the morning;

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3:10

כִּי לֹא סָגַר דַּלְתֵי בִטְנִי וַיַּסְתֵּר עָמָל מֵעֵינָי׃

Because it shut not up the doors of my [mother’s] womb, Nor hid trouble from mine eyes.

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3:11

לָמָּה לֹּא מֵרֶחֶם אָמוּת מִבֶּטֶן יָצָאתִי וְאֶגְוָע׃

Why died I not from the womb? Why did I not perish at birth?

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3:12

מַדּוּעַ קִדְּמוּנִי בִרְכָּיִם וּמַה־שָּׁדַיִם כִּי אִינָק׃

Why did the knees receive me? And wherefore the breasts, that I should suck?

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3:13

כִּי־עַתָּה שָׁכַבְתִּי וְאֶשְׁקוֹט יָשַׁנְתִּי אָז יָנוּחַ לִי׃

For now should I have lain still and been quiet; I should have slept; then had I been at rest—

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3:14

עִם־מְלָכִים וְיֹעֲצֵי אָרֶץ הַבֹּנִים חֳרָבוֹת לָמוֹ׃

With kings and counsellors of the earth, Who built up waste places for themselves;

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3:15

אוֹ עִם־שָׂרִים זָהָב לָהֶם הַמְמַלְאִים בָּתֵּיהֶם כָּסֶף׃

Or with princes that had gold, Who filled their houses with silver;

3:16

אוֹ כְנֵפֶל טָמוּן לֹא אֶהְיֶה כְּעֹלְלִים לֹא־רָאוּ אוֹר׃

Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been; As infants that never saw light.

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3:17

שָׁם רְשָׁעִים חָדְלוּ רֹגֶז וְשָׁם יָנוּחוּ יְגִיעֵי כֹחַ׃

There the wicked cease from troubling; And there the weary are at rest.

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3:18

יַחַד אֲסִירִים שַׁאֲנָנוּ לֹא שָׁמְעוּ קוֹל נֹגֵשׂ׃

There the prisoners are at ease together; They hear not the voice of the taskmaster.

3:19

קָטֹן וְגָדוֹל שָׁם הוּא וְעֶבֶד חָפְשִׁי מֵאֲדֹנָיו׃

The small and great are there alike; And the servant is free from his master.

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3:20

לָמָּה יִתֵּן לְעָמֵל אוֹר וְחַיִּים לְמָרֵי נָפֶשׁ׃

Wherewith is light given to him that is in misery, And life unto the bitter in soul—

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3:21

הַמְחַכִּים לַמָּוֶת וְאֵינֶנּוּ וַיַּחְפְּרֻהוּ מִמַּטְמוֹנִים׃

Who long for death, but it cometh not; And dig for it more than for hid treasures;

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3:22

הַשְּׂמֵחִים אֱלֵי־גִיל יָשִׂישׂוּ כִּי יִמְצְאוּ־קָבֶר׃

Who rejoice unto exultation, And are glad, when they can find the grave?—

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3:23

לְגֶבֶר אֲשֶׁר־דַּרְכּוֹ נִסְתָּרָה וַיָּסֶךְ אֱלוֹהַּ בַּעֲדוֹ׃

To a man whose way is hid, And whom God hath hedged in?

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3:24

כִּי־לִפְנֵי לַחְמִי אַנְחָתִי תָבֹא וַיִּתְּכוּ כַמַּיִם שַׁאֲגֹתָי׃

For my sighing cometh instead of my food, And my roarings are poured out like water.

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3:25

כִּי פַחַד פָּחַדְתִּי וַיֶּאֱתָיֵנִי וַאֲשֶׁר יָגֹרְתִּי יָבֹא לִי׃

For the thing which I did fear is come upon me, And that which I was afraid of hath overtaken me.

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3:26

לֹא שָׁלַוְתִּי וְלֹא שָׁקַטְתִּי וְלֹא־נָחְתִּי וַיָּבֹא רֹגֶז׃

I was not at ease, neither was I quiet, Neither had I rest; but trouble came.

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