Job 3 - The Message (MSG)

Job Cries Out

What’s the Point of Life?

3 1-2 Then Job broke the silence. He spoke up and cursed his fate:

3-10 “Obliterate the day I was born.
Blank out the night I was conceived!
Let it be a black hole in space.
May God above forget it ever happened.
Erase it from the books!
May the day of my birth be buried in deep darkness,
shrouded by the fog,
swallowed by the night.
And the night of my conception—the devil take it!
Rip the date off the calendar,
delete it from the almanac.
Oh, turn that night into pure nothingness—
no sounds of pleasure from that night, ever!
May those who are good at cursing curse that day.
Unleash the sea beast, Leviathan, on it.
May its morning stars turn to black cinders,
waiting for a daylight that never comes,
never once seeing the first light of dawn.
And why? Because it released me from my mother’s womb
into a life with so much trouble.

11-19 “Why didn’t I die at birth,
my first breath out of the womb my last?
Why were there arms to rock me,
and breasts for me to drink from?
I could be resting in peace right now,
asleep forever, feeling no pain,
In the company of kings and statesmen
in their royal ruins,
Or with princes resplendent
in their gold and silver tombs.
Why wasn’t I stillborn and buried
with all the babies who never saw light,
Where the wicked no longer trouble anyone
and bone-weary people get a long-deserved rest?
Prisoners sleep undisturbed,
never again to wake up to the bark of the guards.
The small and the great are equals in that place,
and slaves are free from their masters.

20-23 “Why does God bother giving light to the miserable,
why bother keeping bitter people alive,
Those who want in the worst way to die, and can’t,
who can’t imagine anything better than death,
Who count the day of their death and burial
the happiest day of their life?
What’s the point of life when it doesn’t make sense,
when God blocks all the roads to meaning?

24-26 “Instead of bread I get groans for my supper,
then leave the table and vomit my anguish.
The worst of my fears has come true,
what I’ve dreaded most has happened.
My repose is shattered, my peace destroyed.
No rest for me, ever—death has invaded life.”

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Job 3 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

3 After this hath Job opened his mouth, and revileth his day. 2 And Job answereth and saith: -- 3 Let the day perish in which I am born, And the night that hath said: `A man-child hath been conceived.' 4 That day -- let it be darkness, Let not God require it from above, Nor let light shine upon it. ...
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Job 3 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

3 After these things Job opened his mouth, and cursed his day, 2 and he said, 3 Perish the day in which I was born, and the night in which it was said, A man is conceived. 4 That day be turned into darknesses; God seek not it [from] above, and be it not in mind, neither be it lightened with light. (...
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Job 3 - World English Bible (WEB)

3 After this Job opened his mouth, and cursed the day of his birth. 2 Job answered: 3 “Let the day perish in which I was born, the night which said, ‘There is a boy conceived.’4 Let that day be darkness. Don’t let God from above seek for it, neither let the light shine on it.5 Let darkness and the ...
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Job 3 - The Voice (VOICE)

3 1-2 After all of this, Job opened his mouth and broke the silence. He spoke a curse, not upon God but upon his day of birth. 3 Job: May the day die on which I was born, along with the night that spoke the words, “a boy is conceived.”4 May that day of birth become darkness, and when it has disappe...
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Job 3 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Job Curses His Own Birth3 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed his day. 2 Then Job answered and said: 3 “May the day I was born perish, and the night that said, ‘A man is conceived!’4 That day—may it be darkness; may God above not regard it; may no light shine on it.5 May darkness and deep g...
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Job 3 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Job Curses the Day He Was Born3 After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 And Job said: 3 “Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night which said, ‘A man-child is conceived.’4 Let that day be darkness! May God above not seek it, nor light shine upon it.5 Let gloom ...
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Job 3 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Job Curses the Day He Was Born3 After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 And Job said: 3 “Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night which said, ‘A man-child is conceived.’4 Let that day be darkness! May God above not seek it, nor light shine upon it.5 Let gloom ...
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Job 3 - New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

Job Curses the Day He Was Born3 After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 Job said: 3 “Let the day perish in which I was born, and the night that said, ‘A man-child is conceived.’4 Let that day be darkness! May God above not seek it, or light shine on it.5 Let gloom and dee...
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Job 3 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Job Curses the Day He Was Born3 After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 Job said: 3 ‘Let the day perish on which I was born, and the night that said, “A man-child is conceived.”4 Let that day be darkness! May God above not seek it, or light shine on it.5 Let gloom and dee...
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Job 3 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Job Curses the Day He Was Born3 After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 Job said:3 “Let the day perish in which I was born, and the night that said, ‘A male is conceived.’(A)4 Let that day be darkness! May God above not seek it or light shine on it.5 Let gloom and deep dar...
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Job 3 - New Living Translation (NLT)

Job’s First Speech3 At last Job spoke, and he cursed the day of his birth. 2 He said: 3 “Let the day of my birth be erased, and the night I was conceived.4 Let that day be turned to darkness. Let it be lost even to God on high, and let no light shine on it.5 Let the darkness and utter gloom claim th...
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Job 3 - New Life Version (NLV)

Job Speaks Angry Words to God3 After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day he was born. 2 He said, 3 “Let the day be lost on which I was born, and the night which said, ‘A boy is born.’ 4 May that day be darkness. May God above not care for it. May light not shine on it. 5 Let darkness an...
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Job 3 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Job Deplores His Birth3 After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 And Job [a]spoke, and said: 3 “May(A) the day perish on which I was born,And the night in which it was said,‘A male child is conceived.’4 May that day be darkness;May God above not seek it,Nor the light shine...
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Job 3 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

Job speaks3 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 He said: 3 ‘May the day of my birth perish, and the night that said, “A boy is conceived!”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 cl...
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Job 3 - New International Version (NIV)

Job Speaks3 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...
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Job 3 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

Job Wishes He Had Never Been Born3 After a while, Job opened his mouth to speak. He cursed the day he had been born. 2 He said, 3 “May the day I was born be wiped out. May the night be wiped away when people said, ‘A boy is born!’4 May that day turn into darkness. May God in heaven not care about i...
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Job 3 - New Century Version (NCV)

Job Curses His Birth3 After seven days Job cried out and cursed the day he had been born, 2 saying: 3 “Let the day I was born be destroyed, and the night it was said, ‘A boy is born!’4 Let that day turn to darkness. Don’t let God care about it. Don’t let light shine on it.5 Let darkness and gloom h...
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