(1) There was a man in the land of Uz named Job. That man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. (2) Seven sons and three daughters were born to him; (3) his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred she-asses, and a very large household. That man was wealthier than anyone in the East. (4) It was the custom of his sons to hold feasts, each on his set day in his own home. They would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. (5) When a round of feast days was over, Job would send word to them to sanctify themselves, and, rising early in the morning, he would make burnt offerings, one for each of them; for Job thought, “Perhaps my children have sinned and blasphemed God in their thoughts.” This is what Job always used to do. (6) One day the divine beings presented themselves before the LORD, and the Adversary came along with them. (7) The LORD said to the Adversary, “Where have you been?” The Adversary answered the LORD, “I have been roaming all over the earth.” (8) The LORD said to the Adversary, “Have you noticed My servant Job? There is no one like him on earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil!” (9) The Adversary answered the LORD, “Does Job not have good reason to fear God? (10) Why, it is You who have hedged him round, him and his household and all that he has. You have blessed his efforts so that his possessions spread out in the land.
(ב) וַיַּ֥עַן אִיּ֗וֹב וַיֹּאמַֽר׃
(ג) יֹ֣אבַד י֭וֹם אִוָּ֣לֶד בּ֑וֹ
וְהַלַּ֥יְלָה אָ֝מַ֗ר הֹ֣רָה גָֽבֶר׃
(ד) הַיּ֥וֹם הַה֗וּא יְֽהִ֫י חֹ֥שֶׁךְ
אַֽל־יִדְרְשֵׁ֣הוּ אֱל֣וֹהַּ מִמָּ֑עַל
וְאַל־תּוֹפַ֖ע עָלָ֣יו נְהָרָֽה׃
(ה) יִגְאָלֻ֡הוּ חֹ֣שֶׁךְ וְ֭צַלְמָוֶת תִּשְׁכָּן־עָלָ֣יו עֲנָנָ֑ה יְ֝בַעֲתֻ֗הוּ כִּֽמְרִ֥ירֵי יֽוֹם׃
(ו) הַלַּ֥יְלָה הַהוּא֮ יִקָּחֵ֪ה֫וּ אֹ֥פֶל אַל־יִ֭חַדְּ בִּימֵ֣י שָׁנָ֑ה בְּמִסְפַּ֥ר יְ֝רָחִ֗ים אַל־יָבֹֽא׃
(ז) הִנֵּ֤ה הַלַּ֣יְלָה הַ֭הוּא יְהִ֣י גַלְמ֑וּד
אַל־תָּבֹ֖א רְנָנָ֣ה בֽוֹ׃
(ח) יִקְּבֻ֥הוּ אֹרְרֵי־י֑וֹם
הָ֝עֲתִידִ֗ים עֹרֵ֥ר לִוְיָתָֽן׃
(ט) יֶחְשְׁכוּ֮ כּוֹכְבֵ֪י נִ֫שְׁפּ֥וֹ יְקַו־לְא֥וֹר וָאַ֑יִן וְאַל־יִ֝רְאֶ֗ה בְּעַפְעַפֵּי־שָֽׁחַר׃
(י) כִּ֤י לֹ֣א סָ֭גַר דַּלְתֵ֣י בִטְנִ֑י
וַיַּסְתֵּ֥ר עָ֝מָ֗ל מֵעֵינָֽי׃
(יא) לָ֤מָּה לֹּ֣א מֵרֶ֣חֶם אָמ֑וּת
מִבֶּ֖טֶן יָצָ֣אתִי וְאֶגְוָֽע׃
(יב) מַ֭דּוּעַ קִדְּמ֣וּנִי בִרְכָּ֑יִם
וּמַה־שָּׁ֝דַ֗יִם כִּ֣י אִינָֽק׃
(יג) כִּֽי־עַ֭תָּה שָׁכַ֣בְתִּי וְאֶשְׁק֑וֹט
יָ֝שַׁ֗נְתִּי אָ֤ז ׀ יָנ֬וּחַֽ לִֽי׃
(יד) עִם־מְ֭לָכִים וְיֹ֣עֲצֵי אָ֑רֶץ
הַבֹּנִ֖ים חֳרָב֣וֹת לָֽמוֹ׃
(טו) א֣וֹ עִם־שָׂ֭רִים זָהָ֣ב לָהֶ֑ם
הַֽמְמַלְאִ֖ים בָּתֵּיהֶ֣ם כָּֽסֶף׃
(טז) א֤וֹ כְנֵ֣פֶל טָ֭מוּן לֹ֣א אֶהְיֶ֑ה
כְּ֝עֹלְלִ֗ים לֹא־רָ֥אוּ אֽוֹר׃
(יז) שָׁ֣ם רְ֭שָׁעִים חָ֣דְלוּ רֹ֑גֶז
וְשָׁ֥ם יָ֝נ֗וּחוּ יְגִ֣יעֵי כֹֽחַ׃
(יח) יַ֭חַד אֲסִירִ֣ים שַׁאֲנָ֑נוּ
לֹ֥א שָׁ֝מְע֗וּ ק֣וֹל נֹגֵֽשׂ׃
(יט) קָטֹ֣ן וְ֭גָדוֹל שָׁ֣ם ה֑וּא
וְ֝עֶ֗בֶד חָפְשִׁ֥י מֵאֲדֹנָֽיו׃
(כ) לָ֤מָּה יִתֵּ֣ן לְעָמֵ֣ל א֑וֹר
וְ֝חַיִּ֗ים לְמָ֣רֵי נָֽפֶשׁ׃
(כא) הַֽמְחַכִּ֣ים לַמָּ֣וֶת וְאֵינֶ֑נּוּ
וַֽ֝יַּחְפְּרֻ֗הוּ מִמַּטְמוֹנִֽים׃
(כב) הַשְּׂמֵחִ֥ים אֱלֵי־גִ֑יל
יָ֝שִׂ֗ישׂוּ כִּ֣י יִמְצְאוּ־קָֽבֶר׃
(כג) לְ֭גֶבֶר אֲשֶׁר־דַּרְכּ֣וֹ נִסְתָּ֑רָה
וַיָּ֖סֶךְ אֱל֣וֹהַּ בַּעֲדֽוֹ׃
(כד) כִּֽי־לִפְנֵ֣י לַ֭חְמִי אַנְחָתִ֣י תָבֹ֑א
וַֽיִּתְּכ֥וּ כַ֝מַּ֗יִם שַׁאֲגֹתָֽי׃
(כה) כִּ֤י פַ֣חַד פָּ֭חַדְתִּי וַיֶּאֱתָיֵ֑נִי
וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר יָ֝גֹ֗רְתִּי יָ֣בֹא לִֽי׃
(כו) לֹ֤א שָׁלַ֨וְתִּי ׀ וְלֹ֖א שָׁקַ֥טְתִּי וְֽלֹא־נָ֗חְתִּי וַיָּ֥בֹא רֹֽגֶז׃ (פ)
(2) Job spoke up and said:
(3) Annul the day on which I was born, And the night that said, “A man is conceived!”
(4) That day, let it be darkness,
let God above not seek it out,
nor brightness not shine upon it.
(5) Let darkness, death's shadow, foul it,
let a cloud-mass rest upon it.
let day-gloom dismay it.
(6) That night, let murk overtake it.
Let it not join in the days of the year,
let it not enter the number of months.
(7) Oh, let that night be barren,
let it have no song of joy.
(8) Let the day-cursers hex it,
those ready to rouse Leviathan.
(9) Let its twilight stars go dark.
Let it hope for day in vain,
and let it not see the eyelids of dawn.
(10) For it did not shut the belly’s doors
to hide wretchedness from my eyes.
(11) Why did I not die from the womb,
from the belly come out, breathe my last?
(12) Why did knees welcome me,
and why breasts, that I should suck?
(13) For now I would lie and be still,
would sleep and know repose
(14) with kings and the councillors of earth,
who build ruins for themselves,
(15) or with princes, possessors of gold,
who fill their houses with silver.
(16) Or like a buried stillborn I’d be,
like babes who never saw light.
(17) There the wicked cease their troubling,
and there the weary repose.
(18) All together the prisoners are tranquil,
they hear not the taskmaster’s voice.
(19) The small and the great are there,
and the slave is free of his master.
(20) Why give light to the wretched
and life to the deeply embittered,
(21) who wait for death in vain,
dig for it more than for treasure,
(22) who rejoice at the tomb,
are glad when they find the grave?
(23) — To a man whose way is hidden,
and God has hedged him about.
(24) For before my bread my moaning comes,
and my roar pours out like water.
(25) For I feared a thing—it befell me,
what I dreaded came upon me.
(26) I was not quiet, I was not still,
I had no repose, and trouble came.