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Job chapter 3 in Hebrew and English

26 verses, about 2 minutes to read aloud. The Hebrew has its vowel points and the English stands under each verse.

The whole chapter is here, a verse to a line.

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

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

וַיַּעַן אִיּוֹב וַיֹּאמַֽר׃

And Job spoke, and said:

יֹאבַד יוֹם אִוָּלֶד בּוֹ וְהַלַּיְלָה אָמַר הֹרָה גָֽבֶר׃

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

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

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

יִגְאָלֻהוּ חֹשֶׁךְ וְצַלְמָוֶת תִּשְׁכָּן־עָלָיו עֲנָנָה יְבַעֲתֻהוּ כִּמְרִירֵי יֽוֹם׃

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.

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

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.

הִנֵּה הַלַּיְלָה הַהוּא יְהִי גַלְמוּד אַל־תָּבֹא רְנָנָה בֽוֹ׃

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

יִקְּבֻהוּ אֹרְרֵי־יוֹם הָעֲתִידִים עֹרֵר לִוְיָתָֽן׃

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

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

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;

כִּי לֹא סָגַר דַּלְתֵי בִטְנִי וַיַּסְתֵּר עָמָל מֵעֵינָֽי׃

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

לָמָּה לֹּא מֵרֶחֶם אָמוּת מִבֶּטֶן יָצָאתִי וְאֶגְוָֽע׃

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

מַדּוּעַ קִדְּמוּנִי בִרְכָּיִם וּמַה־שָּׁדַיִם כִּי אִינָֽק׃

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

כִּי־עַתָּה שָׁכַבְתִּי וְאֶשְׁקוֹט יָשַׁנְתִּי אָז יָנוּחַ לִֽי׃

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

עִם־מְלָכִים וְיֹעֲצֵי אָרֶץ הַבֹּנִים חֳרָבוֹת לָֽמוֹ׃

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

אוֹ עִם־שָׂרִים זָהָב לָהֶם הַמְמַלְאִים בָּתֵּיהֶם כָּֽסֶף׃

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

אוֹ כְנֵפֶל טָמוּן לֹא אֶהְיֶה כְּעֹלְלִים לֹא־רָאוּ אֽוֹר׃

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

שָׁם רְשָׁעִים חָדְלוּ רֹגֶז וְשָׁם יָנוּחוּ יְגִיעֵי כֹֽחַ׃

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

יַחַד אֲסִירִים שַׁאֲנָנוּ לֹא שָׁמְעוּ קוֹל נֹגֵֽשׂ׃

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

קָטֹן וְגָדוֹל שָׁם הוּא וְעֶבֶד חָפְשִׁי מֵאֲדֹנָֽיו׃

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

לָמָּה יִתֵּן לְעָמֵל אוֹר וְחַיִּים לְמָרֵי נָֽפֶשׁ׃

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

הַמְחַכִּים לַמָּוֶת וְאֵינֶנּוּ וַיַּחְפְּרֻהוּ מִמַּטְמוֹנִֽים׃

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

הַשְּׂמֵחִים אֱלֵי־גִיל יָשִׂישׂוּ כִּי יִמְצְאוּ־קָֽבֶר׃

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

לְגֶבֶר אֲשֶׁר־דַּרְכּוֹ נִסְתָּרָה וַיָּסֶךְ אֱלוֹהַּ בַּעֲדֽוֹ׃

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

כִּי־לִפְנֵי לַחְמִי אַנְחָתִי תָבֹא וַיִּתְּכוּ כַמַּיִם שַׁאֲגֹתָֽי׃

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

כִּי פַחַד פָּחַדְתִּי וַיֶּאֱתָיֵנִי וַאֲשֶׁר יָגֹרְתִּי יָבֹא לִֽי׃

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

לֹא שָׁלַוְתִּי וְלֹא שָׁקַטְתִּי וְלֹא־נָחְתִּי וַיָּבֹא רֹֽגֶז׃

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

The Hebrew is the Leningrad Codex, free to view and copy, compared letter by letter with a second edition, Miqra according to the Masorah, under the CC BY-SA licence. The English is the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, in the public domain.

Where this chapter stands in the Tanakh.

  • Chapter 3 of the 42 chapters of Job
  • Job is one of the Writings
  • 26 verses, 204 words, about 2 minutes to read

Job has 42 chapters, and each one has its own page.

All of Job·All the books of the Tanakh·Psalms and prayers

Questions about this chapter

How many verses does Job chapter 3 have?

Job chapter 3 has 26 verses and 204 words.

How does Job chapter 3 begin?

The first verse begins in Hebrew with the words אחרי־כן פתח איוב את־פיהו.

Where does Job chapter 3 stand in the Tanakh?

It is chapter 3 of the 42 chapters of Job, which is one of the Writings.

How long does it take to read Job chapter 3?

About 2 minutes, at a steady pace.