Bible in Basic English
Let it be cursed by those who put a curse on the day; who are ready to make Leviathan awake.
Let its morning stars be dark; let it be looking for light, but may it not have any; let it not see the eyes of the dawn.
Because it did not keep the doors of my mother's body shut, so that trouble might be veiled from my eyes.
Why did death not take me when I came out of my mother's body, why did I not, when I came out, give up my last breath?
Why did the knees take me, or why the breasts that they might give me milk?
For then I might have gone to my rest in quiet, and in sleep have been in peace,
With kings and the wise ones of the earth, who put up great houses for themselves;
Or with rulers who had gold, and whose houses were full of silver;
Or as a child dead at birth I might never have come into existence; like young children who have not seen the light.
There the passions of the evil are over, and those whose strength has come to an end have rest.
There the prisoners are at peace together; the voice of the overseer comes not again to their ears.
The small and the great are there, and the servant is free from his master.
Why does he give light to him who is in trouble, and life to the bitter in soul;
To those whose desire is for death, but it comes not; who are searching for it more than for secret wealth;
Who are glad with great joy, and full of delight when they come to their last resting-place;
To a man whose way is veiled, and who is shut in by God?
In place of my food I have grief, and cries of sorrow come from me like water.
For I have a fear and it comes on me, and my heart is greatly troubled.
I have no peace, no quiet, and no rest; nothing but pain comes on me.
— Job 3:8-1964, Bible in Basic English
“Let them curse it that curse the day, Who are ready to rouse up leviathan. 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: Because it shut not up the doors of mymother’swomb, Nor hid trouble from mine eyes. Why died I not from the womb? Why did I not give up the ghost when my mother bare me? Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should suck? For now should I have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept; then had I been at rest, With kings and counsellors of the earth, Who built up waste places for themselves; Or with princes that had gold, Who filled their houses with silver: Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been, As infants that never saw light. There the wicked cease from troubling; And there the weary are at rest. There the prisoners are at ease together; They hear not the voice of the taskmaster. The small and the great are there: And the servant is free from his master. Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, And life unto the bitter in soul; Who long for death, but it cometh not, And dig for it more than for hid treasures; Who rejoice exceedingly, And are glad, when they can find the grave? Why is light givento a man whose way is hid, And whom God hath hedged in? For my sighing cometh before I eat, And my groanings are poured out like water. For the thing which I fear cometh upon me, And that which I am afraid of cometh unto me. I am not at ease, neither am I quiet, neither have I rest; But trouble cometh. ”
“Let those who curse the day curse it– those who are prepared to rouse Leviathan. Let its morning stars be darkened; let it wait for daylight but find none, nor let it see the first rays of dawn, because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb on me, nor did it hide trouble from my eyes! Job Wishes He Had Died at Birth“Why did I not die at birth, and why did I not expire as I came out of the womb? Why did the knees welcome me, and why were there two breasts that I might nurse at them? For now I would be lying down and would be quiet, I would be asleep and then at peace with kings and counselors of the earth who built for themselves places now desolate, or with princes who possessed gold, who filled their palaces with silver. Or why was I not buried like a stillborn infant, like infants who have never seen the light? There the wicked cease from turmoil, and there the weary are at rest. There the prisoners relax together; they do not hear the voice of the oppressor. Small and great are there, and the slave is free from his master. Longing for Death“Why does God give light to one who is in misery, and life to those whose soul is bitter, to those who wait for death that does not come, and search for it more than for hidden treasures, who rejoice even to jubilation, and are exultant when they find the grave? Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, and whom God has hedged in? For my sighing comes in place of my food, and my groanings flow forth like water. For the very thing I dreaded has happened to me, and what I feared has come upon me. I have no ease, I have no quietness; I cannot rest; turmoil has come upon me.””
Let the dark and the black night take it for themselves; let it be covered with a cloud; let the dark shades of day send fear on it.
That night--let the thick dark take it; let it not have joy among the days of the year; let it not come into the number of the months.
As for that night, let it have no fruit; let no voice of joy be sounded in it;
Let it be cursed by those who put a curse on the day; who are ready to make Leviathan awake.
Let its morning stars be dark; let it be looking for light, but may it not have any; let it not see the eyes of the dawn.
Because it did not keep the doors of my mother's body shut, so that trouble might be veiled from my eyes.
Why did death not take me when I came out of my mother's body, why did I not, when I came out, give up my last breath?
Why did the knees take me, or why the breasts that they might give me milk?
For then I might have gone to my rest in quiet, and in sleep have been in peace,
With kings and the wise ones of the earth, who put up great houses for themselves;
Or with rulers who had gold, and whose houses were full of silver;
Or as a child dead at birth I might never have come into existence; like young children who have not seen the light.
There the passions of the evil are over, and those whose strength has come to an end have rest.
There the prisoners are at peace together; the voice of the overseer comes not again to their ears.
The small and the great are there, and the servant is free from his master.
Why does he give light to him who is in trouble, and life to the bitter in soul;
To those whose desire is for death, but it comes not; who are searching for it more than for secret wealth;
Who are glad with great joy, and full of delight when they come to their last resting-place;
To a man whose way is veiled, and who is shut in by God?
In place of my food I have grief, and cries of sorrow come from me like water.
For I have a fear and it comes on me, and my heart is greatly troubled.
I have no peace, no quiet, and no rest; nothing but pain comes on me.