3
“May the day of my birth perish,
and the night it was said, ‘A boy is born!’
4
That day—may it turn to darkness;
may God above not care about it;
may no light shine upon it.
5
May darkness and deep shadow claim it once more;
may a cloud settle over it;
may blackness overwhelm its light.
6
That night—may thick darkness seize it;
may it not be included among the days of the year
nor be entered in any of the months.
7
May that night be barren;
may no shout of joy be heard in it.
8
May those who curse days curse that day,
those who are ready to rouse Leviathan.
9
May its morning stars become dark;
may it wait for daylight in vain
and not see the first rays of dawn,
10
for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me
to hide trouble from my eyes.
11
“Why did I not perish at birth,
and die as I came from the womb?
12
Why were there knees to receive me
and breasts that I might be nursed?
13
For now I would be lying down in peace;
I would be asleep and at rest
14
with kings and counselors of the earth,
who built for themselves places now lying in ruins,
15
with rulers who had gold,
who filled their houses with silver.
16
Or why was I not hidden in the ground like a stillborn child,
like an infant who never saw the light of day?