Paraphrase on the Book of Job, Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
1. AFter this long time spent in1. After this opened Iob his mouth and cursed his day. silence wherein Job had hoped to have heard a word of comfort from his companions, but perceiving none, and therefore seeing every thing helping on his misery and empty of reliefe, he himselfe at last, to give his heart some ease, gave liberty to his lips to vent his griefe, but still retaining the feare of God, he brake not out in an enraged manner, immediatly against the Lord himselfe, as Satan hoped, but discharged his passions upon his owne originall, and through the weaknesse of the flesh to stand it out any longer, his infirmities so farre prevailed, as that hee fell foule upon the day of his birth and cursed it.
2. In this manner:2. And Iob spake & said,
3. O that I might have my will upon3. Let the day perish wherein I was borne, and the night in which it was said, There is a man-child conceived. my birth-day, and the night belonging to it, which gave originall to all these miseries, that they might henceforth be utterly rejected of God and unserviceable to man, so that not a minute thereof may ever be usefull or comfortable any more.
4. O that it may be branded with4. Let that day bee darknesse, let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it. unpleasing darknesse, and may never be favoured of God with vouchsafing the dew of heaven and such like blessings on it as on other daies, yea, let the Sunne breake off his course, and make a stand at that day, not daining to afford it the honour of his light.
5. But in stead thereof let its beauty5. Let darknesse and the shaddow of death staine it, let a cloud dwell upon it, let the blackenesse of the day terrifie it. be turned into a black darknesse, even such an one as may resemble the very grave it selfe, and let there be no intermission, but let a thicke and gloomy cloud uncomfortably over-shadow it from end to end; let it be so eclipsed with darkenesse, as may represent such a dismall blacknesse that may not onelyonly beget discomfort, but the very terrour of a finall and immediate dissolution of all things.
6. As for the night belonging to6. As for that night, let darkenesse seize upon it, let it not be joyned unto the daies of the yeere, let it not come into the number of the moneths. this day, which nature it selfe hath appointed to be darke, let darknesse her selfe henceforth, make it her habitation; yea, let nature quite disclaime it and utterly abandon it for having any place in the computation of time, either by Sunne or Moone.
7. Yet further, let that night bring7. Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyfull voice come therein. forth nothing but mourning and disconsolation, let there be no pleasing stilnesse therein as in other nights to invite the melodie of musicke.
8. Let those mourning women,8. Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning. which for hire are wont at funeralls with dolefull execrations, to lament the day of their benefactors death, alwaies remember this for one, yea, with their joint forces and bitterest exclamations let them curse it.
9. Let it not be blessed with the9. Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark, let it looke for light, but have none, neither let it see the dawning of the day. common blessings of other nights, let it neither (according to the course of nature) partake of the light of the stars in the beginning, but in stead thereof be overtaken with an unwonted and unexpected darkenesse, neither let it be so happy, as to give occasion (which else of course it should do) to the next daies dawning.
10. These curses I lay upon that10. Because it shut not up the doores of my mothers wombe, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes. day and night wherein first I came into the world, and not without cause, for that was the time which made me capable of all these calamities, and gave beginning to this my miserable being, which it might have prevented by hindering me to have beene borne.
11. O therefore that I had beene11. Why died I not from the wombe? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly? borne dead, or else that I had received my ending together with my beginning, and had left the world by death, so soone as I came into it with life.
12. Or that the Midwife had not12. Why did the knees prevent me? or why the the breasts that I should sucke? beene so carefull of me, but had exposed me to my fatall helplesnesse in the moment of my birth, or that my Nurse had after let me famish.
13. Then should I not now need to13. For now should I have lien still, and beene quiet, I should have slept; then had I beene at rest. have complained thus, but in stead thereof have lien unmolested in the grave, and beene quiet from these troubles; I should then have slept without sense of any these paines, and beene at rest from them.
14. And (in stead of this miserable14. With Kings and Counsellers of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves. state) then had I beene equall in condition with the most renowned of the world for power and policie, who ambitiously people and edifie the waste and uninhabited countries of the world, for the inlargement of their dominions, and spreading of their fame.
15. Or be they otherwaies famous for15. Or with Princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver. riches, though they abounded in never so great wealth, yet then had neither these nor those gone beyond me.
16. Or (which is all one to mee, so16. Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not beene; as infants which never saw light. I had never knowne these calamities) I should have been as those that never were knowne to be, nor never knew themselves to have a being.
17. Then had I beene in an estate17. There the wicked cease from troubling: and there the weary be at rest. capable of no earthly molestation; for there the wicked neither by power nor policie can doe any harme, and those that either by their travells or troubles are weary of this life, doe there enjoy a perpetuall freedome and rest from both.
18. There the poore slaves enjoy18. There the prisoners rest together, they heare not the voyce of the oppressour. their freedome, and are from under the command of their mercilesse taskmasters.
19. There cannot be but freedome,19. The small & great are there, and the servant is free from his Master. because there is an equall parity. The great is as the small, and the servant is as his Master, no better and worse.
20. Seeing then that death affords20. Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soule? remedy for all miseries, why is it denied to mee, and why in stead thereof doe mine eyes still enjoy the light of the Sunne, or why is my life any longer continued, seeing, that though these are desireable and commodious to others, yet because of my misery, I account not of them but as burthensome evills?
21. I take no felicity in them, but21. Which long for death, but it commeth not, and dig for it more than for hid treasures? doe infinitely preferre death before them; It is strange then I cannot have my desire to exchange light for darkenesse, and life for death, which how ever▪ it be a thing odious to other men, yet doe I desire and prize it above all the riches that the bowells of the whole earth can afford.
22. Wherefore then is it denied22. Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad when they can finde the graves. me that am so far from fearing or refusing it, that I should exceedingly rejoyce, and be glad at my very heart (and no doubt, so would all men in my case) if my houre were now to die?
23. Why doth God continue to bestow23. Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in? light and life on me, whom he regards not, and whom hee hath made unavoidably miserable?
24. For alas, my extremity is such,24. For my sighing commeth before I eate, and my rorings are poured out like the waters. that I cannot enjoy one moment of ease, in so much as that my spirits are so exhausted with continuall griefe, that I can relish no meat, nor have any strength to digest it: And as is my griefe, such are my complaints, vehement and incessant, which things must needs end me.
25. And blame mee not for thus25. For the thing which I greatly feared, is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of, is come unto me. complaining: For though I have ever greatly feared to provoke the Lords displeasure, and have therefore carefully eschewed all manner of evill that might procure it, yet for all that you see in hath befallen me.
26. Yea, though all my life long26. I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet: yet trouble came. when I was at my best, I reposed no great confidence, nor put no extraordinary content in my prosperity, so as to cause me any whit to abate my feare of God, yet I speed never the better for this my moderation of mind and care to please him, but see notwithstanding what misery comes upon mee.