Job 3:4

2 And this is what he said:

3 “May the day of my birth perish, and the night it was said, ‘A boy is conceived.’

If only that day had turned to darkness! May God above disregard it; may no light shine upon it.

5 May darkness and gloom reclaim it, and a cloud settle over it; may the blackness of the day overwhelm it.

6 If only darkness had taken that night away! May it not appear among the days of the year; may it never be entered in any of the months.

Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB
If only that day had turned to darkness! May God above disregard it; may no light shine upon it.
KJV
Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.
WEB
Let that day be darkness. Don’t let God from above seek for it, neither let the light shine on it.
ASV
Let that day be darkness; Let not God from above seek for it, Neither let the light shine upon it.
DARBY
That day let it be darkness, let not God care for it from above, neither let light shine upon it:
BLB
That day—may it be darkness; let not God seek it above, nor let light shine upon it.
ÅB
Måtte den dag bli til mørke! Måtte Gud i det høye ikke spørre etter den, og intet lys stråle over den!
OTB
La den dagen være mørke;
må Gud ovenfor overse den,
og la intet lys skinne på den.
B1930
Måtte den dag bli til mørke! Måtte Gud i det høie ikke spørre efter den, og intet lys stråle over den!

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • Matthew 27:45

    From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.

    Read in context
  • Amos 5:18

    Woe to you who long for the Day of the LORD! What will the Day of the LORD be for you? It will be darkness and not light.

    Read in context
  • Revelation 16:10

    And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness, and men began to gnaw their tongues in anguish

    Read in context
  • Deuteronomy 11:12

    It is a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning to the end of the year.

    Read in context
  • Joel 2:2

    a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like the dawn overspreading the mountains a great and strong army appears, such as never was of old, nor will ever be in ages to come.

    Read in context
  • Exodus 10:22–23

    So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and total darkness covered all the land of Egypt for three days.

    Read in context
  • Acts 27:20

    When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the great storm continued to batter us, we abandoned all hope of being saved.

    Read in context