約伯記3:1-26

 

3:1 此後，約伯開口咒詛自己的生日，
3:2 說：
3:3 願我生的那日和說懷了男胎的那夜都滅沒。
3:4 願那日變為黑暗；願上帝不從上面尋找它；願亮光不照於其上。
3:5 願黑暗和死蔭索取那日；願密雲停在其上；願日蝕恐嚇它。
3:6 願那夜被幽暗奪取，不在年中的日子同樂，也不入月中的數目。
3:7 願那夜沒有生育，其間也沒有歡樂的聲音。
3:8 願那咒詛日子且能惹動鱷魚的咒詛那夜。
3:9 願那夜黎明的星宿變為黑暗，盼亮卻不亮，也不見早晨的光線（原文是眼皮）；
3:10 因沒有把懷我胎的門關閉，也沒有將患難對我的眼隱藏。
3:11 我為何不出母胎而死？為何不出母腹絕氣？
3:12 為何有膝接收我？為何有奶哺養我？
3:13 不然，我就早已躺臥安睡，
3:14 和地上為自己重造荒邱的君王、謀士，
3:15 或與有金子、將銀子裝滿了房屋的王子一同安息；
3:16 或像隱而未現、不到期而落的胎，歸於無有，如同未見光的嬰孩。
3:17 在那裡惡人止息攪擾，困乏人得享安息，
3:18 被囚的人同得安逸，不聽見督工的聲音。
3:19 大小都在那裡；奴僕脫離主人的轄制。
3:20 受患難的人為何有光賜給他呢？心中愁苦的人為何有生命賜給他呢？
3:21 他們切望死，卻不得死；求死，勝於求隱藏的珍寶。
3:22 他們尋見墳墓就快樂，極其歡喜。
3:23 人的道路既然遮隱，上帝又把他四面圍困，為何有光賜給他呢？
3:24 我未曾吃飯就發出歎息；我唉哼的聲音湧出如水。
3:25 因我所恐懼的臨到我身，我所懼怕的迎我而來。
3:26 我不得安逸，不得平靜，也不得安息，卻有患難來到。

 

After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. ² He said:

³ “May the day of my birth perish,
    and the night that said, ‘A boy is conceived!’
⁴ That day—may it turn to darkness;
    may God above not care about it;
    may no light shine on it.
⁵ May gloom and utter darkness claim it once more;
    may a cloud settle over it;
    may blackness overwhelm it.
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^[a] 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 rulers of the earth,
    who built for themselves places now lying in ruins,
¹⁵ with princes who had gold,
    who filled their houses with silver.
¹⁶ Or why was I not hidden away in the ground like a stillborn child,
    like an infant who never saw the light of day?
¹⁷ There the wicked cease from turmoil,
    and there the weary are at rest.
¹⁸ Captives also enjoy their ease;
    they no longer hear the slave driver’s shout.
¹⁹ The small and the great are there,
    and the slaves are freed from their owners.

²⁰ “Why is light given to those in misery,
    and life to the bitter of soul,
²¹ to those who long for death that does not come,
    who search for it more than for hidden treasure,
²² who are filled with gladness
    and rejoice when they reach the grave?
²³ Why is life given to a man
    whose way is hidden,
    whom God has hedged in?
²⁴ For sighing has become my daily food;
    my groans pour out like water.
²⁵ What I feared has come upon me;
    what I dreaded has happened to me.
²⁶ I have no peace, no quietness;
    I have no rest, but only turmoil.”

 

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    約伯經過七天七夜和朋友相處之後，他竟然沒有感謝這三個朋友的情義相挺，反倒開口咒詛自己的生日，雖然這三個朋友「遠遠地舉目觀看，認不出他來，就放聲大哭。各人撕裂外袍，把塵土向天揚起來，落在自己的頭上」，為他的遭遇悲傷至極！

 

    約伯咒詛生日，是因為他感受到苦難太重了，抱怨上帝為何讓他來世間受苦呢？倒不如不要讓他出生，就不會有受苦的事情發生在他的生命之中。更明白地說，就是沒有生命，就沒有痛苦的事情。

 

    其實許多在生命中遭受到重大打擊的人，也會和約伯一般，多麼希望自己沒有生在這個世界，就不會承受到！甚至有的認為，在事情還沒有發生之前就離世該有多好！

 

    說實在的，苦難之的是讓人難以承擔，甚至第一個念頭是逃避，不然就是當作沒發生！就像摯愛的人過世，活著的人是很難接受的，常常以為那人尚未去世，只不過是離去到遠方罷了！

 

    說到這裡就讓人想到「危機輔導」，尤其是教會的牧者不識只關心教會人數的增加，更重的是要陪伴在苦難與危機中的弟兄姊妹！研讀《約伯記》，除了是學習面對苦難的課題，更是要學習如何引導弟兄姊妹走過苦難，這也是牧者的使命之一。