« | Job 3 | » |
1 After this Job opened his mouth and cursed his day.
2 And Job spoke and said,
3 Let the day perish in which I was born, and the night which said, A man-child is conceived.
4 Let that day be darkness. Let not God look upon it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.
5 Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it. Let a cloud dwell upon it; Let the blackness of the day terrify it.
6 As for that night, let darkness seize upon it. Let it not rejoice among the days of the year, Let it not come into the number of the months.
7 Lo, let that night be barren; let no joyful voice come in it.
8 Let those curse it who curse the day, who are ready to stir up Leviathan.
9 Let the stars of its twilight be dark; let it look for light, but have none. Let it not see the eyelids of the dawn.
10 For it did not shut up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hide sorrow from my eyes.
11 Why did I not die from the womb, come from the womb and expire?
12 Why did the knees go before me; or why the breasts, that I should suck?
13 For now I should have lain still and been quiet; I should have slept. Then I would have been at rest
14 with kings and wise men of the earth, who built ruins for themselves,
15 or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver;
16 or as a hidden untimely birth I would not have been, like infants who did not see light.
17 There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest;
18 the prisoners are at rest together; they hear not the voice of the slave driver.
19 The small and the great are there, and the slave is free from his master.
20 Why is light given to one who is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul,
21 who is waiting for death, but it comes not; and dig for it more than for treasures?
22 They are rejoicing to exultation. They are glad when they can find the grave.
23 To a man whose way is hidden, God has made a hedge about him.
24 For my sighing comes before I eat, and my groanings are poured out like the waters.
25 For the thing which I greatly feared has come upon me, and that which I was afraid of has come to me.
26 I was not in safety, nor did I have rest, nor was I quiet; yet trouble comes.
The Modern King James Version (MKJV)
The Modern King James Version (MKJV) is a contemporary English translation of the Bible that aims to preserve the majesty and accuracy of the original King James Version (KJV) while updating its language for modern readers. Developed by Jay P. Green Sr. and first published in 1990, the MKJV seeks to maintain the literary beauty and doctrinal reliability of the KJV, making only necessary adjustments to archaic terms and phrases to enhance readability. This careful balance allows the MKJV to retain the classic feel of the KJV while making it more accessible to today’s audience.
One of the standout features of the MKJV is its commitment to formal equivalence, or word-for-word translation. The translators have meticulously preserved the structure and vocabulary of the KJV, only updating words and phrases that have become outdated or whose meanings have shifted over time. This approach ensures that the MKJV remains faithful to the original texts and maintains the theological and literary integrity of the KJV. By preserving the cadence and phrasing of the original, the MKJV offers a reading experience that is both familiar and refreshed for modern readers.
The MKJV also pays special attention to the textual basis of the translation. Like the KJV, it relies on the Textus Receptus for the New Testament and the Masoretic Text for the Old Testament. This adherence to traditional source texts underscores the MKJV’s commitment to continuity with the historic Christian tradition. The translation is designed to serve both devotional and scholarly purposes, providing a text that is suitable for study, teaching, and public reading in a variety of settings.
Despite its strengths, the Modern King James Version has faced some criticism. Some scholars and readers argue that the translation could benefit from a more extensive revision to fully embrace contemporary language, suggesting that the MKJV’s adherence to the structure and style of the KJV may still pose challenges for modern readers. Others appreciate the balance it strikes but note that it occupies a niche space, appealing primarily to those who have a strong attachment to the KJV. Nonetheless, the MKJV remains a respected and valued translation for those seeking a modern update of the KJV that honors its rich heritage and timeless message.