Job's Reply to Eliphaz
I Have Often Heard This
1 Job said:
2 I have often heard this,
and it offers no comfort.
3 So why don't you keep quiet?
What's bothering you?
4 If I were in your place,
it would be easy to criticize
or to give advice.
5 But I would offer hope
and comfort instead.
6 If I speak, or if I don't,
I hurt all the same.
My torment continues.
7 God has worn me down
and destroyed my family;
8 my shriveled up skin proves
that I am his prisoner.
9 God is my hateful enemy,
glaring at me and attacking
with his sharp teeth.
10 Everyone is against me;
they sneer and slap my face.
11 And God is the one
who handed me over
to this merciless mob.
Everything Was Going Well
12 Everything was going well,
until God grabbed my neck
and shook me to pieces.
God set me up as the target
13 for his arrows,
and without showing mercy,
he slashed my stomach open,
spilling out my insides.
14 God never stops attacking,
15 and so, in my sorrow
I dress in sackcloth
and sit in the dust.
16 My face is red with tears,
and dark shadows
circle my eyes,
17 though I am not violent,
and my prayers are sincere.
18 If I should die,
I beg the earth not to cover
my cry for justice.
19 Even now, God in heaven
is both my witness
and my protector.
20 My friends have rejected me,
but God is the one I beg
21 to show that I am right,
just as a friend should.
22 Because in only a few years,
I will be dead and gone.
1 Ob ge Joba ge ǃeream:
2 “Nēti ī ǂgui xūǃnôana ta ge ǀnai ge ǁnâu;
sa ǁgai ǁkhaeǂgao-aogo hoago!
3 Sago ǀkhaiǃnâ mîde ǀam-e ūhâ tama?
Tamas ka io, tare-e ǀuni mîsa ra mî kai go?
4 Tita tsîn ge sago khami ga ǃhoa hâ,
ti ǁharora ǃnâ go ga mâ hâo.
Tita tsîn ge sago ǃoagu mîde ǀhaoǀhao ǁkhā
tsî sago ǂama ǃnabindana ǁkhā.
5 Ti ams di mîdi ǀkha ta ge a ǀgaiǀgai go ǁkhā;
ti amǁgaukha ǁkhaeǂgaob ge
sago tsûba ǁgoea-ai kai ǁkhā.
6 “ǃHoa ta ka, xaweb ge ti tsûba ǁgoea-ai tama
tsî ǃnō ta ka, os tsînab ge ti tsûba bē tide.
7 Amaseb ge Eloba nēsi go dītoa te;
sats ge ti omarisa go hîkākā.
8 ǂNâkaro kai tets ge hâ; ǁnās ra ti ǃoagu ǀhûǀgui.
Ti ǂkhō tsî khō īsib ge ti ǃoagu ra ǃkhō-am.
9 “Elob ge ǁaib âb ǃnâ ǀkhauǃā te tsî ǃhuisa te;
tita ǃoagub ra ǁaninǁgû,
ti khākhoeb aseb ra ǀā mûra âb ǀkha kōǃan te.
10 Khoen ra tita ǃaroma amǃnâgu âna ǁkhowa-am;
ǁîn ge mîǁgaiǁgai rase xōs ai ǁapu te tsî ge xāǂgā te.
11 Elob ge eloxoresan ǃomgu ǃnâ māǁnâ te
tsî ǂkhabadī-aon ǃnâ ge aoǂgā te.
12 ǂKhîb ǃnâ ta ge hâ i,
xaweb ge Eloba ti ǂkhîba ge ǂhani;
ǁîb ge ǃaos ai ǃkhō te tsî ge dāǃgâ te.
ǁÎb ge tita ge kōǂui,
13 ǁîb ǂāgu soros âtasa ra ǃkhāǃganu,
tsî ǃnaira âta ǃkhāǃkharuǃnâ
tsîs ge tsabas âtasa ǃhūb ai ra ǁhōxūsen.
14 ǁÎb ge mâ ǃnās hoasa ra ǁnāǂam,
toroǃkham-ao-i khamib ge ra ǃkhoeǂnôa te.
15 “Tsaura ǃkhaib ǀkha ǂomsa ǃoasaraba ta ge ana hâ,
tsî ti ǀgaiba tsarab ǃnâ ge māǁnâ.
16 Āb xa ra ge ti mûra a ǀapa
tsî ti mûra ǂnamipeb ge a ǃkhae.
17 Xawe ti ǃomkha ge ǂkhaba i xare-e dī tama,
tsî ti ǀgores ge a ǃanu.
18 “ǃHūbaitse, tā ti ǀaoba ǃgū-ai;
ab ti ǂgaidomma sâoǃnâ!
19 Amase, nēsis tsîna i ge ti ǀhûǀguitimî-ao-e ǀhommi ǃnâ hâ,
ti ǂnoaba-aob ge ǀgapise hâ.
20 Ti ǀhōsagu ge ra ǃhō te;
ti mûra ǁgamron ge Elob kōse ra sī.
21 ǀGui khoe-i ga Elob tawa ti ǁhōba ǀkhomaba te,
khoe-i ra ǁî-i ǀgūkhoe-e dība khami.
22 Ti ûikurigu a ǀoro
tsî oaǀkhī ta tide daoba ta ra ǃgû xui-ao.
