Elihu Speaks
Job, Listen to Me!
1 Job, listen to me!
Pay close attention.
* 2 Everything I will say
3 is true and sincere,
4 just as surely as the Spirit
of God All-Powerful
gave me the breath of life.
5 Now line up your arguments
and prepare to face me.
6 We each were made from clay,
and God has no favorites,
7 so don't be afraid of me
or what I might do.
I Have Heard You Argue
8 I have heard you argue
9 that you are innocent,
guilty of nothing.
10 You claim that God
has made you his enemy,
11 that he has bound your feet
and blocked your path.
12 But, Job, you're wrong—
God is greater
than any human.
13 So why do you challenge God
to answer you?
14 God speaks in different ways,
and we don't always
recognize his voice.
* 15 Sometimes in the night,
he uses terrifying dreams
16 to give us warnings.
17 God does this to make us turn
from sin and pride
18 and to protect us
from being swept away
to the world of the dead.
19 Sometimes we are punished
with a serious illness
and aching joints.
20 Merely the thought
of our favorite food
makes our stomachs sick,
21 and we become so skinny
that our bones stick out.
22 We feel death and the grave
taking us in their grip.
23 One of a thousand angels
then comes to our rescue
by saying we are innocent.
24 The angel shows kindness,
commanding death to release us,
because the price was paid.
25 Our health is restored,
we feel young again,
26 and we ask God to accept us.
Then we joyfully worship God,
and we are rewarded
because we are innocent.
27 When that happens,
we tell everyone,
“I sinned and did wrong,
but God forgave me
28 and rescued me from death!
Now I will see the light.”
29 God gives each of us
chance after chance
30 to be saved from death
and brought into the light
that gives life.
31 So, Job, pay attention
and don't interrupt,
32 though I would gladly listen
to anything you say
that proves you are right.
33 Otherwise, listen in silence
to my wisdom.
1 “Xawe nēsi, Jobtse, tare-e ta ra mîsa ǃgâ,
îts mî ta ra xūn hoana ǃgâise ǁnâu.
2 Mû, nēsi ta ge ra ǃhoa;
mîdi ge ti nammi ai ǁgoe.
3 Ti ǂgaoba xu ta ge ra ǃhoa,
ǂan ta a xūna ta ǂhauǃnâse nî ǃhoa.
4 Elob di Gagab ge ge kuru te
tsî Hoaǀgaixab di ǀommi ge ûiba ge mā te.
5 “ǃEream ǁkhāts ka, o ǃeream te re;
sa mîde ǀguiǀgui, mâts hâpa mâ.
6 Elob aiǃâ khom ge hoa khomma a ǀgui;
tita tsîn ge ǂgoaba xu ge ǂnubihe.
7 ǃHuriǃhuri tsi ǂgao tama ta ge hâ;
ǃgomǃgomba tsi ǂgao tama ta ge hâ.
8 “Amase, tita ra ǁnâu hîats ge gere ǃhoa
tsî ta ge sa mîde gere ǁnâu:
9 ‘ǀHapio ta a, ǃûǂam-e ta ūhâ tama;
ǃanu ta a tsî ta a ǁoreo.
10 Xaweb ge Eloba ra ǀhapiǀhapi te;
ǁîb khākhoeseb ge ra ǃgapaǀî te.
11 Ti ǂairab ge ǃgom ǂaiǃnaodi ǃnâ ra ǃgaemâi
tsî ti ǃgûdaogu hoaga ra ǃkhē.’
12 “Xawe nēpats ge ǂhanu tama hâ.
Ti ǃereams ge: Elob ge khoe-i xa a kai.
13 Tare-i ǃaromats ǁîba ǀhapiǂnûiǀkhā tsî
‘ǁÎb ge ti mîdi hoade ǃeream tide’ ti ra mî?
14 Elob ge ǀgui ǃnāsa ǀnî ǀgaub ai
tsî ǀgamǁî ǃnāsa ǀkhara ǀgaub ai ra ǃhoa
khoe-i xare-i ga ǃgaoǃgâ tama i xawe.
15 Tsuxuba ǁhapo-i ǃnâ, ai-īsi-i ǃnâ,
ǃgam ǂoms ǃnân khoena ǁom hâ hîa,
ǁîn kharogu ain ǁomǁgoe hîa.
16 ǁÎb ge ǁîna ra ǂhaiǂhaiba
tsî ǃkhâikhomdi ǀkha ra ǃaoǃao,
17 îb khoena ǁîn di tsūdīga xu dabasen kai
tsî ǂnīǂnīsensa xu ǁîna ǁkhae.
18 ǁÎb ge ǁîn di ǀomde ǀhobasa xu ra sâu
ǁîn ûiba gôab di ǁōba xu.
19 ǁKhātib ge Eloba khoena ǀaeb ǃnâ-u ra ǃhoaǀî,
toa tama tsûb ǂkhōgu ǃnâ mâb ǀkha;
20 ǁnā-amaga an ǁîna ǂû-i ǁkhoaba tā ǃaruǀî ūhâ,
în ǁkhoaxa ǂû-i tsîna ǂhara.
21 ǁÎn sorodi ǁgan-i ge hoaragase hāpubēhe hâ,
tsî gu ge mûsen tama ge hâ i ǂkhōga, nēsi ra ǃkhāǂoaxa.
22 ǁÎn ǀomdi ge ǀhobas ǀgūse go hā,
tsîb ge ǁîn ûiba ǁōhân hâǃkhaib ǁga ǁgôagau.
23 “ǂNoaba-ao-i ga ǁîn ǃaroma ǀhomǃgā-e,
ǀoadisin di ǀgui-i, khoena ǁîn
ǁgui-aide ra mîba-e hâ hâ,
24 ǁî-i ge ǁîna ǀkhom tsî ra mî:
‘ǁÎna ǀhobas ǃnâ ǁgôasa xu sâu;
xoremarisa ta ge ǁîn ǃaroma ge hō.’
25 ǁÎn sorode ǁkhawa ǂkham kai;
an ǁîn ǂkhamsis di tsēde hō-oa.
26 On ge ǁîna Eloba ǃoa nî ǀgore,
tsîb ge ǁîna nî ǁnâu-am;
ǁîb aiǃân ge ǃgâiaǂgaob ǀkha nî hā
tsîb ge Eloba ǁîna ǁkhawa ǂhanu-aisib âna nî mā-oa.
27 ǁÎb ge ǀhûhâsib aiǃâ nî mî: ‘ǁOre ta ge ge.
Tsūdī ta ge, xaweb ge Eloba ti ûiba ge sâu.
28 ǁÎb ge ti ǀomsa ǀhobas ǃnâ ǁgôasa xu ge ore
tsîb ge ti ûiba ǃnâba nî mû.’
29 “Amaseb ge Eloba nē xūn hoana
ǀgam tsî ǃnona ǃnāde khoen ǀkha ra dī;
30 ǁîn di ǀomde ǀhobasa xu sâus ǀkha,
ûib di ǃnâban hoana nî mûǃnâse.
31 “Jobtse, ǃgaoǃgâ, î ǃgâ te re;
ǃnō, î ta tita ǃhoa.
32 Mî xū-ets ga ūhâ, o ǃhoa re;
ǀhapiots a ǃkhaisa ta ra ǁkhore xuige.
33 ǁNā tamas ka io, ǃgâ te re;
ǃnō, î ta gā-aisiba ǁkhāǁkhā tsi.”
