The First Dialogue
(4.1—14.22)Eliphaz
1-2 Job, will you be annoyed if I speak?
I can't keep quiet any longer.
3 You have taught many people
and given strength to feeble hands.
4 When someone stumbled, weak and tired,
your words encouraged him to stand.
5 Now it's your turn to be in trouble,
and you are too stunned to face it.
6 You worshiped God, and your life was blameless;
and so you should have confidence and hope.
7 Think back now. Name a single case
where someone righteous met with disaster.
8 I have seen people plow fields of evil
and plant wickedness like seed;
now they harvest wickedness and evil.
9 Like a storm, God destroys them in his anger.
10 The wicked roar and growl like lions,
but God silences them and breaks their teeth.
11 Like lions with nothing to kill and eat,
they die, and all their children are scattered.
12 Once a message came quietly,
so quietly I could hardly hear it.
13 Like a nightmare it disturbed my sleep.
14 I trembled and shuddered;
my whole body shook with fear.
15 A light breeze touched my face,
and my skin crawled with fright.
16 I could see something standing there;
I stared, but couldn't tell what it was.
Then I heard a voice out of the silence:
17 “Can anyone be righteous in the sight of God
or be pure before his Creator?
18 God does not trust his heavenly servants;
he finds fault even with his angels.
19 Do you think he will trust a creature of clay,
a thing of dust that can be crushed like a moth?
20 We may be alive in the morning,
but die unnoticed before evening comes.
21 All that we have is taken away;
we die, still lacking wisdom.”
EHUNGI RAVEVARI ETENGA
Ehungi etenga ra Elifas
1 Nu Elifas, Omuteman, wa zira a tja:
2 “Job, mo nyengwa tji mba hungire?
Ami hi nokusora okumwina orure nai!
3 Ove wa honga ovandu ovengi,
nu wa zeuparisa omake nga ngundipara.
4 Omundu worive tja putara na ngundipara na urwa,
omambo woye aaye mu yanḓiparisa kutja a sekame.
5 Nambano oove ngu u ri moumba,
nove wa mumapara.
6 Ove we rikotamena ku Ndjambi,
nomuinyo woye wa ri nokuhinondjo;
opu mo sokukara nonḓero nomaundjiro.
7 Nambano ripura nai:
Ouṋe ngwa ri omusemba nu ngwa munu otjipo?
8 Ami mba muna ovandu mba
taura omahi womakunino omanauvi
nu mba kuna omauvi tjimuna ozondwi;
nambano ve konda omauvi nourunde.
9 Ndjambi meve yandeke momazenge
we tjimuna otjivepo.
10 Ovanauvi mave tye ovimboro
nave wenene otja ozongeyama,
nungwari Ndjambi meve mwinisa,
na teya omayo wawo.
11 Owo mave ṱu otja ozongeyama
ozonamasa nḓe hi
notjiṋa tji maze zepa nokurya,
novanatje vawo avehe ave rimbara.
12 Otjikando tjimwe kwe ya
ombuze mongumumu ku ami,
oyo ya hokorwa momatwi wandje.
13 Noyo ye ndji kondjisa mozomboṱu
otja otjirimunikise tjoruroto.
14 Ami mba zezera ne teratera;
orutu rwandje aruhe rwa hakihiwa i ondira.
15 Ombepo ondaazu ya
ṱuna komurungu wandje;
nomukova wozondjise zandje
wa yendwa i omahwiriri.
16 Ami mba muna otjiṋa tji tja kurama mbo;
mba tara, nungwari hi sorere
okuserekarera kutja tja ri otjikeṋa.
Tjazumba otji mba zuva eraka,
ndi mari hokora nai:
17 ‘Omundu ngamwa auhe hapo ma
yenene okurira omusemba
komurungu wa Ndjambi
poo okurira omukohoke
komurungu wOmuute we are?
18 Indu Ndjambi tje hi nonḓakameno
movakarere ve veyuru;
nokumuna ozondataiziro movaengeri ve,
19 mo ripura kutja eye ma kara
nongamburiro motjiutwa tjopomunoko,
otjiṋa tjoruuma tji ma tji yenene
okuṱukuṱuka tjimuna etoto are?
20 Omundu ma yenene okukara
nomuinyo oruveze rwomuhuka,
nungwari a koka e he iwe,
ongurova ngunda ai hiye ya.
21 Avihe mbye na vyo wa yekwa;
neye ma koka ngunda e hi nondjiviro.’ ”
