1-2 You men are so wise, so clever;
listen now to what I am saying.
3 You know good food when you taste it,
but not wise words when you hear them.
4 It is up to us to decide the case.
5 Job claims that he is innocent,
that God refuses to give him justice.
6 He asks, “How could I lie and say I am wrong?
I am fatally wounded, but I am sinless.”
7 Have you ever seen anyone like this man Job?
He never shows respect for God.
8 He likes the company of evil people
and goes around with sinners.
9 He says that it never does any good
to try to follow God's will.
10 Listen to me, you men who understand!
Will Almighty God do what is wrong?
11 He rewards people for what they do
and treats them as they deserve.
12 Almighty God does not do evil;
he is never unjust to anyone.
13 Did God get his power from someone else?
Did someone put him in charge of the world?
14 If God took back the breath of life,
15 then everyone living would die
and turn into dust again.
16 Now listen to me, if you are wise.
17 Are you condemning the righteous God?
Do you think that he hates justice?
18 God condemns kings and rulers
when they are worthless or wicked.
19 He does not take the side of rulers
nor favor the rich over the poor,
for he created everyone.
20 We may suddenly die at night.
God strikes us down and we perish;
he kills the mighty with no effort at all.
21 He watches every step we take.
22 There is no darkness dark enough
to hide a sinner from God.
23 God does not need to set a time
for us to go and be judged by him.
24 He does not need an investigation
to remove leaders and replace them with others.
25 Because he knows what they do;
he overthrows them and crushes them by night.
26 He punishes sinners where all can see it,
27 because they have stopped following him
and ignored all his commands.
28 They forced the poor to cry out to God,
and he heard their calls for help.
29 If God decided to do nothing at all,
no one could criticize him.
If he hid his face, we would be helpless.
30 There would be nothing that nations could do
to keep godless oppressors from ruling them.
31 Job, have you confessed your sins to God
and promised not to sin again?
32 Have you asked God to show you your faults,
and have you agreed to stop doing evil?
33 Since you object to what God does,
can you expect him to do what you want?
The decision is yours, not mine;
tell us now what you think.
34 Any sensible person will surely agree;
and the wise who hear me will say
35 that Job is speaking from ignorance
and that nothing he says makes sense.
36 Think through everything that Job says;
you will see that he talks like an evil man.
37 To his sins he adds rebellion;
in front of us all he mocks God.
1 Ob ge Elihuba ǃaruǀî ge mî:
2 “Sa gā-aigo, ti mîde ǃgâ,
î go sago ǂansa ūhâgo, tita ǁnâu.
3 ǂGaes ra mîdi ǀōba ǃâi
khamib ge namma ǂû-e ra tsâtsâ.
4 A da ǂhanu a xū-e ǁhûi;
tsî sada ǂûda ǃnâ tare-i a ǃgâisa ǂanǁapo.
5 Jobi ge ge mî: ‘Tita ge a ǀhapio
xaweb ge Eloba ti ǂhanuba ge ǀhana te.
6 ǂHanu ta a xawe, ta ge ǂhumi-aose ra ǃgôahe;
ǀhapio ta a xawes ge ti ǀhapisa ǂuru ǁoa.’
7 “Jobi khami ī khoe-e hâ-e,
mîǁgaiǁgaihesa ǁgam-i khami ra ā-e?
8 Tsūdī-aon ǀkha ǀguipa ra hâ-e
tsî ǂkhabadī-aon ǀkha ǀguipa ra ǃgû-e?
9 ǁÎb ra mî xui-ao: ‘Xū-e i kom khoe-e
harebeba tamao, Elob ǃnâ ǃgâiǃgâisensa.’
10 “Xawe, ǃgâ te re, sago ǁnâuǃāxago!
Elob ge dīsā tama hâ
tsî Hoaǀgaixab ge ǂhanuoǃnâsi-e dī tama hâ.
11 ǁÎb ge khoe-e dī-i ra xū-i ǃaroma ǀgui ra mādawa-am
ǁî-i ge tanisens â-i ra ǃaroma i ǀgui-e ra ǃkhōǃoa kai.
12 Amase i ge a īǁoa, Elob nî tsūdī ǃkhaisa
tsî Hoaǀgaixab nî ǂhanu-aisiba dabaǃkhunisa.
13 Tari-e ǁîba ǃhūbaib di ǃereamsa ge mā
tsî tari-e ǁîba hoaraga ǃhūbaiba ge gaoǂam kai?
14 ǁÎb di Gagabab ga ū-oa hâ
tsî ǁîb ǀomsa ǂgae-oa hâ,
15 on ge ǀomsa ūhân hoana ga ǁō hâ
tsîn ge hoa khoena ǁkhawa ga tsara kai hâ.
16 “ǁNâuǃāxa khoego ka, o nēsa ǃgâ re;
tita nî mîse ina ǁnâu re.
17 ǂHanu-aisiba ǁkhan hâ khoe-e ǂgaeǂgui ǁkhā-e?
ǂHanu-ai tsî ǁkhā khoe-e ǀgoraǃgâ ǁkhāts a?
18 Tari-e gao-ao-i ǃoa: ‘ǁAu xūtse,’ ti ra mî
tsî gaoǀgôa-i ǃoa: ‘ǂKhaba khoets,’ ti ra mî?
19 ǁÎb ge gao-aogu ǃnâ ǀkhāǁhûi tama hâ,
tamas ka io ǃkhū hâna ǀgâsan ǂamai ǃkhōǂui tama,
hoan a ǁîb ǃomkha di kurusabe xui-ao.
20 Mûǀapirob ǃnân ra ǁō;
tsuxuǃgâb aib ra ǁōb ǃaoba ǁîna ǁnāǂam tsîn ra ǁō,
ǀgaisan tsîn xū-en dīhe tamase ra ūbēhe.
21 ǁÎb mûrab hoaǁae khoen daogu ai ǃammâi hâ
tsî ǁîn dāǃharodi hoade ra mû.
22 ǂKhabadī-aon nî gauǃnâ,
ǃkhaeb tamas ka io ǃkhaenas ge ǀkhai.
23 ǂHâbasa tama i ge hâ, Elob ǁae-e nî mîmâisa,
khoe-i nî ǀgoraǃgâs ǃaroma ǁîb aiǃâ ǂhais di-e.
24 Ôaǃnâ tamaseb ge ǀgaisana ǂkhūǂkhū
tsî ǁîn di ǃkhaide ǀkhara khoen ǀkha ra ǃkhōǃkhuni.
25 ǁÎn ra dī xūnab a ǂan, amagab ge
ǁîna tsuxub ǃnâ dītoa tsî ra hîkākā.
26 Khoen di mûǁaeb ge ǁîna
ǁîn di ǂkhabasib ǃaroma ra ǁkhara.
27 ǁÎn ge ǁîba saoǃgonsa ge ǀû
tsî ǁîb daogu ǀkha ǁae tama hâ.
28 ǁNā-amagan ge ǀgâsana
Elob kōsen nî huiǂgaise ra ǁgarihe,
tsîb ge ǁgâiǀāb ǃnâ hân di domma ge ǁnâu.
29 “ǁÎb ga ǃnō, o tari-e a ǀgoraǃgâ bi ǁkhā?
ǁÎb ga ais âba gaugauo, o tari-e ǁîba nî mû ǁkhā?
ǁÎb ǀguib ge ǁaedi tsî khoen ǂama gaosîsen ǁkhā.
30 Eloxoresa khoen ǂgaeǂguis ǃnâ hâ tidese,
tamas ka ion khoena ǃnuide ǂnûiba tidese.
31 “Khoe-e Elob ǃoa mî-i ge hâ i:
‘Sa ǃoagu ta ge ge mâǃoaxa,
xawe ta ge ǁkhawa ǁore tide;
32 Ganupe ta mû tamana, ǁkhāǁkhā te re;
dīsā ta ga hâ, o ta ge ǁkhawa dī tide.’
33 Nēsats ra ǀūxū ǃkhais ǃaromab
Eloba nî mādawa-am tsi, tits ra ǂâi?
Sats ge ǁhûi nî tsa, tita tama ta;
ǁnā-amaga, ǂants ana ǃhoaǂui.
34 “ǁNâuǃāxagu ge tita ǃoa nî mî,
tsî gā-aigu hîa ra ǁnâu gu ge nî mî:
35 ‘Jobi ge ǂan-e ūhâ tamase ra ǃhoa,
ǁîb mîdi ge a harebeoǃnâ.’
36 Xaweb ge Joba ǀams kōse nî ǃâitsâhe,
ǁîb eloxoresa-i khamib ra ǃeream xui-ao.
37 ǁÎb ge ǁoreb âb ǀguiba ra ǂguiǂgui;
ǁîb ge ra ǁapunǃom,
tsî mîdi âba Elobǀî ra ǂguiǂgui.”
