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.”
ǂGuro ǂgaenamǃgâgus
1 Ob ge Elifasi Temanǁîba ge ǃeream:
2 “Khoe-i ga sats ǀkha a ǃhoa ǂgao, o ǃnūǃnâxats nî?
Xawe, tari-e kha ǃhoa tide?
3 Mû, ǂguina ǁgauǃnâ
tsîts ge ǂkhabusa ǃomga ūhâna gere ǀgaiǀgai.
4 Sa mîdi ge ǃnôa gerena kuikhâi,
tsî ǂkhabusa ǁgoade ūhâna ge ūkhâi.
5 Xawets ge satsa nēsi ǁkhā mâsib xa hāǂamhe
tsî go ǂkhabuǂâi;
nēs ge ǂnauǂkhū tsi tsî burugâ kai tsi hâ.
6 Elobats gere ǃaoǃgâ ǃkhaisa sa ǂgomǃgâse ī tama hâ,
tsî sa ǂnao-o ûiba kha sa ǃâubasen tamab hâ?
7 ǁNāsa nēsi ǂâiǃgâ. Tari-i ǀhapio ge i-e ge ǁō?
Tsî mâpa i ge ǂhanu-ai-e hîkākāhe hâ i?
8 Tita ge ge mû, ǂhanuoǃnâsiba ra ǃhanan
tsî ǂkhababa ra tsoron hoan ǁnāsa ra ǃgaobasensa.
9 ǁÎn ge Elob di ǀommi xa ǃgamhe,
tsî ǁîb ǁaib di ǃgommi xa ra hîkākāhe.
10 Xammi ǃgurub tsî ǂkham xammi ǃaorosa ǀōb ra toa,
ā, ǁgûgu âb tsîn ra khôaǁnâhe.
11 Amǀnē-i ǀkhais ra ǀgaisa xamma ǃgam
tsîn xams di ôarona ǃâs xa ra ǁōǁgoe.
12 “Mî-i ge ǀhôagao ǀgaub ai tita tawa ge hā-ūhe,
ti ǂgaes ge ǁî-i sobabeb ǀguiba ge ǁnâu.
13 ǁGaisi ǁhapodi ge tsuxub ǃnâ ge ǁnāǂam te,
khoen ǃgam ǂoms ǃnâ ǁomǁgoe hîa;
14 o kha ge ǀkhūb tsî ǃaob tsîkha ge ǃkhō te
tsî ti ǂkhōn hoana ge ǀkhū kai.
15 Ob ge gaga-i di ǂoaba ti aisa-u ge ǃkharu,
tsîn ge ti sorob di ǀûna ǂgōse ge mâ.
16 Gaga-i ge sī ge mâ, xawe ta ge īsib â-e ge mûǃā ǁoa i;
īsi-i ge ti aiǃâ ǃnōsase ge mâ, tsî ta ge dom-e ge ǁnâu:
17 ‘Khoe-e Elob aiǃâ ǂhanu-ai ǁkhā-e?
Tamas ka io ǁî-i Kuru-aob aiǃâ ǃanu ǁkhā-e?
18 Elob ge ǁîb ǀhomsi ǃoaba-aogu ǂûga ǂgomǃgâ tama hâ;
ǁîb ǀhomǃgāgu tsîn tawab ge dīsāde ra hō.
19 Mâtikō ǃnāsaseb ǁîba ǂgoa-omdi ǃnâ ǁan hâna ǂgomǃgâ ǁoa,
ǃgaoǃgaob ân ge a tsara tsî ǁgurib khami dāǃāhe ǁkhā.
20 ǁGoas tsî ǃuis tsîra ǁaegun ra hîkākāhe;
tātsēs tsîna ǂâihōhe tamasen ra kābē.
21 Ūhâxūn hoanan ra ǀhanahe;
gā-aisi-e ūhâ tamasen ra ǁō.’
