God's Punishment of Sinners
1 A large family is nothing to be desired if the children are worthless. Godless children are nothing to be proud of. 2 No matter how many children you have, don't look on them with pride unless they fear the Lord. 3 Don't put much hope in their future or expect them to live a long time. One child who does the Lord's will is better than a thousand who do not. It is better to go to your grave with no children at all than to have children who are godless.
4 A city's population may grow because of the wisdom of one person, while a whole tribe of lawless people disappears. 5 I have seen such things many times and have heard of even more striking examples. 6 The Lord's flaming anger will break out against a small gathering of sinners or a disobedient nation. 7 He did not forgive those ancient giants who rebelled against him, confident of their own strength. 8 He detested the arrogance of the people among whom Lot lived, and he did not spare them. 9 He showed no mercy on that nation which he doomed to destruction for its sins, 10 nor on those 600,000 people on the march through the wilderness who gathered together in stubborn rebellion. 11 Even if there had been only one stubborn person, it would have been a miracle if he had escaped punishment. The Lord is merciful, but he can also become angry. He can be overwhelming in his forgiveness or in his anger. 12 His punishment is as severe as his mercy is great. He judges people by what they have done. 13 No sinner can escape with what he has stolen. The Lord will reward the patience of devout people. 14 Every righteous person will be rewarded; everyone will get what he deserves.
17 Never say, “I will hide from the Lord. Nobody up there is going to give me a thought. How can I be noticed among so many people? The creation is so enormous, what am I worth? 18 When the Lord comes, everything will tremble: the earth and the great waters beneath it, the sky and the heavens above it. 19 The mountains will shake, and the foundations of the earth will shudder when he looks at them. 20 The Lord isn't going to give me a thought. Nobody cares what I do. 21 If I sin and am secretly disloyal, nobody will know it. 22 If I do what is right, nobody will tell the Lord about it. Who wants to wait for him, anyway? He is too slow in doing what he has said he would.” 23 Only someone with very little sense, and foolishly misguided, would think things like that.
God's Wisdom in Creation
24 My child, listen and pay attention to me; you will gain knowledge if you do. 25 I will give you diligent and accurate instruction.
26 In the beginning the Lord did his work of creation,
and gave everything a place of its own.
27 He arranged everything in an eternal order
and decreed that it should be that way forever.
Not one part of creation ever grows hungry;
no part grows tired or stops its work.
28 The parts do not crowd one another,
and they never disobey his word.
29 When the Lord had made all this,
he looked at the earth and filled it with good things.
30 He covered it with all kinds of creatures
that must die and return to the dust.
Elob ge ǁore-aona ra ǁkhara
1 Tā ǂgui ǀgôan, xū-e ǃgâiba tamana turabasen tsî ǁîn ai ǂnīsa. Eloxoresa ǀgôan ge ǂnīsa aihe nî xūse ī tama hâ. 2 Mâtikōsen ga ǂgui xawes tsîna ǃKhūban ga ǃao tama io tā ǁîn ai ǂnīsasib ǀkha kō. 3 Tā kai ǂgomǃgâ-e ǁîn di hānîǁaeb tamas ka io gaxusen nî ûi ǃkhais ǃnâ ūhâ. ǀGui ǀgôa-i hîa ra ǃKhūb ǂâisa dī-i ge ǀoadisin ǁnāsa dī taman ǃgâ-ai a ǃgâi. Sa ǀhobas ǃnâ ǀgôaose ǂgâs ge eloxoresa ǀgôana ūhâs xa a ǃgâi.
4 ǃĀ-i di ǁanǂgāsaben ge ǀgui khoe-i a gā-ai xui-ao, hoaraga ǂhanuo ǁaes ga hîkākāhe, xawes tsîna a aiǃgû ǁkhā. 5 Tita ge nēti ī xūna ǂgui ǃnāde ge mû tsî ǁkhāti ǁnās xa ǃnāsa ǁnāǂamdi xa ge ǁnâu. 6 ǃKhūb ge ǀhûpe ǀhao hâ ǁore-aon tamas ka io hoaraga ǁaes hîa ǁnâuǀnamoǃnâs ǀkha kaise nî ǁaixa. 7 ǁÎb ge aibekam ǁaeb di kai tsî ǀgaisa khoegu, ǁîb ǃoagu khâikhâisen tsî ǁîgu ǀgaib ai ge ǂgomǃgâ hâ iga ǀûba tama hâ. 8 Khoen Sodoms din, Loti ge ǁîn ǁaegu hâ in ge kaise ge ǁîǃgôasen hâ i. ǃKhūb ge nēsa ge ǃhuisa i tsî ǁnā-amaga ǁîna ge hîkākā. 9 ǁÎb ge nē ǁaesa ǀkhom tama ge i tsî ǁîna ǁoren ân ǃaroma hoaragase ge hîkākā. 10 ǁKhātib ge ǃnanikaidisiǀoadisi toroǃkhamaogu ǃgaroǃhūb ǃnâ ǀhao tsî ge ǃKhūb ǃoagu ǃnâudanaxase khâikhâisengu tsîna ǀkhom tama ge i. 11 ǀGui ǃnâudanaxa-i ga hâ hâo, tarekōse i ga buruxa hâ ǁî-i ga ǁkharahe tama i hâo. ǃKhūb ge a ǀkhomxaǃnâ, xawe ǁkhāti ǁaixa ǁkhās tsîna i. ǁÎb ge ǁkhāsib âba ǁorena ǀûba ǁkhā tamas ka io ǁaixasiba ǁgauǂui ǁkhā. 12 ǁÎb di ǀkhommi a kais ǁkhās khamib ge ǁîb di ǁkharaba a ǁkhō. ǁÎb ge khoena dīn ge xūn ai ra ǁkhara. 13 ǀGuis khami ī ǁore-aob tsîn ge ǃnarib hâ xū-i ǀkha ǃnora tide. ǃKhūb ge ǃnūǃnâxasib eloǃaoǃgâxan diba nî mādawa-am. 14 ǂHanu-ai khoe-i hoa-i ge mādawasa nî ǃkhōǃoa; khoe-i hoa-i ge ǃoaǂui-i hâ-e nî ǃkhōǃoa.
17 Tātsēs tsîna tā nēti mî: “Tita ge ǃKhūba xu nî gau. ǀGui-i ǀgapise hân di i tsîn ge tita xa ǂâi tide. Mâti ta nētikō ǂgui khoen ǁaegu nî mûǂanhe? Kurus ge kaise a kai tsî tita ge a ǁauxū. 18 ǃKhūb ga hā, o-i ge xū-i hoa-e nî ǀkhū: ǃHūbaib tsî kai ǁgammi ǁîb ǃnaka hâb, ǀhommi tsî ǁîb xa ǀgapise hâ ǀhommi tsîna. 19 ǃHomgu ge nî ǀkhū tsî ǃhūbaib di ǃgaoǃgaob ge ǁîn ǃoab ga kō, o nî ǂgubi. 20 Tita ais tsînab ge ǁkhāti ǂâisa ǂnûi tide tsî ti daogu xasa tari-e ǁîgu xa nî ǂan. 21 ǁOre tsî ta ga ǂganǃgâsase îǂhôaoǃnâ, o i ge khoe-i xare-e ǂan tide. 22 ǂHanuse ta ga dī, o i ge ǀgui-i tsîna ǁnās xa ǃKhūba mîba tide. Tari-e ǁîba ra ǃâu ǂgao? ǁÎb ge dīb nî tib ge mî xūn ǃaroma kaise a ǂau.” 23 ǂKhari ǁnâuǃāba ūhâ i tsî gâse ǂgaeǂguihe hâ khoe-i ǀgui-i ge ǁnāti-ī xūna a ǂâi ǁkhā.
Elob di Gā-aisib kurus ǃnâ
24 Ti ôatse, ǃgâ î ǂâisa tita ai ǂnûi. Sats ge ǁnātits ga dī, o ǀgui ǂansa nî hō. 25 Tita ge ǂhanu tsî ǃoaǃū hâ mîmāsa nî mā tsi.
26 Tsoatsoas ǃnâb ge ǃKhūba kurus di sîsena ge dī
tsî xū-i hoa-e ǁî-i di ǃkhais ǂûsa ge mā.
27 ǁÎb ge sores, ǁkhâb tsî ǀgamirodi tsîna ǀamosen nî hâhâ ǀgaub ǃnâ ge ǂnûi,
tsî tsēs tsî tsuxuba nî ǂgaeǂguise ge ǀgoraǂgā.
Nēn di ǀgui-i tsîn ge tātsē ǃâ
tsî tsau tsî sîsenǀû tide.
28 Nē ǃâdi ge ǀnî-e nau-i di daob ǃnâ hâ tama
tsî tātsē ǁîb mîsa ǁnâuǀnamoǃnâ tama hâ.
29 ǃKhūb ge nēn hoanab ge kurutoa,
o ǃhūbaib ǃoa kō tsî ǁîba ǃgâi xūn ǀkha ge ǀoaǀoa.
30 ǁÎb ge ǃhūbaiba hoaǃnôa kurusaben
ǁō tsî nî tsara kain ǀkha ge ǀoaǀoa.
