Wicked Thinking
1 Wicked people are wrong when they say to themselves, “Our life is short and full of sorrow, and when its end comes, there is no escape. No one has ever been known to come back from the world of the dead. 2 We were born by chance, and after life is over, we will be as if we had never been born at all. Our breath is no more than a puff of smoke; our mind is nothing more than a spark thrown off by the beating of our heart. 3 When that spark dies, our body will crumble into ashes, and our breath will become part of the empty air. 4 In time, no one will remember anything we ever did, and even our names will be forgotten. Our lives will pass away like the traces of clouds and vanish like fog in the heat of the sun. 5 Our time on earth is like a passing shadow. There is no escape from the day of our death; it is fixed, and no one can postpone it.”
6 The wicked say, “Come on, then, let's enjoy the good things of life, and live in this world the way we did when we were young and free of care! 7 Let's drink the most expensive wines and use the finest perfumes. Let's not miss a single flower in the springtime! 8 Before the roses wither, let's pick them and wear them in our hair! 9 Let's all join in and leave signs everywhere of our carefree revelry! Life owes us that much!
10 “We'll oppress the poor, even if they are righteous. We'll show no respect for widows or old people. 11 We'll call ourselves right if we are strong enough to get what we want. No one ever got anywhere by being weak! 12 Righteous people are nothing but a nuisance, so let's look for chances to get rid of them. They are against what we do; they accuse us of breaking the Law of Moses and violating the traditions of our ancestors. 13 They claim to know God, and they call themselves the Lord's children. 14 We can't stand the sight of people like that; what they are contradicts our whole way of thinking. 15 They are not like other people; they have strange ways. 16 They think that our moral standards are so corrupt that everything we do should be avoided. They boast of having God for their Father, and believe that when all is said and done, only the righteous will be happy. 17 But we'll see if that's true! Let's see what will happen when it's time for them to die! 18 If the righteous really are God's children, God will save them from their enemies. 19 So let's put them to the test. We'll be cruel to them, and torment them; then we'll find out how calm and reasonable they are! We'll find out just how much they can stand! 20 We'll condemn them to a shameful death. After all, they say that God will protect them.”
21 That is how evil people think, but they are wrong. They are blinded by their own wickedness. 22 They have never known God's secrets, never hoped for the rewards of a holy and blameless life. 23 When God created us, he did not intend for us to die; he made us like himself. 24 It was the Devil's jealousy that brought death into the world, and those who belong to the Devil are the ones who will die.
ǂKhaba ǂâiǀgaub
1 ǂKhaba khoen ge ǂhanu tamase ra ǂâi, nētin ra mîo: “Sida ûib ge ǃnubu tsî tsûaǂgaob xa ǀoa hâ tsî ǁîb ǀams ga hā, o-i ge ûiǂoa-e a ǀkhai. Khoe-i xare-i ge ǁŌhân Hâǃkhaiba xu ge oaǀkhī khoe-i xa ǂan tama hâ. 2 ǀApeǁguihe tamase da ge ge ǃnae tsî ûib ga ǃkharu, o-i ge ǃnae tama da ge hâ i ǃkhais ǁkhās khami ī. Sida ǀommi ge ǀanni ase ī tsî sida ǂâidi ge sida ǂgaob di ǃgubus xa ra ǃae nani-i khami ī. 3 Nē nanib ga ǀari, o di ge sida sorode nî tsaotsao tsîb ge sida ǀomma nî ǀkhaiǃnâ ǂoab di ǃâ kai. 4 ǁAerob ǃnâ i ge ǀgui khoe-i tsîna dī da ge xūn di ǀgui xū-i tsîna ǃkhōmâi tide tsî di ge sida ǂhunuma ǀondi tsîna nî ǀuruhe. Sida ûigu ge ǃâudi khami nî ǃkharu tsî huris khami sores di ǀgammi ǃnâ nî ǀari. 5 Sida ûiǁaeb ǃhūbaib ai da ûi hâb ge ǃkharugaru sommi ase ī. Sida ǁōb di tsēsa xu da nî ǃkhoeni ǀgau-i ge a ǀkhai, ǁîs a mâiǁaposa tsî i khoe-i xare-e ǁîsa mâiǂui ǁoa xui-ao.”
6 ǂKhaba khoen ge ra mî: “Hā, î da ǃgâi xūn ûib din ǃnâ ǃgâiǃgâisen tsî nē ǃhūbaib ǃnâ ǂkham da ge i, o da gere ûi khami ûi! 7 A da ǃgomǀgausa ǂauxûina ā tsî ǀō-aisa ǃgâihamxūna sîsenū. Tā da ǀguis khami ī ǃkhā-i tsîna ǁhaoǁaeb ǃnâ ǂoaǃnâ! 8 Rosǃkhādi nî ǂnâs aiǃâ, a da ǁîde ǃora tsî sada ǀûn ǃnâ ǃkhāmâi! 9 A da hoatsama ǃgûǂoa tsî ǂgao da ra xū-i hoa-e dī, ûib sada ǂgui xūna surude hâ xuige!
10 “Nēsin ga ǂhanu-ai, xawes tsîna da ge ǀgâsana nî ǁgâiǀā. ǀGuis khami ī ǃgôasi-i tsîna da ge ǃoataradi kas, kaira khoen kas hoasa ūhâba tide. 11 Sada ge ǂâu hâse ǀgaisa tsî da ga ǂhâba da hâ xūna hō, o ǂhanu da a ti nî ǂgaisen. ǂKhabusasib ǀkha i ge khoe-i xare-e ǃkhai-i ai sī tama hâ! 12 ǂHanu-ai khoen ge ǂhanib ase ǀgui ī, xuige a da ǁîna da nî dībē ǃē-e kōbasen. ǁÎn ge sada ra dī xūn ǃoagu hâ, tsîn ge Moseb ǂhanuba da ǁnâuǀnam tama tsî aboxagu di ǁnaetiga ra ǃûǂam, ti ra ǀhapiǂgā-am da. 13 ǁÎn ge Eloban a ǂan ti mî tsî ǃKhūb ôan, ti ra ǀonǂgaisen. 14 Tare-i ǀgui-e da ga ǂâi, xawen ge ǁî-e ra mâǃoa, ǁnā-amaga da ge ǁnāti-ī khoena mû ǂgaos tsîna hî tama hâ. 15 ǁÎn ge nau khoen khami ī tama tsî ǁnaetisa tama ǀgauga ūhâ. 16 ǁÎn ge sida ǀapon ase ra ǃgapaǀî. Sida a ǃanuoǃnâ ti ǂâi tsîn ge sida xu ǃnūse ra hâ, sida xan nî ǀuriǀurihe ti ǂâi tsî. Elob a ǁîn di î ti koasen tsîn ge ǂhanusen ga ûi, os ǁîn di ǀamsa nî ǃgâiǃgâxa ti ra ǂâi. 17 Xawe da ge ǁnās a ama ǃkhaisa nî mû! A da ǁîn di ǁōǁaexa i ka, o i tare-e nî ī ǃkhaisa mû! 18 ǂHanu-ain amase nî Elob ôas karao, ob ge Eloba ǁîna khākhoen âna xu nî sâu. 19 ǁNā-amaga a da ǁîna ǃâitsâ. A da ǁîn ǃoagu orase tanisen tsî ǁîna tsûtsû, o da ge mâtikōsen ǃgēsa tsî ǁnâuǃāxa ǃkhais, tsî mâtikōsen a mâǃkharu ǁkhā ǃkhais tsîna nî ǂanǂui! 20 Sada ge ǁîna taotaosa ǁōb ǃoa nî ǀgoraǃgâ. ǁÎn kom Elob xan nî sâuhe, ti ra mîo.”
21 Nēb ge ǂkhaba khoen ra ǂâi ǀgauba, xawen ge ra ǂâisā. ǁÎn ǂûn di ǂkhabasib xan ge ǂgī kaihe hâ. 22 ǁÎn ge Elob di ǂganǃgâsiba ǂan tama hâ tsî ǃanu tsî ǀhapio ûib di mādawa-ams ǃâubasen-e ūhâ tide. 23 Elob ge kuru da, ob ge ǁō da nî ti ge ǂâibasen tama hâ i, tsîb ge ǁîb ǂhunuma ǀamosib di īb ǃoa ge kuru da. 24 ǁGâuab di tauxasib ge ǁōba ǃhūbaib ǃnâ ge hā-ū tsî ǁnān ǁgâuab din ge nî ǁō.
