1 Ob ge Joba ge ǃeream:
2 “Kaise ǂōrisase ti mîde ǃgâ,
îs nēsa sago ra mā te ǁkhaeǂgaos ase ī.
3 ǃNūǃnâxaba te, î ta ǃhoa;
ǃhoatoa ta ga, o go ge ǃhō te ǁkhā.
4 “Ti ǂkhîoǃnâsiba kha khoe-i ǃoagub hâ?
Tare-i ǃaroma ta kha a ǂkhîoǃnâ ǁoa?
5 Kō te, î go burugâ
tsî burugâs xa go sago amde nî ǃkhō.
6 Nēs xa ta ra ǂâi, o ta ge ra ǃhuri
tsîs ge ti soros hoasa ra ǀkhū.
7 “Tare-i ǃaroman eloxoresa khoena ra ûi,
kairasisa sīǃnâ tsî ǁkhāsib tsî ǃkhūsib ǃnâ ra ûi?
8 ǁÎn ôan ra ǁîn aiǃâ ôananôagu;
tsîn ge ǁîn ôananôagub ra kaikhâi ǀgauba mû.
9 ǁÎn omdi ǃnân ǃao-i ose ǂkhîb ǃnâ ra ûi,
Elob di ǂnauǃnabab ǁîna xu a ǃnū.
10 ǁÎn ǁgōgu ge hoa gomade ra ǃkhûi kai;
ǁîn gomadi ge ôaxū tamase ǂuru tsâuna ra ǁora.
11 ǁÎn ôaron ge ǁkhaoron khami ǃnorasase ra ǂgam,
tsîn ge ǁîn ǀgôarona ǃgâiaǂgao rase ra ǃkhoema.
12 ǁÎn ge ǃkhomǃkharurudi tsî harpdi ǀkha ra ǁnae
tsî ǂnunigu di ǀōb ǃnâ ra dâ.
13 ǁÎn ge hoaǁae ǃgâiǃgâb ǃnâ ǀgui ûi hâ
tsî ǁōn ka, o ǂkhîb ǃnâ ǁŌhân Hâǃkhaib ǃnâ ra ǁgôa.
14 “Xawen Elob ǃoa: ‘ǁNāxūǂui da! ti ra mî hîa.
Sida ge sa ǂâisa dīs ǁkhore-i tsîna ūhâ tama hâ.
15 Tariba Hoaǀgaixaba, o da nî ǃoaba bi?
Mâ harebe-e ǁîba ǀgoreǀîs ǃnâ hâ?’
16 Xawe ǁîn di ǃgâiǃgâb ge
ǁîn ǃomgu ǃnâ ǁgoe tama hâ;
ǁnā-amaga ta ge ǂkhaba khoen
di ǀapeǀhaosa xu ǃnūse ra hâ.
17 “Mâtikō ǃnādes ǂkhabadī-aon ǃamǀaesa ǀarihe hâ?
Mâtikō ǃnādeb ǂōǂōsiba ǁîna ge hāǂam?
Mâtikō ǃnāde Elob ǁaib di tsûb ǁîna ra ǁnāǂamsa?
18 Mâtikō ǃnāden ǂoab xa ra ǃgombēhe ǀgân khami ī,
tamas ka io ǀhōb sares xa ra ǃgombēheb khami?
19 “Eloba kha sadu ǁoren ǁkharaba,
sadu ôan ǃaroma ra ǁguibē?
Elob ge dīsā-ao-i ǂû-e nî ǁkhara,
î i aitsama hōǃâ.
20 A di ǁîn mûdi ǂûde ǁîn hîkākāsa mû
an Hoaǀgaixab di ǁaiba hara.
21 ǁÎn di ǁōb khaoǃgâ ra ǃgau xūn ain tare mîxū-e ūhâ,
ǁîn ûiǁaeb ga ǃnubuǃnubuheo?
22 Eloba nî ǁgauǃnâ khoe-e hâ-e?
ǁÎb kom ǀgapi ǃharodi ǃnâ ǂnoan tsîna ra ǀgoraǃgâo.
23 “ǀNî khoe-i ge ǀoasa ǁkhāsib, ǂkhîb
tsî ǃnorasasib ǃnâ i hâ hîa ra ǁō.
24 ǁÎ-i ǂhobekha ge kaub xa ǁau
tsî ǁî-i ǂkhōgu di ǂgaeb ge ǀgaisa.
25 ǀNî khoe-i ge kaise ǃgom ǀoms ǀkha ra ǁō,
tātsēs tsîna i ǃgâi-i xare-e tsâ tama hîa.
26 Xawen ge ǁō tsî ǀguipa ǁkhā ǃhūb ǃnâ ra ǁkhōhe
tsî hoa ǀgamna ǂunigu xa ra ǀoa-aihe.
27 “Mû, tita ge sago ǂâide ǂan
tsî ǀhôagao ǀapedi âgo ǀkha go ra dīǃnubu te ǂgao ǀgausa.
28 Sago ra mî xui-ao: ‘ǂAmkhoeb omsa mâpas hâ?
ǂKhabadī-aon tentomde mâpa di hâ?’
29 ǃNarima-aon ai go dî tama hâ;
ǁîn ge ǀhûǀguina ūǃoa go ge?
30 ǂKhabadī-aon ra ǂōǂōsib tsēs ai sâuhe
tsî Elob ǁaib tsēs ai ǃnoraǃnorahesa.
31 Tari-e ǁîn tsūdīga a ǃhoaǀî ǁkhā-e
tsî tari-e dīsādi ân ǃaroma ǁîna nî ǁkhara-e?
32 ǀHobas ǁga i ga tanihe,
os ge ǁî-i ǀhobasa ra ǃûihe.
33 ǃHūb di tsarab xas tsîna i a ǁkhoaxabahe;
ǂnubis khoen xa i ra ǁkhōhe
tsî ǁî-i aiǃân ǃgôaheǁoasa khoena garu.
34 “Mâti go kha harebeoǃnâ ǃhoa-ain ǀkha nî ǁkhaeǂgao te?
Sago ge ǃaruǀî ǃeream-i xare-e ūhâ tama,
xawe ǀhôagaoǃnâsib ǀguiba!”
Job's Reply to Zophar
If You Want To Offer Comfort
1 Job said:
2 If you want to offer comfort,
then listen to me.
3 And when I have finished,
you can start your insults
all over again.
4 My complaint is against God;
that's why I am impatient.
5 Just looking at me is enough
to make you sick,
6 and the very thought of myself
fills me with disgust.
7 Why do evil people live so long
and gain such power?
8 Why are they allowed to see
their children grow up?
9 They have no worries at home,
and God never punishes them.
10 Their cattle have lots of calves
without ever losing one;
11 their children play and dance
safely by themselves.
12 These people sing and celebrate
to the sound of tambourines,
small harps, and flutes,
13 and they are successful,
without a worry,
until the day they die.
Leave Us Alone!
14 Those who are evil say
to God All-Powerful,
“Leave us alone! Don't bother us
with your teachings.
15 What do we gain from praying
and worshiping you?
16 We succeeded all on our own.”
And so, I keep away from them
and their evil schemes.
17 How often does God become angry
and send disaster and darkness
to punish sinners?
18 How often does he strike them
like a windstorm
that scatters straw?
19 You say, “God will punish
those sinners' children
in place of those sinners.”
But I say, “Let him punish
those sinners themselves
until they really feel it.
20 Let God All-Powerful force them
to drink their own destruction
from the cup of his anger.
21 Because after they are dead,
they won't care what happens
to their children.”
Who Can Tell God What To Do?
22 Who can tell God what to do?
He judges powerful rulers.
* 23 Some of us die prosperous,
24 enjoying good health,
25 while others die in poverty,
having known only pain.
26 But we all end up dead,
beneath a blanket of worms.
27 My friends, I know that you
are plotting against me.
28 You ask, “Where is the home
of that important person
who does so much evil?”
29 Everyone, near and far, agrees
30 that those who do wrong
never suffer disaster,
when God becomes angry.
31 No one points out their sin
or punishes them.
32 Then at their funerals,
they are highly praised;
33 the earth welcomes them home,
while crowds mourn.
34 But empty, meaningless words
are the comfort you offer me.
