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.’
Eliphaz's First Speech
Please Be Patient and Listen
1 Eliphaz from Teman said:
2 Please be patient and listen
to what I have to say.
* 3 Remember how your words
4 have guided and encouraged
many in need.
5 But now you feel discouraged
when struck by trouble.
6 You respect God and live right,
so don't lose hope!
7 No truly innocent person
has ever died young.
8 In my experience, only those
who plant seeds of evil
harvest trouble,
9 and then they are swept away
by the angry breath of God.
10 They may roar and growl
like powerful lions.
But when God breaks their teeth,
11 they starve, and their children
are scattered.
A Secret Was Told to Me
12 A secret was told to me
in a faint whisper—
13 I was overcome by sleep,
but disturbed by dreams;
14 I trembled with fear,
15 and my hair stood on end,
as a wind blew past my face.
16 It stopped and stood still.
Then a form appeared—
a shapeless form.
And from the silence,
I heard a voice say,
17 “No humans are innocent
in the eyes of God
their Creator.
18 He finds fault with his servants
and even with his angels.
19 Humans are formed from clay
and are fragile as moths,
so what chance do you have?
20 Born after daybreak,
you die before nightfall
and disappear forever.
21 Your tent pegs are pulled up,
and you leave this life,
having gained no wisdom.”
