1 Ob ge Joba ge ǃeream:
2 “Amase ta ǁnāti i īsa a ǂan;
xawe khoe-e Elob aiǃâ ǂhanu-ai ǁkhā-e?
3 Khoe-e Elob ǃoagu ǁhō-e kuru ǁkhā-e
tsî ǁîb di ǀoadisi dîde xu,
ǀguirosa xare ǃeream ǁkhāts nî?
4 Elob ǂgaob ge a gā-ai tsî ǁîb ǀgaiba ǁkhāsiba ūhâ;
tari-e ǁîba mâǃoa tsî ge dan-e?
5 ǁÎb ge ǃhomga ra ǂgubi kai
tsî ǁaib âb ǃnâ ǁîga ra dabaǃkhuri.
6 ǁÎb ge ǃhūbaiba mâǃkhais âba xu ra ǀgabiǂui
tsî ǂgurihaigu âba ra ǂgubi kai.
7 ǁÎb ge soresa ra mîmā, tsîs ge ǂoaxa tama hâ,
tsîb ge ǀgamirode ra ǂaoǂgan, tsî di ge ǃnâ tama hâ.
8 ǁÎb ǀguib ge ǀhomma ra ǃāǂui
tsî hurib di ǃgabiga ra dāǃgâ.
9 ǁÎb ge Beras, Orions tsî ǂAoǀgamirodi
tsî ǃkhawagas ǀgamirodi tsîna ge kuru.
10 ǁÎb ge kai tsî ôaǃnâheǁoasa
tsî ǃgôahōheǁoasa buruburuxa xūna ra dī.
11 “Tita tawab ga ǃkharu, o ta mû bi tama;
ǃgû-īb ka, o ta hōǃâ bi tama hâ.
12 ǁÎb ga xū-e tsububē, o tari-e kha nî ǁkhae bi?
Tari-e kha ǁîb ǃoa ‘Tare-ets ra dī?’ ti nî mî?
13 Elob ge ǁaib âba ǂgae-oa tama hâ.
ǁÎb ǂaira ǃnakan ge huriǀgurub hui-aona
dāǂkhūǂkhūhe hâse ǁgoe.
14 Mâ ǀgau-i ai ta kha ǁîba ǃeream ǁkhā?
Mâ mîde ta kha ǁîb ǃoagu a ǁhûi ǁkhā?
15 ǀHapio ta a, xawe ta ge ǁîba go ǃeream ǁoa i;
ǁîb, ti ǀGoraǃgâ-aob ai ǀgui ta ge
ǀkhomma ǀkhomabasen ǁkhā.
16 ǁÎb ǃoa ta ga ǂgai tsîb ga ǃeream te hâ,
xawe ta ge ti dommab go ǁnâu ǃkhaisa ga ǂgom tama hâ.
17 ǁÎb ge kaise ǁkhō ǂoas ǀkha ra hîǀhuru te
tsî ǃaroma-i ose ti ǀhapide ra ǂguiǂgui.
18 ǀOmǂui ta nî ǁae-i tsînab ge mā-am te tama hâ,
tsî ti ûiba tsâb ǀkha ra au-au.
19 ǀGaib di ǀnûgus kao, ob ge ǁîba amase a ǀgaisa!
ǂHanu-aisib xa i ga ǃgûo, tari-e ǁîb ǃoagu ǁhō-e a dī ǁkhā?
20 ǀHapio ta a, xawes ge ti ǂhunuma amsa ga ǁkhara te hâ;
ǂnao-o ta a, xawe di ge ti mîde ga ǀgoraǃgâ te hâ.
21 Tita ge a ǂnao-o. Ti ûib ǀkha ta ǁae tama.
Ti ûiba ta ra ǂhara.
22 Hoan a harebeoǃnâ! ǁNā-amaga ta ra mî:
‘ǂNao-on tsî ǀhapixan tsîn hoanab ra hîkākā.’
23 ǂŌǂōsib ga ǃnape tama ǁōba ǃaroma,
ob ra Eloba ǀhapio-i di tsâba âiǂui.
24 ǁÎb ge ǃhūba ǂkhabadī-aon di ǃomgu ǃnâ ra māǁnâ;
ǃhūb ǀgoraǃgâ-aogu di mûdeb ra ǂganam.
Elob ga dī tama i, o tari-e ra dī?
25 “Ti tsēdi ge ǃkhoe-ao-i xa a ǃhae;
ǁîdi ge ǃgâiaǂgao-i tsîna tsâ tamase ra ǁkhanaǃkharu.
26 ǁÎdi ge ǂāǂgaurodi khami ǃhaese ra doeǃkharu,
tsî ǃariǃkhās ǁîs amǀnē-i ai ra ǁhâiǁnâsens khami.
27 Tita ga mî: ‘Tita ge nî ǃgaeǀû,
tita ge ti ǃgaeǀgauba ǀkharaǀkhara tsî nî ǃgâiaǂgao.’
28 Ti tsâgu hoaga ta ge ra ǃao,
ti ǂnao-osisats ūǃoa tama ǃkhaisa ta a ǂan xui-ao.
29 ǀNai ta ǀhapixase hōhe hâo,
tare-i ǃaroma ta kha ǁause nî ǂhansen?
30 Tsamaros ǀkha ta ga ǁāsen
tsî sē-i ǀkha ǁānǃom,
31 xaweb ge Eloba ǁkhawa ǂgoaxa tsaus ǃnâ nî aoǂgā te
tsîn ge ti sarana ti taosib ase nî ī.
32 Elob ga tita khami khoe hâ, o ta ge ga ǃeream bi hâ;
tsî ta ge ǁîb ǀkha ǀgoraǃgâǃnaos aiǃâ ga ǂhai hâ.
33 ǁAegumâ-ao-i hoakhomma
ǀguitikōse nî ǂnoaba i ge a ǀkhai.
34 Tari-e kha ǁîb di ǁkharaba nî ūǁnâ-ai te,
îb ǁîb di ǃhuriǃhurisasiba tā ǃaruǀî ǃao kai te.
35 O ta ge ǃao tamase a ǃhoa ǁkhā,
xawe ta ge nē ta hâǃnâ mâsib ai a ǃhoa ǁoa.
Job's Reply to Bildad
What You Say Is True
1 Job said:
2 What you say is true.
No human is innocent
in the sight of God.
3 Not once in a thousand times
could we win our case
if we took him to court.
4 God is wise and powerful—
who could possibly
oppose him and win?
5 When God becomes angry,
he can move mountains
before they even know it.
6 God can shake the earth loose
from its foundations
7 or command the sun and stars
to hold back their light.
8 God alone stretched out the sky,
stepped on the sea,
9 and set the stars in place—
the Big Dipper and Orion,
the Pleiades and the stars
in the southern sky.
10 Of all the miracles God works,
we cannot understand a one.
11 God walks right past me,
without making a sound.
12 And if he grabs something,
who can stop him
or raise a question?
13 When God showed his anger,
the servants of the sea monster
fell at his feet.
14 How, then, could I possibly
argue my case with God?
Though I Am Innocent
15 Even though I am innocent,
I can only beg for mercy.
16 And if God came into court
when I called him,
he would not hear my case.
17 He would strike me with a storm
and increase my injuries
for no reason at all.
18 Before I could get my breath,
my miseries would multiply.
19 God is much stronger than I am,
and who would call me into court
to give me justice?
20 Even if I were innocent,
God would prove me wrong.
21 I am not guilty,
but I no longer care
what happens to me.
22 What difference does it make?
God destroys the innocent
along with the guilty.
23 When a good person dies
a sudden death,
God sits back and laughs.
24 And who else but God
blindfolds the judges,
then lets the wicked
take over the earth?
My Life Is Speeding By
25 My life is speeding by,
without a hope of happiness.
26 Each day passes swifter
than a sailing ship
or an eagle swooping down.
27 Sometimes I try to be cheerful
and to stop complaining,
28 but my sufferings frighten me,
because I know that God
still considers me guilty.
29 So what's the use of trying
to prove my innocence?
30 Even if I washed myself
with the strongest soap,
31 God would throw me into a pit
of stinking slime, leaving me
disgusting to my clothes.
32 God isn't a mere human like me.
I can't put him on trial.
33 Who could possibly judge
between the two of us?
34 Can someone snatch away
the stick God carries
to frighten me?
35 Then I could speak up
without fear of him,
but for now, I cannot speak.
