أَيُّوبَ 15

١ 1 فَأَجَابَ أَلِيفَازُ ٱلتَّيْمَانِيُّ وَقَالَ:

And Eliphaz the Temanite answereth and saith: —

٢ 2 «أَلَعَلَّ ٱلْحَكِيمَ يُجِيبُ عَنْ مَعْرِفَةٍ بَاطِلَةٍ، وَيَمْلَأُ بَطْنَهُ مِنْ رِيحٍ شَرْقِيَّةٍ،

Doth a wise man answer [with] vain knowledge? And fill [with] an east wind his belly?

٣ 3 فَيَحْتَجَّ بِكَلَامٍ لَا يُفِيدُ، وَبِأَحَادِيثَ لَا يَنْتَفِعُ بِهَا؟

To reason with a word not useful? And speeches — no profit in them?

٤ 4 أَمَّا أَنْتَ فَتُنَافِي ٱلْمَخَافَةَ، وَتُنَاقِضُ ٱلتَّقْوَى لَدَى ٱللهِ.

Yea, thou dost make reverence void, And dost diminish meditation before God.

٥ 5 لِأَنَّ فَمَكَ يُذِيعُ إِثْمَكَ، وَتَخْتَارُ لِسَانَ ٱلْمُحْتَالِينَ.

For thy mouth teacheth thine iniquity, And thou chooseth the tongue of the subtile.

٦ 6 إِنَّ فَمَكَ يَسْتَذْنِبُكَ، لَا أَنَا، وَشَفَتَاكَ تَشْهَدَانِ عَلَيْكَ.

Thy mouth declareth thee wicked, and not I, And thy lips testify against thee.

٧ 7 «أَصُوِّرْتَ أَوَّلَ ٱلنَّاسِ أَمْ أُبْدِئْتَ قَبْلَ ٱلتِّلَالِ؟

The first man art thou born? And before the heights wast thou formed?

٨ 8 هَلْ تَنَصَّتَّ فِي مَجْلِسِ ٱللهِ، أَوْ قَصَرْتَ ٱلْحِكْمَةَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ؟

Of the secret counsel of God dost thou hear? And withdrawest thou unto thee wisdom?

٩ 9 مَاذَا تَعْرِفُهُ وَلَا نَعْرِفُهُ نَحْنُ؟ وَمَاذَا تَفْهَمُ وَلَيْسَ هُوَ عِنْدَنَا؟

What hast thou known, and we know not? Understandest thou — and it is not with us?

١٠ 10 عِنْدَنَا ٱلشَّيْخُ وَٱلْأَشْيَبُ، أَكْبَرُ أَيَّامًا مِنْ أَبِيكَ.

Both the gray-headed And the very aged [are] among us — Greater than thy father [in] days.

١١ 11 أَقَلِيلَةٌ عِنْدَكَ تَعْزِيَاتُ ٱللهِ، وَٱلْكَلَامُ مَعَكَ بِٱلرِّفْقِ؟

Too few for thee are the comforts of God? And a gentle word [is] with thee,

١٢ 12 «لِمَاذَا يَأْخُذُكَ قَلْبُكَ؟ وَلِمَاذَا تَخْتَلِجُ عَيْنَاكَ

What — doth thine heart take thee away? And what — are thine eyes high?

١٣ 13 حَتَّى تَرُدَّ عَلَى ٱللهِ وَتُخْرِجَ مِنْ فِيكَ أَقْوَالًا؟

For thou turnest against God thy spirit? And hast brought out words from thy mouth:

١٤ 14 مَنْ هُوَ ٱلْإِنْسَانُ حَتَّى يَزْكُوَ، أَوْ مَوْلُودُ ٱلْمَرْأَةِ حَتَّى يَتَبَرَّرَ؟

What [is] man that he is pure, And that he is righteous, one born of woman?

١٥ 15 هُوَذَا قِدِّيسُوهُ لَا يَأْتَمِنُهُمْ، وَٱلسَّمَاوَاتُ غَيْرُ طَاهِرَةٍ بِعَيْنَيْهِ،

Lo, in His holy ones He putteth no credence, And the heavens have not been pure in His eyes.

١٦ 16 فَبِالْحَرِيِّ مَكْرُوهٌ وَفَاسِدٌ ٱلْإِنْسَانُ ٱلشَّارِبُ ٱلْإِثْمَ كَٱلْمَاءِ!

Also — surely abominable and filthy Is man drinking as water perverseness.

١٧ 17 «أُوحِي إِلَيْكَ، ٱسْمَعْ لِي فَأُحَدِّثَ بِمَا رَأَيْتُهُ،

I shew thee — hearken to me — And this I have seen and declare:

١٨ 18 مَا أَخْبَرَ بِهِ حُكَمَاءُ عَنْ آبَائِهِمْ فَلَمْ يَكْتُمُوهُ.

Which the wise declare — And have not hid — from their fathers.

١٩ 19 ٱلَّذِينَ لَهُمْ وَحْدَهُمْ أُعْطِيَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ، وَلَمْ يَعْبُرْ بَيْنَهُمْ غَرِيبٌ.

To them alone was the land given, And a stranger passed not over into their midst:

٢٠ 20 ٱلشِّرِّيرُ هُوَ يَتَلَوَّى كُلَّ أَيَّامِهِ، وَكُلَّ عَدَدِ ٱلسِّنِينَ ٱلْمَعْدُودَةِ لِلْعَاتِي.

'All days of the wicked he is paining himself, And few years have been laid up for the terrible one.

٢١ 21 صَوْتُ رُعُوبٍ فِي أُذُنَيْهِ. فِي سَاعَةِ سَلَامٍ يَأْتِيهِ ٱلْمُخَرِّبُ.

A fearful voice [is] in his ears, In peace doth a destroyer come to him.

٢٢ 22 لَا يَأْمُلُ ٱلرُّجُوعَ مِنَ ٱلظُّلْمَةِ، وَهُوَ مُرْتَقَبٌ لِلسَّيْفِ.

He believeth not to return from darkness, And watched [is] he for the sword.

٢٣ 23 تَائِهٌ هُوَ لِأَجْلِ ٱلْخُبْزِ حَيْثُمَا يَجِدْهُ، وَيَعْلَمُ أَنَّ يَوْمَ ٱلظُّلْمَةِ مُهَيَّأٌ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ.

He is wandering for bread — 'Where [is] it?' He hath known that ready at his hand Is a day of darkness.

٢٤ 24 يُرْهِبُهُ ٱلضُّرُّ وَٱلضَّيْقُ. يَتَجَبَّرَانِ عَلَيْهِ كَمَلِكٍ مُسْتَعِدٍّ لِلْوَغَى.

Terrify him do adversity and distress, They prevail over him As a king ready for a boaster.

٢٥ 25 لِأَنَّهُ مَدَّ عَلَى ٱللهِ يَدَهُ، وَعَلَى ٱلْقَدِيرِ تَجَبَّرَ

For he stretched out against God his hand, And against the Mighty he maketh himself mighty.

٢٦ 26 عَادِيًا عَلَيْهِ، مُتَصَلِّبُ ٱلْعُنُقِ بِأَوْقَافِ مَجَانِّهِ مُعَبَّأَةً.

He runneth unto Him with a neck, With thick bosses of his shields.

٢٧ 27 لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ كَسَا وَجْهَهُ سَمْنًا، وَرَبَّى شَحْمًا عَلَى كِلْيَتَيْهِ،

For he hath covered his face with his fat, And maketh vigour over [his] confidence.

٢٨ 28 فَيَسْكُنُ مُدُنًا خَرِبَةً، بُيُوتًا غَيْرَ مَسْكُونَةٍ عَتِيدَةً أَنْ تَصِيرَ رُجَمًا.

And he inhabiteth cities cut off, houses not dwelt in, That have been ready to become heaps.

٢٩ 29 لَا يَسْتَغْنِي، وَلَا تَثْبُتُ ثَرْوَتُهُ، وَلَا يَمْتَدُّ فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ مُقْتَنَاهُ.

He is not rich, nor doth his wealth rise, Nor doth he stretch out on earth their continuance.

٣٠ 30 لَا تَزُولُ عَنْهُ ٱلظُّلْمَةُ. خَرَاعِيبُهُ تُيَبِّسُهَا ٱلسُّمُومُ، وَبِنَفْخَةِ فَمِهِ يَزُولُ.

He turneth not aside from darkness, His tender branch doth a flame dry up, And he turneth aside at the breath of His mouth!

٣١ 31 لَا يَتَّكِلْ عَلَى ٱلسُّوءِ. يَضِلُّ. لِأَنَّ ٱلسُّوءَ يَكُونُ أُجْرَتَهُ.

Let him not put credence in vanity, He hath been deceived, For vanity is his recompence.

٣٢ 32 قَبْلَ يَوْمِهِ يُتَوَفَّى، وَسَعَفُهُ لَا يَخْضَرُّ.

Not in his day is it completed, And his bending branch is not green.

٣٣ 33 يُسَاقِطُ كَٱلْجَفْنَةِ حِصْرِمَهُ، وَيَنْثُرُ كَٱلزَّيْتُونِ زَهْرُهُ.

He shaketh off as a vine his unripe fruit, And casteth off as an olive his blossom.

٣٤ 34 لِأَنَّ جَمَاعَةَ ٱلْفُجَّارِ عَاقِرٌ، وَٱلنَّارُ تَأْكُلُ خِيَامَ ٱلرَّشْوَةِ.

For the company of the profane [is] gloomy, And fire hath consumed tents of bribery.

٣٥ 35 حَبِلَ شَقَاوَةً وَوَلَدَ إِثْمًا، وَبَطْنُهُ أَنْشَأَ غِشًّا».

To conceive misery, and to bear iniquity, Even their heart doth prepare deceit.