أَيُّوبَ 8

١ 1 فَأَجَابَ بِلْدَدُ ٱلشُّوحِيُّ وَقَالَ:

And Bildad the Shuhite answereth and saith: —

٢ 2 «إِلَى مَتَى تَقُولُ هَذَا، وَتَكُونُ أَقْوَالُ فِيكَ رِيحًا شَدِيدَةً؟

Till when dost thou speak these things? And a strong wind — sayings of thy mouth?

٣ 3 هَلِ ٱللهُ يُعَوِّجُ ٱلْقَضَاءَ، أَوِ ٱلْقَدِيرُ يَعْكِسُ ٱلْحَقَّ؟

Doth God pervert judgment? And doth the Mighty One pervert justice?

٤ 4 إِذْ أَخْطَأَ إِلَيْهِ بَنُوكَ، دَفَعَهُمْ إِلَى يَدِ مَعْصِيَتِهِمْ.

If thy sons have sinned before Him, And He doth send them away, By the hand of their transgression,

٥ 5 فَإِنْ بَكَّرْتَ أَنْتَ إِلَى ٱللهِ وَتَضَرَّعْتَ إِلَى ٱلْقَدِيرِ،

If thou dost seek early unto God, And unto the Mighty makest supplication,

٦ 6 إِنْ كُنْتَ أَنْتَ زَكِيًّا مُسْتَقِيمًا، فَإِنَّهُ ٱلْآنَ يَتَنَبَّهُ لَكَ وَيُسْلِمُ مَسْكَنَ بِرِّكَ.

If pure and upright thou [art], Surely now He waketh for thee, And hath completed The habitation of thy righteousness.

٧ 7 وَإِنْ تَكُنْ أُولَاكَ صَغِيرَةً فَآخِرَتُكَ تَكْثُرُ جِدًّا.

And thy beginning hath been small, And thy latter end is very great.

٨ 8 «اِسْأَلِ ٱلْقُرُونَ ٱلْأُولَى وَتَأَكَّدْ مَبَاحِثَ آبَائِهِمْ،

For, ask I pray thee of a former generation, And prepare to a search of their fathers,

٩ 9 لِأَنَّنَا نَحْنُ مِنْ أَمْسٍ وَلَا نَعْلَمُ، لِأَنَّ أَيَّامَنَا عَلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ ظِلٌّ.

(For of yesterday we [are], and we know not, For a shadow [are] our days on earth.)

١٠ 10 فَهَلَّا يُعْلِمُونَكَ؟ يَقُولُونَ لَكَ، وَمِنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ يُخْرِجُونَ أَقْوَالًا قَائِلِينَ:

Do they not shew thee — speak to thee, And from their heart bring forth words?

١١ 11 هَلْ يَنْمِي ٱلْبَرْدِيُّ فِي غَيْرِ ٱلْغَمَقَةِ، أَوْ تَنْبُتُ ٱلْحَلْفَاءُ بِلَا مَاءٍ؟

'Doth a rush wise without mire? A reed increase without water?

١٢ 12 وَهُوَ بَعْدُ فِي نَضَارَتِهِ لَمْ يُقْطَعْ، يَيْبَسُ قَبْلَ كُلِّ ٱلْعُشْبِ.

While it [is] in its budding — uncropped, Even before any herb it withereth.

١٣ 13 هَكَذَا سُبُلُ كُلِّ ٱلنَّاسِينَ ٱللهَ، وَرَجَاءُ ٱلْفَاجِرِ يَخِيبُ،

So [are] the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane doth perish,

١٤ 14 فَيَنْقَطِعُ ٱعْتِمَادُهُ، وَمُتَّكَلُهُ بَيْتُ ٱلْعَنْكَبُوتِ!

Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.

١٥ 15 يَسْتَنِدُ إِلَى بَيْتِهِ فَلَا يَثْبُتُ. يَتَمَسَّكُ بِهِ فَلَا يَقُومُ.

He leaneth on his house — and it standeth not: He taketh hold on it — and it abideth not.

١٦ 16 هُوَ رَطْبٌ تُجَاهَ ٱلشَّمْسِ وَعَلَى جَنَّتِهِ تَنْبُتُ خَرَاعِيبُهُ.

Green he [is] before the sun, And over his garden his branch goeth out.

١٧ 17 وَأُصُولُهُ مُشْتَبِكَةٌ فِي ٱلرُّجْمَةِ، فَتَرَى مَحَلَّ ٱلْحِجَارَةِ.

By a heap his roots are wrapped, A house of stones he looketh for.

١٨ 18 إِنِ ٱقْتَلَعَهُ مِنْ مَكَانِهِ، يَجْحَدُهُ قَائِلًا: مَا رَأَيْتُكَ!

If [one] doth destroy him from his place, Then it hath feigned concerning him, I have not seen thee!

١٩ 19 هَذَا هُوَ فَرَحُ طَرِيقِهِ، وَمِنَ ٱلتُّرَابِ يَنْبُتُ آخَرُ.

Lo, this [is] the joy of his way, And from the dust others spring up.'

٢٠ 20 «هُوَذَا ٱللهُ لَا يَرْفُضُ ٱلْكَامِلَ، وَلَا يَأْخُذُ بِيَدِ فَاعِلِي ٱلشَّرِّ.

Lo, God doth not reject the perfect, Nor taketh hold on the hand of evil doers.

٢١ 21 عِنْدَمَا يَمْلَأُ فَاكَ ضَحِكًا، وَشَفَتَيْكَ هُتَافًا،

While he filleth with laughter thy mouth, And thy lips with shouting,

٢٢ 22 يَلْبَسُ مُبْغِضُوكَ خِزْيًا، أَمَّا خَيْمَةُ ٱلْأَشْرَارِ فَلَا تَكُونُ».

Those hating thee do put on shame, And the tent of the wicked is not!