Job 34
1 Elihu mah,
Then Elihu continued:
2 nangcae palungha kaminawk, ka lok hae tahngai oh; panoekhaih tawn kaminawk, naa patueng oh.
“You [three] men who [think that you] [SAR] are very wise, hear me; listen to what I am saying, you men who [say that you] know so much.
3 Pakha mah caaknaek pataengh baktih toengah, naa mah ni lok to khingh.
When we [SYN] hear what other people [like you] say, we [RHQ] think carefully about what they say [to determine what is good and what is bad], like we [SYN] taste food [to determine what is good].
4 Toenghaih to qoi o si; aimacae han kahoih hmuen to panoek o si.
We need to decide [who is saying] what is right and to determine among ourselves what is good/best.
5 Job mah, Kai loe ka toeng, ka toenghaih Sithaw mah ang lak pae ving boeh.
Job has said, ‘I am innocent, but God has refused to judge me fairly/justly.
6 Kai loe ka toeng, toe amsawnlok thui kami ah ka oh, sakpazaehaih ka tawn ai, toe kahoih thai ai nathaih hoiah ka oh, tiah thuih.
Even though I have always done what is right, he is lying about me. Even though I have not done what is wrong, he has caused me to suffer, and I will certainly die.’
7 Job hoi anghmong kami mi maw kaom, kasaethuihaih to tui baktih kanae mi maw kaom?
(Is there any person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water?/There is no person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water.) [RHQ]
8 Anih loe kahoih ai hmuen sah kaminawk hoiah amyok moe, kasae kaminawk hoiah angkom.
He habitually associates with people who do what is evil and spends time with wicked people.
9 Sithaw nuiah anghoehaih mah kami han amekhaih tidoeh paek ai, tiah Job mah thuih.
He has said, ‘It is useless for people to try to please God.’
10 To pongah panoekhaih tawn kaminawk, ka lok hae tahngai oh; Sithaw loe hmuen kasae sah mak ai, Thacak Angraeng loe hmuen sakpazaehaih roe tawn mak ai.
“So, you men who [claim that you] understand everything, listen to me! Almighty God would never consider doing anything that is wicked or wrong [DOU]!
11 Kami mah sak ih hmuen baktih toengah Sithaw mah pathok, angmah ih tuinuen baktih toengah, a nuiah phaksak.
He (pays back/punishes) people for what they have done; he gives them what they deserve for the way that they have conducted their lives.
12 Ue, Sithaw loe natuek naa ah doeh kasae hmuen to sah mak ai; Thacak Angraeng loe toenghaih to paqoi ving mak ai.
Truly, Almighty God never does what is wicked; he always [LIT] does what is fair/just.
13 Mi mah maw anih to long khenzawnkung hoi long boih ukkung ah suek?
The authority that he has to rule everything on the earth, no one [RHQ] gave it to him; no one [RHQ] put him in control of the whole world. [He has always had that authority].
14 Kami nuiah Sithaw palungphui moe, angmah ih Muithla hoi a hinghaih takhi to la ving nahaeloe,
If he would take his spirit back to himself,
15 kaminawk loe nawnto anghma o boih tih, kami loe maiphu ah amlaem let tih.
everyone would die [immediately], and their corpses would soon become dirt again.
16 Vaihi panoekhaih na tawnh nahaeloe, khopoek ah; ka thuih ih lok hae tahngai ah.
“So, [Job], if [you say that you] understand everything, listen to what I am saying.
17 Toenghaih hnuma kami mah uk thai tih maw? Thacak toenghaih hoi lokcaekkung to kasae thui thai tih maw?
God could certainly not [RHQ] govern the world if he hated doing what is fair/just. So, will you condemn God, who is righteous and powerful, [saying that what he has done is wrong]?
18 Siangpahrang khaeah, Nang loe tidoeh avang ai, angraengnawk khaeah, Nangcae loe kahoih ai kami ni, tiah thui thai tih maw?
He tells [some] kings that they are worthless, and he says to [some] officials that they are wicked.
19 Toe anih loe angraengnawk ih mikhmai to khen ai, amtang kaminawk pongah loe angraeng kaminawk ni mikhmai paek kue, tiah om ai; nihcae loe Sithaw mah ni sak boih.
He does not favor rulers [more than he favors others]; he does not favor rich people more than poor people, because he created all of them.
20 Nihcae loe nawnetta ah duek o; kaminawk loe qum taning ah tasoeh o moe, laemh o boih; thacak kaminawk doeh kami ih ban hoi na ai ah laemh o boih.
People [often] die suddenly; he strikes them at midnight and they die; he even gets rid of mighty people without the help of any humans [SYN].
21 Sithaw mah loe kami caehhaih loklam to khet moe, a khok tangkannawk doeh hnuk boih.
“He sees [MTY] everything that people do; [when we walk, ] he watches every step that we take.
22 Zaehaih sah kaminawk anghawk ving thaihaih khoving hoi duekhaih tahlip to om ai.
There is no gloom or darkness [DOU] that is so dark that sinners can hide [from him] in that darkness.
23 Lokcaek hanah kami mah Sithaw hmaa ah caeh naah, anih mah kami lokcaekhaih ani to khaeh han angai ai.
God does not [need to] set a time when we will stand in front of him in order that he may judge us. [He can judge us whenever he wants to].
24 Lokduenghaih om ai ah thacak kaminawk to a vah phaeng moe, nihcae zuengah kalah kaminawk to a suek.
He destroys mighty people without [needing to] investigate [what they have done], and he appoints others to take their places.
25 Nihcae mah sak ih hmuennawk to anih mah panoek boih pongah, khovingsak moe, amrosak boih.
Because he [already] knows what they have done, he removes them at night and gets rid of them.
26 Nihcae loe angmacae sethaih baktih toengah minawk hmaa ah danpaek,
Where [many] people can see it, he strikes/punishes them because of the wicked things that they have done;
27 nihcae loe Sithaw to caeh o taak moe, anih ih loklamnawk to tiah doeh poek o ai;
he strikes them because they turned away from doing what he wanted them to do and did not pay attention to any of his commands.
28 to tiah sak o pongah amtang kaminawk qahhaih lok to Angraeng hmaa ah phak moe, pacaekthlaek kaminawk hanghaih lok to anih mah thaih.
They [mistreated] the poor people, with the result that those poor people cried out to God [for help], and he heard those afflicted people when they cried out [to him].
29 Toe Sithaw mah anghngai taak duem nahaeloe, mi mah maw raihaih paek thai tih, a mikhmai hawk ving nahaeloe, mi kawbaktih kami hoi prae kaminawk mah maw, anih to hnu thai tih?
But if God decides to do nothing [to punish wicked people], no one can criticize/condemn him. If a godless/wicked man rules a nation, a man who tricks/deceives the people,
30 To tiah kaminawk thaang pongah amansak han ai ah, Sithaw panoek ai kaminawk to danpaek.
and if [God] hides his face [with the result that he does not see that ruler or punish him], no one will be able to prevent that ruler [from doing those things].
31 Kami maeto mah Sithaw khaeah, Kai loe thuitaekhaih ka tongh boeh pongah, ka zae let mak ai boeh;
“Job, have you or anyone else ever said to God, ‘I have been punished [for my sins], and I will not sin any more;
32 ka hnu ai ih hmuen to na patuk ah; zaekhaih ka sakpazae boeh nahaeloe, zaehaih ka sah let mak ai boeh, tiah thuih han om ai maw.
so teach/show me what [sins I have committed]; if I have done anything that is evil, I will not do it any more’?
33 To hmuen loe na poekhaih baktiah maw om tih? Kai na ai ni, na pahnawt cadoeh, na qoih cadoeh, Sithaw mah pathok let tih, to pongah na panoek ih baktiah thui ah.
[Job, ] you object to what God has done to you, but do you think that he will do what you want him to do? It is you who must choose [what you say to God], not I; so tell me what you are thinking about this.
34 Panoekhaih tawn kaminawk mah kai han na thui o nasoe loe, palungha kaminawk mah ka lok hae tahngai o nasoe.
“People who have good sense, those who are wise and who listen to what I say, will say to me,
35 Job loe panoekhaih tawn ai ah lok to thuih; a thuih ih loknawk loe palunghahaih om ai.
‘Job is speaking ignorantly; what he says is nonsense.’
36 Job loe panoekhaih tawn ai kaminawk baktiah lokthuih pongah, anih to boeng khoek to tanoek han ka koeh.
I think that Job should be taken to a court and (put on trial/judged), because he answers [us his friends] like wicked men would answer.
37 Zaehaih sak khue na ai ah lokaekhaih doeh oh, aicae salakah ban to tabaeng moe, pop parai Sithaw kasae thuihaih lok to a thuih, tiah a naa.
To add to the [other] sins that he has committed, he is rebelling [against God]; he shows us that he does not respect God [IDM], making long speeches [saying that God has punished him unjustly].”
