< Job 4 >

1 Da svarede Elifas, Themaniten, og sagde:
Then Eliphaz the Thaemanite answered and said,
2 Om man vilde forsøge et Ord paa dig, skulde du vel kedes derved? men hvo kan holde sig fra at tale?
Hast you been often spoken to in distress? but who shall endure the force of your words?
3 Se, du har undervist mange og styrket de trætte Hænder;
For whereas you have instructed many, and have strengthened the hands of the weak one,
4 dine Ord have oprejst den faldne, og du har styrket de bøjede Knæ;
and have supported the failing with words, and have imparted courage to feeble knees.
5 men nu, det kommer til dig, da kedes du derved; det rammer dig, og du forfærdes!
Yet now [that] pain has come upon you, and touched you, you are troubled.
6 Var ikke din Gudsfrygt dit Haab og dine Vejes Renhed din Fortrøstning?
Is not your fear [founded] in folly, your hope also, and the mischief of your way?
7 Kære, tænk dig om, hvor er en uskyldig gaaet til Grunde? eller hvor ere de oprigtige udslettede?
Remember then who has perished, being pure? or when were the true-hearted utterly destroyed?
8 Saa vidt jeg har set, komme de, som pløje Uret, og de, som udsaa Møje, til at høste ind derefter:
Accordingly as I have seen men plowing barren places, and they that sow them will reap sorrows for themselves.
9 De omkomme for Guds Aande og fortæres af hans Vredes Aand.
They shall perish by the command of the Lord, and shall be utterly consumed by the breath of his wrath.
10 Løvens Brøl og den grumme Løves Røst hører op, og de unge Løvers Tænder ere knuste;
The strength of the lion, and the voice of the lioness, and the exulting cry of serpents are quenched.
11 Løven omkommer af Mangel paa Rov, og Løvindens Unger adspredes.
The old lion has perished for lack of food, and the lions' whelps have forsaken one another.
12 Men mig er et Ord tilbragt hemmeligt, og mit Øre fattede en sagte Lyd deraf
But if there had been any truth in your words, none of these evils would have befallen you. Shall not mine ear receive excellent [revelations] from him?
13 i Tanker, fremkaldte ved Syner om Natten, naar dyb Søvn falder paa Folk;
But [as when] terror falls upon men, with dread and a sound in the night,
14 da kom Frygt og Bævelse paa mig og bragte mine Ben til at skælve;
horror and trembling seized me, and caused all my bones greatly to shake.
15 og en Aand gik frem for mit Ansigt; Haarene rejste sig paa mit Legeme;
And a spirit came before my face; and my hair and flesh quivered.
16 den blev staaende, og jeg kunde ikke kende dens Skikkelse; der svævede et Billede for mine Øjne; det var stille, og jeg hørte en Røst:
I arose and perceived it not: I looked, and there, was no form before my eyes: but I only heard a breath and a voice, [saying],
17 Mon et Menneske kan holdes retfærdigt for Gud? monne en Mand være ren for den, som skabte ham?
What, shall a mortal be pure before the Lord? or a man be blameless in regard to his works?
18 Se, han tror ikke paa sine Tjenere, og sine Engle tillægger han Daarskab,
Whereas he trust not in his servants, and perceives perverseness in his angels.
19 endsige da dem, som bo i Lerhuse, og hvis Grundvold er i Støvet; man kan støde dem smaa før Møl;
But [as for] them that dwell in houses of clay, of whom we also are formed of the same clay, he smites them like a moth.
20 fra Morgen og indtil Aften sønderknuses de; uden at der er nogen, som lægger det paa Hjerte, gaa de til Grunde.
And from the morning to evening they no longer exist: they have perished, because they can’t help themselves.
21 Farer ikke deres Herlighed, som var i dem, bort? ja, de dø, men ikke i Visdom.
For he blows upon them, and they are withered: they have perished for lack of wisdom.

< Job 4 >