Job 22
1 Saa tog Temaniten Elifaz til Orde og sagde:
Then answered Eliphaz the Themanite, and said,
2 Gavner et Menneske Gud? Nej, den kloge gavner sig selv.
Can a man be serviceable unto God? Truly the intelligent is serviceable unto himself.
3 Har den Almægtige godt af din Retfærd, Vinding af, at din Vandel er ret?
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous? or is it any gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?
4 Revser han dig for din Gudsfrygt? Eller gaar han i Rette med dig derfor?
Is it out of fear of thee that he will reproach thee? or go with thee into judgment?
5 Er ikke din Ondskab stor og din Brøde uden Ende?
Is not thy evil great? and no end to thy iniquities?
6 Thi du pantede Brødre uden Grund, trak Klæderne af de nøgne,
For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brothers for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 gav ikke den trætte Vand at drikke og nægted den sultne Brød.
Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and from the hungry thou hast withholden bread.
8 Den mægtige — hans var Landet, den hædrede boede der.
But as for the man of a strong arm, he obtained the land, and the highly honored could dwell therein.
9 Du lod Enker gaa tomhændet bort, knuste de faderløses Arme.
Widows hast thou sent away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10 Derfor var der Snarer omkring dig, og Rædsel ængsted dig brat.
Therefore are snares round about thee, and sudden dread terrifieth thee.
11 Dit Lys blev Mørke, du kan ej se, og Strømme af Vand gaar over dig!
Or seest thou not the darkness? and the abundance of water which covereth thee?
12 Er Gud ej i højen Himmel? Se Stjernernes Tinde, hvor højt de staar!
Is not God in the height of heaven? and beholding the highest elevation of the stars, however high they are?
13 Dog siger du: »Hvad ved Gud, holder han Dom bag sorten Sky?
But thou sayest, “What doth God know? can he judge behind the darkness?
14 Skyerne skjuler ham, saa han ej ser, paa Himlens Runding gaar han!«
Thick clouds are a covering for him, so that he will not see; and he walketh along on the circle of heaven.”
15 Vil du følge Fortidens Sti, som Urettens Mænd betraadte,
Wilt thou [thus] observe the path of ancient times which the men of injustice have trodden?
16 de, som i Utide reves bort, hvis Grundvold flød bort som en Strøm,
Who were shrivelled up before their time, whose foundation was flooded away like a river;
17 som sagde til Gud: »Gaa fra os! Hvad kan den Almægtige gøre os?«
Who said unto God, “'Depart from us:” and what wrought the Almighty for them?
18 Og han havde dog fyldt deres Huse med godt. Men de gudløses Raad er ham fjernt.
And yet it was he that filled their houses with good things; but the counsel of the wicked be [still] far from me.
19 De retfærdige saa det og glædede sig, den uskyldige spottede dem:
The righteous will see it, and be glad; and the innocent will laugh them to scorn.
20 For vist, vore Fjender forgik, og Ild fortæred de sidste af dem.
“Is not he destroyed that rose up against us, and hath not the fire consumed what they had left?”
21 Bliv Ven med ham og hold Fred, derved vil der times dig Lykke;
Do but become acquainted with him, and be at peace: thereby will happiness come unto thee.
22 tag dog mod Lærdom af ham og læg dig hans Ord paa Sinde!
Do but accept instruction from his mouth, and lay up his saying in thy heart.
23 Vender du ydmygt om til den Almægtige, fjerner du Uretten fra dit Telt,
If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, so thou wilt but remove wrong-doing far away from thy tents.
24 kaster du Guldet paa Jorden, Ofirguldet blandt Bækkenes Sten,
And throw down in the dust precious metals, and [the gold of] Ophir to the stones of the brooks:
25 saa den Almægtige bliver dit Guld, hans Lov dit Sølv,
Then will the Almighty be thy precious metal, and brightly-shining silver unto thee.
26 ja, da skal du fryde dig over den Almægtige og løfte dit Aasyn til Gud.
For then wilt thou have in the Almighty thy delight, and thou canst lift up unto God thy face.
27 Beder du til ham, hører han dig, indfri kan du, hvad du har lovet;
Thou wilt make entreaty unto him, and he will hear thee, and thy vows wilt thou pay.
28 hvad du sætter dig for, det lykkes, det lysner paa dine Veje;
And if thou decree a thing, it will be fulfilled unto thee; and upon thy ways the light will shine.
29 thi stolte, hovmodige ydmyger han, men hjælper den, der slaar Øjnene ned;
For when men are brought low, thou wilt say, Pride [hath done it]; but those of lowly eyes [God] will help.
30 han frelser uskyldig Mand; det sker ved hans Hænders Renhed!
He will even deliver him who is not guiltless: and thou wilt be delivered by the purity of thy hands.
