Job 4
1 Saa tog Temaniten Elifaz til Orde og sagde:
Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2 Ærgrer det dig, om man taler til dig? Men hvem kan her være tavs?
“If one ventures a word with you, will you be wearied? Yet who can keep from speaking?
3 Du har selv talt mange til Rette og styrket de slappe Hænder,
Surely you have instructed many, and have strengthened their feeble hands.
4 dine Ord holdt den segnende oppe, vaklende Knæ gav du Kraft —
Your words have steadied those who stumbled; you have braced the knees that were buckling.
5 Men nu det gælder dig selv, saa taber du Modet, nu det rammer dig selv, er du slaget af Skræk!
But now trouble has come upon you, and you are weary. It strikes you, and you are dismayed.
6 Er ikke din Gudsfrygt din Tillid, din fromme Færd dit Haab?
Is your reverence not your confidence, and the uprightness of your ways your hope?
7 Tænk efter! Hvem gik uskyldig til Grunde, hvor gik retsindige under?
Consider now, I plead: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Or where have the upright been destroyed?
8 Men det har jeg set: Hvo Uret pløjer og saar Fortræd, de høster det selv.
As I have observed, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble reap the same.
9 For Guds Aand gaar de til Grunde, for hans Vredes Pust gaar de til.
By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of His anger they are consumed.
10 Løvens Brøl og Vilddyrets Glam Ungløvernes Tænder slaas ud;
The lion may roar, and the fierce lion may growl, yet the teeth of the young lions are broken.
11 Løven omkommer af Mangel paa Rov, og Løveungerne spredes.
The old lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
12 Der sneg sig til mig et Ord mit Øre opfanged dets Hvisken
Now a word came to me secretly; my ears caught a whisper of it.
13 i Nattesynernes Tanker, da Dvale sank over Mennesker;
In disquieting visions in the night, when deep sleep falls on men,
14 Angst og Skælven kom over mig, alle mine Ledemod skjalv;
fear and trembling came over me and made all my bones shudder.
15 et Pust strøg over mit Ansigt, Haarene rejste sig paa min Krop.
Then a spirit glided past my face, and the hair on my body bristled.
16 Saa stod det stille! Jeg sansed ikke, hvordan det saa ud; en Skikkelse stod for mit Øje, jeg hørte en hviskende Stemme:
It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance; a form loomed before my eyes, and I heard a whispering voice:
17 »Har et Menneske Ret for Gud, mon en Mand er ren for sin Skaber?
‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God, or a man more pure than his Maker?
18 End ikke sine Tjenere tror han, hos sine Engle finder han Fejl,
If God puts no trust in His servants, and He charges His angels with error,
19 endsige hos dem, der bor i en Hytte af Ler og har deres Grundvold i Støvet!
how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundations are in the dust, who can be crushed like a moth!
20 De knuses ligesom Møl, imellem Morgen og Aften, de sønderslaas uden at ænses, for evigt gaar de til Grunde.
They are smashed to pieces from dawn to dusk; unnoticed, they perish forever.
21 Rives ej deres Teltreb ud? De dør, men ikke i Visdom.
Are not their tent cords pulled up, so that they die without wisdom?’
