Job 21
1 Job antwoordde, en sprak:
Then Job replied,
2 Luistert aandachtig naar wat ik ga zeggen; En dat uw troost zich daartoe bepale!
“Listen to what I say, all [three] of you; that is the only thing that you can do that will comfort me.
3 Laat mij uitspreken op mijn beurt, Wanneer ik klaar ben, kunt ge spotten!
Be patient with me, and allow me to speak. Then, after I am finished speaking, you can continue to make fun of me.
4 Heb ik me soms over mensen beklaagd, Of heb ik geen grond, om mismoedig te zijn?
“It is certainly not [RHQ] people against whom I am complaining, [but God] And it is certainly [RHQ] right for me to be impatient!
5 Ziet mij aan, en staat verstomd, En legt uw hand op de mond!
Look at me! Does what you see not cause you to be appalled and to put your hands over your mouths [and say no more]?
6 Wanneer ik er aan denk, sta ik verbijsterd, En huivert mijn vlees:
When I think about [what has happened to me], I am frightened and my entire body shakes.
7 "Waarom blijven de bozen in leven Worden zij oud en groeien in kracht?"
“[But let me ask this: ] ‘Why do wicked people continue to live, and become prosperous, and not die until they are very old?’
8 Hun kroost gedijt voor hun aanschijn, Hun geslacht houdt stand voor hun ogen;
They have their children around them, and they watch them while they [grow up and] start to live in their own houses, and they enjoy their grandchildren.
9 Hun huizen zijn veilig en zonder vrees, Gods roede valt er niet op neer.
Wicked people live in their own houses without being afraid, and God does not punish [MTY] them.
10 Hun stier bespringt en bevrucht, Hun koeien kalven en hebben geen misdracht;
Their bulls always mate with the cows successfully, and the cows give birth to calves and never miscarry.
11 Als een kudde laten ze hun jongens naar buiten, En hun kinderen springen rond.
Wicked people send their young children outside [to play], and the children play [happily] like [SIM] lambs [in a pasture].
12 Ze zingen bij pauken en citer, Vermaken zich bij de tonen der fluit;
Some children dance and sing, while others shake tambourines and play lyres, and they are happy when they hear people playing flutes.
Wicked people enjoy having good things all the time that they are alive, and they die quietly/peacefully and go down to the place of the dead. (Sheol h7585)
14 Toch zeggen ze tot God: Blijf verre van ons, We willen uw wegen niet kennen!
While they are alive, they say to God, ‘Do not bother us; we do not want to know how you want us to conduct our lives!
15 Wat is de Almachtige, dat we Hem zouden dienen; Wat baat het ons, te smeken tot Hem?
Why do you, Almighty God, think that we should serve you? (What advantage do we get if we pray to you?/It is useless for us to pray to you.) [RHQ]’
16 Ligt hun geluk niet in hun eigen hand, Bemoeit Hij Zich wel met de plannen der bozen?
Think about it: Wicked people think that it is because of what they have done that they have become prosperous, but I do not understand why they think like that.
17 Hoe dikwijls gaat de lamp der bozen wel uit, En stort er rampspoed op hen neer? Hoe dikwijls vernielt Hij de slechten in zijn toorn, Grijpen de weeën hen aan in zijn gramschap;
(“How often does it happen that wicked people die [MET] before they are old?/Very seldom do wicked people die [MET] before they are old.) [RHQ] (Do they ever experience disasters?/They seldom experience disasters.) [RHQ] (Does God ever punish them because of being very angry with them?/God never punishes them because of being very angry with them.) [RHQ]
18 Worden zij als stro voor de wind, Als kaf, opgejaagd door de storm?
[He does not blow] them away like wind blows away straw; they are never carried off by a whirlwind.
19 Gij zegt: God wreekt zijn misdaad op zijn kinderen, En zal hem zo zijn wraak laten voelen!
You say, ‘When people have committed sins, God waits and punishes their children because of those sins;’ but [I say that] God should punish those who sin, [not their children, ] in order that the sinners will know [that it is because of their own sins that they are being punished].
20 Maar zijn eigen ogen moesten zijn rampspoed aanschouwen, Zelf moest hij de toorn van den Almachtige drinken!
I hope/wish that wicked people will experience themselves being destroyed, that they will experience being punished by an angry Almighty God.
21 Want wat bekommert hij zich om zijn gezin na zijn dood, Wanneer het getal zijner maanden ten einde is?
After wicked people are dead, they are not at all concerned [RHQ] about what happens to their families [MTY].
22 Zou men soms God de les willen lezen, Hij, die de hemelingen richt?
“Since God judges [everyone, ] even those that are in heaven, (who can teach God anything?/certainly no one can teach God anything.) [RHQ]
23 En de een gaat dood, geheel voldaan, Volkomen gelukkig en rustig,
Some people die while they are very healthy, while they are peaceful, when they are not afraid of anything.
24 Zijn lenden vol vet, Het merg in zijn beenderen nog fris.
Their bodies are fat; their bones are strong.
25 De ander sterft met een verbitterd gemoed, Zonder ooit het geluk te hebben gesmaakt!
Other people die being very miserable; they have never experienced good things happening to them.
26 Tezamen liggen ze neer in het stof, Door de wormen bedekt!
But both rich and poor people die and are buried, and maggots eat their bodies. [Everyone dies, so it is clear that dying is not always the punishment for being wicked].
27 Zeker, ik ken uw gedachten, En de bedenkingen, die gij tegen mij aanvoert;
“Listen, I know what you [three] are thinking. I know the evil things that you plan to do to me.
28 Gij zegt: "Waar is het huis van den tyran, Waar de tent, waar de bozen in wonen?"
You say, ‘What happened to the tents in which wicked people were living? The houses of evil rulers have been destroyed!’
29 Hebt gij de reizigers dan nooit ondervraagd, Of aanvaardt gij hun getuigenis niet:
But have you never inquired of people who travel much? Do you not believe their reports about what they have seen,
30 "De boze blijft gespaard op de dag van verderf, En ontsnapt op de dag van de gramschap!"
that wicked people usually do not suffer at the time when there are great disasters; that wicked people are the ones who are rescued when God is angry [and punishes people] [MTY]?
31 Wie houdt hem zijn wandel voor ogen, Wie zet hem betaald wat hij deed?
There is no one [RHQ] who accuses wicked people, and there is no one who (pays them back/gives them the punishment that they deserve) for all the evil things that they have done.
32 Hij wordt ten grave gedragen, En een tombe houdt er de wacht.
The corpses of wicked people are carried to their graves, and people are put there to guard those graves.
33 Zacht ligt hij neer Op de kluiten in het dal; Heel de wereld trekt achter hem aan, Talloos velen lopen uit voor zijn stoet.
A huge number [HYP] of people go to the grave site. Some go in front of the procession and some come behind. And the clods of dirt thrown on the graves of those wicked people who have died are like a nice blanket.
34 Wat is uw vertroosting dus schraal, Uw antwoord anders dan leugens!
“So how can you console me by talking nonsense? Every reply that you make is full of lies!”
