Job 21
1 Then Job answered:
Saa tog Job til Orde og svarede:
2 “Listen carefully to my words; let this be your consolation to me.
Hør dog, hør mine Ord, lad det være Trøsten, I giver!
3 Bear with me while I speak; then, after I have spoken, you may go on mocking.
Find jer nu i, at jeg taler, siden kan I jo haane!
4 Is my complaint against a man? Then why should I not be impatient?
Gælder min Klage Mennesker? Hvi skulde jeg ej være utaalmodig?
5 Look at me and be appalled; put your hand over your mouth.
Vend jer til mig og stivn af Rædsel, læg Haand paa Mund!
6 When I remember, terror takes hold, and my body trembles in horror.
Jeg gruer, naar jeg tænker derpaa, mit Legeme gribes af Skælven:
7 Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power?
De gudløse, hvorfor lever de, bliver gamle, ja vokser i Kraft?
8 Their descendants are established around them, and their offspring before their eyes.
Deres Æt har de blivende hos sig, deres Afkom for deres Øjne;
9 Their homes are safe from fear; no rod of punishment from God is upon them.
deres Huse er sikre mod Rædsler, Guds Svøbe rammer dem ikke;
10 Their bulls breed without fail; their cows bear calves and do not miscarry.
ej springer deres Tyr forgæves, Koen kælver, den kaster ikke;
11 They send forth their little ones like a flock; their children skip about,
de slipper deres Drenge ud som Faar, deres Børneflok boltrer sig ret;
12 singing to the tambourine and lyre and making merry at the sound of the flute.
de synger til Pauke og Citer, er glade til Fløjtens Toner;
de lever deres Dage i Lykke og synker med Fred i Dødsriget, (Sheol h7585)
14 Yet they say to God: ‘Leave us alone! For we have no desire to know Your ways.
skønt de siger til Gud: »Gaa fra os, at kende dine Veje er ikke vor Lyst!
15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, and what would we gain if we pray to Him?’
Den Almægtige? Hvad han? Skal vi tjene ham? Hvad Gavn at banke paa hos ham?«
16 Still, their prosperity is not in their own hands, so I stay far from the counsel of the wicked.
Er ej deres Lykke i deres Haand og gudløses Raad ham fjernt?
17 How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come upon them? Does God, in His anger, apportion destruction?
Naar gaar de gudløses Lampe ud og naar kommer Ulykken over dem? Naar deler han Loddet ud i sin Vrede,
18 Are they like straw before the wind, like chaff swept away by a storm?
saa de bliver som Straa for Vinden, som Avner, Storm fører bort?
19 It is said that God lays up one’s punishment for his children. Let God repay the man himself, so he will know it.
Gemmer Gud hans Ulykkeslod til hans Børn? Ham selv gengælde han, saa han mærker det,
20 Let his eyes see his own destruction; let him drink for himself the wrath of the Almighty.
lad ham selv faa sit Vanheld at se, den Almægtiges Vrede at drikke!
21 For what does he care about his household after him, when the number of his months has run out?
Thi hvad bryder han sig siden om sit Hus, naar hans Maaneders Tal er udrundet?
22 Can anyone teach knowledge to God, since He judges those on high?
Kan man vel tage Gud i Skole, ham, som dømmer de højeste Væsner?
23 One man dies full of vigor, completely secure and at ease.
En dør jo paa Lykkens Tinde, helt tryg og saa helt uden Sorger:
24 His body is well nourished, and his bones are rich with marrow.
hans Spande er fulde af Mælk, hans Knogler af saftig Marv;
25 Yet another man dies in the bitterness of his soul, having never tasted prosperity.
med bitter Sjæl dør en anden og har aldrig nydt nogen Lykke;
26 But together they lie down in the dust, and worms cover them both.
de lægger sig begge i Jorden, og begge dækkes af Orme!
27 Behold, I know your thoughts full well, the schemes by which you would wrong me.
Se, jeg kender saa vel eders Tanker og de Rænker, I spinder imod mig,
28 For you say, ‘Where now is the nobleman’s house, and where are the tents in which the wicked dwell?’
naar I siger: »Hvor er Stormandens Hus og det Telt, hvor de gudløse bor?«
29 Have you never asked those who travel the roads? Do you not accept their reports?
Har I aldrig spurgt de berejste og godkendt deres Beviser:
30 Indeed, the evil man is spared from the day of calamity, delivered from the day of wrath.
Den onde skaanes paa Ulykkens Dag og frelses paa Vredens Dag.
31 Who denounces his behavior to his face? Who repays him for what he has done?
Hvem foreholder ham vel hans Færd, gengælder ham, hvad han gør?
32 He is carried to the grave, and watch is kept over his tomb.
Til Graven bæres han hen, ved hans Gravhøj holdes der Vagt;
33 The clods of the valley are sweet to him; everyone follows behind him, and those before him are without number.
i Dalbunden hviler han sødt, Alverden følger saa efter, en Flok uden Tal gik forud for ham.
34 So how can you comfort me with empty words? For your answers remain full of falsehood.”
Hvor tom er den Trøst, som I giver! Eders Svar — kun Svig er tilbage!
