Job 21
1 Job replied,
ὑπολαβὼν δὲ Ιωβ λέγει
2 “Please listen carefully to what I say—that would be one comfort you could give me.
ἀκούσατε ἀκούσατέ μου τῶν λόγων ἵνα μὴ ᾖ μοι παρ’ ὑμῶν αὕτη ἡ παράκλησις
3 Bear with me; let me speak. After I've spoken you can resume mocking me.
ἄρατέ με ἐγὼ δὲ λαλήσω εἶτ’ οὐ καταγελάσετέ μου
4 Am I complaining against people? Of course not. Why shouldn't I be impatient?
τί γάρ μὴ ἀνθρώπου μου ἡ ἔλεγξις ἢ διὰ τί οὐ θυμωθήσομαι
5 Just take a look at me. Aren't you appalled? Cover your mouth with your hand in shock!
εἰσβλέψαντες εἰς ἐμὲ θαυμάσατε χεῖρα θέντες ἐπὶ σιαγόνι
6 Every time I think of what's happened to me I am horrified and I shake all over with fear.
ἐάν τε γὰρ μνησθῶ ἐσπούδακα ἔχουσιν δέ μου τὰς σάρκας ὀδύναι
7 Why do the wicked continue to live, to grow old and increasingly powerful?
διὰ τί ἀσεβεῖς ζῶσιν πεπαλαίωνται δὲ καὶ ἐν πλούτῳ
8 Their children are with them; they watch their grandchildren grow up.
ὁ σπόρος αὐτῶν κατὰ ψυχήν τὰ δὲ τέκνα αὐτῶν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς
9 They live in their homes in safety—they are not afraid. God does not use his rod to beat them.
οἱ οἶκοι αὐτῶν εὐθηνοῦσιν φόβος δὲ οὐδαμοῦ μάστιξ δὲ παρὰ κυρίου οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς
10 Their bulls always breed successfully; their cows give birth to calves and do not miscarry.
ἡ βοῦς αὐτῶν οὐκ ὠμοτόκησεν διεσώθη δὲ αὐτῶν ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσα καὶ οὐκ ἔσφαλεν
11 They send out their little ones like lambs to play; their children dance around.
μένουσιν δὲ ὡς πρόβατα αἰώνια τὰ δὲ παιδία αὐτῶν προσπαίζουσιν
12 They sing accompanied by the tambourine and lyre; they celebrate with the music of the flute.
ἀναλαβόντες ψαλτήριον καὶ κιθάραν καὶ εὐφραίνονται φωνῇ ψαλμοῦ
συνετέλεσαν δὲ ἐν ἀγαθοῖς τὸν βίον αὐτῶν ἐν δὲ ἀναπαύσει ᾅδου ἐκοιμήθησαν (Sheol h7585)
14 Yet they tell God, ‘Get lost! We don't want anything to do with you.
λέγει δὲ κυρίῳ ἀπόστα ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ ὁδούς σου εἰδέναι οὐ βούλομαι
15 Who does the Almighty think he is for us to serve him as slaves? What benefit is there for us if we pray to him?’
τί ἱκανός ὅτι δουλεύσομεν αὐτῷ καὶ τίς ὠφέλεια ὅτι ἀπαντήσομεν αὐτῷ
16 Such people believe they make their own fortune, but I don't accept their way of thinking.
ἐν χερσὶν γὰρ ἦν αὐτῶν τὰ ἀγαθά ἔργα δὲ ἀσεβῶν οὐκ ἐφορᾷ
17 How often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out? How often does disaster come upon them? How often does God punish the wicked in his anger?
οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀσεβῶν λύχνος σβεσθήσεται ἐπελεύσεται δὲ αὐτοῖς ἡ καταστροφή ὠδῖνες δὲ αὐτοὺς ἕξουσιν ἀπὸ ὀργῆς
18 Are they blown along like straw in the wind? Does a tornado come in and carry them away?
ἔσονται δὲ ὥσπερ ἄχυρα πρὸ ἀνέμου ἢ ὥσπερ κονιορτός ὃν ὑφείλατο λαῖλαψ
19 Some say, ‘God saves up people's punishment for their children.’ But I say, ‘God should punish those people themselves so that they can learn from it.’
ἐκλίποι υἱοὺς τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ ἀνταποδώσει πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ γνώσεται
20 Let them see their destruction themselves, and drink deeply from God's anger.
ἴδοισαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σφαγήν ἀπὸ δὲ κυρίου μὴ διασωθείη
21 For they don't care what happens to their families once they're dead.
ὅτι τί θέλημα αὐτοῦ ἐν οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ μετ’ αὐτόν καὶ ἀριθμοὶ μηνῶν αὐτοῦ διῃρέθησαν
22 Can anyone teach God anything he doesn't already know, since he is the one who judges even heavenly beings?
πότερον οὐχὶ ὁ κύριός ἐστιν ὁ διδάσκων σύνεσιν καὶ ἐπιστήμην αὐτὸς δὲ φόνους διακρινεῖ
23 One person dies in good health, totally comfortable and secure.
οὗτος ἀποθανεῖται ἐν κράτει ἁπλοσύνης αὐτοῦ ὅλος δὲ εὐπαθῶν καὶ εὐθηνῶν
24 Their body is fat from eating well; their bones still strong.
τὰ δὲ ἔγκατα αὐτοῦ πλήρη στέατος μυελὸς δὲ αὐτοῦ διαχεῖται
25 Another dies after a miserable life without every experiencing happiness.
ὁ δὲ τελευτᾷ ὑπὸ πικρίας ψυχῆς οὐ φαγὼν οὐδὲν ἀγαθόν
26 Yet they are both buried in the same dust; they are treated alike in death, eaten by maggots.
ὁμοθυμαδὸν δὲ ἐπὶ γῆς κοιμῶνται σαπρία δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐκάλυψεν
27 Look, I know what you're thinking, and your schemes to do me wrong.
ὥστε οἶδα ὑμᾶς ὅτι τόλμῃ ἐπίκεισθέ μοι
28 You may ask me, ‘Where is the home of the great man? Where is the place where the wicked live?’
ὅτι ἐρεῖτε ποῦ ἐστιν οἶκος ἄρχοντος καὶ ποῦ ἐστιν ἡ σκέπη τῶν σκηνωμάτων τῶν ἀσεβῶν
29 Haven't you asked people who travel? Don't you pay attention to what they tell you?
ἐρωτήσατε παραπορευομένους ὁδόν καὶ τὰ σημεῖα αὐτῶν οὐκ ἀπαλλοτριώσετε
30 Wicked people are spared in times of disaster; they are rescued from the day of judgment.
ὅτι εἰς ἡμέραν ἀπωλείας κουφίζεται ὁ πονηρός εἰς ἡμέραν ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ ἀπαχθήσονται
31 Who confronts them with their actions? Who pays them back for what they have done?
τίς ἀπαγγελεῖ ἐπὶ προσώπου αὐτοῦ τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν τίς ἀνταποδώσει αὐτῷ
32 When they eventually die and are carried to the graveyard, their tomb is guarded. The earth of the grave softly covers them.
καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς τάφους ἀπηνέχθη καὶ ἐπὶ σορῷ ἠγρύπνησεν
33 Everyone attends their funeral service; a huge procession of people comes to pay their last respects.
ἐγλυκάνθησαν αὐτῷ χάλικες χειμάρρου καὶ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ἀπελεύσεται καὶ ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ ἀναρίθμητοι
34 Why do you try to comfort me with worthless nonsense? Your answers are just a pack of lies!”
πῶς δὲ παρακαλεῖτέ με κενά τὸ δὲ ἐμὲ καταπαύσασθαι ἀφ’ ὑμῶν οὐδέν
