Job 12
1 Then Job said [to his three friends],
Wasephendula uJobe wathi:
2 “You (talk as though/You think) [SAR] that you are the people [whom everyone should listen to], and that when you die, there will be no more wise people.
“Wo, lina yini elizibona kuyini abantu, njalo lolwazi luzakufa lani!
3 But I have as much good sense as you do; I am (not less wise than/certainly as wise as [LIT]) you. Certainly everyone knows [RHQ] all that you have said.
Kodwa lami ngilayo ingqondo njengani; kalingedluli ngalutho. Ngubani ongazaziyo izinto zonke lezi?
4 My friends all laugh at me now. Previously I habitually requested God to help me, and he answered/helped me. I am righteous, a very godly man [DOU], but everyone laughs at me.
Sengiyinto yokuhlekisa ebanganini bami, lanxa ngacela kuNkulunkulu waphendula, inhlekisa sibili, kodwa ngilungile, ngimsulwa!
5 Those [like you] who have no troubles make fun of me; they cause those [like me] who are already suffering to have more troubles.
Abantu abahlezi kuhle bayakweyisa ukwehlelwa ngumnyama, bathi kuyimfanelo yalabo onyawo zabo sezitshelela.
6 Bandits live peacefully, and no one threatens those who cause God to become angry; their own strength is the god [that they worship].
Amathente ezigebenga avikelekile, lalabo abamthukuthelisayo uNkulunkulu bavikelekile, uNkulunkulu ulabo ezandleni zakhe.
7 “But ask the wild animals [what they know about God], and [if they could speak] they would teach you. [If you could] ask the birds, they would tell you.
Kodwa ake ubuze izinyamazana, zizakufundisa, kumbe izinyoni zemoyeni, zizakutshela;
8 [If you could] ask the creatures [that crawl] on the ground, or the fish in the sea, they would tell you [about God].
kumbe khuluma lomhlaba, uzakufundisa, loba uthi inhlanzi zolwandle zikwazise.
9 All of them certainly know [RHQ] that it is Yahweh who has made them with his hands.
Yikuphi kwalezizinto okungaziyo na ukuthi yisandla sikaThixo esikwenzileyo lokhu?
10 He directs the lives of all living creatures; he gives breath to all [us] humans [to enable us to remain alive].
Esandleni sakhe kulempilo yazo zonke izidalwa lokuphefumula kwabantu bonke.
11 And when we [SYN] hear what other people [like you] say, we [RHQ] think carefully about what they say [to determine what is good and what is bad], like we [SYN] taste food [to determine what is good and what is bad].
Indlebe kayiwahloli yini wonke amazwi njengolimi lunambitha ukudla?
12 Old people are [often] very wise, and because of having lived many years, they understand much,
Angithi ukuhlakanipha kufunyanwa ebadaleni na? Angithi impilo ende iletha ukuzwisisa na?
13 but God is wise and very powerful; he has good sense and understands [everything].
NgokukaNkulunkulu ukuhlakanipha lamandla; ukweluleka lokuzwisisa kungokwakhe.
14 If he tears [something] down, no one can rebuild it; if he puts someone in prison, no one can open [the prison doors to allow that person to escape].
Lokho akubhidlizayo kungeke kwamiswa njalo; lowo amvalelayo ngeke avulelwe.
15 When he prevents rain from falling, everything dries up. When he causes a lot of rain to fall, [the result is that] there are floods.
Angaze awavale amanzi, kuba lokoma; angawavulela kuba lomonakalo elizweni.
16 He is the one who is truly strong and wise; he rules over those who deceive others and those whom they deceive.
Angawakhe amandla lenhlakanipho; okhohliswayo lomkhohlisi ngabakhe bonke.
17 He [sometimes] causes [the king’s] officials to no longer be wise, and he causes judges to become foolish.
Abeluleki uyabakhupha bahambe beze enze abehluleli babe yiziphukuphuku.
18 He takes from kings the robes that they wear and puts loincloths around their waists, [causing them to become slaves].
Uyanyomula izibopho ezibotshwe ngamakhosi azibophe ngelembu ekhalweni.
19 He takes from priests the sacred clothes that they wear, [with the result that they no longer can do their work], and takes power from those who rule others.
Abaphristi uyabakhupha beze awagenqule amadoda abesithi asegxilile.
20 He [sometimes] causes those whom others trust to be unable to speak, and he causes old men to no longer have good sense.
Uyazithulisa izindebe zabeluleki abathenjiweyo asuse ulwazi lwabadala.
21 He causes those who have authority to be despised, and he causes those who are powerful to no longer have any power/strength.
Izikhulu uzihleka usulu abalamandla abathathele lawomandla.
22 He causes things that are hidden in the darkness to be revealed.
Uyembula imfihlo ezenzeka emnyameni amathunzi azikileyo awalethe ekukhanyeni.
23 He causes some nations to become very great, and [later] he destroys them; he causes the territory of some nations to become much larger, and [later] he causes them to be defeated and their people to be scattered.
Wenza izizwe zikhule, abesezidiliza; uyaziqhelisa izizwe, aphinde azichithe.
24 He causes [some] rulers to become foolish/stupid, and then he causes them to wander around, lost, in an barren desert.
Abakhokheli basemhlabeni ubemuka ukuhlakanipha kwabo; ubenza bantule enkangala.
25 They grope around in the darkness, without any light, and he causes them to stagger like [SIM] people who are drunk.”
Bayaphumputha emnyameni kungelakukhanya; ubenza badiyazele njengezidakwa.”
