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.
Ngoba isibili lingabantu, lenhlakanipho izakufa 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.
Lami ngilengqondo njengani, kangiphansi kulani. Njalo ngubani ongelazo izinto ezinje?
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.
Ngiyinhlekisa kumngane wami, obiza kuNkulunkulu amphendule; olungileyo oqondileyo uyinhlekisa.
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.
Uyisibane esidelelekayo emnakanweni wowonwabileyo; ulungele ukutshelela ngonyawo.
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 abaphangi alokuthula, labamthukuthelisayo uNkulunkulu bavikelekile, kulowo oletha uNkulunkulu esandleni sakhe.
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-ke buza khathesi inyamazana, zizakufundisa, lenyoni zamazulu, 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, lenhlanzi zolwandle zizakulandisela.
9 All of them certainly know [RHQ] that it is Yahweh who has made them with his hands.
Ngubani ongaziyo phakathi kwakho konke lokhu ukuthi isandla sikaJehova sikwenzile lokhu?
10 He directs the lives of all living creatures; he gives breath to all [us] humans [to enable us to remain alive].
Okusesandleni sakhe umphefumulo wakho konke okuphilayo, lomoya wayo yonke inyama yomuntu.
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 kayihloli yini amazwi, njengolwanga luzinambithela ukudla?
12 Old people are [often] very wise, and because of having lived many years, they understand much,
Kwabadala kakhulu kulenhlakanipho, lebudeni bezinsuku kulokuqedisisa.
13 but God is wise and very powerful; he has good sense and understands [everything].
Kuye kukhona inhlakanipho lamandla, uleseluleko lokuqedisisa.
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].
Khangela, udiliza, kungabe kusakhiwa; uvalela umuntu, kungabe kusavulwa.
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.
Khangela, uvimbela amanzi, atshe; abesewathuma, agenqule umhlaba.
16 He is the one who is truly strong and wise; he rules over those who deceive others and those whom they deceive.
Kuye kukhona amandla lenhlakanipho; okhohlisiweyo lomkhohlisi bangabakhe.
17 He [sometimes] causes [the king’s] officials to no longer be wise, and he causes judges to become foolish.
Ukhupha abeluleki bahambe behlutshulwe, enze abehluleli babe yizithutha.
18 He takes from kings the robes that they wear and puts loincloths around their waists, [causing them to become slaves].
Uthukulula isibopho samakhosi, abophe umbhinco enkalweni zawo.
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.
Ukhupha abapristi bahambe behlutshulwe, awise abalamandla.
20 He [sometimes] causes those whom others trust to be unable to speak, and he causes old men to no longer have good sense.
Uphambula inkulumo yabathembekileyo, asuse ukuqedisisa kwabasebekhulile.
21 He causes those who have authority to be despised, and he causes those who are powerful to no longer have any power/strength.
Uthela ukudelela phezu kweziphathamandla, axegise umbhinco wabalamandla.
22 He causes things that are hidden in the darkness to be revealed.
Wembula izinto ezijulileyo ezisemnyameni, akhuphele ekukhanyeni ithunzi lokufa.
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.
Enze izizwe zibe zinkulu, abesezichitha; andise izizwe, abesezisusa.
24 He causes [some] rulers to become foolish/stupid, and then he causes them to wander around, lost, in an barren desert.
Ususa inhliziyo yenhloko zabantu bomhlaba, aziduhise enkangala engelandlela.
25 They grope around in the darkness, without any light, and he causes them to stagger like [SIM] people who are drunk.”
Ziphumputhe emnyameni kungelakukhanya, uzenza zidiyazele njengodakiweyo.
