Job 12
1 Then Job said [to his three friends],
Na Hiob buaa sɛ,
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.
“Ampa ara mone nnipa no, na mowu a na nyansa asa!
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.
Nanso mewɔ adwene sɛ mo ara na monnsene me. Hwan na ɔnnim saa nneɛma yi nyinaa?
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.
“Mayɛ aseredeɛ ama me nnamfonom, mefrɛɛ Onyankopɔn na ɔbuaeɛ. Mayɛ aseredeɛ tata, nanso metene, na me ho nni asɛm.
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.
Nnipa a wɔn ho tɔ wɔn bu amanehunu animtiaa sɛdeɛ wɔbu wɔn a wɔn nan rewatiri no awieeɛ animtiaa.
6 Bandits live peacefully, and no one threatens those who cause God to become angry; their own strength is the god [that they worship].
Wɔmmfa wɔn nsa nka akorɔmfoɔ ntomadan, na wɔn a wɔma Onyankopɔn bo fuo no wɔ banbɔ na Onyankopɔn bɔ deɛ ɔde ma wɔn ho ban.
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.
“Bisa mmoa no, na wɔbɛkyerɛ wo anaasɛ ewiem nnomaa no, na wɔbɛka akyerɛ wo
8 [If you could] ask the creatures [that crawl] on the ground, or the fish in the sea, they would tell you [about God].
anaasɛ kasa kyerɛ asase, na ɛbɛkyerɛ wo, anaasɛ ma ɛpo mu mpataa nka nkyerɛ wo.
9 All of them certainly know [RHQ] that it is Yahweh who has made them with his hands.
Wɔn nyinaa mu hwan na ɔnnim sɛ Awurade nsa na ayɛ yei.
10 He directs the lives of all living creatures; he gives breath to all [us] humans [to enable us to remain alive].
Ne nsam na abɔdeɛ nyinaa ahome wɔ ne adasamma nyinaa ahome.
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].
Aso nsɔ nsɛm nnhwɛ, sɛdeɛ tɛkrɛma ka aduane hwɛ no anaa?
12 Old people are [often] very wise, and because of having lived many years, they understand much,
Wɔnnya nyansa mfiri mpanin nkyɛn, na ɛnyɛ ɔnyinkyerɛ na ɛde nteaseɛ ba anaa?
13 but God is wise and very powerful; he has good sense and understands [everything].
“Nyansa ne tumi yɛ Onyankopɔn dea; afotuo ne nteaseɛ yɛ ne dea.
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].
Deɛ ɔbubu guo no, obiara rentumi nsi; deɛ ɔde no to nneduadan mu no, obiara rentumi nyi no.
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.
Sɛ ɔma osuo gyae tɔ a, asase no so yɛ wesee; sɛ ɔgyaa osutɔ mu a, ɛsɛe asase no.
16 He is the one who is truly strong and wise; he rules over those who deceive others and those whom they deceive.
Ahoɔden ne nkonimdie wɔ no osisifoɔ ne deɛ wɔsisi noɔ nso wɔ no.
17 He [sometimes] causes [the king’s] officials to no longer be wise, and he causes judges to become foolish.
Ɔpa afotufoɔ ho ntoma ma wɔkɔ na ɔma atemmufoɔ yɛ nkwasea.
18 He takes from kings the robes that they wear and puts loincloths around their waists, [causing them to become slaves].
Ɔworɔ ahemfo nkyehoma na ɔde abɔsoɔ bɔ wɔn asene.
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.
Ɔpa asɔfoɔ ho ntoma, na ɔtu nnipa a wɔn ase atim akyɛre gu.
20 He [sometimes] causes those whom others trust to be unable to speak, and he causes old men to no longer have good sense.
Ɔka afotufoɔ a wɔgye wɔn die no kasaboa hyɛ, na ɔgye mpanimfoɔ nhunumu.
21 He causes those who have authority to be despised, and he causes those who are powerful to no longer have any power/strength.
Ɔde animguaseɛ gu atitire so na ɔtintim gye ahoɔdenfoɔ nsam akodeɛ.
22 He causes things that are hidden in the darkness to be revealed.
Ɔda esum mu nneɛma a ahinta adi na ɔde esum kabii ba hann mu.
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.
Ɔyɛ aman akɛseɛ, na ɔsɛe wɔn; ɔtrɛ aman mu, na ɔhwete wɔn mu.
24 He causes [some] rulers to become foolish/stupid, and then he causes them to wander around, lost, in an barren desert.
Ɔgye ewiase akannifoɔ adwene firi wɔn nsam; na ɔma wɔkyinkyini asase wesee a ɛkwan nna soɔ so.
25 They grope around in the darkness, without any light, and he causes them to stagger like [SIM] people who are drunk.”
Wɔhwehwɛ wɔ esum mu a wɔnni kanea; na ɔma wɔtɔ ntintan sɛ asabofoɔ.
