Job 16

1 Job replied [to Eliphaz and the others: ]

Afei Hiob buaeɛ sɛ,

2 “I have heard things like that before; all of you, [instead of helping me, ] are only causing me to feel more miserable.

“Mate nsɛm bebree a ɛte sɛ yeinom; na mo nyinaa moyɛ gyamserefoɔ!

3 Will your speeches, which are only hot air, never end [RHQ]? Eliphaz, what bothers/irritates you so much that you continue replying to me?

Mo kasa tentene no mma awieeɛ anaa? Ɛdeɛn na ɛha mo enti a mogu so redi anobaabaeɛ yi?

4 If it were you [three and not I] who were suffering, I could say the things that you are saying; I could make great speeches [to criticize/condemn you], and I could shake my head at you [to ridicule you].

Sɛ mo na mowɔ me tebea yi mu a, anka me nso mɛtumi akasa sɛ mo; anka mɛtumi akeka nsɛm a ɛyɛ dɛ atia mo na mabu mo animtiaa.

5 But, [unlike all of you, ] with what I said [MTY] I would encourage you and try to cause your pain to be less.

Nanso, anka mɛhyɛ mo den; anka awerɛkyekyerɛ nsɛm a ɛbɛfiri mʼanomu no bɛma mo ahotɔ.

6 “But now, if I talk, my pain does not decrease, and if I am silent, my pain still certainly does not [RHQ] go away.

“Nanso sɛ mekasa a, ɔyea a mete no remmoto; na sɛ mankasa nso a, ɛrennyae.

7 God has now taken away all my strength, and he has destroyed my family.

Ao Onyankopɔn, ampa ara woama mabrɛ; woasɛe me fie pasaa.

8 He has shriveled me up, and people think that shows that I [am a sinner]. And people see that I am only skin and bones, and they think that proves that I [am guilty].

Woakyekyere me, ma abɛyɛ adansedie; me so teɛ ara na ɛreteɛ, na ɛdi adanseɛ tia me.

9 Because God is very angry with me and hates me, [it is as though he is a wild animal that] [MET] has gnashed his teeth at me because he is my enemy.

Onyankopɔn to hyɛ me so tete me wɔ nʼabufuo mu na ɔtwɛre ne se gu me so; deɛ ɔne me anya no pɔkyere nʼani hwɛ me.

10 People gape/stare at me with their mouths open [to sneer at me]; they have struck me on the face/cheek to ridicule me, and they crowd around me to threaten me.

Nnipa bue wɔn ano di me ho fɛw; wɔbɔ me sotorɔ de bu me animtiaa na wɔka wɔn ho bɔ mu de tia me.

11 [It is as though] God has handed me over to ungodly people and turned me over to the wicked [DOU].

Onyankopɔn de me ama abɔnefoɔ. Wato me atwene amumuyɛfoɔ nsam.

12 Previously, I was living peacefully, but he crushed me; [it is as though] he grabbed my neck and smashed me to pieces. [It is as though] [MET] he set me up like a target;

Na biribiara kɔ yie ma me, nanso ɔdwerɛɛ me; ɔsɔɔ me kɔn mu, too me hwee hɔ. Ɔde me asi nʼani so;

13 people are surrounding me [and shooting arrows at me]. His arrows pierce my kidneys and cause the bile [from my liver] to spill onto the ground, and God does not pity me at all.

nʼagyantofoɔ atwa me ho ahyia, ɔhwiree me sawa mu a wanhunu me mmɔbɔ maa me bɔnwoma pete guu fam.

14 [It is as though] [MET] I am a wall that he is breaking through; he rushes at me like [SIM] a soldier [attacking his enemies].

Ɔba me so ɛberɛ biara; na ɔto hyɛ me so sɛ ɔkofoɔ.

15 [“Because I am mourning, ] I wear pieces of rough cloth that I have sewed together, and I sit [here] in the dirt, very depressed/discouraged.

“Mapam ayitoma akata me wedeɛ so na masie mʼanintɔn wɔ mfuturo mu.

16 My face is red because I have cried very much, and there are dark circles around my eyes.

Agyaadwotwa ama mʼani ayɛ kɔɔ; sunsum kabii atwa mʼani ho ahyia.

17 [All this has happened to me] even though I have not acted violently [toward anyone], and I [always] pray sincerely/honestly [to God].

Nanso, me nsa nyɛɛ basabasayɛ biara na me mpaeɛbɔ yɛ kronn.

18 [When I die, ] I want the ground [APO] to [act as though I had been murdered and] cry out against those who killed me, and I do not want anyone to stop me while I am demanding [that God act justly toward] me.

“Ao asase, nkata me mogya so; na mma wɔnsie me sufrɛ!

19 But even now, [I know that] there is someone in heaven who will testify for me, and he will say that what I have done is right.

Seesei mpo, me danseni wɔ soro; Me ɔkamafoɔ wɔ soro hɔ.

20 My [three] friends scorn/ridicule me, but my eyes are full of tears [while I cry out] to God.

Me ɔdimafoɔ yɛ mʼadamfo ɛberɛ a mesu gu Onyankopɔn soɔ yi;

21 I pray that [the] one [who knows what I have done] would come to plead with God for me like people plead for their friends.

ɔgyina onipa anan mu di ma no wɔ Onyankopɔn anim sɛdeɛ obi di ma nʼadamfo no.

22 [I say this because] within a few years [I will die]; I will walk along the [to the grave] from which I will never return.”

“Mfeɛ kakra bi akyi mɛtu kwan akɔ koransane.