Job 21
1 Then Job replied,
Hiob ɖo nya ŋu nɛ be,
2 “Listen to what I say, all [three] of you; that is the only thing that you can do that will comfort me.
“Ɖo to nyuie nàse nye nyawo, esia nenye akɔfafa si nànam.
3 Be patient with me, and allow me to speak. Then, after I am finished speaking, you can continue to make fun of me.
Migbɔ dzi ɖi nam, ne maƒo nu eye ne meƒo nu vɔ la, miate ŋu ayi miaƒe alɔmeɖeɖe dzi.
4 “It is certainly not [RHQ] people against whom I am complaining, [but God] And it is certainly [RHQ] right for me to be impatient!
“Amegbetɔe mele konyi fam na? Nu ka ta nyemagbe dzigbɔɖeanyi o?
5 Look at me! Does what you see not cause you to be appalled and to put your hands over your mouths [and say no more]?
Mikpɔm ɖa, ne miaƒe mo nawɔ yaa eye miaƒu asi nu.
6 When I think about [what has happened to me], I am frightened and my entire body shakes.
Ne mebu nu sia ŋuti la ŋɔ dziam eye nye ameti blibo la medzona nyanyanya.
7 “[But let me ask this: ] ‘Why do wicked people continue to live, and become prosperous, and not die until they are very old?’
Nu ka ta ame vɔ̃ɖiwo nɔa agbe, tsina, kua amegã, eye woƒe ŋusẽ dzina ɖe edzi ɖo?
8 They have their children around them, and they watch them while they [grow up and] start to live in their own houses, and they enjoy their grandchildren.
Wonɔa agbe, kpɔa wo viwo lia ke heƒoa xlã wo eye woƒe dzidzimeviwo tsina le wo ŋkume.
9 Wicked people live in their own houses without being afraid, and God does not punish [MTY] them.
Woƒe aƒewo me le dedie, wovo tso vɔvɔ̃ ƒe asi me eye Mawu ƒe ameƒoti mevaa wo dzi o.
10 Their bulls always mate with the cows successfully, and the cows give birth to calves and never miscarry.
Woƒe nyitsuwo megbea asiyɔyɔ o, woƒe nyinɔwo dzia vi eye fu megena le wo ƒo o.
11 Wicked people send their young children outside [to play], and the children play [happily] like [SIM] lambs [in a pasture].
Woɖea wo viwo doa goe abe lãha ene eye wo vi suewo nɔa fefem henɔa ɣe ɖum.
12 Some children dance and sing, while others shake tambourines and play lyres, and they are happy when they hear people playing flutes.
Wodzia ha ɖe asiʋuiwo kple kasaŋkuwo ŋu eye wotua aglo ɖe kpẽ ƒe ɖiɖi ŋu.
13 Wicked people enjoy having good things all the time that they are alive, and they die quietly/peacefully and go down to the place of the dead. (Sheol h7585)
Woɖua woƒe ƒewo le dzidzedzekpɔkpɔ me eye woyia yɔ me le ŋutifafa me (Sheol h7585)
14 While they are alive, they say to God, ‘Do not bother us; we do not want to know how you want us to conduct our lives!
gake wogblɔna na Mawu be, ‘Ɖe asi le mía ŋu! Medzro mí be míanya wò mɔwo o.
15 Why do you, Almighty God, think that we should serve you? (What advantage do we get if we pray to you?/It is useless for us to pray to you.) [RHQ]’
Ame kae nye Ŋusẽkatãtɔ be míasubɔe? Viɖe ka míakpɔ ne míedo gbe ɖa nɛ?’
16 Think about it: Wicked people think that it is because of what they have done that they have become prosperous, but I do not understand why they think like that.
Evɔa woƒe dzidzedzekpɔkpɔ mele woawo ŋutɔ ƒe asi me o, eya ta menɔ adzɔge na ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ƒe aɖaŋudede.
17 (“How often does it happen that wicked people die [MET] before they are old?/Very seldom do wicked people die [MET] before they are old.) [RHQ] (Do they ever experience disasters?/They seldom experience disasters.) [RHQ] (Does God ever punish them because of being very angry with them?/God never punishes them because of being very angry with them.) [RHQ]
“Ke hã la, zi nenie ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ƒe akaɖi tsina? Zi nenie dzɔgbevɔ̃e dzɔna ɖe wo dzi, esi nye nu si Mawu ɖo ɖi na wo le eƒe dziku me?
18 [He does not blow] them away like wind blows away straw; they are never carried off by a whirlwind.
Zi nenie wole abe gbe ƒuƒu si ya lɔ ɖe nu alo atsa si ahom lɔ ɖe nu ene?
19 You say, ‘When people have committed sins, God waits and punishes their children because of those sins;’ but [I say that] God should punish those who sin, [not their children, ] in order that the sinners will know [that it is because of their own sins that they are being punished].
Wogblɔ be, ‘Mawu ɖo amegbetɔ ƒe tohehe ɖi na via ŋutsuwo.’ Anyo be wòahe to na amea ŋutɔ, ne wòanya nu si wònye!
20 I hope/wish that wicked people will experience themselves being destroyed, that they will experience being punished by an angry Almighty God.
Eya ŋutɔ ƒe ŋkuwo nekpɔ eƒe gbegblẽ, eye wòano Ŋusẽkatãtɔ la ƒe dɔmedzoekplu
21 After wicked people are dead, they are not at all concerned [RHQ] about what happens to their families [MTY].
elabena ɖe wòtsɔ ɖe le eme na ƒometɔ siwo wògblẽ ɖe megbe esi ɣleti siwo woɖo ɖi nɛ la wu nua?
22 “Since God judges [everyone, ] even those that are in heaven, (who can teach God anything?/certainly no one can teach God anything.) [RHQ]
“Ɖe ame aɖe ate ŋu afia gɔmesese Mawu, esi wònye eyae drɔ̃a ʋɔnu ame kɔkɔtɔ gɔ̃ hã?
23 Some people die while they are very healthy, while they are peaceful, when they are not afraid of anything.
Ame aɖe ku esi eƒe agbe ɖo vivime, wòle dedinɔnɔ me eye wòɖe dzi ɖi bɔkɔɔ,
24 Their bodies are fat; their bones are strong.
eƒe ŋutilã kpɔ nunyiame nyuitɔ eye ƒutomemi yɔ eƒe ƒuwo me fũu.
25 Other people die being very miserable; they have never experienced good things happening to them.
Ame bubu ku le eƒe luʋɔ ƒe nuxaxa me eye mese vivi na nu vivi aɖeke kpɔ o.
26 But both rich and poor people die and are buried, and maggots eat their bodies. [Everyone dies, so it is clear that dying is not always the punishment for being wicked].
Ke wo ame evea mlɔ kasanu le ke me, eye ŋɔviwo ɖi ba ɖe wo kple evea dzi.
27 “Listen, I know what you [three] are thinking. I know the evil things that you plan to do to me.
“Menya nu siwo susum miele la nyuie kple nu vɔ̃ɖi siwo ɖom miele be miadze agɔ le dzinye.
28 You say, ‘What happened to the tents in which wicked people were living? The houses of evil rulers have been destroyed!’
Miegblɔ be, ‘Afi ka ame xɔŋkɔ la ƒe aƒe le eye agbadɔ si me ame vɔ̃ɖiwo nɔ la ɖe?’
29 But have you never inquired of people who travel much? Do you not believe their reports about what they have seen,
Miebia gbe mɔzɔlawo kpɔ oa? Mietsɔ ɖeke le woƒe nuteƒekpɔkpɔ si wogblɔ fia mi la me be
30 that wicked people usually do not suffer at the time when there are great disasters; that wicked people are the ones who are rescued when God is angry [and punishes people] [MTY]?
woɖea ame vɔ̃ɖi le dzɔgbevɔ̃egbe, eye woɖenɛ le dzikugbe oa?
31 There is no one [RHQ] who accuses wicked people, and there is no one who (pays them back/gives them the punishment that they deserve) for all the evil things that they have done.
Ame kae ɖe eƒe agbe vlo si nɔm wòle la ɖe mo nɛ kpɔ? Ame kae ɖoa nu tovo si wòwɔ la teƒe nɛ?
32 The corpses of wicked people are carried to their graves, and people are put there to guard those graves.
Wokɔnɛ yia yɔdo gbɔe eye wodzɔa eƒe yɔdokpe ŋu.
33 A huge number [HYP] of people go to the grave site. Some go in front of the procession and some come behind. And the clods of dirt thrown on the graves of those wicked people who have died are like a nice blanket.
Ke siwo le balime la vivi enu, amewo katã dze eyome eye ameha gã aɖe si womate ŋu axlẽ o la dze ŋgɔ nɛ.
34 “So how can you console me by talking nonsense? Every reply that you make is full of lies!”
“Eya ta aleke miate ŋu awɔ atsɔ miaƒe bometsinyawo afa akɔ nam mahã? Naneke mele miaƒe nyaŋuɖoɖowo me wu alakpa o!”
