Job 22
1 Then Eliphaz replied,
Temanitɔ, Elifaz ɖo eŋu be,
2 “(Can anyone be useful to God?/Certainly no one can be useful to God.) [RHQ] Even people who are wise cannot be helpful to God.
“Ɖe ame anye viɖenu na Mawua? Ɖe nunyala gɔ̃ hã anye viɖenu nɛa?
3 If you were righteous, (would that benefit Almighty [God]?/that certainly would not benefit Almighty [God].) [RHQ] If you had (lived a perfect life/never done anything that is wrong), would that help him?
Dzidzɔ ka wòanye na Ŋusẽkatãtɔ la ne ènye ame dzɔdzɔe? Eye viɖe ka wòakpɔ ne fɔɖiɖi mele wò mɔwo ŋu o?
4 “Is it because you have an awesome respect for God that he punishes you? Is that the reason that he puts you on trial?
“Wò Mawuvɔvɔ̃ tae wòka mo na wò hetsɔ nya ɖe ŋuwòa?
5 No, it certainly must be [RHQ] because you are extremely wicked. It must be that the evil things that you have done are so many that no one can count them!
Ɖe wò nu vɔ̃ɖi wɔwɔ mekpe ŋutɔ oa? Ɖe nuwuwu li na wò nu vɔ̃woa?
6 You must have lent money to others and wrongly forced them to give you things to guarantee that they would pay that money back to you; you must have taken all their clothes and left them with nothing to wear.
Èbia megbedanu tso nɔviwò ŋutsuwo si susumanɔmetɔe eye nèɖe avɔ le amewo ŋu wotsi amama.
7 You must not have given water to those who were thirsty, and you must have refused to give food to those who were hungry.
Mèna tsi ame siwo nu ti kɔ na la wono o eye nète nuɖuɖu dɔwuitɔwo,
8 Because you were very powerful, you [must have] taken over all the people’s land, and then, being very respected, you have begun to live on that land.
evɔ nèhenye ŋusẽtɔ, anyigba le asiwò eye nèle anyigba dzi, bubu le ŋuwò.
9 [When] widows [came to you for help], you [must have] sent [them] away without giving them anything, and you must have oppressed orphans.
Èɖo ahosiwo ɖa asi ƒuƒlu eye nèɖe tsyɔ̃eviwo ƒe ŋusẽ ɖa.
10 Because of all that, now there are pits around you for you to fall into, and suddenly there are things that terrify you and cause you to tremble.
Eya ta mɔkawo ɖe to ɖe wò ɖo eya ta dzɔgbevɔ̃e ƒo ɖe dziwò kpoyi hedo ŋɔdzi na wò
11 [It is as though] it has become very dark, with the result that you cannot see anything, and [it is as though] [MET] a flood covers you.
eya ta viviti do ale gbegbe be màgate ŋu akpɔ nu o eye eya tae tɔɖɔɖɔ va tsyɔ dziwò ɖo.
12 “[But consider this, Job]: God lives [RHQ] high up in the heavens. From there he [RHQ] looks down on the highest stars.
“Ɖe Mawu mele dziƒo kɔkɔtɔ oa? Ɖe mekpɔ ale si ɣletivi kɔkɔtɔwo kɔkɔe oa?
13 So why do you say, ‘What does God know [about what we are doing]? [He is hidden from us by] dark clouds, so ([how] can he judge us?/he certainly cannot judge us.) [RHQ]’
Gake ègblɔ be, ‘Nu ka Mawu nya? Ɖe wòdrɔ̃a ʋɔnu to viviti ma tɔgbi mea?
14 [Do you think that] while he walks on the dome that covers the sky, there are thick clouds around him, with the result that he cannot see [what we do]?
Lilikpo dodowo xe eŋkume eya ta mekpɔa mí ne ele tsatsam le dziƒo ƒe agbo sesẽwo me o.’
15 Will you continue to conduct your life the old way that evil people have done [for many years]?
Ɖe nàgalé mɔ xoxo si dzi ame vɔ̃ɖiwo zɔ va yi la me ɖe asia?
16 They suddenly died while they were still young; they disappeared [like everything disappears when there is] a flood [MET].
Wokplɔ wo dzoe hafi woƒe ɣeyiɣi de eye tsiɖɔɖɔ kplɔ woƒe gɔmeɖokpewo dzoe.
17 They kept saying to God, ‘Do not bother us,’ and they also said [defiantly], ‘Almighty [God] can do nothing [RHQ] to [harm] us!’
Wogblɔ na Mawu be, ‘Ɖe asi le mía ŋu! Nu kae Ŋusẽkatãtɔ la awɔ mí?’
18 But it was God who filled their houses with good things, so I cannot at all understand why wicked people think like they do.
Evɔ wònye eyae tsɔ nu nyuiwo yɔ xɔ na wo fũu, eya ta menɔ adzɔge na ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ƒe aɖaŋudede.
19 “But when God punishes wicked people, and righteous people see that, they are glad, and they laugh, ridiculing the wicked people.
Ame dzɔdzɔewo kpɔ woƒe gbegblẽ eye dzi dzɔ wo, ame maɖifɔwo gblɔ ɖe wo ŋu fewuɖutɔe be,
20 They say, ‘Now our enemies have been destroyed, and all [their possessions] that were left have been burned in a fire.’
‘Wotsrɔ̃ míaƒe futɔwo vavã eye dzo va fia woƒe kesinɔnuwo.’
21 “So, [Job, ] be reconciled to God and make peace with him; if you do that, good things will happen to you.
“Tsɔ ɖokuiwò na Mawu eye nànɔ ŋutifafa me kplii, to esia me la, dzɔgbenyui ava wò mɔ dzi.
22 Allow him to teach you, and keep thinking about what he has told you.
Xɔ nufiame tso eƒe nu me, eye nàtsɔ eƒe nyawo adzra ɖo ɖe wò dzi me
23 If you humble yourself and return to God, if you stop doing all the evil things that you have been doing in your house,
Ne ètrɔ va Ŋusẽkatãtɔ la gbɔ la, agaɖo wò te. Ne èɖe nu vɔ̃ɖi wɔwɔ ɖa xaa tso wò agbadɔ gbɔ,
24 if you throw away your gold, even the fine gold from the dry stream beds in Ophir [land],
eye nètsɔ wò dzonu veviwo kɔ ɖe ke me, tsɔ wò sika adodoe si tso Ofir ƒu gbe ɖe agakpewo tome la,
25 and if you allow Almighty [God] to be [as precious to you as] your gold and your silver [have been],
ekema Ŋusẽkatãtɔ la anye wò sika kple klosalo nyuitɔ.
26 you will be happy because of your close relationship with God, and you will be able to approach him [IDM] [confidently].
Ekema le nyateƒe me la, Ŋusẽkatãtɔ ƒe nu ado dzidzɔ na wò eye àwu wò mo dzi ɖe Mawu ŋu.
27 You will pray to him, and he will do what you request him to do; you will do the things that you promised him that you would do.
Àdo gbe ɖa nɛ, wòaɖo to wò eye àxe wò adzɔgbeɖefewo nɛ.
28 Everything that you decide to do will be successful; [it] will [be as though] a light [is] shining on the road in front of you.
Nu si nèɖo la, ava eme na wò eye kekeli aklẽ ɖe wò mɔwo dzi.
29 God humbles those who are proud, but he saves those who are downcast/discouraged.
Ne woɖiɖi amewo ɖe anyi, eye nègblɔ be, ‘Fɔ wo ɖe dzi!’ la, ekema woafɔ ame siwo wote ɖe anyi la ɖe dzi.
30 God rescues those who (are innocent/have not done things that are wrong), so he will rescue you if you (start doing things that are right/are not guilty [IDM] of doing things that are wrong).”
Aɖe ame si ŋu fɔɖiɖi le gɔ̃ hã, ame si woaɖe to wò asi ƒe kɔkɔenɔnɔ me.”
