Job 22
1 Then Eliphaz replied,
U-Elifazi umThemani wasephendula wathi:
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.
“Umuntu angasiza uNkulunkulu na? Lesihlakaniphi uqobo kambe singamsiza na?
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?
Bekungamupha ntokozo bani uSomandla ukulunga kwakho na? Ubengazuzani ngabe kuthiwa kawulasici na?
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?
Yikumesaba kwakho yini akukhuzela khona lakwethesela khona amacala na?
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!
Kabubukhulu ububi bakho na? Lezono zakho angithi kazipheli na?
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.
Wawubiza isibambiso kubafowenu kungelasizatho; uhlubula abantu izigqoko zabo basale beze.
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.
Abakhatheleyo wawubancitsha amanzi, abalambileyo ungabaphi ukudla,
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.
lanxa wena wawuyindoda elamandla, ulepulazi, indoda ehlonitshwayo, uphila kulo.
9 [When] widows [came to you for help], you [must have] sent [them] away without giving them anything, and you must have oppressed orphans.
Abafelokazi wabaxotsha ungabaphanga lutho izintandane waziqeda amandla.
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.
Kungenxa yalokho usuhanqwe yimijibila, usuhlukuluzwa luhlupho masinyane,
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.
yikho kumnyama kangaka ungasaboni, njalo yikho ususibekelwa zimpophoma zamanzi.
12 “[But consider this, Job]: God lives [RHQ] high up in the heavens. From there he [RHQ] looks down on the highest stars.
UNkulunkulu kakho esiqongweni samazulu na? Ake ubone phela ukuthi ziphakeme njani izinkanyezi ezisesiqongweni!
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]’
Kodwa wena uthi, ‘UNkulunkulu wazini? Angahlulela phakathi komnyama onje?
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]?
Usithwe ngamayezi amakhulu, ngakho kasiboni nxa ehambahamba ezulwini eliphezulu.’
15 Will you continue to conduct your life the old way that evil people have done [for many years]?
Wena-ke uzakwalela endleleni endala na eseyahanjwa ngababi?
16 They suddenly died while they were still young; they disappeared [like everything disappears when there is] a flood [MET].
Bedluliswa singakafiki isikhathi sabo, izisekelo zabo zakhukhulwa nguzamcolo.
17 They kept saying to God, ‘Do not bother us,’ and they also said [defiantly], ‘Almighty [God] can do nothing [RHQ] to [harm] us!’
Bathi kuNkulunkulu, ‘Tshiyana lathi! USomandla angasenzani na?’
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.
Ikanti kunguye owagcwalisa izindlu zabo ngezinto ezinhle, ngakho kangingeni ezelulekweni zababi.
19 “But when God punishes wicked people, and righteous people see that, they are glad, and they laugh, ridiculing the wicked people.
Abalungileyo bayakubona lokho bathokoze; abangelacala bayabahleka bathi,
20 They say, ‘Now our enemies have been destroyed, and all [their possessions] that were left have been burned in a fire.’
‘Ngempela izitha zethu zichithiwe, lokuseleyo kwenotho yazo sekubhuqwe ngumlilo.’
21 “So, [Job, ] be reconciled to God and make peace with him; if you do that, good things will happen to you.
Zehlise kuNkulunkulu ukuze uwelelane laye; ngaleyondlela ukuphumelela kuzakuza kuwe.
22 Allow him to teach you, and keep thinking about what he has told you.
Yamukela iziqondiso eziphuma emlonyeni wakhe, amazwi akhe uwabeke enhliziyweni yakho.
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,
Nxa ubuyela kuSomandla, uzavuselelwa; nxa ususa ububi bube kude lethente lakho
24 if you throw away your gold, even the fine gold from the dry stream beds in Ophir [land],
lomthuso wakho uwulahlele othulini, igolide lakho lase-Ofiri ulilahlele emadwaleni ezifuleni,
25 and if you allow Almighty [God] to be [as precious to you as] your gold and your silver [have been],
lapho-ke uSomandla uzakuba ligolide lakho, lesiliva esikhethekileyo kuwe.
26 you will be happy because of your close relationship with God, and you will be able to approach him [IDM] [confidently].
Ngempela uzazuza ukuthokoza kuSomandla uphakamisele ubuso bakho kuNkulunkulu.
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.
Uzakhuleka kuye, yena akuzwe, njalo uzagcwalisa izifungo zakho.
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.
Lokho okumisileyo kuzakwenziwa, lokukhanya kuzazikhanyisa izindlela zakho.
29 God humbles those who are proud, but he saves those who are downcast/discouraged.
Nxa abantu besehliswa ubususithi, ‘Baphakamiseni!’ lapho-ke uzabasiza abahlulukelweyo.
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).”
Uzabasiza lalabo abonayo, abazakhululwa ngenxa yokubamsulwa kwakho.”
