Job 38
1 Then Yahweh spoke to Job from inside a great windstorm. He said to him,
Tete Yehowa ɖo nyawo ŋu na Hiob to ahom me be,
2 “(Who are you to question what I plan to do?/You have no right/authority to question what I plan to do.) [RHQ] You are speaking ignorantly!
“Ame ka nye esi tsɔ viviti tsyɔ nye aɖaŋudede dzi kple nya siwo gɔmesese meli na la o?
3 I want to ask you [some] questions, so, just like men prepare themselves for a difficult task [MET], prepare to answer my questions.
Tso nàbla ali dzi abe ŋutsu ene, mabia nya wò, nàɖo eŋu nam.
4 (“Where were you/Were you there with me) [long ago] when I (laid the foundations of/created) the earth? Since you know so much, tell me [where you were at that time].
“Afi ka nènɔ esi meɖo anyigba ƒe gɔmeɖokpewo anyi? Gblɔe nam, ne èse egɔme.
5 Do you know how I decided how large the earth would be? Do you know who stretched a measuring tape around the earth? Surely [since you think that you know so much, ] you should know that!
Ame kae dzidze eƒe kekeme kple didime? Ànyae godoo! Ame kae tsɔ dzidzeka ɖo eŋu?
6 What supports the pillars on which the earth rests? When the stars [that shine early] in the morning sang together, and someone put in place the stone that causes the earth to stay in its place, and all the angels shouted joyfully [when they saw that happening], who laid that cornerstone? [Did you?]
Nu ka dzi woɖo egɔme anyi ɖo? Alo ame kae ɖo eƒe dzogoedzikpe
esi ŋukeɣletiviwo le ha dzim ɖekae eye Mawudɔlawo katã do dzidzɔɣli?
8 “When the seas poured forth from inside the earth, who prevented the water from flooding over the land?
“Ame kae do ʋɔ ɖe atsiaƒu nu esi wòdo go kpoyi tso dadaa ƒe dɔ me
9 It was I, [not you, ] who caused clouds to come over the seas and caused it to become very dark [under those clouds].
esi metsɔ lilikpo wɔ eƒe awudodoe heblae ɖe viviti tsiɖitsiɖitsiɖi me,
10 I set limits for the seas, and I put barriers [so that the water would not come over the land].
esi meɖo seɖoƒe nɛ, hede ʋɔtru kple gametiwo enu,
11 [I pointed to the shore] and said to the water, ‘I permit you to come up to here, but I do not permit you to come any farther. Your powerful waves must stop there!’
esi megblɔ be, ‘Afii ko nàse, mèkpɔ mɔ ato liƒo sia dzi o, afi sia ko wò dada kple ɖokuidodoɖedzi ase?’
12 “Job, have you [ever] commanded the morning [to begin]? Have you [ever] told the dawn to start a new day?
“Èɖe gbe na ŋdi kpɔ tso esi wò ŋkekewo dze egɔme alo na fɔŋli nya eƒe nɔƒe,
13 Have you [ever] told the dawn to spread out over the whole earth, with the result that wicked people run away from the light?
be wòalé anyigba ƒe toga, ahaʋuʋu ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ɖa le edzia?
14 When it becomes light after the dawn, the hills and the valleys become clear like the folds in a cloth.
Anyigba trɔ eƒe nɔnɔme abe anyi le nutrenu te ene, eye eƒe nɔnɔme le abe avɔ tɔ ene.
15 When it becomes daylight, the wicked do not have the darkness [that they like]; [in the daylight] they no longer are able to raise up their arms, ready to hurt people.
Woxɔ ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ƒe kekeli le wo si eye woŋe woƒe abɔ si wodo ɖe dzi.
16 “[Job, ] have you traveled to the springs [in the bottom of the ocean] from which the water in the seas comes? Have you investigated/explored the very bottom of the oceans?
“Èzɔ mɔ yi ɖe atsiaƒu ƒe vudo me alo zɔ le gogloƒe ƒe nudiƒewo kpɔa?
17 Has someone shown you the gates to the place where dead people are, the gates to the place where it is very dark?
Wofia ku ƒe agbowo wò kpɔa? Èkpɔ ku ƒe vɔvɔli ƒe agbowo kpɔa?
18 Do you know how big the earth is? Tell me, if you know all these things!
Èse anyigba ƒe kekeme gɔmea? Gblɔe nam, ne ènya esiawo katã.
19 “Where is the road to the place where light comes from? And [can you tell me] where darkness lives?
“Afi ka mɔ si yi kekeli ƒe nɔƒe la to? Eye afi kae nye viviti nɔƒe?
20 Can take me to its home? Do you know where the road is that goes there?
Àte ŋu akplɔ wo ayi wo nɔƒewoea? Ènya toƒe si yi ɖe wo nɔƒea?
21 I am sure that you know these things, because you [talk as though you] were born before the time when all things were created; you [must] be very old!
Meka ɖe edzi be ènyae elabena wodzi wò ye ma ɣi xoxo! Ƒe geɖewoe nye esia esi nèle agbe!
22 “Have you entered the place where I store the snow and the place where I keep the hail?
“Ège ɖe sno ƒe nudzraɖoƒe alo kpɔ kpetsi ƒe nudzraɖoƒe,
23 I store the snow and the hail [in order that I can use them to help my people] when [they have] troubles, in times when [they are fighting] wars [DOU].
esi meɖo ɖi na xaxaɣi, aʋaŋkekewo kple aʋakpegbe la kpɔa?
24 And where is the road to the place from which I cause the lightning to flash? Where is the place from where the east wind begins to blow over all the earth?
Afi ka mɔ si wotona yia teƒe si dzikedzo kakana le alo teƒe si wokakaa ɣedzeƒeya le ɖe anyigba blibo la dzi la to?
25 Who created the channels in which the rain comes down from the sky? Who makes the roads for the thunder/lightning?
Ame kae ɖo toƒe na tsi gã siwo dzana kple mɔ na ahom sesẽwo,
26 Who causes rain to fall in the desert, in places where no one lives?
be woade tsi anyigba si dzi ame mele o kple gbegbe si ame menɔ o,
27 Who sends the rain that gives moisture/water to areas where nothing has grown, with the result that grass begins to grow again?
be wòaɖi kɔ na kuɖiɖinyigba gbɔlo eye wòamie gbe fɛ̃wo?
28 Does the rain have a father? Does the dew [also] have a father?
Fofo le tsidzadza sia? Ame kae nye tɔ na ahũdzadza?
29 And from whose womb does ice come [in the (winter/cold season)]? Who gives birth to the frost that comes down from the sky?
Ame ka ƒe dɔ mee tsikpe do tso? Ame kae dzi zãmu si dzana tso dziƒo,
30 [In the winter, ] the water [freezes and] becomes hard, like a rock, and the surface of lakes becomes frozen.
esi tsiwo do kpe abe ahlihã ene eye gogloƒewo tame zu tsikpe?
31 “[Job], can you fasten the chains that hold the stars together in clusters/groups in the sky?
“Àte ŋu abla Atifieŋu siwo le keklẽma? Àte ŋu atu Avutɔ ƒe kawoa?
32 Can you tell the stars when they should shine? Can you guide [the stars in the groups in the northern sky whose names are] the Big Bear and the Little Bear?
Àte ŋu akplɔ ŋukeɣletiviwo ado goe ne woƒe dodoɣi ɖo alo akplɔ koklonɔ kple viawoa?
33 Do you know the laws that the stars must obey? Can you cause those same laws to rule [everything here] on the earth?
Ènya dziƒo ƒe sewoa? Àte ŋu aɖo Mawu ƒe fiaɖuɖu anyi ɖe anyigba dzia?
34 “Can you shout to the clouds and cause rain to pour down on you?
“Àte ŋu akɔ gbe dzi ado ɣli na lilikpowo, eye nàtsɔ tsiɖɔɖɔ atsyɔ ɖokuiwò dzia?
35 Can you cause flashes of lightning to come down and strike where you want it to strike? Do those flashes say to you, ‘Where do you want us to strike next?’
Wòe ɖo dzikedzo ɖe eƒe mɔ dzia? Ɖe wova gblɔna na wò be, ‘Míawoe nye esi’ mahã?
36 Who enables the clouds to know when they should cause rain to fall?
Ame kae tsɔ nunya na dzi alo gɔmesese na susu?
37 And who is skilled/wise enough to be able to count the clouds? Who can tilt the jugs of water in the sky [to cause the rain to fall],
Ame ka sie nunya le be wòaxlẽ lilikpowo? Ame kae ate ŋu aviã tsizɔ siwo le dziƒo,
38 with the result that the dry ground becomes hard as the dry (clods/lumps of soil) [become wet and] stick together?
ne anyigba do kpe eye anyikɔ siwo le anyigba la lé ɖe wo nɔewo ŋu?
39 “When a lioness and her cubs crouch in their dens or hide in a thicket, [waiting for some animal to pass by that they can kill, ] can you find animals for a lioness to kill so that [she and] her cubs can [eat the meat and] not be hungry any more?
“Wòe daa ade na dzatanɔ eye nèdia nuɖuɖu na dzatawo, ne dɔ le wo wum
eye womlɔ woƒe dowo me alo le adeklo dzi le ave mea?
41 Who provides dead animals for crows, when the baby crows are calling out to me [for food], [when they are so weak] because of their lack of food [that] they (stagger around/can hardly stand up) [in their nests]?”
Ame kae dia nuɖuɖu na akpaviãwo, ne viawo le xɔxlɔ̃m na Mawu eye wole tsatsam le nuɖuɖu makpɔmakpɔ ta?
