< Job 4 >

1 Then Eliphaz, from Teman, replied to Job. He said,
فَأَجَابَ أَلِيفَازُ التَّيْمَانِيُّ:١
2 “Will you please let me say something to you? I am not [RHQ] able to remain silent [any longer].
«إِنْ جَازَفَ أَحَدٌ وَوَجَّهَ إِلَيْكَ كَلِمَةً فَهَلْ يَشُقُّ ذَلِكَ عَلَيْكَ؟ وَلَكِنْ مَنْ يَسْتَطِيعُ الامْتِنَاعَ عَنِ الْكَلامِ؟٢
3 In the past, you have instructed/taught many people, and you have encouraged those who were weak.
لَكَمْ أَرْشَدْتَ كَثِيرِينَ وَشَدَّدْتَ أَيَادِيَ مُرْتَخِيَةً.٣
4 By what you said, you have helped those who (needed spiritual help/almost quit trusting in God) [MET], and you have enabled them to become spiritually strong again [MET].
وَلَكَمْ أَنْهَضَ كَلامُكَ الْعَاثِرَ، وَثَبَّتَّ الرُّكَبَ الْمُرْتَعِشَةَ!٤
5 But now, when you experience disasters, you become discouraged. The disasters hit you, and you are stunned.
وَالآنَ إِذْ دَاهَمَكَ الْكَرْبُ اعْتَرَاكَ السَّأَمُ، وَإِذْ مَسَّكَ سَاوَرَكَ الرُّعْبُ.٥
6 You revere God; (does that not cause you to trust [in him]?/that should cause you to trust [in him].) [RHQ] If you were guiltless, you would [RHQ] be confident that [God] would not [have allowed] these disasters [to] happen to you!
أَلَيْسَتْ تَقْوَاكَ هِيَ مُعْتَمَدُكَ، وَكَمَالُ طُرُقِكَ هُوَ رَجَاؤُكَ؟٦
7 Think about this: Do innocent people die [while they are still young] [RHQ]? Does God get rid of godly people [RHQ]? [No!]
اذْكُرْ. هَلْ هَلَكَ أَحَدٌ وَهُوَ بَرِيءٌ؟ أَوْ أَيْنَ أُبِيدَ الصَّالِحُونَ؟٧
8 What I have experienced is this: [Just as] [MET] farmers who plant bad [seeds] do not harvest good [crops], [just as those who start] trouble for others, later bring trouble on themselves.
بَلْ كَمَا شَاهَدْتَ فَإِنَّ الْحَارِثِينَ إِثْماً، وَالزَّارِعِينَ شَقَاوَةً، هُمْ يَحْصُدُونَهُمَا،٨
9 They die when God angrily blows his breath on them, when he is very angry with them.
وَبِنَسَمَةِ اللهِ يَفْنَوْنَ وَبِعَاصِفَةِ غَضَبِهِ يَهْلِكُونَ.٩
10 [Even though wicked people may be very powerful like] young lions, [God] will get rid of them [MET].
قَدْ يَزْأَرُ الأَسَدُ وَيُزَمْجِرُ اللَّيْثُ، وَلَكِنْ أَنْيَابُ الأَشْبَالِ تَهَشَّمَتْ.١٠
11 [They will die like] fierce lions [that] starve to death when there are no animals that they can kill and eat, and [their children will be separated from each other like] young lions separate from each other [to find food].”
يَهْلِكُ اللَّيْثُ لِتَعَذُّرِ وُجُودِ الْفَرِيسَةِ، وَتَتَشَتَّتُ أَشْبَالُ اللَّبُؤَةِ.١١
12 “I heard a message that someone came and whispered to me.
ذَاتَ مَرَّةٍ أُسِرَّ إِلَيَّ بِكَلِمَةٍ، فَتَلَقَّفَتْ أُذُنِي مِنْهَا هَمْساً١٢
13 He spoke to me at night when I was having a bad dream that disturbed/frightened me while I was fast asleep.
فَفِي غَمْرَةِ الْهَوَاجِسِ، فِي رُؤَى اللَّيْلِ، عِنْدَمَا طَغَى السُّبَاتُ عَلَى النَّاسِ،١٣
14 It caused me to be afraid and tremble; it caused all my bones to shake.
انْتَابَنِي رُعْبٌ وَرَعْدَةٌ أَرْجَفَا عِظَامِي،١٤
15 A ghost glided past my face and caused the hair on [on the back of] my neck to stand straight up.
وَخَطَرَتْ رُوحٌ أَمَامَ وَجْهِي، فَاقْشَعَرَّ شَعْرُ جَسَدِي.١٥
16 It stopped, but I could not see what form it had. But [I could sense that] there was some being in front of me, and it said in a quiet voice,
ثُمَّ وَقَفَتْ، غَيْرَ أَنِّي لَمْ أَتَبَيَّنْ مَلامِحَهَا. تَمَاثَلَ لِي شَكْلٌ مَا، وَبَعْدَ صَمْتٍ سَمِعْتُ صَوْتاً مُنْخَفِضاً يَقُولُ:١٦
17 ‘(Does God consider anyone to be righteous?/No human beings can be righteous in God’s sight!) [RHQ] (Their creator cannot consider them to be pure./Can their creator consider them to be pure?) [RHQ]
أَيُمْكِنُ أَنْ يَكُونَ الإِنْسَانُ أَبَرَّ مِنَ اللهِ، أَمِ الرَّجُلُ أَطْهَرَ مِنْ خَالِقِهِ؟١٧
18 God cannot be sure that his own angels [will always do what is right]; he declares that some of them have done what is wrong.
هَا إِنَّهُ لَا يَأْتَمِنُ عَبِيدَهُ، وَإِلَى مَلائِكَتِهِ يَنْسِبُ حَمَاقَةً،١٨
19 So he certainly cannot trust human beings who were made from dust and clay, who are crushed as easily as moths are crushed!
فَكَمْ بِالْحَرِيِّ الْمَخْلُوقُونَ مِنْ طِينٍ، الَّذِينَ أَسَاسُهُمْ فِي التُّرَابِ، وَيُسْحَقُونَ مِثْلَ الْعُثِّ؟١٩
20 People are sometimes well in the morning, but in the evening they are dead. They are gone forever and do not even know it (OR, and no one pays any attention to it).
يَتَحَطَّمُونَ بَيْنَ صَبَاحٍ وَمَسَاءٍ، وَيَبِيدُونَ إِلَى الأَبَدِ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يَنْتَبِهَ لَهُمْ أَحَدٌ.٢٠
21 They are like [MET] tents that collapse [suddenly]: They die [suddenly] before they become wise.’”
أَلا تُنْتَزَعُ مِنهُمْ حِبَالُ خِيَامِهِمْ وَيَمُوتُون مِنْ غَيْرِ حِكْمَةٍ؟٢١

< Job 4 >