Job 34
1 Moreover, Elihu continued to speak:
厄里烏接著說：
2 “Listen to my words, you wise men; hear me, you who have knowledge.
你們有智慧的人，請聽我言；你們明白人，請側耳聽我。
3 For the ear tries words as the palate tastes food.
原來耳朵是為辨別言語，有如口腔是為辨嘗食物。
4 Let us choose for ourselves what is just: let us discover among ourselves what is good.
讓我們來檢討一下誰為正義，讓我們看看何者為善。
5 For Job has said, 'I am righteous, but God has taken away my rights.
約伯說過：「我是無罪的，但我的理，卻為天主奪去。
6 Regardless of my rights, I am considered to be a liar. My wound is incurable, although I am without sin.'
我雖無罪無辜，卻成了說謊者；我雖未行不義，卻受了不可醫治的創傷。」
7 What man is like Job, who drinks up mockery like water,
那有一人像約伯，肆口漫罵如飲水﹖
8 who goes around in the company of those who do evil, and who walks with wicked men?
他豈不是與作惡的人結夥，同壞人交結來往﹖
9 For he has said, 'It is no use to a person to take pleasure in doing what God wants.'
他豈不是說過：「盡心悅樂天主，為人能有什麼好處﹖」
10 So listen to me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness; far be it from the Almighty that he should commit sin.
為此，你們心地明白的人，請聽我說，天主決不行惡，全能者決無不義!
11 For he pays back a person's work; he makes every man come upon the reward of his own ways.
他必照人的行為報答他，按他的品行對待他。
12 Indeed, God does nothing wicked, nor does the Almighty ever pervert justice.
天主絕對不能作惡，全能者絕對不能顛倒是非。
13 Who put him in charge over the earth? Who put the whole world under him?
誰委派他掌管大地，誰任命他治理普世﹖
14 If he ever set his intentions only on himself, and if he ever gathered back to himself his spirit and his breath,
他若將自己的神魂收回，將氣息復歸於自己，
15 then all flesh would perish together; mankind would return to dust again.
所有血肉的人必都消滅，世人都要歸於塵土。
16 If now you have understanding, listen to this; listen to the sound of my words.
若你聰明，請聽這事，側耳傾聽我的話。
17 Can one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn God, who is righteous and mighty?
憎恨正義的，豈能掌權﹖而你竟敢定那至公義者的罪﹖
18 God, who says to a king, 'You are vile,' or says to nobles, 'You are wicked'?
他能稱君王為歹徒，能稱官吏為壞人。
19 God, who does not show favoritism to leaders and does not acknowledge rich people more than poor, for they all are the work of his hands.
他對權貴不顧情面，亦不重富輕貧，因為都是他一手造成的。
20 In a moment they will die; at midnight people will be shaken and will pass away; mighty people will be taken away, but not by human hands.
他們猝然在半夜死去，貴族能立即氣絕逝世；他剷除權貴者，無須人手。
21 For God's eyes are upon a person's ways; he sees all his steps.
因為他的眼監視人的動作，觀察他的行徑。
22 There is no darkness, no thick gloom where the doers of iniquity may hide themselves.
沒有黑暗，也沒有陰影，可將作惡的人掩蔽。
23 For God does not need to examine a person further; there is no need for any person to go before him in judgment.
天主不必給人指定時間，為使人到他前去受審。
24 He breaks mighty men into pieces for their ways that need no further investigation; he puts others in their places.
他粉碎權勢者，無須審察，即刻能派定別人代替他們。
25 In this way he has knowledge of their deeds; he overthrows these people in the night; they are destroyed.
他原知道他們的行為，一夜之間將他們推翻消滅。
26 In the open sight of others, he kills them for their wicked deeds like criminals
在眾目昭彰之下，鞭打他們有如罪犯。
27 because they turned away from following him and refused to acknowledge any of his ways.
因為他們遠離了他，不重視他一切的道，
28 In this way, they made the cry of poor people come to him; he heard the cry of afflicted people.
致使窮人的哀號上達於他，使他聽到了受苦者的哀求。
29 When he stays silent, who can condemn him? If he hides his face, who can perceive him? He rules over nation and individual alike,
他若安息，誰敢騷擾﹖他若掩面，誰敢窺視﹖他對國對人都予以監視，
30 so that a godless man may not rule, so that there may be no one to entrap people.
使凡欺壓人民的，不得為王。
31 Suppose someone says to God, 'I am certainly guilty, but I will not sin any longer;
如果惡人向天主說：「我受了欺騙，以後不再作惡。
32 teach me what I cannot see; I have committed sin, but I will do it no longer.'
我所看不透的，求你指教我；我若以前作了孽，不敢再做了。」
33 Do you think that God will punish that person's sin, since you dislike what God does? You must choose, not I. So say what it is that you know.
他施行報應，豈應隨你的心意﹖或者你能拒絕不受嗎﹖決定的是你，而不是我! 你若知道，儘管說罷!
34 Men of understanding will say to me— indeed, every wise man who hears me will say,
但是心地聰明，具有智慧，且聽我說話的人，必要對我說：「
35 'Job speaks without knowledge; his words are without wisdom.'
約伯所講的話毫無知識，他的話全不明智。」
36 If only Job were put on trial in the smallest details of his case because of his talking like wicked men.
為此，約伯還要受徹底的究察，因為他的答覆好似出自惡人之口，
37 For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands in mockery in our midst; he piles up words against God.”
因為他在罪上又加反叛，當著我們磨拳擦掌，講出許多相反天主的話。
