Hiob 14
1 “Amegbetɔ si nyɔnu dzi ƒe agbemeŋkekewo le kpuie eye woyɔ fũu kple fukpekpe.
Life is short and full of trouble,
2 Ekena abe seƒoƒo ene eye wòyrɔna, ele abe vɔvɔli si dzona kaba eye metɔna ɖi o la ene.
like a flower that blooms and withers, like a passing shadow that soon disappears.
3 Ɖe nàke ŋku ɖe esia tɔgbi ŋua? Ɖe nàkplɔe va ʋɔnui le ŋkuwòmea?
Do you even notice me, God, and why do you have to drag me to court?
4 Ame ka ate ŋu aɖe nu dzadzɛ tso nu si medza o la me? Ɖeka pɛ teti hã o!
Who can bring something clean of what is unclean? No one.
5 Èɖo ame ƒe ŋkekewo ɖi xoxo; èɖo eƒe ɣletiwo da ɖi eye nèɖo liƒo siwo dzi mate ŋu agbɔ o la ɖi nɛ.
You have determined how long we shall live—the number of months, a time limit on our lives.
6 Eya ta ɖe ŋku ɖa le eŋu eye nàɖe asi le eŋu va se ɖe esime eƒe ɣeyiɣi de abe agbatedɔwɔla ene.
So leave us alone and give us some peace—so like a laborer we could enjoy a few hours of rest at the end of the day.
7 “Mɔkpɔkpɔ li na ati gɔ̃ hã, ne wolãe la, egadzena yeyee eye eƒe alɔ yeyeawo nu matsi o.
Even a tree that's cut down has the hope of sprouting again, of sending up shoots and continuing to live.
8 Eƒe kewo anya do xoxo ɖe tome eye eƒe takpo aku ɖe tome,
Even though its roots grow old in the earth, and its stump dies in the ground,
9 ke hã la, ne tsi nya ʋẽ ɖee ko la, egadzena eye wòtoa alɔwo abe ati si wodo ene.
just a trickle of water will make it bud and grow branches like a young plant.
10 Gake ne amegbetɔ ya ku la, wotsɔnɛ mlɔa anyie kpoo nenema; egbɔa eƒe gbɔgbɔ mamlɛa eye meganɔa agbe o.
But human beings die, their strength dwindles away; they perish, and where are they then?
11 Abe ale si atsiaƒu ɖia ke alo tsi miena le tɔsisi me wòƒuna kplakplakpla ene la,
Like water evaporating from a lake and a river that dries up and disappears,
12 nenemae amegbetɔ mlɔa anyie eye megafɔna o va se ɖe esime dziƒo nu ava yi. Amegbetɔwo magafɔ alo anyɔ tso woƒe alɔ̃dɔdɔ me o.
so human beings lie down and don't get up again. Until the heavens cease to exist they will not awake from their sleep.
13 “O, ne ɖe nàɣlam ɖe yɔdo me, atsyɔ nu dzinye va se ɖe esime wò dziku nu va yi ɖe! Alo nàɖo ɣeyiɣi nam eye emegbe nàɖo ŋku dzinye ɖe! (Sheol h7585)
I wish you would hide me in Sheol; conceal me there until your anger is gone. Set a definite time for me there, and remember me! (Sheol h7585)
14 Ne ame ku la, ɖe wòaganɔ agbea? Le nye ɣeyiɣi sesẽwo me hã, manɔ nye yeyewɔwɔ ƒe ŋkeke la lalam.
Will the dead live again? Then I would have hope through all my time of trouble until my release comes.
15 Àyɔm eye matɔ, wò dzi alé dzo ɖe nu si wò asiwo wɔ la ŋu.
You would call and I would answer you; you would long for me, the being that you made.
16 Ekema àxlẽ nye afɔɖeɖewo, ke menye be wò ŋku nanɔ nye nu vɔ̃wo ŋu o.
Then you would look after me and wouldn't be watching me to see if I sinned.
17 Woatre nye dzidadawo nu ɖe akplo me eye àtsyɔ nu nye nu vɔ̃wo dzi.
My sins would be sealed up in a bag and you would cover my guilt.
18 “Gake abe ale si ke ɖena le to te wòŋena dzea eme eye agakpe ʋãna le eteƒe ene la,
But just as the mountains crumble and fall, and the rocks tumble down;
19 abe ale si tsi nyia kpewoe eye tsidzadza kplɔa ke si le anyigba dzonae ene la, nenemae nègblẽa ame ƒe mɔkpɔkpɔ mee.
as water wears away the stones, as floods wash away the soil, so you destroy the hope people have.
20 Èdzea edzi kple ŋusẽ zi ɖeka eye ɖe wòvɔnae nye ekema; ètrɔa eƒe dzedzeme henyanɛ dzonae.
You continually overpower them and they pass away; you distort their faces in death and send them away.
21 Ne wode bubu via ŋutsuwo ŋu hã la, menyanɛ o, ne woɖi gbɔ̃ wo hã la, mekpɔnɛ o.
Their children may become important or fall from their positions, but they don't know or see any of this.
22 Negbe eya ŋutɔ ƒe veve si sem wòle le ŋutilã me koe eye eya ŋutɔ fana na eɖokui.”
As people die they only know their own pain and are sad for themselves.”
