Hiob 14
1 “Amegbetɔ si nyɔnu dzi ƒe agbemeŋkekewo le kpuie eye woyɔ fũu kple fukpekpe.
“We humans are very frail. We live only a short time, and we experience a lot of trouble.
2 Ekena abe seƒoƒo ene eye wòyrɔna, ele abe vɔvɔli si dzona kaba eye metɔna ɖi o la ene.
We disappear quickly, like flowers that grow from the ground quickly and then wither and die [SIM]. We are like shadows that disappear [when the sun stops shining].
3 Ɖe nàke ŋku ɖe esia tɔgbi ŋua? Ɖe nàkplɔe va ʋɔnui le ŋkuwòmea?
[Yahweh, ] why do you keep watching me [to see if I am doing something that is wrong] [RHQ]? Are you wanting to take me to court to judge me?
4 Ame ka ate ŋu aɖe nu dzadzɛ tso nu si medza o la me? Ɖeka pɛ teti hã o!
People are sinners from the time when they are born; who can cause them to be sinless? No one [RHQ]!
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 decided how long our lives will be. You have decided how many months we will live, and we cannot live more months than the (limit/number of months) that you have decided.
6 Eya ta ɖe ŋku ɖa le eŋu eye nàɖe asi le eŋu va se ɖe esime eƒe ɣeyiɣi de abe agbatedɔwɔla ene.
So please stop examining us, and allow us to be alone, until/while we finish our time [here on earth], like a man finishes his work [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.
If someone cuts a tree down, we hope that it will sprout again and grow new branches.
8 Eƒe kewo anya do xoxo ɖe tome eye eƒe takpo aku ɖe tome,
Its roots in the ground may be very old, and its stump may decay,
9 ke hã la, ne tsi nya ʋẽ ɖee ko la, egadzena eye wòtoa alɔwo abe ati si wodo ene.
but if some water falls on it, it may bud/sprout and send up shoots 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 when we people lose all our strength and die, we stop breathing and then we are gone [forever].
11 Abe ale si atsiaƒu ɖia ke alo tsi miena le tɔsisi me wòƒuna kplakplakpla ene la,
Just like water evaporates from the ocean, or like a riverbed dries up,
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.
people [lie down and die and] do not get up again. Until the heavens disappear, people who die [EUP] do not wake up, and no one can wake them up.
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)
[“Yahweh, ] I wish that you would put me safely in the place of the dead and forget about me until you are no longer angry with me. I wish that you would decide how much time I would spend there, and then remember [that] I [am there]. (Sheol h7585)
14 Ne ame ku la, ɖe wòaganɔ agbea? Le nye ɣeyiɣi sesẽwo me hã, manɔ nye yeyewɔwɔ ƒe ŋkeke la lalam.
When we humans die, we will certainly not live again [RHQ]. If [I knew that] we would live again, I would wait patiently, and I would wait for you to release me [from my sufferings].
15 Àyɔm eye matɔ, wò dzi alé dzo ɖe nu si wò asiwo wɔ la ŋu.
You would call me, and I would answer. You would be eager to see me, one of the creatures that you had made.
16 Ekema àxlẽ nye afɔɖeɖewo, ke menye be wò ŋku nanɔ nye nu vɔ̃wo ŋu o.
You would take care of [MET] me, instead of watching me to see if I would sin.
17 Woatre nye dzidadawo nu ɖe akplo me eye àtsyɔ nu nye nu vɔ̃wo dzi.
[It is as though the record of] my sins would be sealed in a small bag, and you would cover them up.
18 “Gake abe ale si ke ɖena le to te wòŋena dzea eme eye agakpe ʋãna le eteƒe ene la,
“But, just like mountains crumble and rocks fall down from a cliff,
19 abe ale si tsi nyia kpewoe eye tsidzadza kplɔa ke si le anyigba dzonae ene la, nenemae nègblẽa ame ƒe mɔkpɔkpɔ mee.
and just like water slowly wears away the stones, and just like floods wash away soil, [you eventually destroy us]; you do not allow us to continue to (hope/confidently expect) [that we will keep on living].
20 Èdzea edzi kple ŋusẽ zi ɖeka eye ɖe wòvɔnae nye ekema; ètrɔa eƒe dzedzeme henyanɛ dzonae.
You always defeat us, and then we die [EUP]. You cause our faces to look ugly after we die, and you send us away.
21 Ne wode bubu via ŋutsuwo ŋu hã la, menyanɛ o, ne woɖi gbɔ̃ wo hã la, mekpɔnɛ o.
[When we die] we do not know if our sons will grow up and [do things that will cause them to] be honored. And if they become disgraced, we do not see that, [either].
22 Negbe eya ŋutɔ ƒe veve si sem wòle le ŋutilã me koe eye eya ŋutɔ fana na eɖokui.”
We will feel our own pains; we will not feel anything else; we will be sorry for ourselves, not for anyone else.”
