Hiob 31
1 “Mebla nu kple nye ŋku be megakpɔ ɖetugbi aɖeke ahiãdzetɔe o.
“I solemnly promised myself that I would not look at a young woman with a desire [to have sex with her].
2 Elabena nu kae nye amegbetɔ tɔ gome tso Mawu si le dziƒo la gbɔ kple eƒe domenyinu tso Ŋusẽkatãtɔ si le dziƒo ʋĩi la gbɔ?
[If I did not do what I promised, ] what would God who is in heaven [MTY] do to me [RHQ]? Almighty [God] would certainly not [RHQ] give me any reward!
3 Ɖe menye gbegblẽ wònye na ame vɔ̃ɖiwo kple dzɔgbevɔ̃e na nu tovo wɔlawo oa?
[Previously I thought that] surely [RHQ] it was unrighteous people who would experience calamities, and that it was those who do what is wrong who would experience disasters.
4 Ɖe mekpɔ nye mɔwo eye wòxlẽ nye afɔɖeɖe ɖe sia ɖe oa?
God certainly sees [RHQ] everything that I do, [so why is he causing me to suffer?] [It is as though] he counts every step that I take.
5 “Nenye be mezɔ le aʋatsokaka me alo nye afɔ ɖe abla ɖe amebeble ŋuti la,
[“I solemnly declare that] I have never acted wickedly and have never tried to deceive people.
6 ekema Mawu nedam le nudanu nyuitɔ dzi eye wòanya be nyemeɖi fɔ o.
I request only that God judge me fairly [MET], and if he does that, he will know that I (am innocent/have not done what is wrong).
7 Nenye be nye afɔ tra le mɔ la dzi, nenye be nye dzi kplɔ nu si nye ŋkuwo kpɔ la ɖo alo nye asiwo ƒo ɖi la,
If [it were true that] I have stopped living righteously, or [that] I [SYN] have desired the things that I look at [MTY], or [that] I am guilty of any other sin,
8 ekema ame bubuwo neɖu nu siwo meƒã eye woneho nye nukuwo le bo dzi.
then I hope/wish that when I plant [seeds], someone else will [harvest the crops and] eat [them] and that others will uproot the [fruit trees] that I planted.
9 “Ne nyɔnu aɖe flu nye dzi alo mede xa ɖe nye aƒelika ƒe ʋɔtru nu la,
“If [it were true that] I [SYN] have been attracted by some other man’s wife, or [that] I have hidden myself and waited outside [the] door [to] her [house],
10 ekema srɔ̃nye netu bli na ŋutsu bubu eye ŋutsu bubuwo nedɔ kplii.
I hope/desire that my wife will become the servant/slave of another man and have sex [EUP] with him.
11 Elabena esia anye ŋukpenanu kple nu vɔ̃ si dze na ʋɔnudɔdrɔ̃.
[For me to do] that would be a terrible sin, and the judges would decide that I should be punished.
12 Enye dzo si bina hena gbegblẽ, eye wòaho nye nukuwo akɔ ɖi.
My [committing adultery] would [produce in me a fire like] [MET] the fire that burns people in hell, and it would burn up everything that I own. (questioned)
13 “Ne nyemetso afia nyui na nye dɔlaŋutsuwo kple dɔlanyɔnuwo ne wotsɔ nya ɖe ŋunye o la,
“And, if [it were true that] I have ever refused to listen to one of my male or female servants when they complained to me about something,
14 nu ka mawɔ ne Mawu bia gbem? Ŋuɖoɖo ka mana ne eyɔm be mana akɔnta?
God would arise [and declare that he would punish me]; and when he would do that, what would I do? If he would ask me [about what I have done], (what would I answer?/I would not be able to answer.) [RHQ]
15 Ɖe menye ame si wɔm ɖe vidzidɔ me lae wɔ woawo hã oa? Ɖe menye eya koe wɔ mí ame evea katã ɖe mía dadawo ƒe dɔ me oa?
God, who created me, certainly also created my servants [RHQ]; surely he is the one who formed them and me in our mothers’ wombs [RHQ]; [so we all should behave toward each other equally].
16 “Nenye be mete hiãtɔwo woƒe didiwo alo mena nu te ahosiwo ƒe ŋkuwo ŋu,
“I have guided orphans from the time that they were born; I have taken care of them since they were young. So, if [it were true that] I ate all my food myself and did not share some of it with orphans, or [that] I refused to give poor people the things that they wanted, or [that] I caused widows to live (in despair/without hope [that they would receive any help from anyone]),
17 nenye be nye ɖeɖe meɖu nye abolo heku ŋɔ tsyɔ̃evi la, eya ko woagblɔ nya aɖe,
18 evɔ la tso nye ɖekakpuime ke, menyi tyɔẽviwo abe fofo ene eye tso nye ɖevime ke, mefia mɔ ahosiwo.
19 Ne mekpɔ ame aɖe wòle tsɔtsrɔ̃m le avɔmanɔamesi ta alo hiãtɔ si mekpɔ awu ne wòado o
or [that] I had seen people die [from cold] because they had no clothes, or [that] I had seen poor people who did not have clothes [to keep them warm],
20 eye eƒe dzi meyram be metsɔ avɔ si wowɔ kple nye alẽwo ƒe fu nɛ be wòade dzo lãme nɛ o,
and they were not able to become warm [from clothes made] from the wool of my sheep with the result that they thanked me for [giving them clothes, ]
21 ne mekɔ nye asi dzi ɖe tsyɔ̃evi ŋu, evɔa menya be woxɔa nye nya le ʋɔnu la,
or if [it were true that] I threatened to strike any orphan because I knew that the elders at the city gates would (decide in my favor);
22 ekema na be nye abɔ nage le abɔgba ŋu eye wòaŋe le ekpeƒe.
[if those things were true about me], I hope/desire that my shoulder blade would be torn out and my arm be torn from my shoulder.
23 Elabena gbegblẽ si tso Mawu gbɔ la le ŋɔ dzim nam, eye vɔvɔ̃ na eƒe atsyɔ̃ mana mawɔ nu mawo o.
I always feared that God would cause me to experience a great disaster [if I did any of those evil things], and I would not have been able to endure the powerful [things that he would do to punish me].
24 “Nenye ɖe meɖo dzi ɖe sika ŋu alo megblɔ na sika nyuitɔ be, ‘Wòe nye nye sitsoƒe,’
“If [it were true that] I trusted in my gold/money [DOU],
25 nenye ɖe mekpɔ dzidzɔ le nye kesinɔnu gbogboawo ta, nu siwo nye alɔ wɔ dɔ kpɔ,
or that I rejoiced because I had acquired many things and had become very rich,
26 nenye ɖe mede bubu ɣe ŋuti le ale si wòle keklẽm alo ɣleti le ale si wòle yiyim kple atsyɔ̃,
or that I looked at the sun when it was shining or looked at the beautiful moon
27 ale be woflu nye dzi le adzame eye metsɔ nye asi wɔ dzesi na wo be melɔ̃ wo, de bubu wo ŋu la,
and I [SYN] had been tempted [to worship them] by kissing my hand to revere them,
28 ekema esiawo hã anye nu vɔ̃ siwo wòle be woahe ayi ʋɔnu, elabena adze ƒãa be nyemeto nyateƒe na Mawu le dziƒo o.
those things also would be sins for which the judges would say that I must be punished, because I would have been rejecting God [by doing those things].
29 “Nenye ɖe mekpɔ dzidzɔ le nye futɔ ƒe dzɔgbevɔ̃e me dzedze ŋu alo dzɔ dzi le hiã siwo tui ta la, eya ko magblɔ nya aɖe.
“[It is not true that] I [SYN] sinned by requesting God to curse people who hated me with the result that God would cause them to die. It is also not true that I was glad when they were ruined or that I rejoiced when they experienced disasters [DOU].
30 Gake nyemeɖe mɔ na nye nu be wòawɔ nu vɔ̃ to ɖiŋudodo na eƒe agbe me o.
31 Nenye ɖe ame siwo le aƒenye me la se megblɔ kpɔ be, ‘Ame kae meɖu Hiob ƒe abolo ɖi ƒo kpɔ o?’ la, anye ne enye nya bubu
[It is also not true that] I never welcomed travelers to stay in my tent or that I did not open my doors to them, but [forced them to] sleep in the streets. [All] the men who work for me certainly know that [RHQ]!
32 elabena mele na amedzro aɖeke be wòatsi mɔto adɔ o elabena nye ʋɔtru le ʋuʋu ɖi ɣe sia ɣi na mɔzɔlawo.
33 Nenye ɖe meɣla nye nu vɔ̃ abe ale si amewo wɔna ene, be meɣla nye dzidada ɖe nye dzi me,
Some people try to hide their sins, but I have never done that;
34 elabena mevɔ̃ na ameha la ŋutɔ eye mevɔ̃ na dukɔ la ƒe vlododo ale gbegbe be, mezi ɖoɖoe hegbe gododo ɖe gota la, anye ne enye nya bubu kura.
and I never remained silent and refused to go outside of my home because I was very (afraid of/worried about) what people would say [about me], and that they would hate/scorn me.
35 “O, ɖe ame aɖe le asinye aɖo tom ɖe! Kpɔ ɖa mede asi ɖokuinyetaʋlinyawo te, azɔ la, Ŋusẽkatãtɔ la neɖo eŋu nam, ame si le nunye tsom la hã neŋlɔ nunyetsonyawo ɖe agbalẽ dzi.
“I wish/desire that there was someone who would hear what I am saying! I solemnly declare [that all that I have said is true]. I wish that those who oppose me would write down [on a scroll] the evil things that they say that I did.
36 Vavã malée ɖe nye abɔta eye maɖɔe ɖe ta abe fiakuku ene.
[If they did that, ] I would wear that scroll on my shoulder, or wear it on top of my head, [in order that everyone could see it].
37 Mana nutsotsoe tso nye afɔɖeɖe ɖe sia ɖe ŋuti eye mate ɖe eŋu abe fiavi ene.
I would tell [God] everything that I have done, and I would approach him [confidently], like a ruler would.
38 “Nenye ɖe nye anyigba fa avi ɖe ŋutinye eye eƒe boliƒowo yɔ kple aɖatsi,
If [it were true that] I have stolen land, with the result that [it was as though] its furrows cried out to accuse me of stealing;
39 nenye be meɖu eƒe kutsetsewo femaxee alo mena dɔwɔla siwo le agblea dzi la ƒe gbɔgbɔ gbã gudugudugudu la,
or [if it were true that] I have eaten the crops that grew in someone else’s fields without paying [for those crops], with the result that those farmers who grew those crops died [from hunger];
40 ekema aŋɔkawo nemie nam ɖe lu teƒe eye gbe wuwluiwo nemie ɖe ƒo teƒe.” Esiae nye Hiob ƒe nyawo ƒe nuwuwu.
then I wish/desire that thorns would grow [in my fields] instead of wheat. May bad weeds grow instead of barley!” That is the end of what Job said [to his three friends].
