Hiob 34
1 Tete Elihu gblɔ be,
Then Elihu continued:
2 “Mise nye nyawo, mi nunyalawo, miɖo tom, mi nugɔmeselawo,
“You [three] men who [think that you] [SAR] are very wise, hear me; listen to what I am saying, you men who [say that you] know so much.
3 elabena to doa nyawo kpɔ abe ale si aɖe ɖɔa nuɖuɖu kpɔe ene.
When we [SYN] hear what other people [like you] say, we [RHQ] think carefully about what they say [to determine what is good and what is bad], like we [SYN] taste food [to determine what is good].
4 Mina míadze si nu si le dzɔdzɔe la na mía ɖokui eye mina míasrɔ̃ nu si nyo la ɖekae.
We need to decide [who is saying] what is right and to determine among ourselves what is good/best.
5 “Hiob gblɔ be, ‘Nyemeɖi fɔ o gake Mawu gbe afiatsotso nam
Job has said, ‘I am innocent, but God has refused to judge me fairly/justly.
6 Togbɔ be tɔnye dzɔ hã la, wobum alakpatɔe, togbɔ be nyemeɖi fɔ o hã la, eƒe aŋutrɔ de abi makumaku ŋutinye’
Even though I have always done what is right, he is lying about me. Even though I have not done what is wrong, he has caused me to suffer, and I will certainly die.’
7 Ame kae le abe Hiob, ame si no fewuɖuɖu abe tsi ene?
(Is there any person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water?/There is no person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water.) [RHQ]
8 Edea ha kple nu vɔ̃ɖi wɔlawo eye wòbɔa ha kple ame vɔ̃ɖiwo.
He habitually associates with people who do what is evil and spends time with wicked people.
9 Elabena egblɔ be, ‘Viɖe aɖeke mele eme ne èdze agbagba be yeadze Mawu ŋu o.’
He has said, ‘It is useless for people to try to please God.’
10 “Eya ta miɖo tom, mi ŋutsu nugɔmeselawo. Nete ɖa xaa tso Mawu gbɔ, be wòawɔ nu vɔ̃ɖi kple Ŋusẽkatãtɔ la, be wòawɔ nu gbegblẽ.
“So, you men who [claim that you] understand everything, listen to me! Almighty God would never consider doing anything that is wicked or wrong [DOU]!
11 Ewɔna na ame ɖe nu si wòwɔ la nu eye wòhea nu si eƒe nuwɔnawo dze na la vaa edzii.
He (pays back/punishes) people for what they have done; he gives them what they deserve for the way that they have conducted their lives.
12 Mele be wòava ame ƒe ta me gɔ̃ hã be Mawu awɔ nu gbegblẽ alo be Ŋusẽkatãtɔ la atso afia ŋkunɔ o.
Truly, Almighty God never does what is wicked; he always [LIT] does what is fair/just.
13 Ame kae tsɔe ɖo anyigbadzikpɔlae? Ame kae tsɔe ɖo xexea me katã nu?
The authority that he has to rule everything on the earth, no one [RHQ] gave it to him; no one [RHQ] put him in control of the whole world. [He has always had that authority].
14 Ne enye eƒe tameɖoɖo eye wòɖo asi eƒe gbɔgbɔ kple agbegbɔgbɔ dzi la,
If he would take his spirit back to himself,
15 amegbetɔwo katã atsrɔ̃ eye ame atrɔ azu anyi.
everyone would die [immediately], and their corpses would soon become dirt again.
16 “Ne gɔmesese le asiwò la, se nya sia, lé to ɖe nu si gblɔ ge mele la ŋuti.
“So, [Job], if [you say that you] understand everything, listen to what I am saying.
17 Ɖe ame si tsri afia nyui tsotso la ate ŋu akplɔ dua? Ɖe nàbu fɔ dzɔdzɔetɔ kple Ŋusẽtɔ la?
God could certainly not [RHQ] govern the world if he hated doing what is fair/just. So, will you condemn God, who is righteous and powerful, [saying that what he has done is wrong]?
18 Ɖe menye Eyae nye ame si gblɔ na fiawo be, ‘Mienyo na naneke o’ eye na bubumewo be, ‘Ame vɔ̃ɖiwo mienye’ oa,
He tells [some] kings that they are worthless, and he says to [some] officials that they are wicked.
19 ame si medea amegãwo dzi o eye mewɔa nyui na kesinɔtɔwo, gblẽa ame dahewo ɖi o, elabena wo katã nye eƒe asinudɔwɔwɔwo oa?
He does not favor rulers [more than he favors others]; he does not favor rich people more than poor people, because he created all of them.
20 Wokuna kpata le zãtitina, ameawo ʋuʋuna eye wo nu va yina ale woɖea kalẽtɔwo ɖa amegbetɔ ƒe asi manɔmee.
People [often] die suddenly; he strikes them at midnight and they die; he even gets rid of mighty people without the help of any humans [SYN].
21 “Eƒe ŋkuwo le amegbetɔwo ƒe mɔwo ŋu, ekpɔa woƒe afɔɖeɖe ɖe sia ɖe.
“He sees [MTY] everything that people do; [when we walk, ] he watches every step that we take.
22 Teƒe doblukɔ alo teƒe doviviti tsiɖitsiɖitsiɖi aɖeke meli si nu tovo wɔlawo asi abe ɖo o.
There is no gloom or darkness [DOU] that is so dark that sinners can hide [from him] in that darkness.
23 Mehiã be Mawu nado amegbetɔwo kpɔ ayi ŋgɔ alo woava eŋkume wòadrɔ̃ ʋɔnu wo o.
God does not [need to] set a time when we will stand in front of him in order that he may judge us. [He can judge us whenever he wants to].
24 Mekua nya gɔme hafi kakaa ŋusẽtɔwo, eye wòtsɔa ame bubuwo ɖoa wo teƒe o.
He destroys mighty people without [needing to] investigate [what they have done], and he appoints others to take their places.
25 Elabena eƒe ŋku le woƒe nuwɔnawo ŋu eya ta etua asi wo ƒua anyi le zã me, eye wogbãna gudugudugudu.
Because he [already] knows what they have done, he removes them at night and gets rid of them.
26 Ehea to na wo ɖe woƒe vɔ̃ɖivɔ̃ɖi ta, le afi si ame sia ame ate ŋu akpɔ wo le
Where [many] people can see it, he strikes/punishes them because of the wicked things that they have done;
27 elabena wotrɔ le eyome eye womegatsɔ ɖeke le eme na eƒe mɔ aɖeke o.
he strikes them because they turned away from doing what he wanted them to do and did not pay attention to any of his commands.
28 Wona ame dahewo ƒe konyifafa va eŋkume, ale be wòse hiãtɔwo ƒe ɣlidodo
They [mistreated] the poor people, with the result that those poor people cried out to God [for help], and he heard those afflicted people when they cried out [to him].
29 Ke ne ezi ɖoɖoe kpoo la, ame ka abu fɔe? Ne eɣla eƒe mo la, ame ka ate ŋu akpɔe? Ke hã la, ele amewo kple dukɔwo tame sɔsɔe,
But if God decides to do nothing [to punish wicked people], no one can criticize/condemn him. If a godless/wicked man rules a nation, a man who tricks/deceives the people,
30 be maɖe mɔ na Mawumavɔ̃la wòaɖu fia o eye be maɖe mɔ nɛ wòaɖo mɔ na ameawo o.
and if [God] hides his face [with the result that he does not see that ruler or punish him], no one will be able to prevent that ruler [from doing those things].
31 “Tsɔe be ame aɖe gblɔ na Mawu be, ‘Medze agɔ gake nyemagawɔe azɔ o.
“Job, have you or anyone else ever said to God, ‘I have been punished [for my sins], and I will not sin any more;
32 Fia nu si nyemate ŋu akpɔ o lam, ne mewɔ nu gbegblẽ la, nyemagawɔe azɔ o.’
so teach/show me what [sins I have committed]; if I have done anything that is evil, I will not do it any more’?
33 Ɖe Mawu aɖo eteƒe na wò le wò didi nu, esi nègbe be yematrɔ dzi me oa? Wòe wòle be nàɖo eŋu, menye nyee o eya ta gblɔ nu si nènya la nam.
[Job, ] you object to what God has done to you, but do you think that he will do what you want him to do? It is you who must choose [what you say to God], not I; so tell me what you are thinking about this.
34 “Nugɔmeselawo gblɔe eye nunyala siwo se nye nyawo la gblɔ nam be,
“People who have good sense, those who are wise and who listen to what I say, will say to me,
35 ‘Hiob ƒoa nu nugɔmemasemasetɔe eye susu mele eƒe nyawo me o.’
‘Job is speaking ignorantly; what he says is nonsense.’
36 O, ɖe woado Hiob akpɔ va se ɖe nuwuwu, be wòɖo nya ŋu abe ame vɔ̃ɖi ene la, ne anyo ŋutɔ!
I think that Job should be taken to a court and (put on trial/judged), because he answers [us his friends] like wicked men would answer.
37 Etsɔ aglãdzedze kpe ɖe eƒe nu vɔ̃ ŋuti, esia akpe fewuɖutɔe le mía dome eye wòle nyawo gblɔm fũu ɖe Mawu ŋu.”
To add to the [other] sins that he has committed, he is rebelling [against God]; he shows us that he does not respect God [IDM], making long speeches [saying that God has punished him unjustly].”
