Hiob 38
1 Tete Yehowa ɖo nyawo ŋu na Hiob to ahom me be,
Then Yahweh spoke to Job from inside a great windstorm. He said to him,
2 “Ame ka nye esi tsɔ viviti tsyɔ nye aɖaŋudede dzi kple nya siwo gɔmesese meli na la o?
“(Who are you to question what I plan to do?/You have no right/authority to question what I plan to do.) [RHQ] You are speaking ignorantly!
3 Tso nàbla ali dzi abe ŋutsu ene, mabia nya wò, nàɖo eŋu nam.
I want to ask you [some] questions, so, just like men prepare themselves for a difficult task [MET], prepare to answer my questions.
4 “Afi ka nènɔ esi meɖo anyigba ƒe gɔmeɖokpewo anyi? Gblɔe nam, ne èse egɔme.
(“Where were you/Were you there with me) [long ago] when I (laid the foundations of/created) the earth? Since you know so much, tell me [where you were at that time].
5 Ame kae dzidze eƒe kekeme kple didime? Ànyae godoo! Ame kae tsɔ dzidzeka ɖo eŋu?
Do you know how I decided how large the earth would be? Do you know who stretched a measuring tape around the earth? Surely [since you think that you know so much, ] you should know that!
6 Nu ka dzi woɖo egɔme anyi ɖo? Alo ame kae ɖo eƒe dzogoedzikpe
What supports the pillars on which the earth rests? When the stars [that shine early] in the morning sang together, and someone put in place the stone that causes the earth to stay in its place, and all the angels shouted joyfully [when they saw that happening], who laid that cornerstone? [Did you?]
7 esi ŋukeɣletiviwo le ha dzim ɖekae eye Mawudɔlawo katã do dzidzɔɣli?
8 “Ame kae do ʋɔ ɖe atsiaƒu nu esi wòdo go kpoyi tso dadaa ƒe dɔ me
“When the seas poured forth from inside the earth, who prevented the water from flooding over the land?
9 esi metsɔ lilikpo wɔ eƒe awudodoe heblae ɖe viviti tsiɖitsiɖitsiɖi me,
It was I, [not you, ] who caused clouds to come over the seas and caused it to become very dark [under those clouds].
10 esi meɖo seɖoƒe nɛ, hede ʋɔtru kple gametiwo enu,
I set limits for the seas, and I put barriers [so that the water would not come over the land].
11 esi megblɔ be, ‘Afii ko nàse, mèkpɔ mɔ ato liƒo sia dzi o, afi sia ko wò dada kple ɖokuidodoɖedzi ase?’
[I pointed to the shore] and said to the water, ‘I permit you to come up to here, but I do not permit you to come any farther. Your powerful waves must stop there!’
12 “Èɖe gbe na ŋdi kpɔ tso esi wò ŋkekewo dze egɔme alo na fɔŋli nya eƒe nɔƒe,
“Job, have you [ever] commanded the morning [to begin]? Have you [ever] told the dawn to start a new day?
13 be wòalé anyigba ƒe toga, ahaʋuʋu ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ɖa le edzia?
Have you [ever] told the dawn to spread out over the whole earth, with the result that wicked people run away from the light?
14 Anyigba trɔ eƒe nɔnɔme abe anyi le nutrenu te ene, eye eƒe nɔnɔme le abe avɔ tɔ ene.
When it becomes light after the dawn, the hills and the valleys become clear like the folds in a cloth.
15 Woxɔ ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ƒe kekeli le wo si eye woŋe woƒe abɔ si wodo ɖe dzi.
When it becomes daylight, the wicked do not have the darkness [that they like]; [in the daylight] they no longer are able to raise up their arms, ready to hurt people.
16 “Èzɔ mɔ yi ɖe atsiaƒu ƒe vudo me alo zɔ le gogloƒe ƒe nudiƒewo kpɔa?
“[Job, ] have you traveled to the springs [in the bottom of the ocean] from which the water in the seas comes? Have you investigated/explored the very bottom of the oceans?
17 Wofia ku ƒe agbowo wò kpɔa? Èkpɔ ku ƒe vɔvɔli ƒe agbowo kpɔa?
Has someone shown you the gates to the place where dead people are, the gates to the place where it is very dark?
18 Èse anyigba ƒe kekeme gɔmea? Gblɔe nam, ne ènya esiawo katã.
Do you know how big the earth is? Tell me, if you know all these things!
19 “Afi ka mɔ si yi kekeli ƒe nɔƒe la to? Eye afi kae nye viviti nɔƒe?
“Where is the road to the place where light comes from? And [can you tell me] where darkness lives?
20 Àte ŋu akplɔ wo ayi wo nɔƒewoea? Ènya toƒe si yi ɖe wo nɔƒea?
Can take me to its home? Do you know where the road is that goes there?
21 Meka ɖe edzi be ènyae elabena wodzi wò ye ma ɣi xoxo! Ƒe geɖewoe nye esia esi nèle agbe!
I am sure that you know these things, because you [talk as though you] were born before the time when all things were created; you [must] be very old!
22 “Ège ɖe sno ƒe nudzraɖoƒe alo kpɔ kpetsi ƒe nudzraɖoƒe,
“Have you entered the place where I store the snow and the place where I keep the hail?
23 esi meɖo ɖi na xaxaɣi, aʋaŋkekewo kple aʋakpegbe la kpɔa?
I store the snow and the hail [in order that I can use them to help my people] when [they have] troubles, in times when [they are fighting] wars [DOU].
24 Afi ka mɔ si wotona yia teƒe si dzikedzo kakana le alo teƒe si wokakaa ɣedzeƒeya le ɖe anyigba blibo la dzi la to?
And where is the road to the place from which I cause the lightning to flash? Where is the place from where the east wind begins to blow over all the earth?
25 Ame kae ɖo toƒe na tsi gã siwo dzana kple mɔ na ahom sesẽwo,
Who created the channels in which the rain comes down from the sky? Who makes the roads for the thunder/lightning?
26 be woade tsi anyigba si dzi ame mele o kple gbegbe si ame menɔ o,
Who causes rain to fall in the desert, in places where no one lives?
27 be wòaɖi kɔ na kuɖiɖinyigba gbɔlo eye wòamie gbe fɛ̃wo?
Who sends the rain that gives moisture/water to areas where nothing has grown, with the result that grass begins to grow again?
28 Fofo le tsidzadza sia? Ame kae nye tɔ na ahũdzadza?
Does the rain have a father? Does the dew [also] have a father?
29 Ame ka ƒe dɔ mee tsikpe do tso? Ame kae dzi zãmu si dzana tso dziƒo,
And from whose womb does ice come [in the (winter/cold season)]? Who gives birth to the frost that comes down from the sky?
30 esi tsiwo do kpe abe ahlihã ene eye gogloƒewo tame zu tsikpe?
[In the winter, ] the water [freezes and] becomes hard, like a rock, and the surface of lakes becomes frozen.
31 “Àte ŋu abla Atifieŋu siwo le keklẽma? Àte ŋu atu Avutɔ ƒe kawoa?
“[Job], can you fasten the chains that hold the stars together in clusters/groups in the sky?
32 Àte ŋu akplɔ ŋukeɣletiviwo ado goe ne woƒe dodoɣi ɖo alo akplɔ koklonɔ kple viawoa?
Can you tell the stars when they should shine? Can you guide [the stars in the groups in the northern sky whose names are] the Big Bear and the Little Bear?
33 Ènya dziƒo ƒe sewoa? Àte ŋu aɖo Mawu ƒe fiaɖuɖu anyi ɖe anyigba dzia?
Do you know the laws that the stars must obey? Can you cause those same laws to rule [everything here] on the earth?
34 “Àte ŋu akɔ gbe dzi ado ɣli na lilikpowo, eye nàtsɔ tsiɖɔɖɔ atsyɔ ɖokuiwò dzia?
“Can you shout to the clouds and cause rain to pour down on you?
35 Wòe ɖo dzikedzo ɖe eƒe mɔ dzia? Ɖe wova gblɔna na wò be, ‘Míawoe nye esi’ mahã?
Can you cause flashes of lightning to come down and strike where you want it to strike? Do those flashes say to you, ‘Where do you want us to strike next?’
36 Ame kae tsɔ nunya na dzi alo gɔmesese na susu?
Who enables the clouds to know when they should cause rain to fall?
37 Ame ka sie nunya le be wòaxlẽ lilikpowo? Ame kae ate ŋu aviã tsizɔ siwo le dziƒo,
And who is skilled/wise enough to be able to count the clouds? Who can tilt the jugs of water in the sky [to cause the rain to fall],
38 ne anyigba do kpe eye anyikɔ siwo le anyigba la lé ɖe wo nɔewo ŋu?
with the result that the dry ground becomes hard as the dry (clods/lumps of soil) [become wet and] stick together?
39 “Wòe daa ade na dzatanɔ eye nèdia nuɖuɖu na dzatawo, ne dɔ le wo wum
“When a lioness and her cubs crouch in their dens or hide in a thicket, [waiting for some animal to pass by that they can kill, ] can you find animals for a lioness to kill so that [she and] her cubs can [eat the meat and] not be hungry any more?
40 eye womlɔ woƒe dowo me alo le adeklo dzi le ave mea?
41 Ame kae dia nuɖuɖu na akpaviãwo, ne viawo le xɔxlɔ̃m na Mawu eye wole tsatsam le nuɖuɖu makpɔmakpɔ ta?
Who provides dead animals for crows, when the baby crows are calling out to me [for food], [when they are so weak] because of their lack of food [that] they (stagger around/can hardly stand up) [in their nests]?”
