Hiob 8
1 Tete Suhitɔ, Bildad ɖo nya ŋu na Hiob be,
Then Bildad, from [the] Shuah [area], spoke to Job. He said,
2 “Va se ɖe ɣe ka ɣie nànɔ nya siawo gblɔm? Wò nyawo nye yaƒoƒo sesẽ ɖeɖe ko.
“Job, how much longer will you talk like this? What you say is [only] hot air.
3 Ɖe Mawu atso afia ŋkunɔa? Ɖe Ŋusẽkatãtɔ la atrɔ nya dzɔdzɔe abua?
Almighty God certainly never does [RHQ] what is unfair/unjust. He always does [LIT] what is right/fair.
4 Esi viwòwo wɔ nu vɔ̃ ɖe eŋu la, etsɔ wo de asi na tohehe si woƒe nu vɔ̃ dze na.
So, it is evident that your children have sinned against him, therefore he has caused them to be punished for evil things that they have done.
5 Gake ne àkpɔ Mawu dzi ɖa, aƒo koko na Ŋusẽkatãtɔ la,
But, if you will [now] earnestly request [DOU] Almighty [God] to help you,
6 ekema ne èle dzadzɛe, le dzɔdzɔe, fifia gɔ̃ hã la, atso le tawò eye wòagaɖo wò te, ada wò ɖe teƒe si wòle be nànɔ.
and if you are pure and honest/righteous, he will surely do something good for you and reward you by giving your family back to you and enabling you to prosper.
7 Wò gɔmedzedze anɔ sue gake emegbe àdzi asɔ gbɔ ɖe edzi.
And even though you [think that you] were not very prosperous/wealthy before, during the last part of your life you will become very wealthy.
8 “Bia dzidzime siwo do ŋgɔ, eye nàkpɔe ɖa be nu ka wo fofowo srɔ̃ mahã,
“I request you to think about what happened long ago and consider what our ancestors found out.
9 elabena míawo la, etsɔviwo míenye, míenya naneke o eye míaƒe ŋkekewo le anyigba dzi le abe vɔvɔli ko ene.
[It seems as though] we were born only yesterday and we know very little [HYP]; our time here on the earth [disappears quickly, like] a shadow [MET].
10 Ɖe womafia nu wò, agblɔe na wò oa? Ɖe womagblɔ nya na wò tso woƒe gɔmesese me oa?
So, why do you not allow your ancestors to teach you and tell you something? Allow them to tell you from what they learned!
11 Ɖe keti miena, tsina ƒlaluu ɖe teƒe si sii mele oa? Ɖe aƒla awɔ nyuie ne mekpɔ tsi oa?
Papyrus can certainly not [RHQ] grow in places where there is no marsh/swamp; reeds certainly cannot [RHQ] flourish/grow where there is no water.
12 Esi wogale mumu ko eye womeɖo sisi me haɖe o la, woyrɔna kaba wu gbe si le gbedzi.
[If they do not have enough water], while they are still blossoming, they wither more quickly than other plants wither.
13 Aleae wòvaa emee na ame siwo katã ŋlɔ Mawu be eye nenemae Mawumavɔ̃lawo ƒe mɔkpɔkpɔ tsrɔ̃nae.
Those who do not pay attention to what God says are like those [reeds]; godless people stop confidently expecting [that good things will happen to them].
14 Nu si ŋu wòɖo dzi ɖo la meɖo ŋusẽ o eye nu si wòde mee la nye yiyiɖɔ.
The things they confidently expect to happen do not happen; things they trust [will help them] are [as fragile as] [MET] a spider’s web.
15 Ede me eƒe ɖɔ eye wòlã, eku ɖe eŋu, gake etso ɖe eƒe asi me.
If they lean against a house (OR, trust in their wealth; OR, lean on a spider web), it does not (endure/protect them) [LIT]; they cling to things [to be protected], but those things do not remain firm.
16 Ɖeko wòle abe ati si wode tsii nyuie le ŋdɔgbe ene ekekea eƒe alɔwo ɖe abɔa me,
Godless people [are like plants] [MET] that are watered before the sun rises; their shoots spread all over the gardens.
17 eƒe kewo blana ɖe agakpe geɖewo ŋu eye wodia teƒe le kpewo dome.
The roots of those plants twist around piles of stones and cling tightly to rocks.
18 Gake ne wohoe le enɔƒe la, teƒe la gbea nu le egbɔ eye wògblɔna be, ‘Nyemekpɔ wò kpɔ o.’
But if those plants are pulled out, [it is as though] the place where they were planted says ‘They were never here!’ [And that is what happens to wicked people who do not heed what God says].
19 Vavã eƒe agbe yrɔna eye atiku bubuwo miena ɖe eteƒe.
Truly, evil people [MET] are not joyful [IRO] for a long time; other people come and take their places.
20 “Enye nyateƒe be Mawu megbea ame si ŋu fɔɖiɖi mele o alo doa ŋusẽ nu vɔ̃ɖi wɔlawo ƒe asi o.
:So, [I tell you, Job], God will not reject you if you are truly godly/righteous, but he does not help [IDM] evil people.
21 Ke hã la, agana nukoko nayɔ wò nu me fũu, eye wòatsɔ dzidzɔɣli ayɔ wò nuyiwo nu.
He will enable you [MTY] to continually laugh and to always shout [joyfully].
22 Ŋukpe alé wò futɔwo eye ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ƒe agbadɔwo maganɔ anyi o.”
But those who hate you will be very ashamed, and the homes of wicked people will disappear.”
