אִיּוֹב 12
| וַיַּ֥עַן אִיּ֗וֹב וַיֹּאמַֽר׃ | 1 |
Then Job said [to his three friends],
| אָ֭מְנָם כִּ֣י אַתֶּם־עָ֑ם וְ֝עִמָּכֶ֗ם תָּמ֥וּת חָכְמָֽה׃ | 2 |
“You (talk as though/You think) [SAR] that you are the people [whom everyone should listen to], and that when you die, there will be no more wise people.
| גַּם־לִ֤י לֵבָ֨ב ׀ כְּֽמוֹכֶ֗ם לֹא־נֹפֵ֣ל אָנֹכִ֣י מִכֶּ֑ם וְאֶת־מִי־אֵ֥ין כְּמוֹ־אֵֽלֶּה׃ | 3 |
But I have as much good sense as you do; I am (not less wise than/certainly as wise as [LIT]) you. Certainly everyone knows [RHQ] all that you have said.
| שְׂחֹ֤ק לְרֵעֵ֨הוּ ׀ אֶֽהְיֶ֗ה קֹרֵ֣א לֶ֭אֱלוֹהַּ וַֽיַּעֲנֵ֑הוּ שְׂ֝ח֗וֹק צַדִּ֥יק תָּמִֽים׃ | 4 |
My friends all laugh at me now. Previously I habitually requested God to help me, and he answered/helped me. I am righteous, a very godly man [DOU], but everyone laughs at me.
| לַפִּ֣יד בּ֭וּז לְעַשְׁתּ֣וּת שַׁאֲנָ֑ן נָ֝כ֗וֹן לְמ֣וֹעֲדֵי רָֽגֶל׃ | 5 |
Those [like you] who have no troubles make fun of me; they cause those [like me] who are already suffering to have more troubles.
| יִשְׁלָ֤יוּ אֹֽהָלִ֨ים ׀ לְשֹׁ֥דְדִ֗ים וּֽ֭בַטֻּחוֹת לְמַרְגִּ֣יזֵי אֵ֑ל לַאֲשֶׁ֤ר הֵבִ֖יא אֱל֣וֹהַּ בְּיָדֽוֹ׃ | 6 |
Bandits live peacefully, and no one threatens those who cause God to become angry; their own strength is the god [that they worship].
| וְֽאוּלָ֗ם שְׁאַל־נָ֣א בְהֵמ֣וֹת וְתֹרֶ֑ךָּ וְע֥וֹף הַ֝שָּׁמַ֗יִם וְיַגֶּד־לָֽךְ׃ | 7 |
“But ask the wild animals [what they know about God], and [if they could speak] they would teach you. [If you could] ask the birds, they would tell you.
| א֤וֹ שִׂ֣יחַ לָאָ֣רֶץ וְתֹרֶ֑ךָּ וִֽיסַפְּר֥וּ לְ֝ךָ֗ דְּגֵ֣י הַיָּֽם׃ | 8 |
[If you could] ask the creatures [that crawl] on the ground, or the fish in the sea, they would tell you [about God].
| מִ֭י לֹא־יָדַ֣ע בְּכָל־אֵ֑לֶּה כִּ֥י יַד־יְ֝הוָה עָ֣שְׂתָה זֹּֽאת׃ | 9 |
All of them certainly know [RHQ] that it is Yahweh who has made them with his hands.
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּ֭יָדוֹ נֶ֣פֶשׁ כָּל־חָ֑י וְ֝ר֗וּחַ כָּל־בְּשַׂר־אִֽישׁ׃ | 10 |
He directs the lives of all living creatures; he gives breath to all [us] humans [to enable us to remain alive].
| הֲלֹא־אֹ֭זֶן מִלִּ֣ין תִּבְחָ֑ן וְ֝חֵ֗ךְ אֹ֣כֶל יִטְעַם־לֽוֹ׃ | 11 |
And 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 and what is bad].
| בִּֽישִׁישִׁ֥ים חָכְמָ֑ה וְאֹ֖רֶךְ יָמִ֣ים תְּבוּנָֽה׃ | 12 |
Old people are [often] very wise, and because of having lived many years, they understand much,
| עִ֭מּוֹ חָכְמָ֣ה וּגְבוּרָ֑ה ל֝֗וֹ עֵצָ֥ה וּתְבוּנָֽה׃ | 13 |
but God is wise and very powerful; he has good sense and understands [everything].
| הֵ֣ן יַ֭הֲרוֹס וְלֹ֣א יִבָּנֶ֑ה יִסְגֹּ֥ר עַל־אִ֝֗ישׁ וְלֹ֣א יִפָּתֵֽחַ׃ | 14 |
If he tears [something] down, no one can rebuild it; if he puts someone in prison, no one can open [the prison doors to allow that person to escape].
| הֵ֤ן יַעְצֹ֣ר בַּמַּ֣יִם וְיִבָ֑שׁוּ וִֽ֝ישַׁלְּחֵ֗ם וְיַ֖הַפְכוּ אָֽרֶץ׃ | 15 |
When he prevents rain from falling, everything dries up. When he causes a lot of rain to fall, [the result is that] there are floods.
| עִ֭מּוֹ עֹ֣ז וְתֽוּשִׁיָּ֑ה ל֝֗וֹ שֹׁגֵ֥ג וּמַשְׁגֶּֽה׃ | 16 |
He is the one who is truly strong and wise; he rules over those who deceive others and those whom they deceive.
| מוֹלִ֣יךְ יוֹעֲצִ֣ים שׁוֹלָ֑ל וְֽשֹׁפְטִ֥ים יְהוֹלֵֽל׃ | 17 |
He [sometimes] causes [the king’s] officials to no longer be wise, and he causes judges to become foolish.
| מוּסַ֣ר מְלָכִ֣ים פִּתֵּ֑חַ וַיֶּאְסֹ֥ר אֵ֝ז֗וֹר בְּמָתְנֵיהֶֽם׃ | 18 |
He takes from kings the robes that they wear and puts loincloths around their waists, [causing them to become slaves].
| מוֹלִ֣יךְ כֹּהֲנִ֣ים שׁוֹלָ֑ל וְאֵֽתָנִ֣ים יְסַלֵּֽף׃ | 19 |
He takes from priests the sacred clothes that they wear, [with the result that they no longer can do their work], and takes power from those who rule others.
| מֵסִ֣יר שָׂ֭פָה לְנֶאֱמָנִ֑ים וְטַ֖עַם זְקֵנִ֣ים יִקָּֽח׃ | 20 |
He [sometimes] causes those whom others trust to be unable to speak, and he causes old men to no longer have good sense.
| שׁוֹפֵ֣ךְ בּ֭וּז עַל־נְדִיבִ֑ים וּמְזִ֖יחַ אֲפִיקִ֣ים רִפָּֽה׃ | 21 |
He causes those who have authority to be despised, and he causes those who are powerful to no longer have any power/strength.
| מְגַלֶּ֣ה עֲ֭מֻקוֹת מִנִּי־חֹ֑שֶׁךְ וַיֹּצֵ֖א לָא֣וֹר צַלְמָֽוֶת׃ | 22 |
He causes things that are hidden in the darkness to be revealed.
| מַשְׂגִּ֣יא לַ֭גּוֹיִם וַֽיְאַבְּדֵ֑ם שֹׁטֵ֥חַ לַ֝גּוֹיִ֗ם וַיַּנְחֵֽם׃ | 23 |
He causes some nations to become very great, and [later] he destroys them; he causes the territory of some nations to become much larger, and [later] he causes them to be defeated and their people to be scattered.
| מֵסִ֗יר לֵ֭ב רָאשֵׁ֣י עַם־הָאָ֑רֶץ וַ֝יַּתְעֵ֗ם בְּתֹ֣הוּ לֹא־דָֽרֶךְ׃ | 24 |
He causes [some] rulers to become foolish/stupid, and then he causes them to wander around, lost, in an barren desert.
| יְמַֽשְׁשׁוּ־חֹ֥שֶׁךְ וְלֹא־א֑וֹר וַ֝יַּתְעֵ֗ם כַּשִּׁכּֽוֹר׃ | 25 |
They grope around in the darkness, without any light, and he causes them to stagger like [SIM] people who are drunk.”
