Job 22
1 Mgbe ahụ, Elifaz onye Teman zara sị:
Then Eliphaz replied,
2 “Mmadụ ọ pụrụ ịbara Chineke uru? Ọ bụladị onye nwere uche ọ pụrụ ịbara Chineke uru?
“(Can anyone be useful to God?/Certainly no one can be useful to God.) [RHQ] Even people who are wise cannot be helpful to God.
3 O nwere ọṅụ ọ ga-enye Onye pụrụ ime ihe niile ma a sị na ị bụ onye ezi omume? Uru gịnị ka ọ ga-enweta ma ọ bụrụ na ụzọ gị niile enweghị ịta ụta?
If you were righteous, (would that benefit Almighty [God]?/that certainly would not benefit Almighty [God].) [RHQ] If you had (lived a perfect life/never done anything that is wrong), would that help him?
4 “Chineke ọ na-abara gị mba na-ebo gị ebubo nʼihi na ị na-atụ egwu ya?
“Is it because you have an awesome respect for God that he punishes you? Is that the reason that he puts you on trial?
5 Ọ bụ na mmebi iwu gị adịghị ukwuu? Mmehie gị o nwere ọgwụgwụ?
No, it certainly must be [RHQ] because you are extremely wicked. It must be that the evil things that you have done are so many that no one can count them!
6 Ị naara ụmụnne gị ihe ebe nʼefu; ị yipụrụ ndị mmadụ uwe ha gbawa ha ọtọ.
You must have lent money to others and wrongly forced them to give you things to guarantee that they would pay that money back to you; you must have taken all their clothes and left them with nothing to wear.
7 I nyeghị ndị ike gwuru mmiri, i nyeghịkwa ndị agụụ na-agụ ihe oriri.
You must not have given water to those who were thirsty, and you must have refused to give food to those who were hungry.
8 Ọ bụ eziokwu na ị bụ nwoke dị ike na onye nwere ala, bụrụkwa onye a na-asọpụrụ bi nʼala ya,
Because you were very powerful, you [must have] taken over all the people’s land, and then, being very respected, you have begun to live on that land.
9 Ị na-agbaba ụmụ nwanyị di ha nwụrụ aka, zipụ ha, Ị na-anyaji ogwe aka nke ụmụ na-enweghị nna.
[When] widows [came to you for help], you [must have] sent [them] away without giving them anything, and you must have oppressed orphans.
10 Ọ bụ ya mere ọnya jiri gbaa gị gburugburu, bụrụkwa ihe mbibi ji eyi gị egwu.
Because of all that, now there are pits around you for you to fall into, and suddenly there are things that terrify you and cause you to tremble.
11 Ọ bụkwa ya mere ọchịchịrị ji gbaa gị gburugburu ka ị ghara ịhụ ụzọ, meekwa ka idee mmiri kpuchie gị.
[It is as though] it has become very dark, with the result that you cannot see anything, and [it is as though] [MET] a flood covers you.
12 “Ọ bụ na Chineke anọghị nʼebe dị elu nke eluigwe? Lee ka ịdị elu nke kpakpando dị elu si dị.
“[But consider this, Job]: God lives [RHQ] high up in the heavens. From there he [RHQ] looks down on the highest stars.
13 Kama ị na-asị, ‘Gịnị ka Chineke maara? Ọ na-esite nʼoke ọchịchịrị dị otu a ekpe ikpe?
So why do you say, ‘What does God know [about what we are doing]? [He is hidden from us by] dark clouds, so ([how] can he judge us?/he certainly cannot judge us.) [RHQ]’
14 Oke ọchịchịrị kpuchiri ya, nke mere na ọ naghị ahụ anyị mgbe ọ na-agagharị nʼebe dị elu nke eluigwe.’
[Do you think that] while he walks on the dome that covers the sky, there are thick clouds around him, with the result that he cannot see [what we do]?
15 Ị ga-agbaso ụzọ ochie nke ndị na-eme ihe ọjọọ zoro ije na ya?
Will you continue to conduct your life the old way that evil people have done [for many years]?
16 E bupụrụ ha tupu oge ha eruo. Ntọala ndụ ha ka idee mmiri sachapụrụ
They suddenly died while they were still young; they disappeared [like everything disappears when there is] a flood [MET].
17 Ha sịrị Chineke, ‘Hapụ anyị aka! Gịnị ka Onye pụrụ ime ihe niile ga-eme anyị?’
They kept saying to God, ‘Do not bother us,’ and they also said [defiantly], ‘Almighty [God] can do nothing [RHQ] to [harm] us!’
18 Ma ọ bụ ya ji ihe dị mma dị iche iche mejupụta ụlọ ha, ya mere ana m ewezuga onwe m site na ndụmọdụ ndị na-emebi iwu.
But it was God who filled their houses with good things, so I cannot at all understand why wicked people think like they do.
19 Ndị ezi omume na-ahụ mbibi ndị dị otu a ma ṅụrịa; ndị aka ha dị ọcha na-akwa ha emo sị:
“But when God punishes wicked people, and righteous people see that, they are glad, and they laugh, ridiculing the wicked people.
20 ‘Nʼezie, e bibiela ndị iro anyị, ọkụ erepịala akụnụba ha.’
They say, ‘Now our enemies have been destroyed, and all [their possessions] that were left have been burned in a fire.’
21 “Doo onwe gị nʼokpuru Chineke ka gị na ya nọọ nʼudo, nʼụzọ dị otu a, ọganihu ga-abịara gị.
“So, [Job, ] be reconciled to God and make peace with him; if you do that, good things will happen to you.
22 Gee ntị, nabata ndụmọdụ si ya nʼọnụ, doo okwu ya niile nʼobi gị.
Allow him to teach you, and keep thinking about what he has told you.
23 Ọ bụrụ na ịlaghachikwute Onye pụrụ ime ihe niile, ọ ga-eweghachi gị nʼọnọdụ gị; ọ bụrụ na iwezuga ihe mmebi iwu mee ka ọ dị anya site nʼebe ụlọ ikwu gị dị,
If you humble yourself and return to God, if you stop doing all the evil things that you have been doing in your house,
24 tọgbọ ọkpụrụkpụ ọlaedo gị nʼaja, tụpụkwa ọlaedo nke Ọfịa gị nʼelu nkume dị nʼime ọdọ mmiri nta.
if you throw away your gold, even the fine gold from the dry stream beds in Ophir [land],
25 Mgbe ahụ, Onye pụrụ ime ihe niile ga-abụrụ gị ọlaedo, bụkwara gị ọlaọcha kachasị mma.
and if you allow Almighty [God] to be [as precious to you as] your gold and your silver [have been],
26 Nʼezie, mgbe ahụ kwa, ihe nke Onye pụrụ ime ihe niile ga-atọ mkpụrụobi gị ụtọ, ị ga-ewelikwa ihu gị nye Chineke.
you will be happy because of your close relationship with God, and you will be able to approach him [IDM] [confidently].
27 Ị ga-ekpe ekpere, ọ ga-azakwa gị ekpere gị, ị ga-emezukwa nkwa i kwere.
You will pray to him, and he will do what you request him to do; you will do the things that you promised him that you would do.
28 Ihe i kpebiri ga-emezukwa, ìhè ga-amụkwasị nʼụzọ gị niile.
Everything that you decide to do will be successful; [it] will [be as though] a light [is] shining on the road in front of you.
29 Mgbe a na-eweda ndị mmadụ ala, ọ bụrụkwa na ị sị, ‘Bulienụ ha elu,’ mgbe ahụ ọ ga-azọpụta ndị e wedara nʼala.
God humbles those who are proud, but he saves those who are downcast/discouraged.
30 Ọ ga-azọpụta ọ bụladị onye ahụ nke aka ya na-adịghị ọcha, bụ onye nke a ga-azọpụta site nʼịdị ọcha nke aka gị.”
God rescues those who (are innocent/have not done things that are wrong), so he will rescue you if you (start doing things that are right/are not guilty [IDM] of doing things that are wrong).”
