Job 31
1 “Mụ na anya m gbara ndụ kpebie na o nweghị mgbe m ga-ele nwaagbọghọ ọbụla anya nʼihi agụụ ịkwa iko.
“I solemnly promised myself that I would not look at a young woman with a desire [to have sex with her].
2 Nʼihi na, gịnị bụ oke mmadụ ketara nʼaka Chineke onye bi nʼelu; gịnị bụkwa ihe nketa ya site nʼaka Onye pụrụ ime ihe niile nọ nʼelu?
[If I did not do what I promised, ] what would God who is in heaven [MTY] do to me [RHQ]? Almighty [God] would certainly not [RHQ] give me any reward!
3 Ọ bụghị mbibi nye ndị ajọ omume, nhụju anya nye ndị na-eme ihe ọjọọ?
[Previously I thought that] surely [RHQ] it was unrighteous people who would experience calamities, and that it was those who do what is wrong who would experience disasters.
4 Ọ bụ na ọ naghị ahụ ụzọ m niile, gụọkwa nzọ ukwu m niile ọnụ?
God certainly sees [RHQ] everything that I do, [so why is he causing me to suffer?] [It is as though] he counts every step that I take.
5 “Ọ bụrụ na m gara ije nʼụzọ ụgha maọbụ na ụkwụ m mere ngwangwa gbasoro ụzọ aghụghọ,
[“I solemnly declare that] I have never acted wickedly and have never tried to deceive people.
6 ka Chineke were ihe ọtụtụ ziri ezi tụọ m, ọ ga-amata na m bụ onye na-enweghị ịta ụta.
I request only that God judge me fairly [MET], and if he does that, he will know that I (am innocent/have not done what is wrong).
7 Ọ bụrụ na nzọ ụkwụ m si nʼụzọ wezuga onwe ya, ọ bụrụ anya m na-edu obi m, ma ọ bụkwanụ na aka m abụọ bụ ihe e merụrụ emerụ,
If [it were true that] I have stopped living righteously, or [that] I [SYN] have desired the things that I look at [MTY], or [that] I am guilty of any other sin,
8 ọ bụrụ otu a, ka onye ọzọ rie ihe m kụrụ nʼubi, ka e hopuchakwa ihe niile m kụrụ nʼubi.
then I hope/wish that when I plant [seeds], someone else will [harvest the crops and] eat [them] and that others will uproot the [fruit trees] that I planted.
9 “Ọ bụrụ na ọ gụọla obi m agụụ ijekwuru nwanyị ọzọ, maọbụ na m ezoola nʼọnụ ụzọ onye agbataobi m,
“If [it were true that] I [SYN] have been attracted by some other man’s wife, or [that] I have hidden myself and waited outside [the] door [to] her [house],
10 mgbe ahụ, ka nwunye m kwọọrọ nwoke ọzọ nri, ka ndị ikom ọzọ dinaa ya.
I hope/desire that my wife will become the servant/slave of another man and have sex [EUP] with him.
11 Nʼihi na nke ahụ ga-abụ ihe ihere, bụrụkwa mmehie kwesiri ka e kpee ya ikpe.
[For me to do] that would be a terrible sin, and the judges would decide that I should be punished.
12 Ọ bụ ọkụ na-ere ruo nʼebe ịla nʼiyi; nke pụrụ ihopu ihe owuwe ubi m niile.
My [committing adultery] would [produce in me a fire like] [MET] the fire that burns people in hell, and it would burn up everything that I own. (questioned)
13 “Ọ bụrụ na m jụrụ ikpe ikpe ziri ezi nye nwoke maọbụ nwanyị ọbụla na-ejere m ozi mgbe ha nwere mkpesa megide m,
“And, if [it were true that] I have ever refused to listen to one of my male or female servants when they complained to me about something,
14 gịnị ka m ga-eme mgbe Chineke bịakwutere m? Gịnị ka m ga-aza ya mgbe ọ jụrụ m ajụjụ?
God would arise [and declare that he would punish me]; and when he would do that, what would I do? If he would ask me [about what I have done], (what would I answer?/I would not be able to answer.) [RHQ]
15 Ọ bụ na ọ bụghị onye kpụrụ m nʼafọ nne m mekwara ha? Ọ bụghị ya kpụrụ anyị abụọ nʼafọ nne anyị?
God, who created me, certainly also created my servants [RHQ]; surely he is the one who formed them and me in our mothers’ wombs [RHQ]; [so we all should behave toward each other equally].
16 “Ọ bụrụ na m ajụ inye ndị ogbenye ihe dị ha mkpa, ma ọ bụrụkwa na m eme ka anya nwanyị di ya nwụrụ dalaa ya nʼisi,
“I have guided orphans from the time that they were born; I have taken care of them since they were young. So, if [it were true that] I ate all my food myself and did not share some of it with orphans, or [that] I refused to give poor people the things that they wanted, or [that] I caused widows to live (in despair/without hope [that they would receive any help from anyone]),
17 ọ bụrụ na m dobere ihe oriri m maka naanị m, ma jụ inye ya ụmụ mgbei;
18 ma site nʼokorobịa m, azụlitere m ha dịka nna kwesiri, ọ bụkwa site na nwantakịrị ka m bụ onyendu nye nwanyị di ya nwụrụ.
19 Ọ bụrụ na ọ dị mgbe m hụrụ onye na-ala nʼiyi nʼihi enweghị akwa, maọbụ onye nọ nʼụkọ nke na-enweghị uwe,
or [that] I had seen people die [from cold] because they had no clothes, or [that] I had seen poor people who did not have clothes [to keep them warm],
20 ma obi ha agọzighị m nʼihi iji ajị sitere nʼụmụ atụrụ m mee ka o nwee okpomọkụ nʼahụ ya.
and they were not able to become warm [from clothes made] from the wool of my sheep with the result that they thanked me for [giving them clothes, ]
21 Ọ bụrụ na m eweliela aka m megide onye nna ya nwụrụ, nʼihi na m mara na m nwere nkwuwa okwu nʼụlọikpe,
or if [it were true that] I threatened to strike any orphan because I knew that the elders at the city gates would (decide in my favor);
22 mgbe ahụ, ka aka m si nʼubu m dapụ, ka e tijiekwa ogwe aka m site na nkwonkwo ya.
[if those things were true about me], I hope/desire that my shoulder blade would be torn out and my arm be torn from my shoulder.
23 Nʼihi na atụrụ m egwu mbibi na-esite nʼaka Chineke, nʼihi egwu ebube ya, enweghị m ike ime ihe ndị a.
I always feared that God would cause me to experience a great disaster [if I did any of those evil things], and I would not have been able to endure the powerful [things that he would do to punish me].
24 “Ọ bụrụ na ntụkwasị obi m dị nʼọlaedo, maọbụ na m sị ọlaedo a nụchara anụcha, ‘Ị bụ ebe ndabere m.’
“If [it were true that] I trusted in my gold/money [DOU],
25 Ọ bụrụ na m ṅụrịrị ọṅụ nʼihi oke akụ m, ihe nnweta nke aka m ritere nʼuru,
or that I rejoiced because I had acquired many things and had become very rich,
26 ọ bụrụ na m legidere anyanwụ anya nʼebube ya, maọbụ ọnwa nʼike nchawa ya,
or that I looked at the sun when it was shining or looked at the beautiful moon
27 nke ga-eme ka obi m bụrụ ihe a rafuru na nzuzo, maọbụ aka m abụrụ ihe e weliri ife ha ofufe,
and I [SYN] had been tempted [to worship them] by kissing my hand to revere them,
28 mgbe ahụ, ihe ndị a ga-abụ mmehie nke a ga-ekpe ikpe, nʼihi na m gaara abụ onye na-ekwesighị ntụkwasị obi nye Chineke, Onye bi nʼelu.
those things also would be sins for which the judges would say that I must be punished, because I would have been rejecting God [by doing those things].
29 “Ọ bụrụ na m ṅụrịrị ọṅụ nʼihi ọdachi nke dakwasịrị onye iro m maọbụ chịa ọchị nʼihi nsogbu nke dakwasịrị ya,
“[It is not true that] I [SYN] sinned by requesting God to curse people who hated me with the result that God would cause them to die. It is also not true that I was glad when they were ruined or that I rejoiced when they experienced disasters [DOU].
30 ekwebeghị m ka ọnụ m mehie megide ha site nʼịbụ ndụ ha ọnụ.
31 Ọ bụrụ na o nwebeghị oge ndị nọ nʼezinaụlọ m kwuru okwu sị. ‘Onye ka ọ bụ nke na-erijubeghị afọ site nʼihe oriri Job na-enye?’
[It is also not true that] I never welcomed travelers to stay in my tent or that I did not open my doors to them, but [forced them to] sleep in the streets. [All] the men who work for me certainly know that [RHQ]!
32 Ma ọ dịghị onye ọbịa na-anọ ọnọdụ abalị nʼama, nʼihi ụzọ m na-eghe oghe mgbe ọbụla nye ndị ije.
33 Ọ bụrụ na m na-ezo mmehie m dịka ndị ọzọ, site nʼizobe mmehie m nʼime obi m,
Some people try to hide their sins, but I have never done that;
34 nʼihi na m tụrụ egwu igwe mmadụ, si otu a, tụọ oke egwu nʼihi nleda anya nke ndị agbụrụ dị iche iche, nke mere ka m gbaa nkịtị ghara ịpụ nʼezi.
and I never remained silent and refused to go outside of my home because I was very (afraid of/worried about) what people would say [about me], and that they would hate/scorn me.
35 (“O, a sị na o nwere onye ga-ege m ntị! Ana m ebinye aka m nʼokwu ngọpụ m, ka Onye pụrụ ime ihe niile za m, ka onye na-ebo m ebubo depụta ihe o nwere megide m nʼakwụkwọ.
“I wish/desire that there was someone who would hear what I am saying! I solemnly declare [that all that I have said is true]. I wish that those who oppose me would write down [on a scroll] the evil things that they say that I did.
36 Nʼezie, aga m eyiri ya nʼubu m, aga m eyinyekwa ya dịka okpueze.
[If they did that, ] I would wear that scroll on my shoulder, or wear it on top of my head, [in order that everyone could see it].
37 Aga m agụkọrọ ya nzọ ụkwụ m niile, aga m ejekwuru ya dịka ọkpara eze.)
I would tell [God] everything that I have done, and I would approach him [confidently], like a ruler would.
38 “Ọ bụrụ na ala m etie mkpu megide m, ọ bụrụ na olulu dị na ya ejupụta nʼanya mmiri,
If [it were true that] I have stolen land, with the result that [it was as though] its furrows cried out to accuse me of stealing;
39 ọ bụrụ na m eripịa ihe o mepụtara na-akwụghị ụgwọ, maọbụ mee ka mmụọ ndị bi nʼime ya daa mba,
or [if it were true that] I have eaten the crops that grew in someone else’s fields without paying [for those crops], with the result that those farmers who grew those crops died [from hunger];
40 ka ogwu pupụta nʼọnọdụ ọka wiiti, ka ahịhịa na-esi isi ọjọọ pupụtakwa nʼọnọdụ ọka balị.” Okwu Job agwụla.
then I wish/desire that thorns would grow [in my fields] instead of wheat. May bad weeds grow instead of barley!” That is the end of what Job said [to his three friends].
