Job 38
1 Mgbe ahụ, Onyenwe anyị sitere nʼoke ifufe gwa Job okwu sị:
Then Yahweh spoke to Job from inside a great windstorm. He said to him,
2 “Onye bụ onye a nke ji okwu ihe ọmụma na-adịghị na ya na-eme ka atụmatụ m ghara ịpụta ìhè?
“(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 Ugbu a, jikere onwe gị dịka dimkpa nʼihi na enwere m ajụjụ m ga-ajụ gị nke m chọrọ ka i nye m ọsịsa ha.
I want to ask you [some] questions, so, just like men prepare themselves for a difficult task [MET], prepare to answer my questions.
4 “Ebee ka ị nọ mgbe m tọrọ ntọala ụwa? Gwa m ma ọ bụrụ na ị ghọtara.
(“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 Onye kpebiri ihe ụwa ga-aha ka ya? Nʼezie ị maara, onye setịrị ihe ọtụtụ e ji tụọ ya nʼelu ya?
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 Nʼelu gịnị ka a tọrọ ntọala ya, onye doro nkume mbụ e ji tọọ ntọala ya?
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 Mgbe kpakpando nke isi ụtụtụ zukọrọ bụọ abụ, ụmụ Chineke niile tisikwara mkpu ọṅụ ike?
8 “Onye kara akara nye osimiri iwu ebe ọ ga-ejedebe mgbe o nupụtara dịka a ga-asị na o si nʼakpanwa pụta,
“When the seas poured forth from inside the earth, who prevented the water from flooding over the land?
9 mgbe m yikwasịrị ha igwe ojii dịka uwe, werekwa ọchịchịrị meere ya akwa okike,
It was I, [not you, ] who caused clouds to come over the seas and caused it to become very dark [under those clouds].
10 mgbe m kpaara ya oke ebe ọ ga-akwụsị, tinye ibo ọnụ ụzọ na mkpọrọ e ji akpọchi ya,
I set limits for the seas, and I put barriers [so that the water would not come over the land].
11 mgbe m sịrị, ‘Ruo ebe a ka ị ga-asọrute, ị gaghị agabiga ya, nʼebe a ka a ga-akwụsị ebili mmiri mpako gị’?
[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 “O nweela oge i nyere ụtụtụ iwu, maọbụ mee ka chi ọbụbọ maara ọnọdụ ya,
“Job, have you [ever] commanded the morning [to begin]? Have you [ever] told the dawn to start a new day?
13 ka o jide akụkụ niile nke ụwa aka ma site nʼụwa yọpụ ndị mmebi iwu?
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 Ụwa na-ewere ụdịdị ya dịka ụrọ a kakwasịrị akara; ụdịdị ya na-egosipụta dịka uwe.
When it becomes light after the dawn, the hills and the valleys become clear like the folds in a cloth.
15 A na-eme ka ndị na-emebi iwu ghara inwe ìhè, meekwa ka aka e weliri elu bụrụ nke a nyajiri.
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 “I jeruola nʼisi iyi mmiri dị nʼosimiri, ka i jegharịala nʼebe miri emi nke ogbu mmiri?
“[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 O nweela onye gosiri gị ọnụ ụzọ ọnwụ? Ka i jirila anya gị hụ ọnụ ụzọ nke onyinyo ọnwụ?
Has someone shown you the gates to the place where dead people are, the gates to the place where it is very dark?
18 Ị ghọtara ịdị ukwu nke ụwa na otu o si gbasapụ? Gwa m, ma ọ bụrụ na ị maara ihe ndị a niile.
Do you know how big the earth is? Tell me, if you know all these things!
19 “Olee ụzọ e si aga ebe ìhè bi? Olee ebe ọchịchịrị bi?
“Where is the road to the place where light comes from? And [can you tell me] where darkness lives?
20 Ị nwere ike iduru ha jee nʼebe ha bi? Ị maara ụzọ e si eje ebe obibi ha?
Can take me to its home? Do you know where the road is that goes there?
21 Nʼezie ị maara, nʼihi na a mụọla gị tupu e kee ihe ndị a! Ị bikwaala ọtụtụ afọ.
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 “Ị banyela nʼụlọ niile ebe a na-achịkọba snoo, ka ị hụla ụlọ niile ebe a na-achịkọba mkpụrụ mmiri igwe,
“Have you entered the place where I store the snow and the place where I keep the hail?
23 nke m chekwara nye oge nsogbu, nʼoge ọgụ na nʼoge agha?
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 Kedụ ụzọ e si ejeru ebe a na-anọ ekesasị amụma egbe eluigwe, ebee ka e si ekesasị ifufe ọwụwa anyanwụ nʼelu ụwa?
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 Onye wara ụzọ maka oke mmiri ozuzo, onye kwa waara amụma na egbe eluigwe ụzọ?
Who created the channels in which the rain comes down from the sky? Who makes the roads for the thunder/lightning?
26 Si otu a mee ka mmiri zokwasị ebe mmadụ na-ebighị, ala ọzara ebe ọ dịghị onye nọ nʼime ya,
Who causes rain to fall in the desert, in places where no one lives?
27 ka mmiri ozuzo mee ka ala kpọrọ nkụ nweta mmiri iji mee ka ahịhịa pupụta nʼime ya.
Who sends the rain that gives moisture/water to areas where nothing has grown, with the result that grass begins to grow again?
28 Mmiri ozuzo o nwere nna? Onye mụrụ igirigi?
Does the rain have a father? Does the dew [also] have a father?
29 Site nʼakpanwa onye ka mkpụrụ mmiri si apụta? Onye kwa bụ nne oke oyi nke eluigwe,
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 nke na-eme ka mmiri kpụkọtaa dịrị ike dịka nkume, meekwa ka ihu ogbu mmiri kpụkọta?
[In the winter, ] the water [freezes and] becomes hard, like a rock, and the surface of lakes becomes frozen.
31 “Ị pụrụ ikechi agbụ niile nke Pleiades? Ị pụrụ ịtọpụ ihe nkechikọta Orion?
“[Job], can you fasten the chains that hold the stars together in clusters/groups in the sky?
32 Ị pụrụ ime ka igwe kpakpando pụta nʼoge ha maọbụ dupụta anụ ndọgbu Bịa na ụmụ ya ndị ọzọ?
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 Ị maara iwu na-achị ihe niile dị na mbara eluigwe? Ị pụrụ inye ha ike ịchị ụwa?
Do you know the laws that the stars must obey? Can you cause those same laws to rule [everything here] on the earth?
34 “Ị pụrụ iti mkpu ruo igwe ojii si otu a mee ka idee mmiri kpuchie gị?
“Can you shout to the clouds and cause rain to pour down on you?
35 Ị pụrụ izipụ amụma egbe eluigwe nʼụzọ ha? Ha na-asị gị, ‘Ebe a ka anyị nọ’?
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 Onye na-etinye amamihe nʼobi mmadụ, maọbụ na-enye oke ọkpa nghọta?
Who enables the clouds to know when they should cause rain to fall?
37 Onye nwere amamihe ịgụ igwe ojii niile dị na mbara eluigwe ọnụ? Onye kwa pụrụ ịhulata karama mmiri niile nke eluigwe niile,
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 mgbe aja dị nʼala siri ike, mgbe ọkpụrụkpụ aja dị nʼala na-akpụkọta nʼahụ ibe ha?
with the result that the dry ground becomes hard as the dry (clods/lumps of soil) [become wet and] stick together?
39 “Ọ bụ gị na-achụtara nne ọdụm ihe oriri, mee ka afọ ju ụmụ ọdụm
“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 mgbe ha makpuuru nʼime ọgba ha, maọbụ mgbe ha zoro onwe ha na-eche anụ nʼọhịa?
41 Onye na-edoziri ugolọma ihe oriri ya, mgbe ụmụ ya na-etiku Chineke mkpu agụ, mgbe ha na-akpagharị na-achọ ihe oriri?
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]?”
