Giobbe 31
1 Io avevo stretto un patto con gli occhi miei; come dunque avrei fissati gli sguardi sopra una vergine?
“I solemnly promised myself that I would not look at a young woman with a desire [to have sex with her].
2 Che parte mi avrebbe assegnata Iddio dall’alto e quale eredità m’avrebbe data l’Onnipotente dai luoghi eccelsi?
[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 La sventura non è ella per il perverso e le sciagure per quelli che fanno il male?
[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 Iddio non vede egli le mie vie? non conta tutti i miei passi?
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 Se ho camminato insieme alla menzogna, se il piede mio s’è affrettato dietro alla frode
[“I solemnly declare that] I have never acted wickedly and have never tried to deceive people.
6 (Iddio mi pesi con bilancia giusta e riconoscerà la mia integrità)
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 se i miei passi sono usciti dalla retta via, se il mio cuore è ito dietro ai miei occhi, se qualche sozzura mi s’è attaccata alle mani,
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 ch’io semini e un altro mangi, e quel ch’è cresciuto nei miei campi sia sradicato!
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 Se il mio cuore s’è lasciato sedurre per amor d’una donna, se ho spiato la porta del mio prossimo,
“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 che mia moglie giri la macina ad un altro, e che altri abusino di lei!
I hope/desire that my wife will become the servant/slave of another man and have sex [EUP] with him.
11 Poiché quella è una scelleratezza, un misfatto punito dai giudici,
[For me to do] that would be a terrible sin, and the judges would decide that I should be punished.
12 un fuoco che consuma fino a perdizione, e che avrebbe distrutto fin dalle radici ogni mia fortuna.
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 Se ho disconosciuto il diritto del mio servo e della mia serva, quand’eran meco in lite,
“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 che farei quando Iddio si levasse per giudicarmi, e che risponderei quando mi esaminasse?
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 Chi fece me nel seno di mia madre non fece anche lui? non ci ha formati nel seno materno uno stesso Iddio?
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 Se ho rifiutato ai poveri quel che desideravano, se ho fatto languire gli occhi della vedova,
“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 se ho mangiato da solo il mio pezzo di pane senza che l’orfano ne mangiasse la sua parte,
18 io che fin da giovane l’ho allevato come un padre, io che fin dal seno di mia madre sono stato guida alla vedova,
19 se ho visto uno perire per mancanza di vesti o il povero senza una coperta,
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 se non m’hanno benedetto i suoi fianchi, ed egli non s’è riscaldato colla lana dei miei agnelli,
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 se ho levato la mano contro l’orfano perché mi sapevo sostenuto alla porta…
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 che la mia spalla si stacchi dalla sua giuntura, il mio braccio si spezzi e cada!
[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 E invero mi spaventava il castigo di Dio, ed ero trattenuto dalla maestà di lui.
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 Se ho riposto la mia fiducia nell’oro, se all’oro fino ho detto: “Tu sei la mia speranza”,
“If [it were true that] I trusted in my gold/money [DOU],
25 se mi son rallegrato che le mie ricchezze fosser grandi e la mia mano avesse molto accumulato,
or that I rejoiced because I had acquired many things and had become very rich,
26 se, contemplando il sole che raggiava e la luna che procedeva lucente nel suo corso,
or that I looked at the sun when it was shining or looked at the beautiful moon
27 il mio cuore, in segreto, s’è lasciato sedurre e la mia bocca ha posato un bacio sulla mano
and I [SYN] had been tempted [to worship them] by kissing my hand to revere them,
28 (misfatto anche questo punito dai giudici ché avrei difatti rinnegato l’Iddio ch’è di sopra),
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 se mi son rallegrato della sciagura del mio nemico ed ho esultato quando gli ha incolto sventura
“[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 (io, che non ho permesso alle mie labbra di peccare chiedendo la sua morte con imprecazione),
31 se la gente della mia tenda non ha detto: “Chi è che non si sia saziato della carne delle sue bestie?”
[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 (lo straniero non passava la notte fuori; le mie porte erano aperte al viandante),
33 se, come fan gli uomini, ho coperto i miei falli celando nel petto la mia iniquità,
Some people try to hide their sins, but I have never done that;
34 perché avevo paura della folla e dello sprezzo delle famiglie al punto da starmene queto e non uscir di casa…
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 Oh, avessi pure chi m’ascoltasse!… ecco qua la mia firma! l’Onnipotente mi risponda! Scriva l’avversario mio la sua querela,
“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 ed io la porterò attaccata alla mia spalla, me la cingerò come un diadema!
[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 Gli renderò conto di tutt’i miei passi, a lui m’appresserò come un principe!
I would tell [God] everything that I have done, and I would approach him [confidently], like a ruler would.
38 Se la mia terra mi grida contro, se tutti i suoi solchi piangono,
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 se ne ho mangiato il frutto senza pagarla, se ho fatto sospirare chi la coltivava,
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 che invece di grano mi nascano spine, invece d’orzo mi crescano zizzanie!” Qui finiscono i discorsi di Giobbe.
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].
