Yobo 22
1 Elifazi, moto ya Temani, azwaki maloba mpe alobaki:
Then Eliphaz replied,
2 « Boni, litomba nini Nzambe akoki kozwa epai ya moto? Ezala ata moto ya bwanya, azalaka na litomba kaka mpo na ye moko.
“(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 Ezala soki ozali moyengebene, litomba nini Nkolo-Na-Nguya-Nyonso akoki kozwa, ata ozali kobongisa nzela na yo ya bosembo?
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 Boni, okanisi ete ezali mpo na boyengebene na yo nde azali kopamela yo mpe kosambisa yo?
“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 Mabe na yo ezali monene te? Masumu na yo eleki ndelo te?
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 Ozalaki koluka na pamba ndanga epai ya bandeko na yo ya mibali, ozalaki kolongola bato bilamba mpe kotika bango bolumbu,
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 ozalaki kopesa mayi te na moto oyo azalaki na posa ya mayi, mpe ozalaki kopimela moto oyo azalaki na nzala bilei,
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 atako ozalaki moto monene, nkolo mabele, mpe ozalaki kovanda na mabele yango lokola moto ya lokumu;
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 ozalaki kozongisa basi bakufisa mibali maboko pamba, mpe ozalaki kosilisa makasi ya bana bitike.
[When] widows [came to you for help], you [must have] sent [them] away without giving them anything, and you must have oppressed orphans.
10 Yango wana, mitambo ezingeli yo, kobebisama ya mbalakata ekomi kopesa yo somo,
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 molili makasi ezwi yo mpe ozali kokoka komona te, mpe mpela ezipi yo.
[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 Boni, Nzambe azali te kuna na likolo, kati na Lola? Tala ndenge nini etando ya minzoto ezali likolo koleka!
“[But consider this, Job]: God lives [RHQ] high up in the heavens. From there he [RHQ] looks down on the highest stars.
13 Nzokande, ozali koloba: ‹ Nzambe ayebi nini? Akoki kosambisa kati na mapata ya molili ya boye? ›
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 Mapata minene ezipi Ye, yango wana azali komona biso te, wana azali kotambola-tambola na etando ya Lola?
[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 Olingi solo kotikala kaka na nzela ya kala, nzela oyo bato mabe balekelaki?
Will you continue to conduct your life the old way that evil people have done [for many years]?
16 Kufa ememaki bango na mbalakata, mpe miboko na bango etiolaki na mpela.
They suddenly died while they were still young; they disappeared [like everything disappears when there is] a flood [MET].
17 Bazalaki koloba na Nzambe: ‹ Tika biso, biso moko! Nkolo-Na-Nguya-Nyonso akosala biso nini? ›
They kept saying to God, ‘Do not bother us,’ and they also said [defiantly], ‘Almighty [God] can do nothing [RHQ] to [harm] us!’
18 Nzokande, Ye nde atondisaki bandako na bango na biloko ya kitoko. Yango wana, ngai, naboyaka toli ya bato mabe.
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 Bato ya sembo bazali komona kobebisama na bango mpe bazali kosepela, bayengebene bazali koseka bango mpe bazali koloba:
“But when God punishes wicked people, and righteous people see that, they are glad, and they laugh, ridiculing the wicked people.
20 ‹ Solo, banguna na biso babebi, moto ezikisi bomengo na bango. ›
They say, ‘Now our enemies have been destroyed, and all [their possessions] that were left have been burned in a fire.’
21 Zongisa boyokani na yo elongo na Ye mpe luka kimia. Na nzela wana, bomengo ekoya lisusu epai na yo.
“So, [Job, ] be reconciled to God and make peace with him; if you do that, good things will happen to you.
22 Ndima malako oyo ekowuta na monoko na Ye, mpe batela maloba na Ye kati na motema na yo.
Allow him to teach you, and keep thinking about what he has told you.
23 Soki ozongi epai na Nkolo-Na-Nguya-Nyonso, soki obengani mabe mosika ya ndako na yo, bomengo na yo ekozongela yo.
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 Bwaka wolo na yo kati na putulu, wolo na yo ya Ofiri kati na mabanga ya lubwaku;
if you throw away your gold, even the fine gold from the dry stream beds in Ophir [land],
25 bongo Nkolo-Na-Nguya-Nyonso akozala wolo na yo, mpe palata oyo eleki kitoko mpo na yo.
and if you allow Almighty [God] to be [as precious to you as] your gold and your silver [have been],
26 Solo, okozwa esengo epai ya Nkolo-Na-Nguya-Nyonso mpe okotombola elongi na yo epai ya Nzambe.
you will be happy because of your close relationship with God, and you will be able to approach him [IDM] [confidently].
27 Okosambela Ye, Ye akoyoka yo, mpe okokokisa ndayi na yo.
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 Makambo oyo okokana, ekosalema, mpe pole ekongenga na nzela na yo.
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 Soki bato balembi, mpe yo olobi: ‹ Telema! › Nzambe akobikisa bango,
God humbles those who are proud, but he saves those who are downcast/discouraged.
30 akokangola ata moto oyo asali mabe, akokangola ye penza mpo na bopeto ya maboko na yo. »
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).”
