Yobo 31
1 « Nasalaki boyokani elongo na miso na ngai ete nalula elenge mwasi te.
“I solemnly promised myself that I would not look at a young woman with a desire [to have sex with her].
2 Pamba te, libula nini Nzambe akoki kobongisela ngai wuta na likolo? Libonza nini Nkolo-Na-Nguya-Nyonso akoki kotindela ngai wuta na likolo?
[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 Boni, pasi ezali mpo na bato mabe te? Kobebisama ezali mpo na bato oyo basalaka masumu te?
[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 Amoni banzela na ngai te? Atangi matambe na ngai nyonso te?
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 Soki natambolaki na lokuta to litambe na ngai elandaki nzela mabe,
[“I solemnly declare that] I have never acted wickedly and have never tried to deceive people.
6 tika ete Nzambe ameka ngai na emekelo ya sembo, mpe akomona ete ngai nasali mabe te.
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 Soki matambe na ngai ebimaki na nzela na Ye, soki motema na ngai etambolisamaki kolanda miso na ngai, soki maboko na ngai ekomaki mbindo,
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 tika ete bato mosusu balia biloko oyo ngai naloni, mpe tika ete nkona na ngai epikolama!
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 Soki motema na ngai ekosamaki na mwasi to soki natalaki na makanisi mabe ekuke ya mozalani na ngai,
“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 tika ete mwasi na ngai atutela moto mosusu ble mpe tika ete mibali mosusu basangisa na ye nzoto.
I hope/desire that my wife will become the servant/slave of another man and have sex [EUP] with him.
11 Pamba te elingaki kozala likambo ya soni, mpe lisumu ya boye ebongi na esambiselo ya basambisi.
[For me to do] that would be a terrible sin, and the judges would decide that I should be punished.
12 Ezali moto oyo ezali kozikisa kino na kobebisama mpe ekoki kobebisa bomengo na ngai nyonso.
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 Soki nasalelaki na bosembo te bawumbu na ngai ya mibali mpe ya basi tango bazwaki ngai mabe,
“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 nakosala nini soki Nzambe asambisi ngai? Nakopesa eyano nini tango akotuna ngai ndenge nini nabandaki kosala?
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 Ezalaki Ye te oyo asalaki ngai kati na libumu ya mama na ngai nde asalaki bango? Ngai na bango, tozalaki lolenge moko te kati na mabumu ya bamama na biso?
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 Soki nakokisaki te posa ya mobola to soki nalembisaki miso ya mwasi oyo akufisa mobali,
“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 soki nabombaki lipa na ngai mpo na ngai moko to nakabolaki yango te na bana bitike,
18 —nzokande wuta bolenge na ngai, nazalaki kobokola bana bitike lokola tata na bango; mpe wuta mbotama na ngai, nazalaki kolakisa nzela na mwasi oyo akufisa mobali—
19 soki namonaki mobola kokufa na kozanga bilamba to moto akelela kozanga bilamba,
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 bongo motema na ye epambolaki ngai te na ndenge nazipaki ye na bilamba oyo ewutaki na bibwele na ngai,
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 soki natombolaki loboko na ngai mpo na kosala mwana etike mabe, wana nayebaki ete nazali na nguya liboso ya basambisi,
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 tika ete loboko na ngai elongwa na lipeka na ngai to ebukana!
[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 Pamba te nazalaki kobanga etumbu ya Nzambe, mpe nakokaki te kosala eloko liboso ya lokumu na Ye.
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 Soki natiaki elikya na ngai na wolo to nalobaki na wolo ya kitoko: ‹ Ozali ekimelo na ngai, ›
“If [it were true that] I trusted in my gold/money [DOU],
25 soki nasepelaki na ebele ya bozwi na ngai, bomengo oyo maboko na ngai esalaki,
or that I rejoiced because I had acquired many things and had become very rich,
26 soki natalaki moyi na kongenga na yango to sanza kotambola na nkembo,
or that I looked at the sun when it was shining or looked at the beautiful moon
27 soki motema na ngai ekosamaki na nkuku, mpe maboko na ngai epesaki yango beze ya lokumu,
and I [SYN] had been tempted [to worship them] by kissing my hand to revere them,
28 wana elingaki lisusu kozala mbeba oyo ebongi na esambiselo ya basambisi, pamba te nalingaki kowangana Nzambe oyo azali na Likolo.
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 Soki nasepelaki na pasi ya monguna na ngai to nagangaki na esengo na likama oyo ekomelaki ye,
“[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 soki napesaki nzela na monoko na ngai ete esala lisumu na kosenga kufa ya monguna na ngai na nzela ya maloba ya kolakela mabe;
31 soki bato ya libota na ngai balobaka te: ‹ Nani oyo atondaki te na misuni ya banyama ya Yobo? ›
[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 Soki mopaya moko te alalaki libanda, pamba te ekuke na ngai ezalaki ya kofungwama tango nyonso mpo na moleki nzela,
33 soki nabombaki lisumu na ngai ndenge Adamu asalaki to nabombaki yango na motema na ngai,
Some people try to hide their sins, but I have never done that;
34 pamba te nabangaki bato mpe nabangaki ete mabota etiola ngai, yango wana nakangaki monoko mpe nakokaki kobima libanda te!
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 Ah, soki nazalaki ata na moto oyo akokaki koyoka ngai! Yango nde sik’oyo liloba na ngai ya suka. Tika ete Nkolo-Na-Nguya-Nyonso ayanola ngai! Tika ete moto oyo afundi ngai akoma na mokanda makambo oyo afundeli ngai!
“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 Solo, nalingaki komema yango na lipeka na ngai, nalingaki kolata yango lokola motole,
[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 nalingaki kotalisa Ye makambo nyonso oyo nasalaki, nalingaki kopusana pene na Ye lokola mokambi.—
I would tell [God] everything that I have done, and I would approach him [confidently], like a ruler would.
38 Soki mabele na ngai eboyi ngai, soki mikala na yango elelaki,
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 soki naliaki bambuma na yango na ofele to soki natungisaki bankolo na yango,
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 tika ete banzube ebima na esika ya ble, mpe matiti mabe ebima na esika ya orje. » Oyo nde suka ya maloba ya Yobo.
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].
