Yobu 22
1 Awo Erifaazi Omutemani n’addamu n’ayogera nti,
Then Eliphaz replied,
2 “Omuntu ayinza okugasa Katonda? Wadde oyo ow’amagezi ayinza okumuyamba?
“(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 Ayinzabyonna yandifunye kwesiima ki singa wali mutuukirivu? Yandiganyuddwa ki singa amakubo go gaali magolokofu?
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 “Akukangavvula lwa kumutya era kyava akuvunaana?
“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 Okwonoona kwo si kunene nnyo? Ebibi byo si bingi nnyo?
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 Kubanga waggya ku muganda wo emisingo awatali nsonga; waggya engoye ku bantu, n’obaleka bwereere.
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 Tewawa bakoowu mazzi, abaagala wabamma emmere,
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 wadde nga wali musajja wa maanyi, eyalina ettaka, omusajja ow’ekitiibwa, era nga byonna ggwe nnyini byo.
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 Weegobako bannamwandu bagende nga toliiko ky’obawadde; abatalina bakitaabwe n’obamalamu amaanyi.
[When] widows [came to you for help], you [must have] sent [them] away without giving them anything, and you must have oppressed orphans.
10 Emitego kyegivudde gikwetooloola. Lwaki entiisa ey’amangu ekujjira?
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 Lwaki enzikiza ekutte nnyo tosobola kulaba, era lwaki amataba gakubikkako?
[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 “Katonda tali waggulu mu ggulu? Era laba, emmunyeenye ezisingayo okuba waggulu, nga bwe ziri ewala!
“[But consider this, Job]: God lives [RHQ] high up in the heavens. From there he [RHQ] looks down on the highest stars.
13 Ate n’ogamba nti, ‘Katonda amanyi ki? Ayinza okulamulira mu kizikiza?
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 Ebire ebikutte bimubikkako, n’aba ng’atatulaba bw’aba atambula mu bifo by’omu ggulu.’
[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 Onoosigala mu kkubo ery’edda abasajja abakozi b’ebibi lye baakwata?
Will you continue to conduct your life the old way that evil people have done [for many years]?
16 Baatwalibwa ng’ekiseera kyabwe tekinnatuuka, emisingi gyabwe gyatwalibwa amataba.
They suddenly died while they were still young; they disappeared [like everything disappears when there is] a flood [MET].
17 Be bagamba Katonda nti, ‘Tulekere emirembe! Ayinzabyonna ayinza kutukola ki?’
They kept saying to God, ‘Do not bother us,’ and they also said [defiantly], ‘Almighty [God] can do nothing [RHQ] to [harm] us!’
18 Ate nga ye, ye yajjuza ennyumba zaabwe ebintu ebirungi, noolwekyo neewuunya nnyo amagezi g’abakozi b’ebibi.
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 Abatuukirivu balaba okuzikirira kwabwe ne bajaguza; abataliiko musango babasekerera nga bagamba nti,
“But when God punishes wicked people, and righteous people see that, they are glad, and they laugh, ridiculing the wicked people.
20 ‘Ddala abalabe baffe bazikiridde, era omuliro gulidde obugagga bwabwe.’
They say, ‘Now our enemies have been destroyed, and all [their possessions] that were left have been burned in a fire.’
21 “Gonderanga Katonda ofunenga emirembe; mu ngeri eno ebirungi lwe binajjanga gy’oli.
“So, [Job, ] be reconciled to God and make peace with him; if you do that, good things will happen to you.
22 Kkiriza ebiragiro ebiva mu kamwa ke era oteeke ebigambo bye mu mutima gwo.
Allow him to teach you, and keep thinking about what he has told you.
23 Bw’onodda eri oyo Ayinzabyonna, onodda buggya, bwonooteeka ebibi ewala ne weema 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 n’oteeka n’amayinja go ag’omuwendo mu ttaka, zaabu yo eya Ofiri ku njazi z’omu mugga,
if you throw away your gold, even the fine gold from the dry stream beds in Ophir [land],
25 awo Ayinzabyonna anaabeeranga zaabu yo, era ffeeza esingayo obulungi.
and if you allow Almighty [God] to be [as precious to you as] your gold and your silver [have been],
26 Ddala ddala olisanyukira mu oyo Ayinzabyonna era oyimuse amaaso go eri Katonda.
you will be happy because of your close relationship with God, and you will be able to approach him [IDM] [confidently].
27 Olimusaba, alikuwulira, era olituukiriza obweyamo bwo.
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 Ky’olisalawo kirikolebwa, era ekitangaala kirimulisa amakubo go.
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 Abantu abalala bwe balisuulibwa n’ogamba nti, ‘Bayimuse!’ Olwo alirokola abagudde.
God humbles those who are proud, but he saves those who are downcast/discouraged.
30 Alinunula n’oyo aliko omusango, alinunulwa olw’obulongoofu bw’emikono gyo.”
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).”
