Joba 31

1 Fa nifañina amo masokoo iraho; akore arè ty hikirofako ty somondrara?

“I solemnly promised myself that I would not look at a young woman with a desire [to have sex with her].

2 Inoñ’amy zao ty anjarako aman’ Añahare ambone ao, naho ty lovako amy El-Sadai andikerañe añe?

[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 Tsy feh’ohatse ho a o lo-tserekeo hao, hekoheko ho a o mpitolon-karatiañeo?

[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 Tsy vazoho’e hao o lalakoo, naho iahe’e iaby o liakoo?

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 Aa naho nindrezako lia t’i Remborake, ndra nalisa mb’am-pamañahiañe mb’eo o tombokoo—

[“I solemnly declare that] I have never acted wickedly and have never tried to deceive people.

6 Le ehe t’ie ho lanjaeñe am-pandanjañe to, hahàrofoanan’Añahare ty havantañako!

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 Naho nitsile amy lalañey ty tomboko, naho nañorike o masokoo ty foko, naho nipiteha’ ty pepo o tañakoo;

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 le soa iraho te hitongy hikamà’ ondaty; vaho hombotañe ze mitiry ho ahy.

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 Naho nisigihe’ ty rakemba ty foko, naho nivoñoñe an-dalan-drañeko eo;

“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 ee te ho hafa ty handisaña’ i valiko, naho ami’ty ila’e ty hibaboha’e.

I hope/desire that my wife will become the servant/slave of another man and have sex [EUP] with him.

11 Ie ho ni-hakeo mena, tahiñe mañeva mpizaka,

[For me to do] that would be a terrible sin, and the judges would decide that I should be punished.

12 ho ni-afo namorototo pak’an Tsikeokeok’ ao, ho fonga nombota’e reke-bahatse o nivokarekoo.

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 Aa naho ninjèko ty zo’ ondevoko lahy ndra ampela, ie naneseke toreo ahy;

“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 le ino ty hanoeko naho mitroatse t’i Andrianañahare? ino ty havaleko aze naho ampamolilia’e?

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 Tsy namboatse aze ka hao i nitsene ahy an-koviñey? Tsy Ie avao ty nandranjy anay an-koviñ’ ao?

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 Aa naho nitanako ami’ty poie’e ty nipaia’e, ndra nampaieñe ty fihaino’ i vantotsey,

“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 naho niareñaren-draho te nitendre, tsy nanisako ty bode—

18 Toe ni-ajalahy iraho t’ie nibeizeko manahake te ni-rae’e, boak’an-kovin-dreneko ao ty niaoloako i vantotsey—

19 aa naho nitreako ty mpirererere tsy aman-tsikiñe, ndra ty rarake tsy aman-tsaroñe,

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 naho tsy nitahy ahy o toha’eo, vaho tsy nampafana aze ty volon’ añondriko;

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 naho nonjoñeko haoke ty bode, ie nitreako an-dalambey ey hañonjonako ty ahiko;

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 le angao hikalatrake an-tsoroko ao ty fangalin-tsoroko, vaho hapitsok’ am-pikatsoha’e ty sirako.

[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 Amy te mampangebahebak’ ahy ty hankàñe boak’aman’ Añahare, vaho tsy ho nanoeko ty amy enge’ey.

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 Naho natokisako ty volamena, ndra nataoko te fiatoako ty volamena ki’e,

“If [it were true that] I trusted in my gold/money [DOU],

25 aa naho nirebehako ty hamaro o varakoo, ty amy habey natonton-tañakoy;

or that I rejoiced because I had acquired many things and had become very rich,

26 naho nijiloveko i àndroy amy fipisaña’ey, ndra i volañey te misitse an’ enge’ey,

or that I looked at the sun when it was shining or looked at the beautiful moon

27 naho sinigìke añ’etake ty troko vaho nañifik’oroke boak’ am-bavako ty tañako;

and I [SYN] had been tempted [to worship them] by kissing my hand to revere them,

28 le ho ni-hakeo fikai-jaka ka! ie ho nivalik’ aman’ Añahare ambone ao.

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 Naho nahafale ahy ty fiantoa’ o malaiñe ahikoo, kera nitrehañe t’ie nivovoan-kankàñe.

“[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 Tsie, tsy napoko hanan-tahiñe ty vavako hitake ty fiai’e am-pàtse—

31 Tsy nanao ty hoe hao o mpitoron-kivohokoo: Ia ty mahatrea ty tsy nanjañe’ i mahakama’ey!—

[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 Tsy nibabòfok’ alafe ao ty ambahiny, fa nisokafeko amo mpañaveloo o lalakoo.

33 Aa naho naetako manahake i Dame ty fiolàko ndra nakafiko añ’arañako ao o hakeokoo,

Some people try to hide their sins, but I have never done that;

34 ie nampiholibalà ahy i màroy, nampianifaña’ ty inje’ o mpirofokoo, le nitsiñe avao, tsy niakatse an-dalañe.

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 Ee te eo ty hijanjiñe ahy! Intoy ty soniako! Ho toiñe’ i El-Sadai abey, naho i taratasin-tsisý sinokin-drafelahikoy!

“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 Toe ho ni-vavèko an-tsoroko Izay; ho ni-vahoreko amako hoe sabaka;

[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 ho volilieko ama’e o liakoo; ho niatrefako hoe roandriañe.

I would tell [God] everything that I have done, and I would approach him [confidently], like a ruler would.

38 Aa naho mitoreo amako ty taneko, naho mitrao-pirovetse o vavahali’eo;

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 naho nihaneko ty voka’e fa tsy nandoa drala vaho nampiselekaiñe ty tompo’e,

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 le ee t’ie hitiriam-patike hasolo ty ampemba, hisatse hasolo ty tsako. Nigadoñe amy zao ty lañona’Iobe.

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].