UJobe 15
1 Wasephendula u-Elifazi umThemani wathi:
And Eliphaz the Temanite made answer and said,
2 “Kambe indoda ehlakaniphileyo ingaphendula ngeze nje loba igcwalise isisu sayo ngomoya otshisayo wempumalanga na?
Will a wise man make answer with knowledge of no value, or will he give birth to the east wind?
3 Ingadaza inkani ngamazwi angatsho lutho, ngezinkulumo ezingelasisindo na?
Will he make arguments with words in which is no profit, and with sayings which have no value?
4 Wena uze weyise ukulunga njalo uphazame lokukhonza uNkulunkulu.
Truly, you make the fear of God without effect, so that the time of quiet worship before God is made less by your outcry.
5 Isono sakho sikhuthaza umlomo wakho; usuthethe ulimi lwamaqili.
For your mouth is guided by your sin, and you have taken the tongue of the false for yourself.
6 Umlomo wakho yiwo okulahlayo, hatshi owami; izindebe zakho zifakaza ububi bakho.
It is by your mouth, even yours, that you are judged to be in the wrong, and not by me; and your lips give witness against you.
7 Nguwe yini umuntu wokuqala ukuzalwa? Wabakhona kuqala kulezintaba na?
Were you the first man to come into the world? or did you come into being before the hills?
8 Uyake ulalele yini enkundleni kaNkulunkulu? Nguwe wedwa yini ololwazi?
Were you present at the secret meeting of God? and have you taken all wisdom for yourself?
9 Kuyini okwaziyo wena thina esingakwaziyo? Ulemibono bani wena thina esingelayo?
What knowledge have you which we have not? is there anything in your mind which is not in ours?
10 Asebezimpunga lamakhehla bavumelana lathi, amadoda amadala kuloyihlo.
With us are men who are grey-haired and full of years, much older than your father.
11 Induduzo zikaNkulunkulu kazikwanelisi yini, amazwi akhulunywa kamnandi kuwe?
Are the comforts of God not enough for you, and the gentle word which was said to you?
12 Kungani uvumela ukufuqwa yinhliziyo na, kungani amehlo akho eqwayiza,
Why is your heart uncontrolled, and why are your eyes lifted up;
13 uze ubhodlise ulaka lwakho kuNkulunkulu ukhihlize amazwi anjalo ngomlomo wakho?
So that you are turning your spirit against God, and letting such words go out of your mouth?
14 Umuntu uyini ukuthi abe ngohlanzekileyo na, lozelwe ngowesifazane ongaba ngcwele?
What is man, that he may be clean? and how may the son of woman be upright?
15 Nxa uNkulunkulu engazethembi izingilosi zakhe, njalo lamazulu engathembekanga kuye,
Truly, he puts no faith in his holy ones, and the heavens are not clean in his eyes;
16 pho umuntu ongcolileyo ke, oxhwalileyo, onatha ububi njengamanzi!
How much less one who is disgusting and unclean, a man who takes in evil like water!
17 Lalela kimi ngikuchazele; wothi ngikutshele esengakubonayo,
Take note and give ear to my words; and I will say what I have seen:
18 lokho osekwafakazwa yizihlakaniphi, bengafihli lutho abaluthatha kubokhokho babo
(The things which wise men have got from their fathers, and have not kept secret from us;
19 (abayibo kuphela abaphiwa ilizwe njalo akwaze kwedlula muntu wezizweni phakathi kwabo):
For only to them was the land given, and no strange people were among them: )
20 Ngezinsuku zakhe zonke umuntu omubi uhlutshwa yizinhlungu, kube yisihluku seminyaka yonke ayibekelweyo.
The evil man is in pain all his days, and the number of the years stored up for the cruel is small.
21 Imisindo eyesabisayo iyagcwala ezindlebeni zakhe; nxa kusithi kuyalunga, izikliwi zimhlasele.
A sound of fear is in his ears; in time of peace destruction will come on him:
22 Ulahlekelwa lithemba lokuwuphepha umnyama; umiselwe inkemba.
He has no hope of coming safe out of the dark, and his fate will be the sword;
23 Uyantula nje abe yikudla kwamanqe; uyazi ukuthi usuku lobumnyama selusondele.
He is wandering about in search of bread, saying, Where is it? and he is certain that the day of trouble is ready for him:
24 Usizi lobuhlungu emoyeni bumlethela uvalo; inhlupho ziyamgabhela, njengenkosi isilungele ukuhlasela,
He is greatly in fear of the dark day, trouble and pain overcome him:
25 ngoba efumbathele uNkulunkulu inqindi, ezimisela ukulwa loSomandla,
Because his hand is stretched out against God, and his heart is lifted up against the Ruler of all,
26 aqholoze amhlasele ngesihlangu esiqinileyo, esilohlonzi.
Running against him like a man of war, covered by his thick breastplate; even like a king ready for the fight,
27 Lanxa ezimuke ubuso bungaka, umkhaba ulenga ngedanga,
Because his face is covered with fat, and his body has become thick;
28 uzahlala emadolobheni angamanxiwa lezindlini ezingahlali muntu, izindlu eziwohlokayo zibe yinqumbi.
And he has made his resting-place in the towns which have been pulled down, in houses where no man had a right to be, whose fate was to become masses of broken walls.
29 Kasayikunotha futhi lenotho yakhe kayiyikuma, lezifuyo zakhe kazisayikugcwala ilizwe lonke.
He does not get wealth for himself, and is unable to keep what he has got; the heads of his grain are not bent down to the earth.
30 Kayikuphepha emnyameni; ilangabi lizabunisa amahlumela akhe lomoya wokuphefumula komlomo kaNkulunkulu uzamthwalela kude.
He does not come out of the dark; his branches are burned by the flame, and the wind takes away his bud.
31 Makangazikhohlisi ngokuthemba okuyize, ngoba akazukuzuza lutho ngakho.
Let him not put his hope in what is false, falling into error: for he will get deceit as his reward.
32 Singakapheli isikhathi sakhe uzajeziswa, lezingatsha zakhe kaziyikuhluma.
His branch is cut off before its time, and his leaf is no longer green.
33 Uzaba njengevini eliphundlwe izithelo zalo zingakavuthwa, njengesihlahla se-oliva sikhithiza impoko zaso.
He is like a vine whose grapes do not come to full growth, or an olive-tree dropping its flowers.
34 Ngoba ixuku labangamesabiyo uNkulunkulu kalizukuba lezithelo, lomlilo uzawahangula amathente alabo abathanda isivalamlomo.
For the band of the evil-doers gives no fruit, and the tents of those who give wrong decisions for reward are burned with fire.
35 Bazithwala uhlupho babelethe ububi; isibeletho sabo sibumba inkohliso.”
Evil has made them with child, and they give birth to trouble; and the fruit of their body is shame for themselves.
