UJobe 15
1 Wasephendula u-Elifazi umThemani wathi:
Then Eliphaz replied to Job:
2 “Kambe indoda ehlakaniphileyo ingaphendula ngeze nje loba igcwalise isisu sayo ngomoya otshisayo wempumalanga na?
“If you were truly wise [RHQ], you would not have replied to us by claiming that you know a lot; what you are saying is just a lot of hot air [MET].
3 Ingadaza inkani ngamazwi angatsho lutho, ngezinkulumo ezingelasisindo na?
You should not [RHQ] be saying things that do not benefit anyone, using words that do no one any good.
4 Wena uze weyise ukulunga njalo uphazame lokukhonza uNkulunkulu.
[By what you say, ] you show that you do not revere God, and you are hindering people from meditating/thinking about God.
5 Isono sakho sikhuthaza umlomo wakho; usuthethe ulimi lwamaqili.
[It is as though] your sins are telling you what to say; you talk like people who will not admit that they are wicked.
6 Umlomo wakho yiwo okulahlayo, hatshi owami; izindebe zakho zifakaza ububi bakho.
Everything that you say [MTY] shows that you should be punished; so, it is not necessary for me to show that.
7 Nguwe yini umuntu wokuqala ukuzalwa? Wabakhona kuqala kulezintaba na?
[“Tell me do you know more than everyone else because you think that] you are the first person who was ever born? [SAR, RHQ] Were you born before the hills [were created]?
8 Uyake ulalele yini enkundleni kaNkulunkulu? Nguwe wedwa yini ololwazi?
Were you listening when God made all his plans? [SAR, RHQ] Or do you think that you are the only person who is wise?
9 Kuyini okwaziyo wena thina esingakwaziyo? Ulemibono bani wena thina esingelayo?
(What do you know that we do not know?/You do not know anything that we do not know.) [RHQ] You do not understand [RHQ] anything that is not also clear to us.
10 Asebezimpunga lamakhehla bavumelana lathi, amadoda amadala kuloyihlo.
My friends and I are also wise; we acquired [wisdom] from old gray-haired people, from people who were born before your father was born.
11 Induduzo zikaNkulunkulu kazikwanelisi yini, amazwi akhulunywa kamnandi kuwe?
God wants to comfort you, and to speak gently/kindly to you; (is that not enough for you/do you need more than that)?
12 Kungani uvumela ukufuqwa yinhliziyo na, kungani amehlo akho eqwayiza,
Why do you allow yourself to be (carried away/excited) by your emotions? Why are [you very angry, with the result that] your eyes flash?
13 uze ubhodlise ulaka lwakho kuNkulunkulu ukhihlize amazwi anjalo ngomlomo wakho?
You are angry [IDM] with God, and so you [MTY] are criticizing/denouncing him.
14 Umuntu uyini ukuthi abe ngohlanzekileyo na, lozelwe ngowesifazane ongaba ngcwele?
“(How can any person, [including you, ] be sinless?/No person, [including you], can be sinless.) [RHQ] (How can anyone on the earth be [completely] righteous?/No one on the earth can be [completely] righteous.) [RHQ]
15 Nxa uNkulunkulu engazethembi izingilosi zakhe, njalo lamazulu engathembekanga kuye,
Hey, God does not even trust his angels; he does not consider even them to be [completely] pure.
16 pho umuntu ongcolileyo ke, oxhwalileyo, onatha ububi njengamanzi!
So, he certainly does not [trust] abominable/disgusting and depraved/corrupt people who do evil things [as easily] as they drink water [MET].
17 Lalela kimi ngikuchazele; wothi ngikutshele esengakubonayo,
Job, listen to what I will tell you. I will declare to you what I know,
18 lokho osekwafakazwa yizihlakaniphi, bengafihli lutho abaluthatha kubokhokho babo
things that wise men have told me, truths that their ancestors did not keep hidden.
19 (abayibo kuphela abaphiwa ilizwe njalo akwaze kwedlula muntu wezizweni phakathi kwabo):
God gave this land to those ancestors, who were truly wise; no one from another country caused them to think wrongly [IDM].
20 Ngezinsuku zakhe zonke umuntu omubi uhlutshwa yizinhlungu, kube yisihluku seminyaka yonke ayibekelweyo.
It is wicked people who suffer with great pain all the time that they are alive; that is what happens to those who (oppress/act violently toward) others.
21 Imisindo eyesabisayo iyagcwala ezindlebeni zakhe; nxa kusithi kuyalunga, izikliwi zimhlasele.
They constantly hear sounds that terrify them; while they are prospering, bandits attack them.
22 Ulahlekelwa lithemba lokuwuphepha umnyama; umiselwe inkemba.
Wicked people surely know that they will not escape from darkness/death, because [they are sure that someone] is waiting to kill them with a sword.
23 Uyantula nje abe yikudla kwamanqe; uyazi ukuthi usuku lobumnyama selusondele.
They wander around, searching for food, saying ‘Where can I find some?’ And they know that they will soon experience disasters.
24 Usizi lobuhlungu emoyeni bumlethela uvalo; inhlupho ziyamgabhela, njengenkosi isilungele ukuhlasela,
Because they are afraid of those things happening to them, they are afraid and worry that these things will come to them like [the army of] a king comes to attack [their enemies and cause them to suffer] [SIM].
25 ngoba efumbathele uNkulunkulu inqindi, ezimisela ukulwa loSomandla,
[Those things happen to them] because they (shook their fists/dared to fight) against Almighty God, and thought that they were strong enough to defeat him.
26 aqholoze amhlasele ngesihlangu esiqinileyo, esilohlonzi.
They stubbornly [IDM] rush to attack God [as though they were carrying] a strong shield [to protect themselves].
27 Lanxa ezimuke ubuso bungaka, umkhaba ulenga ngedanga,
They are so fat [that they are unable to fight].
28 uzahlala emadolobheni angamanxiwa lezindlini ezingahlali muntu, izindlu eziwohlokayo zibe yinqumbi.
They will live in cities that have been abandoned, cities which have become a heap of ruins.
29 Kasayikunotha futhi lenotho yakhe kayiyikuma, lezifuyo zakhe kazisayikugcwala ilizwe lonke.
But they will not remain rich very long; Everything that they own will be taken from them; their possessions will all disappear.
30 Kayikuphepha emnyameni; ilangabi lizabunisa amahlumela akhe lomoya wokuphefumula komlomo kaNkulunkulu uzamthwalela kude.
They will not escape from the darkness [of death]; they will be like trees whose branches are burned by fire and whose blossoms are blown away by the wind.
31 Makangazikhohlisi ngokuthemba okuyize, ngoba akazukuzuza lutho ngakho.
Since they are very foolish, with the result that they trust in things that are really worthless, then things that are worthless will be all that they get.
32 Singakapheli isikhathi sakhe uzajeziswa, lezingatsha zakhe kaziyikuhluma.
Before they are old, they will wither; they will be like [MET] branches that wither and never become green again.
33 Uzaba njengevini eliphundlwe izithelo zalo zingakavuthwa, njengesihlahla se-oliva sikhithiza impoko zaso.
They will be like [SIM] vines whose grapes fall off before they are ripe, like olive trees whose blossoms fall off before they produce any fruit.
34 Ngoba ixuku labangamesabiyo uNkulunkulu kalizukuba lezithelo, lomlilo uzawahangula amathente alabo abathanda isivalamlomo.
Wicked/godless people will not have any descendants, and fires will completely burn up the homes of [those who built those homes using] money they received from bribes.
35 Bazithwala uhlupho babelethe ububi; isibeletho sabo sibumba inkohliso.”
They plan to cause trouble and to do evil things, and they are always preparing to deceive people.”
