UJobe 15
1 Wasephendula uElifazi umThemani wathi:
Then Eliphaz replied to Job:
2 Ohlakaniphileyo angaphendula yini ulwazi olungumoya, agcwalise isisu sakhe ngomoya wempumalanga?
“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 Aphikise ngamazwi angasizi lutho, langenkulumo ezingelanzuzo yini?
You should not [RHQ] be saying things that do not benefit anyone, using words that do no one any good.
4 Yebo, wena uyachitha ukwesaba, uvimbela umkhuleko phambi kukaNkulunkulu.
[By what you say, ] you show that you do not revere God, and you are hindering people from meditating/thinking about God.
5 Ngoba umlomo wakho ufundisa ububi bakho, ukhethe 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 uyakulahla, kayisimi; yebo, indebe zakho ziyafakaza ngawe.
Everything that you say [MTY] shows that you should be punished; so, it is not necessary for me to show that.
7 Ungumuntu wokuqala owazalwayo yini? Kumbe wazalwa mandulo kwamaqaqa yini?
[“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 Uzwile yini icebo langasese likaNkulunkulu? Kumbe uzigodlele inhlakanipho yini?
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 esingakwaziyo? Kuyini okuqedisisayo okungekho kithi?
(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 Kukhona phakathi kwethu lempunga lekhehla, omdala ngensuku 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 Zincinyane yini kuwe induduzo zikaNkulunkulu, lelizwi elikhulunywa kuhle lawe?
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 inhliziyo yakho ikumukisa? Njalo kungani amehlo akho ephayiza,
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 ukuthi uphendule umoya wakho umelane loNkulunkulu, ukhuphe amazwi anje emlonyeni wakho?
You are angry [IDM] with God, and so you [MTY] are criticizing/denouncing him.
14 Umuntu uyini ukuthi abe ngohlambulukileyo, lozelwe ngowesifazana ukuthi abe ngolungileyo?
“(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 Khangela, kathembeli kwabangcwele bakhe, lamazulu kawahlambulukanga emehlweni akhe.
Hey, God does not even trust his angels; he does not consider even them to be [completely] pure.
16 Kukangakanani umuntu onengekayo lowonakeleyo, 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 Ngizakutshengisa, ungilalele, lengikubonileyo ngizakulandisa,
Job, listen to what I will tell you. I will declare to you what I know,
18 lokho izihlakaniphi ezikukhulumileyo kusukela kuboyise, njalo kazikufihlanga,
things that wise men have told me, truths that their ancestors did not keep hidden.
19 okwanikwa kuzo zodwa ilizwe, lokungadlulanga izihambi phakathi kwazo.
God gave this land to those ancestors, who were truly wise; no one from another country caused them to think wrongly [IDM].
20 Insuku zonke zokhohlakeleyo uzizwisa ubuhlungu, lenani leminyaka ebekelelwe umcindezeli.
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 Umsindo wezethuso usendlebeni zakhe; empumelelweni umchithi uzamfikela.
They constantly hear sounds that terrify them; while they are prospering, bandits attack them.
22 Kakholwa ukuthi uzaphenduka emnyameni, kodwa ukuthi ulindelwe yinkemba.
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 Uzulela ukudla. Kungaphi? Uyazi ukuthi usuku lobumnyama lulungisiwe esandleni sakhe.
They wander around, searching for food, saying ‘Where can I find some?’ And they know that they will soon experience disasters.
24 Uhlupho losizi kuyamethusa, kumehlule njengenkosi elungele impi.
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 welule isandla sakhe emelene loNkulunkulu, wenza ngamandla ukumelana 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 Wagijima emelene laye ngentamo, ngohlonzi lwamaqhubu ezihlangu zakhe.
They stubbornly [IDM] rush to attack God [as though they were carrying] a strong shield [to protect themselves].
27 Ngoba wambomboza ubuso bakhe ngamafutha akhe, wenza ukhalo lwakhukhumala ngamafutha.
They are so fat [that they are unable to fight].
28 Uhlala emizini echithekileyo, izindlu abangahlali kuzo, ezilungele ukuba zinqumbi.
They will live in cities that have been abandoned, cities which have become a heap of ruins.
29 Kayikunotha, lenotho yakhe kayiyikuma, lenzuzo yakhe kayiyikusabalala emhlabeni.
But they will not remain rich very long; Everything that they own will be taken from them; their possessions will all disappear.
30 Kayikusuka emnyameni; ilangabi lizakomisa ihlumela lakhe, njalo uzasuka ngokuphefumula komoya wakhe.
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 Oduhisiweyo kangathembeli ezenini, ngoba ize lizakuba ngumvuzo wakhe.
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 Kuzafezwa kungakabi lusuku lwakhe, logatsha lwakhe aluyikuba luhlaza.
Before they are old, they will wither; they will be like [MET] branches that wither and never become green again.
33 Uzawohloza izithelo zakhe ezingavuthwanga njengevini, athintithe impoko zakhe njengesihlahla somhlwathi.
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 inhlangano yabazenzisi izakuba ngengelazithelo, lomlilo uzaqothula amathente ezivalamlomo.
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 Bamitha uhlupho, bazale isono, lesizalo sabo silungisa inkohliso.
They plan to cause trouble and to do evil things, and they are always preparing to deceive people.”
