UJobe 22
1 Wasephendula uElifazi umThemani wathi:
Then Eliphaz replied,
2 Umuntu angaba losizo kuNkulunkulu yini, ngoba ohlakaniphileyo elusizo kuye ngokwakhe?
“(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 Kuyintokozo yini kuSomandla ukuthi ulungile? Kumbe inzuzo kuye ukuthi uphelelise indlela zakho?
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 Uzakusola yini ngenxa yokwesaba kwakho? Uzangena lawe kusahlulelo.
“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 Ububi bakho kabubukhulu yini, lezono zakho kazilakuphela?
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 Ngoba uthethe isibambiso kubafowenu kungelasizatho, wahlubula abanqunu izigqoko.
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 Kawumnathisanga amanzi odiniweyo, lolambileyo umgodlele ukudla.
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 Kodwa umuntu olengalo, umhlaba ungowakhe, lowemukeleka ebusweni wahlala kuwo.
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 Uxotshile abafelokazi bengelalutho, lengalo zezintandane zichotshoziwe.
[When] widows [came to you for help], you [must have] sent [them] away without giving them anything, and you must have oppressed orphans.
10 Ngakho-ke imijibila ikuhanqile, lovalo luhle lwakwesabisa,
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 kumbe ubumnyama ukuze ungaboni, lesikhukhula samanzi sikusibekele.
[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 UNkulunkulu kakho yini engqongeni yamazulu? Bona-ke ingqonga yezinkanyezi, ukuthi ziphakeme kangakanani.
“[But consider this, Job]: God lives [RHQ] high up in the heavens. From there he [RHQ] looks down on the highest stars.
13 Kanti uthi: UNkulunkulu wazini? Angahlulela yini engemuva komnyama onzima?
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 Amayezi amnyama ayisisibekelo sakhe ukuze angaboni, uhamba esigombolozini samazulu.
[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 Usunanzelele indlela endala yini abantu ababi abanyathela kuyo?
Will you continue to conduct your life the old way that evil people have done [for many years]?
16 Abahluthunwa kungakabi yisikhathi; uzamcolo wathululwa phezu kwesisekelo sabo.
They suddenly died while they were still young; they disappeared [like everything disappears when there is] a flood [MET].
17 Abathi kuNkulunkulu: Suka kithi. LoSomandla wayenzeni kubo?
They kept saying to God, ‘Do not bother us,’ and they also said [defiantly], ‘Almighty [God] can do nothing [RHQ] to [harm] us!’
18 Kanti yena wayegcwalise izindlu zabo ngokuhle; kodwa icebo labakhohlakeleyo likhatshana lami.
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 Abalungileyo bayakubona bathokoze, lomsulwa ubahleka usulu.
“But when God punishes wicked people, and righteous people see that, they are glad, and they laugh, ridiculing the wicked people.
20 Isibili isitha sethu sichithiwe, lomlilo uqede insali yabo.
They say, ‘Now our enemies have been destroyed, and all [their possessions] that were left have been burned in a fire.’
21 Ake wejwayelane laye, ube lokuthula, ngalokho okuhle kuzakuza kuwe.
“So, [Job, ] be reconciled to God and make peace with him; if you do that, good things will happen to you.
22 Ake wemukele umlayo ovela emlonyeni wakhe, ubeke amazwi akhe enhliziyweni yakho.
Allow him to teach you, and keep thinking about what he has told you.
23 Uba ubuyela kuSomandla, uzakwakhiwa, ususe okubi khatshana lamathente akho.
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 Ubusubeka igolide lakho othulini, legolide leOfiri elitsheni lezifula.
if you throw away your gold, even the fine gold from the dry stream beds in Ophir [land],
25 Ngakho uSomandla uzakuba ligolide lakho, lesiliva sakho esinengi.
and if you allow Almighty [God] to be [as precious to you as] your gold and your silver [have been],
26 Ngoba ngalesosikhathi uzazithokozisa ngoSomandla, uphakamisele ubuso bakho kuNkulunkulu.
you will be happy because of your close relationship with God, and you will be able to approach him [IDM] [confidently].
27 Uzakhuleka kuye, akuzwe, ukhokhe izifungo zakho.
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 Uzaquma-ke udaba, luqiniseke kuwe, lokukhanya kukhanye endleleni zakho.
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 Nxa behliselwe phansi, ubususithi: Phezulu! Abesesindisa othobekileyo ngamehlo.
God humbles those who are proud, but he saves those who are downcast/discouraged.
30 Uzamkhulula ongemsulwa; njalo ukhululwa ngokuhlanzeka kwezandla zakho.
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).”
