UJobe 31
1 Ngenza isivumelwano lamehlo ami; pho ngingananzelela njani intombi?
“I solemnly promised myself that I would not look at a young woman with a desire [to have sex with her].
2 Ngoba siyini isabelo sikaNkulunkulu esivela phezulu, lelifa likaSomandla elivela endaweni eziphezulu?
[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 Incithakalo kayisiyomubi yini, lengozi yabenzi bobubi?
[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 Yena kaziboni yini indlela zami, abale zonke izinyathelo zami?
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 Uba ngihambe ngokuyize, kumbe unyawo lwami luphuthumele enkohlisweni,
[“I solemnly declare that] I have never acted wickedly and have never tried to deceive people.
6 kangilinganise ngesilinganiso esilungileyo, ukuze uNkulunkulu azi ubuqotho bami.
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 Uba inyathelo lami liphambukile endleleni, lenhliziyo yami yalandela amehlo ami, kumbe kunamathele isici ezandleni zami;
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 kangihlanyele, kodwa kudle omunye, lezilimo zami zisitshulwe.
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 Uba inhliziyo yami iyengwe ngowesifazana, kumbe ngacathama emnyango kamakhelwane wami,
“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 umkami kacholele omunye, labanye kabaguqe phezu kwakhe.
I hope/desire that my wife will become the servant/slave of another man and have sex [EUP] with him.
11 Ngoba lokho kuyinkohlakalo, njalo kuyisono ngabahluleli.
[For me to do] that would be a terrible sin, and the judges would decide that I should be punished.
12 Ngoba ngumlilo odla kuze kube yincithakalo, usiphule sonke isivuno sami.
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 Uba ngalile udaba lwenceku yami loba olwencekukazi yami, lapho ziphikisana lami,
“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 pho ngizakwenzani lapho uNkulunkulu esukuma? Lalapho esethekela, ngizaphendulani kuye?
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 Lowo owangenza esiswini kamenzanga yena yini, lowasibumba esiswini munye?
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 Uba ngigodlele umyanga isifiso, kumbe ngifiphaze amehlo omfelokazi,
“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 kumbe ngadla ucezu lwami ngedwa, ukuze intandane ingadli kulo
18 (ngoba kwasebutsheni bami yakhula lami nginjengoyise, ngamqondisa kusukela esizalweni sikamama),
19 uba ngabona obhubha ngenxa yokuswela isigqoko, loba umyanga engelasembatho,
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 uba inkalo zakhe zingangibusisanga, ngoba ekhudunyezwe yiboya bezimvu zami,
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 uba ngaphakamisa isandla sami ngimelene lentandane, lapho ngabona usizo lwami esangweni,
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 kaliwe ihlombe lami esiphangeni sami, lengalo yami iqamuke ethanjeni layo.
[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 Ngoba incithakalo kaNkulunkulu yayiyisesabiso kimi, ngingenelisi ngenxa yobukhulu bakhe.
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 Uba ngenzile igolide laba lithemba lami, ngathi kugolide elihle: Themba lami.
“If [it were true that] I trusted in my gold/money [DOU],
25 Uba ngithokozile ngoba inotho yami inengi, langoba isandla sami sithole okunengi;
or that I rejoiced because I had acquired many things and had become very rich,
26 uba ngikhangele ilanga lapho libenyezela, loba inyanga ehamba enkazimulweni,
or that I looked at the sun when it was shining or looked at the beautiful moon
27 lenhliziyo yami yayengwa ensitha, kumbe isandla sami sange umlomo wami,
and I [SYN] had been tempted [to worship them] by kissing my hand to revere them,
28 lalokho yisiphambeko phambi kwabehluleli, ngoba ngabe ngimphikile uNkulunkulu waphezulu.
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 Uba ngithokozile ngokuchitheka kongizondayo, kumbe ngajabula lapho ububi bumthola;
“[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 njalo ngingavumelanga umlomo wami ukuthi wone, ngokucela umphefumulo wakhe ngesiqalekiso;
31 uba abantu bethente lami bebengatshongo ukuthi: Hawu, aluba besilokwenyama yakhe, ngabe kasisuthanga.
[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 Owemzini kazanga alale esitaladeni; iminyango yami ngayivulela isihambi.
33 Uba ngasibekela iziphambeko zami njengoAdamu, ngokufihla isono sami esifubeni sami.
Some people try to hide their sins, but I have never done that;
34 Ngoba ngethuswa lixuku elikhulu, lokudelelwa ngabensendo kwangesabisa, ngakho ngathula, kangaze ngaphuma emnyango.
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 Kungathi ngabe ngilongangizwa! Khangelani uphawu lwami. Kungathi uSomandla angangiphendula, lokuthi ophikisana lami ngabe ubhale ugwalo!
“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 Isibili, bengingaluthwala ehlombe lami, ngilubophe lube ngumqhele kimi.
[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 Ngimtshele inani lezinyathelo zami, ngisondele kuye njengesiphathamandla.
I would tell [God] everything that I have done, and I would approach him [confidently], like a ruler would.
38 Uba umhlaba wami ukhalile ngami, lemifolo yawo ililile ndawonye,
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 uba ngidlile amandla awo kungelamali, kumbe ngenza umphefumulo wabaniniwo uphele,
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 kakuhlume ukhula oluhlabayo endaweni yengqoloyi, lokhula olunukayo endaweni yebhali. Amazwi kaJobe asephelile.
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].
