UJobe 39
1 Uyasazi yini isikhathi sokuzala kwamagogo edwala? Uyananzelela yini ukuhelelwa kwezimpala?
“[Job], do you know at what time/season [of the year] the female mountain goats give birth? Have you watched the wild deer while their fawns were being born?
2 Ungazibala yini inyanga ezizigcwalisayo? Njalo uyasazi yini isikhathi sokuzala kwazo?
Do you know how many months pass from the time they become pregnant until their fawns are born?
3 Zigoba, zizale abantwana bazo, zikhuphe imihelo yazo.
[When they give birth, ] they crouch down so that the fawns do not [get hurt by] falling to the ground when they are born.
4 Amazinyane azo aqine akhule egangeni; asuke ahambe, angabuyi kuzo.
The young fawns grow up in the open fields, and then they leave their mothers and do not return to them again.
5 Ngubani owakhupha ubabhemi weganga ekhululekile? Njalo ngubani othukulule izibopho zikababhemi weganga,
“Who allows the wild donkeys to go wherever they want [DOU]?
6 engimmisele inkangala ibe ngumuzi wakhe, lesimunyu sibe zindawo zakhe zokuhlala?
I am the one who put them in the desert, in places where grass does not grow.
7 Uhleka umsindo womuzi, angezwa imisindo yomtshayeli.
They do not like the noise in the cities; [in the desert] they do not have to listen to the shouts of those who force donkeys to work.
8 Udinga izintaba ezilidlelo lakhe, edinga elandela konke okuluhlaza.
They go to the hills to find food; there they search for grass to eat.
9 Inyathi iyavuma yini ukukusebenzela? Izalala yini esibayeni sakho ebusuku?
:Will a wild ox agree to work for you? Will it allow you to keep it penned up at night in the place where you put feed for your animals?
10 Ungayibophela inyathi yini ngentambo yayo emfolweni? Ingabhuqa yini izihotsha emva kwakho?
And can you fasten it with a rope so that it will plow furrows/trenches in your fields?
11 Ungathembela kuyo yini ngoba amandla ayo makhulu? Ungayiyekelela yini umtshikatshika wakho?
Since it is very strong, can you trust it to work for you? Can you go away after you tell it what work it should do [and assume that it will do that work]?
12 Ungayikholwa yini ukuthi izabuyisa inhlanyelo yakho, njalo iyibuthele ebaleni lokubhulela lakho?
Can you rely on it to come back [from the field], bringing your grain to the place where you thresh it?
13 Impiko zezintshe ziyaphaphazela ngentokozo; kodwa zizimpiko lezinsiba zengabuzane yini?
“[Think also about] the ostriches. [They] joyfully flap their wings, but they do not have wing feathers [that enable them to fly] like storks do.
14 Ngoba itshiya amaqanda ayo emhlabathini, iwakhudumeze othulini,
Ostriches lay their eggs on top of the ground [and then walk away], leaving the eggs to be warmed in the sand.
15 iyakhohlwa ukuthi unyawo lungawachoboza, lokuthi isilo seganga singawanyathela.
Ostriches do not worry that some wild animal may step on the eggs and crush them [DOU].
16 Iwaphatha kalukhuni amaphuphu ayo, kungathi kawayisiwo awayo; umtshikatshika wayo uyize, ingelakwesaba.
Ostriches act cruelly towards their chicks; they act as though the chicks belonged to some other ostrich. They are not concerned if [their chicks die], [and so] the laying of the eggs was in vain.
17 Ngoba uNkulunkulu wayithathela inhlakanipho, kayabelanga ukuqedisisa.
That is because I did not allow ostriches to be wise. I did not enable them to be intelligent.
18 Lapho sekuyisikhathi iyaziphakamisela phezulu, ihleke ibhiza lomgadi walo.
But, when they get up and begin to run, they scornfully laugh at horses with their riders [because the horses cannot run as fast as the ostriches!]
19 Uzanika yini ibhiza amandla? Uyayigqokisa yini intamo yalo ngomhlonga oyephuzelayo?
And [think about] horses. [Job], are you the one who caused horses to be strong? Are you the one who put flowing (manes/long hair) on their necks?
20 Uyalenza leqe yini njengentethe? Ubukhosi bokukhala kwalo buyesabeka.
Are you the one who enabled them to leap forward like locusts? When they (snort/blow loudly through their noses), they cause people to be afraid.
21 Liyaphanda esihotsheni, lithokoze ngamandla alo, liphume ukuhlangabeza izikhali.
They paw the ground, rejoicing about being very strong, as they prepare to rush into a battle.
22 Liyakuhleka ukwesaba, kalesabi, kaliphenduki phambi kwenkemba.
[It is as if] they laugh at the thought of being afraid. They are not afraid of anything! They do not run away when [the soldiers in the battle are fighting each other with] swords.
23 Phezu kwalo isamba semitshoko siyakhehlezela, umkhonto ophazimayo lomdikadika.
The quivers containing the riders’ arrows rattle against the horses’ sides, and the spears and javelins flash [in the light of the sun].
24 Ngokuqhuqha lokufutheka liginye umhlaba; kalikholwa ukuthi ngumsindo wophondo.
The horses paw the ground fiercely/excitedly, [wanting the battle to begin, ] and they rush into the battle when the trumpet is blown.
25 Ekukhaleni kophondo lithi: Aha! Linuke impi ikhatshana, umdumo wezinduna, lokumemeza.
They neigh [joyfully] when they hear someone blowing the trumpet. They can smell a battle even when they are far away, and they understand what it means when the commanders shout their commands [to their soldiers].
26 Ukhozi luyaphapha yini ngokuqedisisa kwakho, luselulela impiko zalo eningizimu?
“[And think about big birds.] Are you the one who enabled hawks to spread their wings and fly to the south [for the winter]?
27 Ilinqe liyaqonga ngokulaya kwakho, lakhe isidleke salo engqongeni yini?
Do eagles fly high up [into the cliffs] to make their nests because you commanded them to do that?
28 Lihlala lilale ebusuku edwaleni, engqongeni yedwala leyenqaba.
They live in [holes in] those cliffs. They are safe in those high pointed rocks [because no animals can reach them there].
29 Lisuka lapho lidinga ukudla; amehlo alo abonela khatshana.
As they watch carefully from there, they see far away the animals that they can kill (OR, dead bodies of animals).
30 Lamaphuphu alo azitika ngegazi; lalapho okukhona ababuleweyo likhona.
After an eagle kills an animal, the baby eagles drink the blood of that animal.”
