UJobe 9
1 UJobe wasephendula wathi:
Then Job replied,
2 Ngeqiniso ngiyazi ukuthi kunjalo. Kodwa umuntu angalunga njani kuNkulunkulu?
“Yes, I certainly know that [much of] what you said is true. But (how can anyone say to God, ‘I (am innocent/have not done what is wrong) and prove it?’/no one can say to God ‘I (am innocent/have not done what is wrong) and prove it.’) [RHQ]
3 Uba efisa ukuphikisana laye, kayikumphendula okukodwa phakathi kwenkulungwane.
If someone wanted to argue with God [about that], God could ask him 1,000 questions, and that person would not be able to answer any of them!
4 Uhlakaniphile enhliziyweni, uqinile emandleni: Ngubani oziqinisileyo wamelana laye waphumelela?
God is very wise [IDM] and very powerful; no one who has tried to challenge God has been able to win.
5 Osusa izintaba njalo zingazi, ozigenqula entukuthelweni yakhe.
He even moves mountains, without them (OR, anyone) knowing about it. When he is angry, he turns them upside down.
6 Onyikinya umhlaba awususe endaweni yawo, lensika zawo zizamazame.
He sends earthquakes that shake the ground; he causes the pillars that support the earth to tremble.
7 Olaya ilanga ukuthi lingaphumi, avalele inkanyezi ngophawu.
[Some days] he speaks to the sun, and it does not rise, and [some nights] he prevents the stars from shining.
8 Owendlala amazulu eyedwa, anyathele phezu kwezingqonga zolwandle.
He alone (stretched out/put in place) the sky; he alone puts his feet on the waves (OR, on the huge sea monster).
9 Owenza iBhere, iziNja, lesiLimela, lamakamelo eningizimu.
He put in their places [the clusters/groups of stars that are called] The Dipper/Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and the stars in the southern sky.
10 Owenza izinto ezinkulu ezingelakuhlolwa, lezimangalisayo ezingelakubalwa.
Only he does great things that we cannot understand; he does more marvelous things than we are able to count.
11 Khangela, uyedlula phansi kwami ngingamboni, edlulele phambili ngingamuzwa.
He passes by where I am, but I do not see him; he moves further on, but I do not see him go.
12 Khangela, uyahluthuna, ngubani ongamnqanda? Ngubani ongathi kuye: Wenzani?
If he [wants to] snatch something away, no one [RHQ] can hinder him; no one dares to ask him, ‘Why are you doing that?’ [RHQ]
13 UNkulunkulu kayinqandi intukuthelo yakhe. Abasizi bakaRahabi bayakhothama phansi kwakhe.
God will not very easily stop being angry; he defeated [MTY] those who [tried to] help Rahab, [the great sea monster].
14 Pho-ke, mina ngingamphendula ngithini, ngikhethe amazwi ami okuqondana laye?
“So, [if God took me to court], what could I say [MTY] to answer him?
15 Ebengingeke ngamphendula loba bengilungile; ngizacela isihawu kumahluleli wami.
Even though I (would be innocent/would not have done what is wrong), I would not be able to answer him. All I could do would be to request God, my judge/accuser, to act mercifully toward me.
16 Uba bengibizile, wangiphendula, bengingayikukholwa ukuthi ubekile indlebe elizwini lami.
If I summoned him to [come to the courtroom] and he said that he would come, I would not believe that he would pay attention to what I would say.
17 Ngoba uyangihlifiza ngesiphepho, andise amanxeba ami kungelasizatho.
He sends storms to batter me, and he bruises me many times (without any reason to do that/even though I am innocent).
18 Kangivumeli ukukhokha umoya, kodwa engigcwalisa ngezinto ezibabayo.
[It is as though] he will not let me get/catch my breath, because he causes me to suffer all the time.
19 Uba kungamandla, khangela, ulamandla. Njalo uba kungesahlulelo, ngubani ozangibiza?
If I would try to (wrestle with/fight against) him, [there is no way that I could defeat him, ] [because] he is stronger than I am. If I would request him to appear in court, there is no one who could [RHQ] force him to go there.
20 Aluba ngilungile, umlomo wami uzangilahla; uba ngiphelele, uzakuthi ngonakele.
Even though I was innocent, what I would say would cause him to say that I must be punished [MTY]; even though I had not done anything wrong, he would prove that I am guilty.
21 Ngiphelele, angikhathaleli umphefumulo wami, ngidelela impilo yami.
“I have not done what is wrong, but that is not important. I despise continuing to remain alive.
22 Kunye lokho, ngenxa yalokho ngithi: Uyabhubhisa olungileyo lomubi.
But it doesn’t matter, because God will get rid of [all of us, ] both those who are innocent and those who are wicked.
23 Lapho isiswepu sibulala ngokujumayo, uzahleka ukudangala kwabangelacala.
When people experience disaster and it causes them to suddenly die, God laughs at it, even if they are innocent.
24 Umhlaba unikelwe esandleni somubi; wembesa ubuso babehluleli bawo. Uba kungenjalo, pho, ngubani?
God has allowed wicked people to control [what happens in] the world. [It is as though] he has caused judges to be blindfolded, [with the result that they cannot judge fairly]. If it is not God who has put wicked people in control, who has done it?
25 Njalo insuku zami zilejubane kulesigijimi; ziyabaleka, kaziboni okuhle.
“My days go by very quickly, like a fast runner; [it is as though] they run away, and nothing good happens to me on those days.
26 Ziyedlula njengezikepe zomhlanga, njengokhozi olutheleka empangweni.
My life goes by very rapidly, like a boat made from reeds sailing swiftly, or like an eagle that swoops down to seize a small animal.
27 Uba ngisithi: Ngizakhohlwa ukusola kwami, ngitshiye ukunyukumala kwami, ngithokoze,
If I smile and say [to God], ‘I will forget what I am complaining about; I will stop looking sad and try to be cheerful/happy,’
28 ngiyesaba zonke insizi zami, ngiyazi ukuthi kawuyikungiphatha njengongelacala.
then I become afraid because of all that I am suffering, because I know that God does not consider that I am innocent.
29 Ngilecala mina, pho, ngizatshikatshikelelani ize?
He will (condemn me/declare that I should be punished), so why should I keep trying in vain [to defend myself]?
30 Uba ngizigezisa ngamanzi eliqhwa elikhithikileyo, ngihlambulule izandla zami ngesepa,
If I washed myself with snow or cleansed my hands with lye/soap [to get rid of my guilt],
31 khona uzangiphosela emgodini, besengisenyanywa yizigqoko zami.
he would still throw me into a filthy pit; as a result [it would be as though] even my clothes would detest me.
32 Ngoba kasuye umuntu njengami ukuze ngimphendule, ukuze siye ndawonye kusahlulelo.
“God is not a human, as I am, so there is no way that I could answer him [to prove that I am innocent] if we went together to have a trial [in a courtroom].
33 Kakukho umqamuli phakathi kwethu ongabeka isandla sakhe phezu kwethu sobabili.
There is no one to (mediate/hear us and decide who is right), no one who has authority over both of us [IDM].
34 Kasuse uswazi lwakhe kimi, njalo uvalo ngaye lungangethusi.
I wish/desire that he would stop punishing [MTY] me, and that he would not continue to terrify me.
35 Bengingakhuluma ngingamesabi, kodwa anginjalo ngokwami.
If he did that, I would declare [that I am innocent] without being afraid of him, because I know that I really have not [done what is wrong like God thinks that I have].”
