Jobs 12
1 Da tok Job til orde og sa:
Then Job said [to his three friends],
2 Ja sannelig, I er de rette folk, og med eder dør visdommen ut.
“You (talk as though/You think) [SAR] that you are the people [whom everyone should listen to], and that when you die, there will be no more wise people.
3 Også jeg har forstand, likesom I, jeg står ikke tilbake for eder, og hvem vet ikke dette?
But I have as much good sense as you do; I am (not less wise than/certainly as wise as [LIT]) you. Certainly everyone knows [RHQ] all that you have said.
4 Til spott for mine venner er jeg, jeg som ropte til Gud og fikk svar; til spott er jeg, den rettskafne og ulastelige.
My friends all laugh at me now. Previously I habitually requested God to help me, and he answered/helped me. I am righteous, a very godly man [DOU], but everyone laughs at me.
5 Ulykken fortjener bare forakt efter de trygges mening; forakt venter dem hvis fot vakler.
Those [like you] who have no troubles make fun of me; they cause those [like me] who are already suffering to have more troubles.
6 Ødeleggeres telt blir i ro, og trygge er de som egger Gud til vrede, de som fører sin gud i sin hånd.
Bandits live peacefully, and no one threatens those who cause God to become angry; their own strength is the god [that they worship].
7 Men spør du dyrene, de skal lære dig, og himmelens fugler, de skal si dig det,
“But ask the wild animals [what they know about God], and [if they could speak] they would teach you. [If you could] ask the birds, they would tell you.
8 eller tal til jorden, og den skal lære dig, og havets fisker skal fortelle dig det.
[If you could] ask the creatures [that crawl] on the ground, or the fish in the sea, they would tell you [about God].
9 Hvem skjønner ikke av alt dette at det er Herrens hånd som har skapt det,
All of them certainly know [RHQ] that it is Yahweh who has made them with his hands.
10 han som har i sin hånd hver levende sjel og hvert menneskelegemes ånd?
He directs the lives of all living creatures; he gives breath to all [us] humans [to enable us to remain alive].
11 Mon ikke øret prøver ord, likesom ganen smaker mat?
And when we [SYN] hear what other people [like you] say, we [RHQ] think carefully about what they say [to determine what is good and what is bad], like we [SYN] taste food [to determine what is good and what is bad].
12 Hos gråhårede er visdom, og langt liv gir forstand.
Old people are [often] very wise, and because of having lived many years, they understand much,
13 Hos ham er visdom og velde, ham hører råd og forstand til.
but God is wise and very powerful; he has good sense and understands [everything].
14 Se, han river ned, og det bygges ikke op igjen; han stenger for en mann, og det lukkes ikke op.
If he tears [something] down, no one can rebuild it; if he puts someone in prison, no one can open [the prison doors to allow that person to escape].
15 Han demmer for vannene, og de tørker bort, og han slipper dem løs, og de velter om jorden.
When he prevents rain from falling, everything dries up. When he causes a lot of rain to fall, [the result is that] there are floods.
16 Hos ham er styrke og visdom; i hans makt er både den som farer vill, og den som fører vill.
He is the one who is truly strong and wise; he rules over those who deceive others and those whom they deceive.
17 Han fører rådsherrer bort som fanger, og dommere gjør han til dårer.
He [sometimes] causes [the king’s] officials to no longer be wise, and he causes judges to become foolish.
18 Kongers tvangsbånd løser han og binder rep om deres lender.
He takes from kings the robes that they wear and puts loincloths around their waists, [causing them to become slaves].
19 Han fører prester bort som fanger, og mektige menn støter han ned.
He takes from priests the sacred clothes that they wear, [with the result that they no longer can do their work], and takes power from those who rule others.
20 Han fratar prøvede menn mælet og oldinger deres innsikt.
He [sometimes] causes those whom others trust to be unable to speak, and he causes old men to no longer have good sense.
21 Han utøser forakt over fyrster, og de sterkes belte løser han.
He causes those who have authority to be despised, and he causes those who are powerful to no longer have any power/strength.
22 Han drar det skjulte frem av mørket og fører dødsskygge frem i lyset.
He causes things that are hidden in the darkness to be revealed.
23 Han lar folkene bli store, og han lar dem gå til grunne; han gir folkene vidt rum, og han fører dem bort.
He causes some nations to become very great, and [later] he destroys them; he causes the territory of some nations to become much larger, and [later] he causes them to be defeated and their people to be scattered.
24 Høvdingene i landet fratar han forstanden og lar dem fare vill i et uveisomt øde;
He causes [some] rulers to become foolish/stupid, and then he causes them to wander around, lost, in an barren desert.
25 de famler i mørke uten lys, og han lar dem rave likesom drukne.
They grope around in the darkness, without any light, and he causes them to stagger like [SIM] people who are drunk.”
