Jobs 31
1 En pakt hadde jeg gjort med mine øine, at jeg ikke skulde se på en jomfru.
“I solemnly promised myself that I would not look at a young woman with a desire [to have sex with her].
2 Hvad lodd vilde jeg ellers få av Gud i himmelen, eller hvad arv av den Allmektige i det høie?
[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 Rammer ikke fordervelse den urettferdige, og ulykke dem som gjør det onde?
[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 Ser ikke han mine veier, og teller han ikke alle mine skritt?
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 Dersom jeg har faret frem med falskhet, og min fot har hastet til svik
[“I solemnly declare that] I have never acted wickedly and have never tried to deceive people.
6 - la Gud veie mig på rettferds vektskål, og han skal se at jeg er uten skyld -
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 dersom mine skritt har bøid av fra veien, og mitt hjerte har fulgt mine øine, og dersom der er nogen flekk på mine hender,
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 gid da en annen må ete det jeg har sådd, og gid det jeg har plantet, må rykkes op med rot!
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 Dersom mitt hjerte har latt sig dåre for en kvinnes skyld, og jeg har luret ved min næstes dør,
“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 gid da min hustru må male korn for en annen, og andre menn bøie sig over henne!
I hope/desire that my wife will become the servant/slave of another man and have sex [EUP] with him.
11 For slikt er en skjenselsdåd, det er en misgjerning, hjemfalt til dom;
[For me to do] that would be a terrible sin, and the judges would decide that I should be punished.
12 det er en ild som fortærer like til avgrunnen; alt mitt gods skulde den gjøre ende på.
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 Har jeg krenket min træls og min trælkvinnes rett, når de hadde nogen trette med mig?
“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 Hvad skulde jeg da gjøre om Gud stod op, og hvad skulde jeg svare ham om han gransket saken?
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 Har ikke han som skapte mig i mors liv, skapt også dem, og har ikke en og den samme dannet oss i mors liv?
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 Har jeg nektet fattigfolk det de ønsket, og latt enkens øine tæres bort?
“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 Har jeg ett mitt brød alene, så den farløse ikke fikk ete av det?
18 Nei, fra min ungdom av vokste han op hos mig som hos en far, og fra min mors liv av førte jeg henne ved hånden.
19 Har jeg kunnet se en ulykkelig uten klær eller en fattig uten et plagg å ha på sig?
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 Måtte ikke hans lender velsigne mig, fordi han fikk varme sig med ull av mine får?
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 Har jeg løftet min hånd mot den farløse, fordi jeg var viss på å få medhold i retten?
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 Gid da min skulder må falle fra sitt ledd, og min arm bli brutt løs fra sin skål!
[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 For Guds straff fylte mig med redsel, og mot hans velde maktet jeg intet.
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 Har jeg satt mitt håp til gullet og sagt til gullklumpen: Du er min tillit?
“If [it were true that] I trusted in my gold/money [DOU],
25 Har jeg gledet mig fordi min rikdom blev stor, og fordi min hånd vant mig meget gods?
or that I rejoiced because I had acquired many things and had become very rich,
26 Når jeg så sollyset, hvorledes det strålte, og månen, hvor herlig den skred frem,
or that I looked at the sun when it was shining or looked at the beautiful moon
27 blev da mitt hjerte dåret i lønndom, så jeg sendte dem håndkyss?
and I [SYN] had been tempted [to worship them] by kissing my hand to revere them,
28 Nei, også det vilde være en misgjerning, hjemfalt til dom; for da hadde jeg fornektet Gud i det høie.
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 Har jeg gledet mig ved min fiendes uferd og jublet når ulykken rammet ham?
“[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 Nei, jeg tillot ikke min munn å synde ved å forbanne ham og ønske ham døden.
31 Må ikke mine husfolk vidne at enhver fikk mette sig ved mitt bord?
[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 Aldri måtte en fremmed ligge utenfor mitt hus om natten; jeg åpnet mine dører for den veifarende.
33 Har jeg, som mennesker pleier, skjult mine synder og dulgt min misgjerning i min barm,
Some people try to hide their sins, but I have never done that;
34 fordi jeg fryktet den store mengde og var redd for de fornemme slekters forakt, så jeg tidde stille og ikke gikk ut av min dør?
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 Å, om jeg hadde nogen som vilde høre på mig! Se, her er min underskrift, la den Allmektige svare mig! Å, om jeg hadde det skrift min motpart har satt op!
“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 Sannelig, jeg skulde ta det på min skulder, jeg skulde feste det til mitt hode som en krone;
[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 jeg skulde gjøre ham regnskap for alle mine skritt, som en fyrste skulde jeg møte ham.
I would tell [God] everything that I have done, and I would approach him [confidently], like a ruler would.
38 Dersom min aker skriker over mig, og alle dens furer gråter,
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 dersom jeg har fortæret dens grøde uten betaling og utslukket dens eiers liv,
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 gid det da må vokse torner på min aker istedenfor hvete og ugress istedenfor bygg! Her ender Jobs ord.
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].
