Jobs 34
1 Og Elihu tok atter til orde og sa:
Then Elihu continued:
2 Hør mine ord, I vise, og lån mig øre, I forstandige!
“You [three] men who [think that you] [SAR] are very wise, hear me; listen to what I am saying, you men who [say that you] know so much.
3 Øret prøver jo ord, likesom ganen smaker mat.
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].
4 La oss velge det som er rett; la oss sammen søke å finne ut hvad der er godt!
We need to decide [who is saying] what is right and to determine among ourselves what is good/best.
5 Job har jo sagt: Jeg er rettferdig, og Gud har tatt min rett fra mig;
Job has said, ‘I am innocent, but God has refused to judge me fairly/justly.
6 tross min rett skal jeg være en løgner; en drepende pil har rammet mig, enda der ingen brøde er hos mig.
Even though I have always done what is right, he is lying about me. Even though I have not done what is wrong, he has caused me to suffer, and I will certainly die.’
7 Hvem er en mann som Job, han som drikker bespottelse som vann
(Is there any person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water?/There is no person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water.) [RHQ]
8 og gir sig i lag med dem som gjør ondt, og søker omgang med ugudelige menn?
He habitually associates with people who do what is evil and spends time with wicked people.
9 For han har sagt: En mann har intet gagn av at han holder vennskap med Gud.
He has said, ‘It is useless for people to try to please God.’
10 Derfor, I forstandige, hør på mig! Det være langt fra Gud å gjøre noget syndig og fra den Allmektige å være urettferdig!
“So, you men who [claim that you] understand everything, listen to me! Almighty God would never consider doing anything that is wicked or wrong [DOU]!
11 Han lønner mennesket efter dets gjerninger og gjengjelder mannen efter hans ferd.
He (pays back/punishes) people for what they have done; he gives them what they deserve for the way that they have conducted their lives.
12 Ja sannelig, Gud gjør ikke noget syndig, og den Allmektige forvender ikke retten.
Truly, Almighty God never does what is wicked; he always [LIT] does what is fair/just.
13 Hvem har overgitt jorden til hans varetekt, og hvem har overlatt hele jorderike til ham?
The authority that he has to rule everything on the earth, no one [RHQ] gave it to him; no one [RHQ] put him in control of the whole world. [He has always had that authority].
14 Dersom han bare vilde tenke på sig selv og dra sin Ånd og sin ånde til sig igjen,
If he would take his spirit back to himself,
15 da skulde alt kjød opgi ånden på én gang, og mennesket bli til støv igjen.
everyone would die [immediately], and their corpses would soon become dirt again.
16 Men gi nu akt og hør på dette, lytt nøye til mine ord!
“So, [Job], if [you say that you] understand everything, listen to what I am saying.
17 Kan vel en som hater retten, være hersker? Eller tør du fordømme den Rettferdige, den Mektige?
God could certainly not [RHQ] govern the world if he hated doing what is fair/just. So, will you condemn God, who is righteous and powerful, [saying that what he has done is wrong]?
18 Sier vel nogen til en konge: Din niding, eller til en fyrste: Du ugudelige?
He tells [some] kings that they are worthless, and he says to [some] officials that they are wicked.
19 Gud tar jo ikke parti for fyrster og akter ikke en rik høiere enn en fattig? De er jo alle hans henders verk.
He does not favor rulers [more than he favors others]; he does not favor rich people more than poor people, because he created all of them.
20 I et øieblikk dør de, midt om natten; folket raver og forgår, og den mektige rykkes bort, ikke ved menneskehånd.
People [often] die suddenly; he strikes them at midnight and they die; he even gets rid of mighty people without the help of any humans [SYN].
21 For hans øine vokter på hver manns veier, og han ser alle hans skritt;
“He sees [MTY] everything that people do; [when we walk, ] he watches every step that we take.
22 det finnes intet mørke og ingen dødsskygge hvor de som gjør ondt kan skjule sig;
There is no gloom or darkness [DOU] that is so dark that sinners can hide [from him] in that darkness.
23 Gud har ikke nødig å gi lenge akt på en mann før han må møte for Guds dom.
God does not [need to] set a time when we will stand in front of him in order that he may judge us. [He can judge us whenever he wants to].
24 Han knuser de mektige uten å granske deres sak og setter så andre i deres sted.
He destroys mighty people without [needing to] investigate [what they have done], and he appoints others to take their places.
25 Ja, han kjenner deres gjerninger, og han slår dem ned om natten så de går til grunne.
Because he [already] knows what they have done, he removes them at night and gets rid of them.
26 Han tukter dem som ugjerningsmenn, på et sted hvor alle kan se det;
Where [many] people can see it, he strikes/punishes them because of the wicked things that they have done;
27 for derfor vek de bort fra ham og aktet ikke på nogen av hans veier,
he strikes them because they turned away from doing what he wanted them to do and did not pay attention to any of his commands.
28 forat de skulde la de fattiges skrik komme for ham, forat han skulde høre de undertryktes rop.
They [mistreated] the poor people, with the result that those poor people cried out to God [for help], and he heard those afflicted people when they cried out [to him].
29 Lar han være å skride inn, hvem tør da fordømme ham? Skjuler han sitt åsyn, hvem får da se ham? Både med et folk og med et enkelt menneske gjør han jo således,
But if God decides to do nothing [to punish wicked people], no one can criticize/condemn him. If a godless/wicked man rules a nation, a man who tricks/deceives the people,
30 forat et gudløst menneske ikke skal herske, forat det ikke skal være snarer for folket.
and if [God] hides his face [with the result that he does not see that ruler or punish him], no one will be able to prevent that ruler [from doing those things].
31 For har vel et slikt menneske nogensinne sagt til Gud: Jeg har vært overmodig, jeg vil herefter ikke gjøre det som ondt er;
“Job, have you or anyone else ever said to God, ‘I have been punished [for my sins], and I will not sin any more;
32 det jeg ikke ser, det må du lære mig; har jeg gjort urett, så vil jeg ikke gjøre det mere?
so teach/show me what [sins I have committed]; if I have done anything that is evil, I will not do it any more’?
33 Skulde han vel gjengjelde efter ditt tykke? Du har jo klandret ham. Så må du velge og ikke jeg, og hvad du vet, får du si.
[Job, ] you object to what God has done to you, but do you think that he will do what you want him to do? It is you who must choose [what you say to God], not I; so tell me what you are thinking about this.
34 Forstandige menn vil si til mig, ja hver vismann som hører på mig:
“People who have good sense, those who are wise and who listen to what I say, will say to me,
35 Job taler uten skjønnsomhet, og hans ord er ikke forstandige.
‘Job is speaking ignorantly; what he says is nonsense.’
36 Gid Job måtte bli prøvd uavlatelig, fordi han har svart på onde menneskers vis!
I think that Job should be taken to a court and (put on trial/judged), because he answers [us his friends] like wicked men would answer.
37 For til sin synd legger han brøde; her iblandt oss klapper han i hendene og bruker mange ord om Gud.
To add to the [other] sins that he has committed, he is rebelling [against God]; he shows us that he does not respect God [IDM], making long speeches [saying that God has punished him unjustly].”
