Ayubu 22
1 Ndipo Elifazi Mtemani akajibu:
Then Eliphaz replied,
2 “Je, mwanadamu aweza kuwa wa faida kwa Mungu? Je, hata mtu mwenye hekima aweza kumfaidi?
“(Can anyone be useful to God?/Certainly no one can be useful to God.) [RHQ] Even people who are wise cannot be helpful to God.
3 Je, Mwenyezi angefurahia nini kama ungekuwa mwadilifu? Au je, yeye angepata faida gani kama njia zako zingekuwa kamilifu?
If you were righteous, (would that benefit Almighty [God]?/that certainly would not benefit Almighty [God].) [RHQ] If you had (lived a perfect life/never done anything that is wrong), would that help him?
4 “Je, ni kwa ajili ya utaua wako ndiyo maana anakukemea na kuleta mashtaka dhidi yako?
“Is it because you have an awesome respect for God that he punishes you? Is that the reason that he puts you on trial?
5 Je, uovu wako si mkuu? Dhambi zako si hazina mwisho?
No, it certainly must be [RHQ] because you are extremely wicked. It must be that the evil things that you have done are so many that no one can count them!
6 Umedai dhamana kwa ndugu zako bila sababu; umewavua watu nguo zao, ukawaacha uchi.
You must have lent money to others and wrongly forced them to give you things to guarantee that they would pay that money back to you; you must have taken all their clothes and left them with nothing to wear.
7 Hukumpa maji aliyechoka, nawe ulimnyima chakula mwenye njaa,
You must not have given water to those who were thirsty, and you must have refused to give food to those who were hungry.
8 ingawa ulikuwa mtu mwenye uwezo ukimiliki nchi: mtu uliyeheshimiwa, ukiishi ndani yake.
Because you were very powerful, you [must have] taken over all the people’s land, and then, being very respected, you have begun to live on that land.
9 Umewafukuza wajane mikono mitupu na kuzivunja nguvu za yatima.
[When] widows [came to you for help], you [must have] sent [them] away without giving them anything, and you must have oppressed orphans.
10 Ndiyo sababu mitego imekuzunguka pande zote, hatari ya ghafula inakutia hofu,
Because of all that, now there are pits around you for you to fall into, and suddenly there are things that terrify you and cause you to tremble.
11 ndiyo sababu ni giza sana huwezi kuona, tena ndiyo sababu mafuriko ya maji yamekufunika.
[It is as though] it has become very dark, with the result that you cannot see anything, and [it is as though] [MET] a flood covers you.
12 “Je, Mungu hayuko katika mbingu za juu? Juu kuliko nyota zilizo juu sana!
“[But consider this, Job]: God lives [RHQ] high up in the heavens. From there he [RHQ] looks down on the highest stars.
13 Hivyo wewe wasema, ‘Mungu anajua nini?’ Je, yeye huhukumu katika giza kama hilo?
So why do you say, ‘What does God know [about what we are doing]? [He is hidden from us by] dark clouds, so ([how] can he judge us?/he certainly cannot judge us.) [RHQ]’
14 Mawingu mazito ni pazia lake, hivyo hatuoni sisi atembeapo juu ya anga la dunia.
[Do you think that] while he walks on the dome that covers the sky, there are thick clouds around him, with the result that he cannot see [what we do]?
15 Je, utaifuata njia ya zamani, ambayo watu waovu waliikanyaga?
Will you continue to conduct your life the old way that evil people have done [for many years]?
16 Waliondolewa kabla ya wakati wao, misingi yao ikachukuliwa na mafuriko.
They suddenly died while they were still young; they disappeared [like everything disappears when there is] a flood [MET].
17 Walimwambia Mungu, ‘Tuache sisi! Huyo Mwenyezi aweza kutufanyia nini?’
They kept saying to God, ‘Do not bother us,’ and they also said [defiantly], ‘Almighty [God] can do nothing [RHQ] to [harm] us!’
18 Lakini ndiye alizijaza nyumba zao na vitu vizuri, hivyo ninajitenga mbali na mashauri ya waovu.
But it was God who filled their houses with good things, so I cannot at all understand why wicked people think like they do.
19 “Wenye haki wanaona maangamizi yao na kufurahi, nao wasio na hatia huwadhihaki, wakisema,
“But when God punishes wicked people, and righteous people see that, they are glad, and they laugh, ridiculing the wicked people.
20 ‘Hakika adui zetu wameangamizwa, nao moto umeteketeza mali zao.’
They say, ‘Now our enemies have been destroyed, and all [their possessions] that were left have been burned in a fire.’
21 “Mjue sana Mungu ili uwe na amani, ndipo mema yatakapokujia.
“So, [Job, ] be reconciled to God and make peace with him; if you do that, good things will happen to you.
22 Uyapokee mafundisho toka kinywani mwake, na maneno yake uyaweke moyoni mwako.
Allow him to teach you, and keep thinking about what he has told you.
23 Kama ukimrudia Mwenyezi, utarudishwa upya: Kama ukiuondoa uovu uwe mbali na hema lako,
If you humble yourself and return to God, if you stop doing all the evil things that you have been doing in your house,
24 kama dhahabu yako ukiihesabu kama mavumbi, dhahabu yako ya Ofiri kama miamba ya mabondeni,
if you throw away your gold, even the fine gold from the dry stream beds in Ophir [land],
25 ndipo Mwenyezi atakuwa dhahabu yako, naye atakuwa fedha yako iliyo bora.
and if you allow Almighty [God] to be [as precious to you as] your gold and your silver [have been],
26 Hakika ndipo utakapojifurahisha kwa Mwenyezi, nawe utamwinulia Mungu uso wako.
you will be happy because of your close relationship with God, and you will be able to approach him [IDM] [confidently].
27 Utamwomba yeye, naye atakusikia, nawe utazitimiza nadhiri zako.
You will pray to him, and he will do what you request him to do; you will do the things that you promised him that you would do.
28 Utakusudia jambo nalo litatendeka, nao mwanga utaangazia njia zako.
Everything that you decide to do will be successful; [it] will [be as though] a light [is] shining on the road in front of you.
29 Watu watakaposhushwa, nawe ukasema, ‘Wainue!’ ndipo atamwokoa aliyevunjika moyo.
God humbles those who are proud, but he saves those who are downcast/discouraged.
30 Atamwokoa hata yule ambaye ana hatia, ataokolewa kwa sababu ya usafi wa mikono yako.”
God rescues those who (are innocent/have not done things that are wrong), so he will rescue you if you (start doing things that are right/are not guilty [IDM] of doing things that are wrong).”
