< Ayubu 36 >
1 Elihu aliendelea na kusema,
Elihu [finished by] saying this:
2 “Niruhusu niseme kidogo zaidi, nami nitakuonesha baadhi ya mambo kwasababu nina maneno machache ya kusema kwa ajili ya Mungu.
“[Job, ] be patient with me a little longer, because I have something else to teach you. I have something else to say that God [wants you to know].
3 Nitapata maarifa yangu kutoka mbali; nitatambua kwamba haki ni ya Muumba wangu.
I will tell you what I have learned from many sources, in order to show that God, my creator, is just/fair.
4 Kwa kweli, maneno yangu hayatakuwa ya uongo; mtu fulani aliyekomaa katika maarifa yu pamoja nawe.
I am not saying anything to you that is false; I, who am standing in front of you, am someone who understands things (very well/perfectly) [HYP].
5 Angalia, Mungu ni mwenye nguvu, na hamdharau mtu yeyote; yeye ni mwenye nguvu katika uweza wa ufahamu.
“Hey, God is [very] powerful, and he does not despise anyone, and he understands everything.
6 Yeye huwa hayahifadhi maisha ya watu waovu bali badala yake hufanya yaliyo ya haki kwa wale wanaoteseka.
He does not allow wicked people to remain alive, and he always acts justly toward those who are poor.
7 Haondoi macho yake kwa wenye haki bali badala yake huwaweka juu ya viti vya enzi kama wafalme milele, nao wameinuliwa juu.
He always watches over [MTY] those who are righteous; he allows them to sit on thrones [and rule] with kings, and they are honored forever.
8 Ikiwa wamefungwa minyororo na kunaswa katika kamba za mateso,
But if people [who commit crimes] are caught, they [are thrown into prison and] are caused to suffer by being fastened with chains.
9 kisha huwafunulia kile walichokifanya, na maovu yao na kiburi chao.
When that happens, God shows them what they have done; he shows them the sins that they have committed, and he shows them that they have been proud/arrogant.
10 Hufungua pia masikio yao kwa ajili ya agizo lake, na huwaamuru wageuke kutoka katika uovu.
He causes them to listen [MTY] to what he is warning them, and he commands them to turn away from [doing what is] evil.
11 Ikiwa watamsikiliza na kumwabudu yeye, wataishi katika mafanikio katika siku zao, na miaka yao katika hali ya kuridhika.
If they (listen to/heed) him and serve him, [after they get out of prison] they will prosper for all the years that they are alive and be peaceful/happy.
12 Hata hivyo, kama hawatasikiliza, wataangamia kwa upanga; watakufa kwasababu hawana maarifa.
But if they do not (listen/pay attention) to him, they will die violently, not knowing [why God is causing them to die].
13 Na wale wasiomjua Mungu hutunza hasiria zao katika mioyo; hawaombi msaada hata wakati ambapo Mungu huwafunga.
“Godless/Wicked people continue being angry, and they do not cry out for help, [even] when God is punishing them.
14 Hawa hufa katika ujana wao; na maisha yao hukoma kati ya makahaba.
They die while they are still young, disgraced because of their very immoral behavior [EUP].
15 Mungu huwainua watu walioonewa kwa njia ya mateso yao; hufungua masikio yao kwa njia ya uonevu wao.
But God teaches people by causing them to suffer; by afflicting them, he causes them to listen to [MTY] what he is telling them.
16 Kwa hakika, yeye angependa kuwatoa ninyi katika mateso na kuwaweka katika sehemu pana ambapo hakuna masumbufu na mahali ambapo meza yenu ingewekwa ikiwa na chakula kilichojaa mafuta.
“And Job, [I think that] God [wants to] bring you out of your troubles and allow you to live without distress; he wants your table to be full of very nice food.
17 Lakini wewe umejaa hukumu juu ya watu waovu; hukumu na haki umeziachilia.
But now, you are being punished [MTY] as wicked people are punished; [God] [PRS] has been punishing you (justly/as you deserve).
18 Usiuache utajiri ukuvute katika udanganyifu; na sehemu kubwa ya rushwa isikugeuze upande kutoka katika haki.
So be careful that you are not deceived by [desiring to acquire] money or that you are not ruined by [accepting] large bribes.
19 Je utajiri wako waweza kukunufaisha, ili kwamba usiwe katika taabu, au nguvu zako zote za uwezo zaweza kukusaidia?
[If you are deceived by those things, ] it certainly will not [RHQ] help you to cry out when you are distressed; all of your strength will not help you.
20 Usiutamani usiku ili utende dhambi dhidi ya wengine wakati ambapo mataifa hukatiliwa mbali katika nafasi zao.
Do not wish that it would be nighttime [in order that God will not see you and punish you], because night is the time when [even] people-groups are destroyed!
21 Uwe mwangalifu ili kwamba usigeukie dhambi kwasababu unajaribiwa kwa mateso ili kwamba ukae mbali na dhambi.
Be careful not to [begin doing] evil things, because [God] has caused you to suffer to prevent you from doing evil.
22 Angalia, Mungu ameinuliwa katika nguvu zake; ni nani aliye mwalimu kama yeye?
“Hey, God is extremely powerful; there is certainly [RHQ] no teacher who teaches like he does.
23 Ni nani alishamwalekeza njia yake? Nani anayeweza kumwambia, 'Wewe umetenda mambo yasiyo ya haki?'
No one has [RHQ] told him what he should do, and no one has [RHQ] said to him, ‘You have done what is wrong!’
24 Kumbuka kuyasifu matendo yake, ambayo watu wameyaimba.
People have [always] sung to praise him, so you also should never forget to praise him for what he has done.
25 Watu wote wameshayatazama hayo matendo, lakini wanayaona tu matendo hayo kwa mbali sana.
Everyone has seen [what he has done], but [sometimes] we can see it only from far away.
26 Tazama, Mungu ni mkuu, lakini sisi hatumfahamu yeye vizuri; hesabu ya miaka yake haihesabiki.
“Hey, God is very great, and we are not able to know how great he is, and we do not know how old he is.
27 Kwa kuwa yeye huvuta matone ya maji ili kuyachuja kama mvua katka mvuke wake,
He draws water up [from the earth and puts it in clouds] and causes it to become rain.
28 ambayo mawingu yake huyamwaga chini na kuyandondosha kwa wingi kwa mwanadamu.
The rain pours down from the sky/clouds; God causes abundant showers to fall on everyone.
29 Hakika, kuna hata mmoja awezaye kuelewa kwa undani kusambaa kwa mawingu na radi kutoka katika nyumba yake?
No one can [RHQ] understand how the clouds move [across the sky] or how it thunders in the sky where God lives.
30 Angalia, hueneza mwanga wake kumzunguka na kufunika mizizi ya bahari.
He causes lightning to flash all around him, but he causes the bottom of the oceans to remain dark.
31 Kwa namna hii huyahukumu mataifa na kuwapa chakula kwa wingi.
By providing plenty of rain for us, he enables us to have abundant food.
32 Yeye huuijaza mikono yake kwa mwanga mpaka pale anapouamuru kupiga shabaha yake.
[It is as though] he holds the lightning in his hands, and [then] he commands it to strike where he wants it to.
33 Na muungurumo wake huonya kwa dhoruba, wanyama wanaweza kusikia kuja kwake.
When we hear his thunder, we know that there will be a storm, and the cattle know it, too.”