Siope 34
1 Pea naʻe fai pe ʻe Elihu ʻa ʻene lea, ʻo ne pehē,
Moreover, Elihu continued to speak:
2 “ʻAe kau tangata poto, mou fanongo ki heʻeku ngaahi lea; pea tokanga kiate au ʻakimoutolu kuo maʻu ʻae ʻilo.
“Listen to my words, you wise men; hear me, you who have knowledge.
3 He ʻoku ʻahiʻahiʻi ʻe he telinga ʻae ngaahi lea, ʻo hangē ʻoku kamata ʻe he ngutu ʻae kai.
For the ear tries words as the palate tastes food.
4 Ke tau fili kiate kitautolu ʻae fakamaau; ke tau ʻilo ʻiate kitautolu ʻaia ʻoku lelei.
Let us choose for ourselves what is just: let us discover among ourselves what is good.
5 He naʻe pehē ʻe Siope, ‘ʻOku ou māʻoniʻoni: pea kuo toʻo atu ʻe he ʻOtua hoku fakamaau.
For Job has said, 'I am righteous, but God has taken away my rights.
6 He te u lohiakiʻi ʻa ʻeku totonu? ʻOku taʻefaʻafakamoʻui ʻa hoku lavea ʻi he taʻetalangataʻa.’
Regardless of my rights, I am considered to be a liar. My wound is incurable, although I am without sin.'
7 Ko hai ha tangata ʻoku tatau mo Siope, ʻoku ne inumia ʻae manuki ʻo hangē ko e vai?
What man is like Job, who drinks up mockery like water,
8 ʻAia ʻoku ne ʻalu fakataha mo e kau ngāue kovi, pea ʻeveʻeva mo e kau tangata angahala.
who goes around in the company of those who do evil, and who walks with wicked men?
9 He naʻe pehē ʻe ia, ‘ʻOku ʻikai hano ʻaonga siʻi ki ha tangata ke ne fakafiefiaʻi ia ʻi he ʻOtua.’
For he has said, 'It is no use to a person to take pleasure in doing what God wants.'
10 “Ko ia, fanongo mai kiate au, ʻakimoutolu ʻae kau tangata faʻa ʻilo: ko e kovi, ke mamaʻo ia mei he ʻOtua, pea mo e angahala mei he Māfimafi.
So listen to me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness; far be it from the Almighty that he should commit sin.
11 He ko e ngāue ʻae tangata te ne totongi kiate ia, pea fakaʻilo ki he tangata kotoa pē ʻo fakatatau ki hono ngaahi hala.
For he pays back a person's work; he makes every man come upon the reward of his own ways.
12 ʻIo, ko e moʻoni ʻe ʻikai fai kovi ʻae ʻOtua, pea ʻe ʻikai fakahalaʻi ʻae fakamaau ʻe he Māfimafi.
Indeed, God does nothing wicked, nor does the Almighty ever pervert justice.
13 Ko hai naʻa ne fakanofo ia ke pule ki māmani? Pea ko hai kuo ne ngaohi ʻa māmani kotoa pē?
Who put him in charge over the earth? Who put the whole world under him?
14 Kapau te ne fakatokangaʻi hono finangalo ki he tangata, te ne tānaki kiate ia hono laumālie mo ʻene mānava;
If he ever set his intentions only on himself, and if he ever gathered back to himself his spirit and his breath,
15 ʻE mate fakataha ʻae kakano kotoa pē, pea ʻe toe liliu ʻae tangata ko e efu.
then all flesh would perish together; mankind would return to dust again.
16 “Kapau ʻoku ke maʻu ʻae faʻa ʻilo, fanongo eni: fakafanongo ki he leʻo ʻo ʻeku ngaahi lea.
If now you have understanding, listen to this; listen to the sound of my words.
17 Te ne faʻa pule ʻaia ʻoku fehiʻa ki he totonu? Pea te ke faʻa fakahalaiaʻi ʻaia ʻoku mātuʻaki angatonu?
Can one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn God, who is righteous and mighty?
18 He ʻoku ngali ke pehē ki ha tuʻi, ʻOku ke kovi? Pe ki he houʻeiki, ʻOku mou fai kovi?
God, who says to a king, 'You are vile,' or says to nobles, 'You are wicked'?
19 Ka ʻe fēfē kiate ia ʻaia ʻoku ʻikai te ne filifilimānako ki he kakai houʻeiki, pea ʻoku ʻikai lahi hake ʻene tokanga ki he koloaʻia ʻi he masiva? He ko e ngāue ʻa hono nima ʻakinautolu kotoa pē.
God, who does not show favoritism to leaders and does not acknowledge rich people more than poor, for they all are the work of his hands.
20 Te nau mate fakafokifā pe, pea ʻe mamahi ʻae kakai ʻi he tuʻuapō mālie, pea nau mole atu: pea ʻe fetuku atu ʻae kau mālohi taʻehanima.
In a moment they will die; at midnight people will be shaken and will pass away; mighty people will be taken away, but not by human hands.
21 “He ʻoku ʻi he ngaahi fale ʻoe tangata ʻa hono fofonga, pea ʻoku ne ʻafioʻi ʻa hono ʻalunga kotoa pē.
For God's eyes are upon a person's ways; he sees all his steps.
22 ʻOku ʻikai ha poʻuli, pe ha malumalu ʻoe mate, ʻe faʻa fakafufū ai ʻe he kau fai kovi ʻakinautolu.
There is no darkness, no thick gloom where the doers of iniquity may hide themselves.
23 Koeʻuhi ʻe [ʻi he meʻa ʻoku totonu]; koeʻuhi ke ne fie fakamaau ai mo e ʻOtua.
For God does not need to examine a person further; there is no need for any person to go before him in judgment.
24 Te ne lailaiki ʻae kau tangata mālohi tokolahi taʻefaʻalaua, pea fokotuʻu ʻae niʻihi moʻono totongi.
He breaks mighty men into pieces for their ways that need no further investigation; he puts others in their places.
25 Ko ia ʻoku ne ʻilo ʻenau ngaahi ngāue, pea ʻoku ne fulihi ʻakinautolu ʻi he pō, pea ʻoku nau ʻauha ai.
In this way he has knowledge of their deeds; he overthrows these people in the night; they are destroyed.
26 ʻOku ne taaʻi ʻakinautolu ʻo hangē ko e kau tangata fai kovi, ʻi he ʻao ʻoe kakai.
In the open sight of others, he kills them for their wicked deeds like criminals
27 Koeʻuhi naʻa nau tafoki kimui meiate ia, pea ʻikai fie tokanga ki hono ngaahi hala:
because they turned away from following him and refused to acknowledge any of his ways.
28 Ko ia ʻoku nau fakahoko ʻae tangi ʻae masiva ke aʻu atu kiate ia, pea ʻoku ne ongoʻi ʻae tangi ʻae mahaki.
In this way, they made the cry of poor people come to him; he heard the cry of afflicted people.
29 ʻOku foaki ʻe ia ʻae fiemālie, ko hai te ne faʻa fakamamahi? Pea ka fufū ʻe ia hono fofonga, ko hai ʻe faʻa mamata kiate ia? ʻO kapau te ne fai ki ha puleʻanga, pe ki ha tangata pe tokotaha:
When he stays silent, who can condemn him? If he hides his face, who can perceive him? He rules over nation and individual alike,
30 Koeʻuhi ke ʻoua naʻa pule ʻae mālualoi, telia naʻa fasiaʻi ʻae kakai.
so that a godless man may not rule, so that there may be no one to entrap people.
31 “ʻOku taau moʻoni mo e ʻOtua ʻae lea pehē ki ai, kuo u kātaki, ʻe ʻikai te u fakamamahi.
Suppose someone says to God, 'I am certainly guilty, but I will not sin any longer;
32 Ko ia ʻoku ʻikai te u ʻilo ke ke ako ia kiate au: kapau kuo u fai angahala, ʻe ʻikai te u toe fai ia.
teach me what I cannot see; I have committed sin, but I will do it no longer.'
33 ʻE fakatatau ia koā mo ho loto? Te ne totongi ia, ʻo kapau te ke ʻoua, pe te ke loto ki ai; kae ʻikai ko au: ko ia ke ke tala ʻaia ʻoku ke ʻilo.
Do you think that God will punish that person's sin, since you dislike what God does? You must choose, not I. So say what it is that you know.
34 Ke tala kiate au ʻe he kau tangata faʻa ʻilo, pea ke fanongo kiate au ʻe ha tangata poto.
Men of understanding will say to me— indeed, every wise man who hears me will say,
35 ‘Kuo lea ʻa Siope ʻi he taʻeʻilo, pea ʻoku taʻepoto ʻa ʻene ngaahi lea.
'Job speaks without knowledge; his words are without wisdom.'
36 Ko hoku loto ke fakamaauʻi ʻa Siope ʻo aʻu ki he ngataʻanga, koeʻuhi ko ʻene ngaahi tali ʻo hangē ko e kau tangata angahala.
If only Job were put on trial in the smallest details of his case because of his talking like wicked men.
37 He ʻoku ne fakahoko ʻae talangataʻa ki he angahala, ʻoku ne pasipasi hono nima ʻiate kitautolu, ʻo fakalahi ʻene ngaahi lea ki he ʻOtua.”
For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands in mockery in our midst; he piles up words against God.”
