Hiob 14
1 “Nnipa a ɔbea awo wɔn nna yɛ tiaa bi na ɔhaw ahyɛ mu mma.
“We humans are very frail. We live only a short time, and we experience a lot of trouble.
2 Ɔfefɛw te sɛ nhwiren na etwintwam; ɔte sɛ sunsuma a ɛretwa mu akɔ, ɔntena hɔ nkyɛ.
We disappear quickly, like flowers that grow from the ground quickly and then wither and die [SIM]. We are like shadows that disappear [when the sun stops shining].
3 Woma wʼani kɔ saa onipa yi so? Wode no bɛba wʼanim abebu no atɛn ana?
[Yahweh, ] why do you keep watching me [to see if I am doing something that is wrong] [RHQ]? Are you wanting to take me to court to judge me?
4 Hena na obetumi ayi nea ɛyɛ kronkron afi fi mu? Obiara nni hɔ.
People are sinners from the time when they are born; who can cause them to be sinless? No one [RHQ]!
5 Woahyehyɛ onipa nkwa nna; woahyɛ nʼasram dodow ato hɔ na woahyɛ no bere a ɔrentumi ntra.
You have decided how long our lives will be. You have decided how many months we will live, and we cannot live more months than the (limit/number of months) that you have decided.
6 Enti yi wʼani fi ne so na ɔnyɛ nea ɔpɛ, kosi sɛ obewie nʼadwuma sɛ ɔpaani.
So please stop examining us, and allow us to be alone, until/while we finish our time [here on earth], like a man finishes his work [at the end of the day].
7 “Dua mpo anidaso wɔ hɔ ma no: Sɛ wotwa a, ɛbɛfefɛw bio, na ne mman foforo no rempenpan.
If someone cuts a tree down, we hope that it will sprout again and grow new branches.
8 Ne ntin betumi anyin akyɛ asase mu na ne dunsin nso awu wɔ dɔte mu,
Its roots in the ground may be very old, and its stump may decay,
9 nanso, onya nsu a ɛfefɛw, na eyiyi mman sɛ dua a wɔatɛw.
but if some water falls on it, it may bud/sprout and send up shoots like a young plant.
10 Nanso sɛ nnipa wu a wɔde no hyɛ fam; ɔhome nea etwa to a, na afei onni hɔ bio.
But when we people lose all our strength and die, we stop breathing and then we are gone [forever].
11 Sɛnea nsu tu yera wɔ po mu no, anaa sɛnea suka mu yowee no,
Just like water evaporates from the ocean, or like a riverbed dries up,
12 saa ara na onipa tɔ fam na ɔnsɔre bio; enkosi sɛ ɔsoro betwa mu no, nnipa rensɔre na wɔrennyan wɔn mfi wɔn nna mu.
people [lie down and die and] do not get up again. Until the heavens disappear, people who die [EUP] do not wake up, and no one can wake them up.
13 “Sɛ anka wode me besie ɔda mu de me ahintaw kosi sɛ wʼabufuw betwa mu! Sɛ anka wobɛhyɛ me bere na afei woakae me! (Sheol h7585)
[“Yahweh, ] I wish that you would put me safely in the place of the dead and forget about me until you are no longer angry with me. I wish that you would decide how much time I would spend there, and then remember [that] I [am there]. (Sheol h7585)
14 Sɛ onipa wu a ɔbɛba nkwa mu bio ana? Mʼaperedi nna mu nyinaa mɛtwɛn akosi sɛ me foforoyɛ bɛba.
When we humans die, we will certainly not live again [RHQ]. If [I knew that] we would live again, I would wait patiently, and I would wait for you to release me [from my sufferings].
15 Wobɛfrɛ na megye wo so; wʼani begyina abɔde a wo nsa ayɛ.
You would call me, and I would answer. You would be eager to see me, one of the creatures that you had made.
16 Afei wobɛkan mʼanammɔntu na worenni me bɔne akyi.
You would take care of [MET] me, instead of watching me to see if I would sin.
17 Wɔbɛsɔ me bɔne ano wɔ kotoku mu, na woakata mʼamumɔyɛ so.
[It is as though the record of] my sins would be sealed in a small bag, and you would cover them up.
18 “Nanso sɛnea mmepɔw so hohoro na ɛpompono na ɔbotan nso twe fi ne sibea no,
“But, just like mountains crumble and rocks fall down from a cliff,
19 sɛnea nsu yiyi abo ho na osuhweam twe dɔte kɔ no saa ara na wosɛe onipa anidaso.
and just like water slowly wears away the stones, and just like floods wash away soil, [you eventually destroy us]; you do not allow us to continue to (hope/confidently expect) [that we will keep on living].
20 Wutintim ne so prɛko pɛ, na otwa mu kɔ; wosakra ne nipasu na wugya no kwan.
You always defeat us, and then we die [EUP]. You cause our faces to look ugly after we die, and you send us away.
21 Sɛ wɔhyɛ ne mmabarima anuonyam a, onnim; na sɛ wɔbrɛ wɔn ase a, onhu.
[When we die] we do not know if our sons will grow up and [do things that will cause them to] be honored. And if they become disgraced, we do not see that, [either].
22 Ɔno ara were mu yaw na ɔtee na ɔno ara ne ho na ogyam.”
We will feel our own pains; we will not feel anything else; we will be sorry for ourselves, not for anyone else.”
