Hiob 31
1 “Me ne mʼani yɛɛ apam sɛ meremfi akɔnnɔ mu, nhwɛ ababaa.
“I solemnly promised myself that I would not look at a young woman with a desire [to have sex with her].
2 Dɛn ne onipa kyɛfa a efi ɔsoro Nyankopɔn nkyɛn? Dɛn ne nʼagyapade a efi ɔsoro Tumfo no nkyɛn?
[If I did not do what I promised, ] what would God who is in heaven [MTY] do to me [RHQ]? Almighty [God] would certainly not [RHQ] give me any reward!
3 Ɛnyɛ ɔsɛe mma amumɔyɛfo, atoyerɛnkyɛm mma wɔn a wɔyɛ bɔne ana?
[Previously I thought that] surely [RHQ] it was unrighteous people who would experience calamities, and that it was those who do what is wrong who would experience disasters.
4 Onhu mʼakwan na ɔnkan anammɔn biara a mitu ana?
God certainly sees [RHQ] everything that I do, [so why is he causing me to suffer?] [It is as though] he counts every step that I take.
5 “Sɛ manantew wɔ nkontompo mu anaasɛ matu mmirika adi nnaadaasɛm akyi a,
[“I solemnly declare that] I have never acted wickedly and have never tried to deceive people.
6 ma Onyankopɔn nkari me wɔ nsania papa so na obehu sɛ me ho nni asɛm;
I request only that God judge me fairly [MET], and if he does that, he will know that I (am innocent/have not done what is wrong).
7 sɛ mʼanammɔntu afom ɔkwan, sɛ me koma adi mʼani akyi, anaasɛ me nsa ho agu fi a
If [it were true that] I have stopped living righteously, or [that] I [SYN] have desired the things that I look at [MTY], or [that] I am guilty of any other sin,
8 ɛno de ma afoforo nni nea madua, na ma wontutu me nnɔbae ngu.
then I hope/wish that when I plant [seeds], someone else will [harvest the crops and] eat [them] and that others will uproot the [fruit trees] that I planted.
9 “Sɛ ɔbea bi atɔ me koma so, anaasɛ matɛw me yɔnko bi pon akyi a,
“If [it were true that] I [SYN] have been attracted by some other man’s wife, or [that] I have hidden myself and waited outside [the] door [to] her [house],
10 ɛno de, me yere nyam ɔbarima foforo aduan, na mmarima afoforo ne no nna.
I hope/desire that my wife will become the servant/slave of another man and have sex [EUP] with him.
11 Efisɛ anka ɛno na ɛbɛyɛ aniwusɛm ne bɔne a ɛsɛ sɛ wɔtwe aso wɔ so.
[For me to do] that would be a terrible sin, and the judges would decide that I should be punished.
12 Ɛyɛ ogya a ɛhyew kodu Ɔsɛe mu; na ebetumi atutu me nnɔbae ase.
My [committing adultery] would [produce in me a fire like] [MET] the fire that burns people in hell, and it would burn up everything that I own. (questioned)
13 “Sɛ mabu mʼasomfo mmarima ne mmea ntɛnkyew, bere a wɔne me nyaa asɛm,
“And, if [it were true that] I have ever refused to listen to one of my male or female servants when they complained to me about something,
14 sɛ Onyankopɔn de si mʼanim a dɛn na mɛyɛ? Sɛ wɔfrɛ me akontaabu a, mmuae bɛn na mɛma?
God would arise [and declare that he would punish me]; and when he would do that, what would I do? If he would ask me [about what I have done], (what would I answer?/I would not be able to answer.) [RHQ]
15 Ɛnyɛ nea ɔbɔɔ me wɔ ɔyafunu mu no na ɔbɔɔ wɔn? Ɛnyɛ onipa koro no na ɔyɛɛ yɛn baanu wɔ yɛn nanom yafunu mu?
God, who created me, certainly also created my servants [RHQ]; surely he is the one who formed them and me in our mothers’ wombs [RHQ]; [so we all should behave toward each other equally].
16 “Sɛ mamma ahiafo nea wɔn koma pɛ anaa mama akunafo ani ayɛ wɔn yaw,
“I have guided orphans from the time that they were born; I have taken care of them since they were young. So, if [it were true that] I ate all my food myself and did not share some of it with orphans, or [that] I refused to give poor people the things that they wanted, or [that] I caused widows to live (in despair/without hope [that they would receive any help from anyone]),
17 sɛ mabɔ mʼaduan ho atirimɔden a mamma ayisaa bi,
18 nanso efi mmerantebere mu matetew no sɛnea agya bɛyɛ, na efi ɔyafunu mu, mahwɛ akunafo.
19 Sɛ mahu obi a onni adurade na ɔrebrɛ, anaa ohiani bi a onni atade,
or [that] I had seen people die [from cold] because they had no clothes, or [that] I had seen poor people who did not have clothes [to keep them warm],
20 na sɛ wɔamfi koma mu anhyira me sɛ mede me nguan ho nwi kaa wɔn hyew,
and they were not able to become warm [from clothes made] from the wool of my sheep with the result that they thanked me for [giving them clothes, ]
21 sɛ mama me nsa so atia ayisaa bi, esiane sɛ mewɔ tumi wɔ asennii nti a,
or if [it were true that] I threatened to strike any orphan because I knew that the elders at the city gates would (decide in my favor);
22 ɛno de, ma me basa mpan mfi me mmati, ma emmubu mfi nʼapɔw so.
[if those things were true about me], I hope/desire that my shoulder blade would be torn out and my arm be torn from my shoulder.
23 Misuroo ɔsɛe a efi Onyankopɔn nkyɛn, na nʼanuonyam ho suro nti mantumi anyɛ saa nneyɛe no.
I always feared that God would cause me to experience a great disaster [if I did any of those evil things], and I would not have been able to endure the powerful [things that he would do to punish me].
24 “Sɛ mede me werɛ ahyɛ sikakɔkɔɔ mu anaasɛ maka akyerɛ sikakɔkɔɔ ankasa se, ‘Wo na wobɔ me ho ban,’
“If [it were true that] I trusted in my gold/money [DOU],
25 sɛ masɛpɛw me ho wɔ mʼahode bebrebe nti, ahode a me nsa aka yi,
or that I rejoiced because I had acquired many things and had become very rich,
26 sɛ mahwɛ owia ne ne hyerɛn anaa ɔsram a ɔnam anuonyam mu,
or that I looked at the sun when it was shining or looked at the beautiful moon
27 ama aka me koma a obiara nnim na me nsa yɛɛ wɔn atuu de nidi maa wɔn a,
and I [SYN] had been tempted [to worship them] by kissing my hand to revere them,
28 ɛno de, na eyinom nso bɛyɛ bɔne a wobu ho atɛn, efisɛ na manni Onyankopɔn a ɔte ɔsoro no nokware.
those things also would be sins for which the judges would say that I must be punished, because I would have been rejecting God [by doing those things].
29 “Sɛ mʼani gyee wɔ me tamfo amanehunu nti anaa mesrew no wɔ ɔhaw a aba ne so nti,
“[It is not true that] I [SYN] sinned by requesting God to curse people who hated me with the result that God would cause them to die. It is also not true that I was glad when they were ruined or that I rejoiced when they experienced disasters [DOU].
30 memmaa mʼano nyɛɛ bɔne sɛ mɛdome ne nkwa,
31 sɛ nnipa a wɔwɔ me fi mu nkaa da sɛ, ‘Hena na Hiob pon so nam mmee no da?’
[It is also not true that] I never welcomed travelers to stay in my tent or that I did not open my doors to them, but [forced them to] sleep in the streets. [All] the men who work for me certainly know that [RHQ]!
32 Ɔhɔho biara anna abɔnten so da, efisɛ me pon ano daa hɔ da biara maa akwantufo,
33 Makata me bɔne so sɛnea nnipa yɛ de mʼafɔdi ahyɛ me koma mu
Some people try to hide their sins, but I have never done that;
34 esiane sɛ misuroo nnipadɔm ne ahohora a efi mmusua hɔ no nti na meyɛɛ komm a mamfi adi.
and I never remained silent and refused to go outside of my home because I was very (afraid of/worried about) what people would say [about me], and that they would hate/scorn me.
35 (“Ao, sɛ anka mewɔ obi a obetie me. Mede me din ahyɛ mʼanoyi ase, ma Otumfo no mmua me; ma nea ɔbɔ me kwaadu no nkyerɛw ne sobobɔ.
“I wish/desire that there was someone who would hear what I am saying! I solemnly declare [that all that I have said is true]. I wish that those who oppose me would write down [on a scroll] the evil things that they say that I did.
36 Ampa ara, mɛhyɛ wɔ me mmati, mɛhyɛ sɛ ahenkyɛw.
[If they did that, ] I would wear that scroll on my shoulder, or wear it on top of my head, [in order that everyone could see it].
37 Mebu mʼanammɔntu biara ho akontaa akyerɛ no; mɛkɔ nʼanim sɛ ɔheneba.)
I would tell [God] everything that I have done, and I would approach him [confidently], like a ruler would.
38 “Sɛ mʼasase teɛ mu tia me na nusu fɔw ne nkɔ nyinaa,
If [it were true that] I have stolen land, with the result that [it was as though] its furrows cried out to accuse me of stealing;
39 sɛ madi so aba a mintuaa ka anaasɛ mabu so apaafo no aba mu a,
or [if it were true that] I have eaten the crops that grew in someone else’s fields without paying [for those crops], with the result that those farmers who grew those crops died [from hunger];
40 ma nsɔe mfifi nsi awi anan mu na wura mfuw nsi atoko anan mu.” Hiob nsɛm no asi.
then I wish/desire that thorns would grow [in my fields] instead of wheat. May bad weeds grow instead of barley!” That is the end of what Job said [to his three friends].
