Hiob 33
1 “Na afei, Hiob, tie me nsɛm; yɛ aso ma biribiara a mɛka.
“But now, Job, listen carefully to all that I am going to say [DOU].
2 Merebebue mʼano; me nsɛm aba me tɛkrɛma so.
I am ready to tell you [MTY, DOU] [what I think].
3 Me nsɛm fi koma a ɛteɛ mu; na mʼano de ahonim pa ka nea minim.
I know that I am speaking honestly and that I am speaking [MTY] sincerely.
4 Onyankopɔn Honhom na abɔ me; Otumfo no home ma me nkwa.
Almighty God has created me [as well as you], and his breath has caused me to live.
5 Sɛ wubetumi a, ma me mmuae; siesie wo ho, na ka si mʼanim.
So, answer [what] I [say] if you can; think carefully [about how you will reply to me].
6 Wo ne me nyinaa yɛ pɛ wɔ Onyankopɔn anim; me nso wɔbɔɔ me fii dɔte mu.
“God considers that you, and I are both [equal]; he formed both of us from clay.
7 Ɛnsɛ sɛ wusuro me, na ɛnsɛ sɛ me nsa yɛ den wɔ wo so.
So you do not need to be afraid of me; I will not crush/oppress you [by what I say] [MTY].
8 “Nanso woaka ama mate, mete saa nsɛm no, na wokae se,
I have heard you [DOU] speaking, and this is what you have said:
9 ‘Meyɛ kronkron na minni bɔne; me ho tew na afɔdi biara nni me ho.
‘I am innocent; I have not committed any sins; I am pure; I have not done things that are wrong.
10 Nanso Onyankopɔn anya me ho mfomso wafa me sɛ ne tamfo.
But God finds reasons to accuse me, and he considers that I am his enemy.
11 Ɔde me nan hyɛ mpokyerɛ mu; na nʼani wɔ mʼakwan nyinaa so.’
[It is as though] he has put my feet (in stocks/between wooden blocks to prevent me from walking away), and he watches everything that I do.’ [MTY]
12 “Nanso meka mekyerɛ wo se, eyi mu de woayɛ mfomso, efisɛ Onyankopɔn so sen ɔdesani.
But what you have said is wrong, and I will tell you [what you have said that is wrong]. God is much greater than any human.
13 Na adɛn nti na wunwiinwii hyɛ no sɛ ommua onipa nsɛm biara ana?
So, (why are you arguing against God, saying ‘He never answers my questions’?/you should not be arguing against God, saying ‘He never answers my questions.’) [RHQ]
14 Nanso Onyankopɔn kasa wɔ akwan ahorow so, na ebia nnipa nte.
God does speak [to us] in various ways, but we do not pay any attention to what he says.
15 Ɔkasa wɔ daeso ne anadwo anisoadehu mu, bere a nna afa nnipa na wɔada hatee wɔ wɔn mpa so no,
[Sometimes he speaks to us] at night in dreams and visions, when we are on our beds, asleep [DOU].
16 otumi kasa gu wɔn asom na ɔde kɔkɔbɔ yi wɔn hu,
He reveals things [MTY] to us and terrifies us by the things he warns us about.
17 sɛ ɔbɛdan onipa afi nneyɛe bɔne ho na watwe no afi ahantan ho,
He tell us those things in order that we stop doing [evil] things and to prevent us from becoming proud.
18 sɛ ɔmma ne kra nkɔ amoa mu na ɔnhwere ne nkwa wɔ afoa ano.
He does not want us to be destroyed [MTY]; he wants to prevent us from dying [MTY] [while we are still young].
19 Anaasɛ wotumi de mpa so yaw twe onipa aso nnompe mu yaw a ennyae da,
God also [sometimes] corrects us by forcing us to lie on our beds suffering much pain and with fever/aching in our bones.
20 kosi sɛ ne kɔn nnɔ aduan na ne kra nso po aduan a ɛyɛ akɔnnɔ pa ara;
The result is that we do not desire any food, not even very special food.
21 ɔfɔn yɛ basaa, na ne nnompe a anka ɛho akata no, ho da hɔ.
Our bodies become very thin, with the result that we look like skeletons [HYP], and our bones stick out.
22 Ne kra bɛn ɔda, na ne nkwa bɛn owu abɔfo.
[We know that] we will soon die and go to the place where dead people are.
23 “Nanso sɛ ɔbɔfo bi wɔ nʼafa sɛ odimafo a, ɛyɛ apem mu baako, na ɔbɛkyerɛ no nea eye ma no,
“But sometimes an angel [may come to one of us], one of the thousands of angels who come to intervene between us and God, to tell us what are the right things for us [to do].
24 obehu no mmɔbɔ na waka se, ‘Munnyaa no na wankɔ ɔda mu; na manya mpatade ama no,’
The angel is kind to us and says to God, ‘Release that person, so that he does not descend to the place where dead people are! Do that because I have found the money to pay so that he can be released!
25 afei ne were yɛ foforo sɛ abofra; na esi ne dedaw mu yɛ sɛ mmerantebere mu de.
Allow his body to be strong again; allow him to be strong like he was when he was a youth!’
26 Ɔbɔ Onyankopɔn mpae na onya adom fi ne hɔ, ohu Onyankopɔn anim na ɔde ahosɛpɛw teɛ mu; na Onyankopɔn gye no bio sɛ ɔtreneeni.
When that happens, that person will pray to God, and God will accept/answer him; he will (enter God’s presence/worship God) joyfully, and then he will tell others how God saved him [from dying].
27 Afei ɔba nnipa mu bɛka se, ‘Meyɛɛ bɔne na mekyeaa nea ɛteɛ, nanso mannya nea ɛfata me.
He will sing as he tells everyone, ‘I sinned, and I did things that were not right, but God did not punish me in the way that I deserved.
28 Ogyee me kra na wamma no ankɔ ɔda mu, enti mɛtena ase na madi hann no mu dɛ.’
He has saved me from dying and going to the place where dead people are, and I will continue to enjoy being alive.’
29 “Onyankopɔn yɛ eyinom nyinaa ma onipa, mprenu ne ne mprɛnsa so,
God does all these things for us many times;
30 sɛnea ne kra renkɔ ɔda mu, na nkwa hann no ahyerɛn ne so.
he keeps us [SYN] from [dying and] going to the place where the dead are, in order that we can continue to enjoy being alive [IDM].
31 “Yɛ aso, Hiob, na tie me; yɛ dinn na menkasa.
So Job, listen to me; do not say anything more; just allow me to speak.
32 Na sɛ wowɔ biribi ka a, bua me; kasa, na mepɛ sɛ wobu wo bem.
[After I speak], if you have something more that you want to say to me, say it, because I would like to find a way to declare that you (are innocent/have not done what is wrong).
33 Sɛ ɛnte saa nso a, ɛno de tie me. Yɛ dinn na mɛkyerɛ wo nyansa.”
But if you have nothing more that you want to say, then just listen to me, and I will teach you how to become wise.”
