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 Merebɛbue mʼano; me nsɛm aba me tɛkrɛma so.
I am ready to tell you [MTY, DOU] [what I think].
3 Me nsɛm firi akoma a ɛtene mu; na mʼano de ahonim pa ka deɛ menim.
I know that I am speaking honestly and that I am speaking [MTY] sincerely.
4 Onyankopɔn Honhom na abɔ me; Otumfoɔ no ahome ma me nkwa.
Almighty God has created me [as well as you], and his breath has caused me to live.
5 Sɛ wobɛtumi a, ma me mmuaeɛ; 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 firii dɔteɛ mu.
“God considers that you, and I are both [equal]; he formed both of us from clay.
7 Ɛnsɛ sɛ wosuro 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, metee saa nsɛm no, na wokaa sɛ,
I have heard you [DOU] speaking, and this is what you have said:
9 ‘Meyɛ kronn na menni bɔne; me ho te na afɔdie 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 mfomsoɔ; wafa me sɛ ne ɔtamfoɔ.
But God finds reasons to accuse me, and he considers that I am his enemy.
11 Ɔde me nan ahyɛ mpɔkyerɛ 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 sɛ, yei mu deɛ, woayɛ mfomsoɔ, ɛfiri sɛ Onyankopɔn so sene ɔdasani.
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 enti na wonwiinwii hyɛ no sɛ ɔmmua onipa nsɛm biara anaa?
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 ahodoɔ 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 daeɛso ne anadwo anisoadehunu mu, ɛberɛ a nna afa nnipa na wɔretu nkorɔmo wɔ wɔn mpa so,
[Sometimes he speaks to us] at night in dreams and visions, when we are on our beds, asleep [DOU].
16 ɔtumi 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 ɔbɛdane onipa afiri nneyɛɛ bɔne ho na watwe no afiri 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 ɔkra nnkɔ amena mu na ɔnhwere ne nkwa wɔ akofena ano.
He does not want us to be destroyed [MTY]; he wants to prevent us from dying [MTY] [while we are still young].
19 Onyankopɔn tumi de yea twe onipa aso ɛberɛ a ɔda mpa so na ne nnompe mu yea nnyae 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 kɔsi sɛ ne kɔn nnɔ aduane na ne ɔkra nso po aduane 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 ɔkra bɛn damena, na ne nkwa bɛn owuo abɔfoɔ.
[We know that] we will soon die and go to the place where dead people are.
23 “Nanso sɛ abɔfoɔ apem no mu baako wɔ nʼafa sɛ ɔdimafoɔ a ɔbɛkyerɛ no deɛ ɛyɛ ma no a,
“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 ɔbɛhunu no mmɔbɔ na waka sɛ, ‘Monnyaa no na wankɔ damena mu; na manya mpatadeɛ 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 wedeɛ bɛyɛ foforɔ sɛ abɔfra deɛ, na asi ne dada mu sɛ mmeranteberɛ mu deɛ.
Allow his body to be strong again; allow him to be strong like he was when he was a youth!’
26 Sɛ ɔbɔ Onyankopɔn mpaeɛ a, ɔbɛnya adom afiri ne hɔ, ɔbɛhunu Onyankopɔn anim na ɔde ahosɛpɛ ateam na Onyankopɔn agye no bio sɛ ɔteneneeni.
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 ɔbɛba nnipa mu abɛka sɛ, ‘Meyɛɛ bɔne na mekyeaa deɛ ɛtene, nanso wantwe mʼaso sɛdeɛ 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 Ɔgyee me ɔkra na wamma no ankɔ damena 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 yeinom nyinaa ma onipa, mprɛnu ne ne mprɛnsa so,
God does all these things for us many times;
30 sɛdeɛ onipa kra renkɔ damena 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 wɔbu 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, ɛnneɛ 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.”
