Hiob 38
1 Afei, Awurade firi ahum mu buaa Hiob sɛ,
And the Lord made answer to Job out of the storm-wind, and said,
2 “Hwan ne deɛ ɔde nsɛm a nimdeɛ nni mu katakata mʼafotuo so?
Who is this who makes the purpose of God dark by words without knowledge?
3 Hyɛ wo ho den sɛ ɔbarima; mɛbisa wo nsɛm, na wobɛyi mʼano.
Get your strength together like a man of war; I will put questions to you, and you will give me the answers.
4 “Ɛberɛ a metoo asase fapem no, na wowɔ he? Sɛ wonim a, ka ɛ.
Where were you when I put the earth on its base? Say, if you have knowledge.
5 Hwan na ɔsusuu ne tenten ne ne tɛtrɛtɛ? Ampa ara wonim! Hwan na ɔtwee susuhoma faa ani?
By whom were its measures fixed? Say, if you have wisdom; or by whom was the line stretched out over it?
6 Ɛdeɛn so na ɛgyina, anaasɛ hwan na ɔtoo ne tweatiboɔ no,
On what were its pillars based, or who put down its angle-stone,
7 ɛberɛ a anɔpa nsoromma bɔɔ mu too dwom, na abɔfoɔ nyinaa de anigyeɛ teaam no?
When the morning stars made songs together, and all the sons of the gods gave cries of joy?
8 “Hwan na ɔkaa ɛpo hyɛɛ apono akyi, ɛberɛ a ɛpue firii yafunu mu,
Or where were you when the sea came to birth, pushing out from its secret place;
9 ɛberɛ a mede omununkum yɛɛ nʼaduradeɛ na mede esum kabii kyekyeree noɔ,
When I made the cloud its robe, and put thick clouds as bands round it,
10 ɛberɛ a metoo hyeɛ maa noɔ na mesisii nʼapono ne nʼadaban,
Ordering a fixed limit for it, with locks and doors;
11 ɛberɛ a mekaa sɛ, ‘Ɛha ara na wobɛduru, ɛntra ha; ɛha na wʼahantan asorɔkyeɛ no mmɛso’?
And said, So far you may come, and no farther; and here the pride of your waves will be stopped?
12 “Woahyɛ mmara ama adekyeeɛ da? Anaa woakyerɛ no nʼafa,
Have you, from your earliest days, given orders to the morning, or made the dawn conscious of its place;
13 sɛ ɛnkɔka asase ano na ɛntu amumuyɛfoɔ mfiri so?
So that it might take a grip of the skirts of the earth, shaking all the evil-doers out of it?
14 Asase fa ne bɔberɛ sɛ dɔteɛ a ɛhyɛ nsɔano ase; na ɛso tebea da adi te sɛ atadeɛ.
It is changed like wet earth under a stamp, and is coloured like a robe;
15 Wɔde amumuyɛfoɔ hann akame wɔn, na wɔn abasa a wɔapagya no mu abu.
And from the evil-doers their light is kept back, and the arm of pride is broken.
16 “Woapɛɛpɛɛ mu ahunu nsutire a ɛpo firi mu ba anaa woanante ne bunu mu?
Have you come into the springs of the sea, walking in the secret places of the deep?
17 Wɔde owuo apono akyerɛ wo? Woahunu owuo sunsumma apono anaa?
Have the doors of death been open to you, or have the door-keepers of the dark ever seen you?
18 Woate ewiase a ɛda hɔ hahanaa no ase anaa? Sɛ wonim yeinom nyinaa a, ka kyerɛ me.
Have you taken note of the wide limits of the earth? Say, if you have knowledge of it all.
19 “Ɛhe na hann firi ba? Na ɛhe na esum nso kɔ?
Which is the way to the resting-place of the light, and where is the store-house of the dark;
20 Wobɛtumi de wɔn akɔ wɔn siberɛ? Wonim akwan a ɛkɔ wɔn atenaeɛ?
So that you might take it to its limit, guiding it to its house?
21 Ampa ara wonim, ɛfiri sɛ na woawo wo dada. Woanyini yie!
No doubt you have knowledge of it, for then you had come to birth, and the number of your days is great.
22 “Woakɔ sukyerɛmma adekoradan mu da, anaa woahunu asukɔtweaa adekoradan
Have you come into the secret place of snow, or have you seen the store-houses of the ice-drops,
23 a makora so ama ahohiahia berɛ, ɔsa ne akodie nna?
Which I have kept for the time of trouble, for the day of war and fighting?
24 Ɛkwan bɛn na ɛkɔ baabi a anyinam firi ba, anaa baabi a apueeɛ mframa firi na ɛbɔ fa asase so?
Which is the way to the place where the wind is measured out, and the east wind sent out over the earth?
25 Hwan na ɔtwaa ɛka maa osubransam, ne ɛkwan maa aprannaa mmobom,
By whom has the way been cut for the flowing of the rain, and the flaming of the thunder;
26 sɛ ɛbɛtɔ agu asase a obiara nte soɔ so, anweatam a obiara nni soɔ,
Causing rain to come on a land where no man is living, on the waste land which has no people;
27 na ama asase bonini a ɛyɛ wesee yi afɔ na ɛserɛ afifiri so?
To give water to the land where there is waste and destruction, and to make the dry land green with young grass?
28 Osutɔ wɔ agya anaa? Hwan na ɔyɛ agya ma obosuo?
Has the rain a father? or who gave birth to the drops of night mist?
29 Hwan yafunu mu na nsukyeneeɛ fire? Hwan na ɔwoo nsukyeneeɛ mporoporowa firi soro
Out of whose body came the ice? and who gave birth to the cold mist of heaven?
30 ɛberɛ a nsuo kyene dane sɛ ɛboɔ, na ebunu ani kyene?
The waters are joined together, hard as a stone, and the face of the deep is covered.
31 “Wobɛtumi de ahoma akyekyere Akokɔbaatan ne ne mma? Wobɛtumi asane Nwenwenente nhoma anaa?
Are the bands of the Pleiades fixed by you, or are the cords of Orion made loose?
32 Wobɛtumi de anɔpa nsoromma aba wɔ ne berɛ mu anaasɛ wobɛtumi ayi sisire ne ne mma afiri hɔ?
Do you make Mazzaroth come out in its right time, or are the Bear and its children guided by you?
33 Wonim mmara a ɛfa ewiem ho? Wobɛtumi de Onyankopɔn ahennie aba asase so?
Have you knowledge of the laws of the heavens? did you give them rule over the earth?
34 “Wobɛtumi ama wo nne aduru omununkum so na wode nsuo akata wo ho anaa?
Is your voice sent up to the cloud, so that you may be covered by the weight of waters?
35 Wobɛtumi ama anyinam atwa? Wɔbɛka akyerɛ wo sɛ, ‘Yɛnnie anaa’?
Do you send out the thunder-flames, so that they may go, and say to you, Here we are?
36 Hwan na ɔde nyansa ma akoma anaasɛ ɔde nteaseɛ hyɛ adwene mu.
Who has put wisdom in the high clouds, or given knowledge to the lights of the north?
37 Hwan na ɔwɔ nyansa a wɔde kan omununkum? Hwan na ɔbɛtumi akyea ɔsoro nsuo nkotokuo,
By whose wisdom are the clouds numbered, or the water-skins of the heavens turned to the earth,
38 ɛberɛ a mfuturo ayɛ den ama dɔteɛ atɔatɔ keka bɔ mu.
When the earth becomes hard as metal, and is joined together in masses?
39 “Wokɔ ahayɔ ma gyatabereɛ ma agyata didi mee
Do you go after food for the she-lion, or get meat so that the young lions may have enough,
40 ɛberɛ a wɔbutubutu wɔn abɔn ano anaasɛ wɔtetɛ nnɔtɔ ase?
When they are stretched out in their holes, and are waiting in the brushwood?
41 Hwan na ɔma anene aduane ɛberɛ a ne mma su frɛ Onyankopɔn na wɔkyinkyini pɛ aduane?
Who gives in the evening the meat he is searching for, when his young ones are crying to God; when the young lions with loud noise go wandering after their food?
