Hiob 38
1 Afei, Awurade firi ahum mu buaa Hiob sɛ,
Then Yahweh spoke to Job from inside a great windstorm. He said to him,
2 “Hwan ne deɛ ɔde nsɛm a nimdeɛ nni mu katakata mʼafotuo so?
“(Who are you to question what I plan to do?/You have no right/authority to question what I plan to do.) [RHQ] You are speaking ignorantly!
3 Hyɛ wo ho den sɛ ɔbarima; mɛbisa wo nsɛm, na wobɛyi mʼano.
I want to ask you [some] questions, so, just like men prepare themselves for a difficult task [MET], prepare to answer my questions.
4 “Ɛberɛ a metoo asase fapem no, na wowɔ he? Sɛ wonim a, ka ɛ.
(“Where were you/Were you there with me) [long ago] when I (laid the foundations of/created) the earth? Since you know so much, tell me [where you were at that time].
5 Hwan na ɔsusuu ne tenten ne ne tɛtrɛtɛ? Ampa ara wonim! Hwan na ɔtwee susuhoma faa ani?
Do you know how I decided how large the earth would be? Do you know who stretched a measuring tape around the earth? Surely [since you think that you know so much, ] you should know that!
6 Ɛdeɛn so na ɛgyina, anaasɛ hwan na ɔtoo ne tweatiboɔ no,
What supports the pillars on which the earth rests? When the stars [that shine early] in the morning sang together, and someone put in place the stone that causes the earth to stay in its place, and all the angels shouted joyfully [when they saw that happening], who laid that cornerstone? [Did you?]
7 ɛberɛ a anɔpa nsoromma bɔɔ mu too dwom, na abɔfoɔ nyinaa de anigyeɛ teaam no?
8 “Hwan na ɔkaa ɛpo hyɛɛ apono akyi, ɛberɛ a ɛpue firii yafunu mu,
“When the seas poured forth from inside the earth, who prevented the water from flooding over the land?
9 ɛberɛ a mede omununkum yɛɛ nʼaduradeɛ na mede esum kabii kyekyeree noɔ,
It was I, [not you, ] who caused clouds to come over the seas and caused it to become very dark [under those clouds].
10 ɛberɛ a metoo hyeɛ maa noɔ na mesisii nʼapono ne nʼadaban,
I set limits for the seas, and I put barriers [so that the water would not come over the land].
11 ɛberɛ a mekaa sɛ, ‘Ɛha ara na wobɛduru, ɛntra ha; ɛha na wʼahantan asorɔkyeɛ no mmɛso’?
[I pointed to the shore] and said to the water, ‘I permit you to come up to here, but I do not permit you to come any farther. Your powerful waves must stop there!’
12 “Woahyɛ mmara ama adekyeeɛ da? Anaa woakyerɛ no nʼafa,
“Job, have you [ever] commanded the morning [to begin]? Have you [ever] told the dawn to start a new day?
13 sɛ ɛnkɔka asase ano na ɛntu amumuyɛfoɔ mfiri so?
Have you [ever] told the dawn to spread out over the whole earth, with the result that wicked people run away from the light?
14 Asase fa ne bɔberɛ sɛ dɔteɛ a ɛhyɛ nsɔano ase; na ɛso tebea da adi te sɛ atadeɛ.
When it becomes light after the dawn, the hills and the valleys become clear like the folds in a cloth.
15 Wɔde amumuyɛfoɔ hann akame wɔn, na wɔn abasa a wɔapagya no mu abu.
When it becomes daylight, the wicked do not have the darkness [that they like]; [in the daylight] they no longer are able to raise up their arms, ready to hurt people.
16 “Woapɛɛpɛɛ mu ahunu nsutire a ɛpo firi mu ba anaa woanante ne bunu mu?
“[Job, ] have you traveled to the springs [in the bottom of the ocean] from which the water in the seas comes? Have you investigated/explored the very bottom of the oceans?
17 Wɔde owuo apono akyerɛ wo? Woahunu owuo sunsumma apono anaa?
Has someone shown you the gates to the place where dead people are, the gates to the place where it is very dark?
18 Woate ewiase a ɛda hɔ hahanaa no ase anaa? Sɛ wonim yeinom nyinaa a, ka kyerɛ me.
Do you know how big the earth is? Tell me, if you know all these things!
19 “Ɛhe na hann firi ba? Na ɛhe na esum nso kɔ?
“Where is the road to the place where light comes from? And [can you tell me] where darkness lives?
20 Wobɛtumi de wɔn akɔ wɔn siberɛ? Wonim akwan a ɛkɔ wɔn atenaeɛ?
Can take me to its home? Do you know where the road is that goes there?
21 Ampa ara wonim, ɛfiri sɛ na woawo wo dada. Woanyini yie!
I am sure that you know these things, because you [talk as though you] were born before the time when all things were created; you [must] be very old!
22 “Woakɔ sukyerɛmma adekoradan mu da, anaa woahunu asukɔtweaa adekoradan
“Have you entered the place where I store the snow and the place where I keep the hail?
23 a makora so ama ahohiahia berɛ, ɔsa ne akodie nna?
I store the snow and the hail [in order that I can use them to help my people] when [they have] troubles, in times when [they are fighting] wars [DOU].
24 Ɛkwan bɛn na ɛkɔ baabi a anyinam firi ba, anaa baabi a apueeɛ mframa firi na ɛbɔ fa asase so?
And where is the road to the place from which I cause the lightning to flash? Where is the place from where the east wind begins to blow over all the earth?
25 Hwan na ɔtwaa ɛka maa osubransam, ne ɛkwan maa aprannaa mmobom,
Who created the channels in which the rain comes down from the sky? Who makes the roads for the thunder/lightning?
26 sɛ ɛbɛtɔ agu asase a obiara nte soɔ so, anweatam a obiara nni soɔ,
Who causes rain to fall in the desert, in places where no one lives?
27 na ama asase bonini a ɛyɛ wesee yi afɔ na ɛserɛ afifiri so?
Who sends the rain that gives moisture/water to areas where nothing has grown, with the result that grass begins to grow again?
28 Osutɔ wɔ agya anaa? Hwan na ɔyɛ agya ma obosuo?
Does the rain have a father? Does the dew [also] have a father?
29 Hwan yafunu mu na nsukyeneeɛ fire? Hwan na ɔwoo nsukyeneeɛ mporoporowa firi soro
And from whose womb does ice come [in the (winter/cold season)]? Who gives birth to the frost that comes down from the sky?
30 ɛberɛ a nsuo kyene dane sɛ ɛboɔ, na ebunu ani kyene?
[In the winter, ] the water [freezes and] becomes hard, like a rock, and the surface of lakes becomes frozen.
31 “Wobɛtumi de ahoma akyekyere Akokɔbaatan ne ne mma? Wobɛtumi asane Nwenwenente nhoma anaa?
“[Job], can you fasten the chains that hold the stars together in clusters/groups in the sky?
32 Wobɛtumi de anɔpa nsoromma aba wɔ ne berɛ mu anaasɛ wobɛtumi ayi sisire ne ne mma afiri hɔ?
Can you tell the stars when they should shine? Can you guide [the stars in the groups in the northern sky whose names are] the Big Bear and the Little Bear?
33 Wonim mmara a ɛfa ewiem ho? Wobɛtumi de Onyankopɔn ahennie aba asase so?
Do you know the laws that the stars must obey? Can you cause those same laws to rule [everything here] on the earth?
34 “Wobɛtumi ama wo nne aduru omununkum so na wode nsuo akata wo ho anaa?
“Can you shout to the clouds and cause rain to pour down on you?
35 Wobɛtumi ama anyinam atwa? Wɔbɛka akyerɛ wo sɛ, ‘Yɛnnie anaa’?
Can you cause flashes of lightning to come down and strike where you want it to strike? Do those flashes say to you, ‘Where do you want us to strike next?’
36 Hwan na ɔde nyansa ma akoma anaasɛ ɔde nteaseɛ hyɛ adwene mu.
Who enables the clouds to know when they should cause rain to fall?
37 Hwan na ɔwɔ nyansa a wɔde kan omununkum? Hwan na ɔbɛtumi akyea ɔsoro nsuo nkotokuo,
And who is skilled/wise enough to be able to count the clouds? Who can tilt the jugs of water in the sky [to cause the rain to fall],
38 ɛberɛ a mfuturo ayɛ den ama dɔteɛ atɔatɔ keka bɔ mu.
with the result that the dry ground becomes hard as the dry (clods/lumps of soil) [become wet and] stick together?
39 “Wokɔ ahayɔ ma gyatabereɛ ma agyata didi mee
“When a lioness and her cubs crouch in their dens or hide in a thicket, [waiting for some animal to pass by that they can kill, ] can you find animals for a lioness to kill so that [she and] her cubs can [eat the meat and] not be hungry any more?
40 ɛberɛ a wɔbutubutu wɔn abɔn ano anaasɛ wɔtetɛ nnɔtɔ ase?
41 Hwan na ɔma anene aduane ɛberɛ a ne mma su frɛ Onyankopɔn na wɔkyinkyini pɛ aduane?
Who provides dead animals for crows, when the baby crows are calling out to me [for food], [when they are so weak] because of their lack of food [that] they (stagger around/can hardly stand up) [in their nests]?”
