The First Dialogue
(4.1—14.22)Eliphaz
1-2 Job, will you be annoyed if I speak?
I can't keep quiet any longer.
3 You have taught many people
and given strength to feeble hands.
4 When someone stumbled, weak and tired,
your words encouraged him to stand.
5 Now it's your turn to be in trouble,
and you are too stunned to face it.
6 You worshiped God, and your life was blameless;
and so you should have confidence and hope.
7 Think back now. Name a single case
where someone righteous met with disaster.
8 I have seen people plow fields of evil
and plant wickedness like seed;
now they harvest wickedness and evil.
9 Like a storm, God destroys them in his anger.
10 The wicked roar and growl like lions,
but God silences them and breaks their teeth.
11 Like lions with nothing to kill and eat,
they die, and all their children are scattered.
12 Once a message came quietly,
so quietly I could hardly hear it.
13 Like a nightmare it disturbed my sleep.
14 I trembled and shuddered;
my whole body shook with fear.
15 A light breeze touched my face,
and my skin crawled with fright.
16 I could see something standing there;
I stared, but couldn't tell what it was.
Then I heard a voice out of the silence:
17 “Can anyone be righteous in the sight of God
or be pure before his Creator?
18 God does not trust his heavenly servants;
he finds fault even with his angels.
19 Do you think he will trust a creature of clay,
a thing of dust that can be crushed like a moth?
20 We may be alive in the morning,
but die unnoticed before evening comes.
21 All that we have is taken away;
we die, still lacking wisdom.”
Ndebesano ye kutanga
1 Ipapo Elifazi we N'temani kashandula eti,
2 “Apa ha nthu angagwisa kulebeleka nawe
ungan'gwadzila moyo kene?
Ngono dumbu ndiani ungazwidziba mu kulebeleka kene?
3 Bona, wakadiya banjinji,
wakasimisa bana maboko ano lengezha.
4 Matama awo akasimisa bakabe bedenga denga,
wakasimisa ne zwidwi zwakabe zwitetema.
5 Koga ngwenu zwawila iwe, ngono unopela meya,
zwakuwila ngono unozwitoboka.
6 Apa kutja Ndzimu kuko akuzofanila kube kudzikama kuko kene?
Ne kube ne ntutshi kuko apa akuzofanila kube kugalabgwe kuko kene?
7 “Tongokumbula koga, ndiani wakati asina nlandu kalobesiwa?
Kene ndingayi kwakatongo lobesiwa nlulwami?
8 Tjandakabona hwuti banolima mbipo,
ne banodzwala mbipo banovuna izo.
9 Mafemo e Ndzimu anobalobesa, banopelela mu phepo,
nge phutuka kwe bushongola gwawo gobakolomodza.
10 Kubomba kwe shumba ne tjema kwe shumbana,
koga meno adzo anovunika.
11 Shumba yakasima inofa nge zhala ngosheta tjaingabhata,
ngono shumbana dze shumbakadzi dzopalala nge shango.
12 “Dama lakazhisiwa kundili nge kwakasumbikala,
zebe dzangu dzakalihwa linyebezegwa.
13 Mu mikumbulo yakadwa mu mbono dze busiku,
ha bathu bakaizela hwope hwulu,
14 kutja ne kutetema kwakandiwila,
mafupa angu wose akatetema ngotja.
15 Meya ikapinda mbeli kwangu,
abhudiwa nge bana be mbaba.
16 Ikama, koga ndakabe ndisingabonesese kuti ini,
ifano tjikama mbeli kwangu kukabe ne kunyalala,
ipapo ahwa hwi liti,
17 ‘Apa nthu koga unofa, ungabe nlulwami mbeli kwe Ndzimu kene?
Apa ungabe mbuyanana kupinda Mbumbi uwe kene?
18 Ha Ndzimu usingagalebgwe balanda bawo,
utubula tilika batumwa bawo nlandu,
19 kungapani kwaungathama ibabo banogala mu ng'umba dze vu,
ibo bakadwa mu hwuluba,
ibo banotsatugwa se hwungubele kene?
20 Pakati kwe mangwanana banokolomodziwa,
kusina iye una njele nge kwabo.
21 Atenti ha mbambo dze nshasha wabo dzishomogwa
banofa basina butjenjedu?’