1 Ipapo Jobe kashandula eti,
2 “Nge malebeswa ndimwi bathu dumbu,
butjenjedu gowofa namwi!
3 Koga ndina hwisiso koga samwi,
andite ndili ntukununu mu muli.
Ndiani usinga zibe zwithu izwezwi zwakajali kene?
4 Ndatjibe tjiseko ku bakwinya bangu,
imi ndakabe ndidana Ndzimu ukandidabila,
nlulwami kakale usina nlandu watjibe itjo tjiseko.
5 Iwoyu wakaliga makumbo una kulingila pasi kusheta phazha,
beti kuwigwa nge mang'oni koshingikalila ibabo banodengadenga.
6 Koga mishasha ye batoleli imile nge kunyalala,
na ibabo banotanga Ndzimu bakabakililika,
ibo banosenga ndzimu wabo nge maboko abo.
7 “Koga bhuzwa phuka ngono dzowokudiya,
kene nyuni ngono dzowokubudza,
8 kene lebeleka ne shango ngono inowokudiya,
kene hwobe dze gungwa dzowokubudza.
9 Ndizwipi zwe zwithu izwezwi zwisingazibe
kuti luboko gwa Yahwe gwakathama ikoku kene?
10 Ibo mu luboko gwabo kuna butjilo gwe zwitjili zose,
ne meya ye bathu bose.
11 Apa zebe aitoshakisisa matama kene,
koga se bgwasha guhwa kuzipa kwe zojiwa?
12 Apa butjenjedu ate guli mu sholotjena kene,
ne kuhwisisa akutozha nge mazhuba manji kene?
13 “Ku Ndzimu kuna butjenjedu ne simba
ndiwo una gumbuludzo ne hwisiso.
14 Bona, aukolomola akuna ungamusa,
auzhalilila nthu akuna ungazhula.
15 Bona, ha udzibila vula kuna kobe ne bhamba,
ha uiletjedza kobe ne nkubila ngono zokulila shango.
16 Ku uli kuna simba ne butjenjedu
batjebeli ne banotjebegwa nge bawo.
17 Unotatila kutjena bakumbuludzi basakasungila,
basumikilisi ukabathama zwilengwe.
18 Unosungunula misungo ya bomambo,
ukasunga thunji dza bomambo nge mwandabula we jila.
19 Unotatila kutjena bapirisiti basakasungila,
ukakudubhula bakasima.
20 Unonyaladza milomo ye banogalikabgwe,
katola butjenjedu gwe sholotjena.
21 Unolonga kulingigwa pasi mu bakololo ba bomambo,
ukanyebesa mwandabula we balume bakasima.
22 Unozumbunula masazibgwe mu zhalima,
ukadusila zwimu zhalima gulu mu tjedza.
23 Unothama zwitjaba zwikabe zwikulu ngono ukabuya ukazwikolomodza,
unothama zwitjaba kuti zwiwande ngono ukazwipaladzila kutjena.
24 Unotolela batungamili be shango mikumbulo,
ukabamaamisa bakalashika pasina zila.
25 Banoambaamba mu zhalima kusina tjedza,
ukabathama kuti batshatsharike se bakalaladza.
Job's Reply to Zophar
You Think You Are So Great
* 1 Job said to his friends:
2 You think you are so great,
with all the answers.
3 But I know as much as you do,
and so does everyone else.
4 I have always lived right,
and God answered my prayers;
now friends make fun of me.
5 It's easy to condemn
those who are suffering,
when you have no troubles.
6 Robbers and other godless people
live safely at home and say,
“God is in our hands!”
If You Want To Learn
7 If you want to learn,
then go and ask
the wild animals and the birds,
8 the flowers and the fish.
9 Any of them can tell you
what the Lord has done.
10 Every living creature
is in the hands of God.
11 We hear with our ears,
taste with our tongues,
12 and gain some wisdom from those
who have lived a long time.
13 But God is the real source
of wisdom and strength.
14 No one can rebuild
what he destroys, or release
those he has imprisoned.
15 God can hold back the rain
or send a flood,
16 just as he rules over liars
and those they lie to.
17 God shames counselors,
turns judges into fools,
18 and makes slaves of kings.
19 God removes priests and others
who have great power—
20 he confuses wise,
experienced advisors,
21 puts mighty kings to shame,
and takes away their power.
22 God turns darkness to light;
23 he makes nations strong,
then shatters their strength.
24 God strikes their rulers senseless,
then leaves them to roam
through barren deserts,
25 lost in the dark, staggering
like someone drunk.