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?’
Eliphaz's First Speech
Please Be Patient and Listen
1 Eliphaz from Teman said:
2 Please be patient and listen
to what I have to say.
* 3 Remember how your words
4 have guided and encouraged
many in need.
5 But now you feel discouraged
when struck by trouble.
6 You respect God and live right,
so don't lose hope!
7 No truly innocent person
has ever died young.
8 In my experience, only those
who plant seeds of evil
harvest trouble,
9 and then they are swept away
by the angry breath of God.
10 They may roar and growl
like powerful lions.
But when God breaks their teeth,
11 they starve, and their children
are scattered.
A Secret Was Told to Me
12 A secret was told to me
in a faint whisper—
13 I was overcome by sleep,
but disturbed by dreams;
14 I trembled with fear,
15 and my hair stood on end,
as a wind blew past my face.
16 It stopped and stood still.
Then a form appeared—
a shapeless form.
And from the silence,
I heard a voice say,
17 “No humans are innocent
in the eyes of God
their Creator.
18 He finds fault with his servants
and even with his angels.
19 Humans are formed from clay
and are fragile as moths,
so what chance do you have?
20 Born after daybreak,
you die before nightfall
and disappear forever.
21 Your tent pegs are pulled up,
and you leave this life,
having gained no wisdom.”