1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said, 2 Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind? 3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can do no good? 4 Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God. 5 For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty. 6 Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee. 7 Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills? 8 Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? 9 What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which is not in us? 10 With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father. 11 Are the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee? 12 Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at, 13 That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth? 14 What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? 15 Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight. 16 How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?
17 I will shew thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare; 18 Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it: 19 Unto whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them. 20 The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor. 21 A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him. 22 He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword. 23 He wandereth abroad for bread, saying , Where is it ? he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand. 24 Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle. 25 For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty. 26 He runneth upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers: 27 Because he covereth his face with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on his flanks. 28 And he dwelleth in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps. 29 He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth. 30 He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away. 31 Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence. 32 It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green. 33 He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive. 34 For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery. 35 They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.
Ndebesano ye bubili
1 Ipapo Elifazi we N'temani kashandula eti,
2 “Apa nthu wakatjenjela ungadabila nge matama asina mongo kene?
Kene ezhadza ntumbu uwe ne phepo ye bhezhuba kene?
3 Apa ungazwilebelekela nge matama asina nshingo,
kene nge ndebo dzisinga mbhatshe nge tjimwe kene?
4 Koga auna hanya nge kutja Ndzimu,
unoyisa pasi kunamata mbeli kwe Ndzimu.
5 Ngoti jinyo lilo ndilo linodiya nlomo tjawakafanila kutjileba
ngono ube ushalula lulimi guzhele butjebeli.
6 Nlomo uwo ndiwo unokusumikilisa, kusi imi,
milomo iyo ndiyo inopa butendeki gunonyanyayidzana nawe.
7 “Apa ndiwe nthu wekutanga kuzwagwa kene?
Kene wakabambiwa kutangila matuthu kene?
8 Apa wakatongo teedza gumbuludzo le Ndzimu kene?
Apa wakazwibigila butjenjedu woga kene?
9 Apa ini tjaunoziba tjatisinga zibe kene?
Una hwisiso ipi yatisinayo kene?
10 Tina sholotjena na bokwegu pakati gwedu,
bahwola pana tate babo dumbu.
11 Apa nyaladzo ye Ndzimu ishomanana mukuli,
matama mabuya aunobudziwa kene?
12 Ini udzipiwa nge moyo zwingapa kene,
ne mesho awo ashanduka kabe mashaba zwingapa?
13 Uthama kuti bushongola gugo ugulingisanye ne Ndzimu,
uletja matama akajali kabhuda mu nlomo uwo wali?
14 “Dumbu nthu ini kwaangabe akatjenapala kene?
Iye wakazwagwa nge nkadzi ungabe nlulwami kene?
15 Bonani! Ndzimu autogalabgwe bayengemali bawo,
ne kudzimu dumbu akuzotjenapala mu mesho awo.
16 Bukulu seni iye kee, unoshimisa, wakabola nkumbulo,
iye unogungila bubi se vula kene?
17 “Unditeedze ndikutjenesele,
ima ndikubudze tjandakabona,
18 tjakalebgwa ne bathu bakatjenjela,
itjo bobatategulu babo tjabasakasumbika,
19 ibo boga bakapiwa shango,
kusakatongobe ne madeluka akapinda pakati kwabo.
20 Mazhuba awe wose mbiimbi unodziyidzika,
bukukutu gose mu makole wose wakagubigigwa.
21 Misindo inopalusa moyo inohwika mu zebe dzidze,
mu kubhudilila ntoleli unowozha kan'wila.
22 Aatoduma kuti ungapudzumuka mu zhalima,
wakalulwamisigwa thumo.
23 Unoyenda yeno na yeno eshaka zojiwa, eti, ‘Zwingayi?’
Unoziba dumbu kuti zhuba le zhalima labe pejo zubuyanana mu luboko gugwe,
24 mang'oni ne zogwadza zowondziyidza,
zonkulila sa mambo akazwilulwamisila kugwa!
25 Ngobe wakamilidzila Ndzimu luboko
kalobela Masimbawose ifuba,
26 etshambila Ndzimu nge bukomba
akabhata zwivikisi zwikodu zwakasima,
27 ngobe wakazwimba buso gugwe nge mafuta awe
wakatjibhuda mitumbu ngo kola,
28 unowogala mu matongo e mizi mikulu
ne ng'umba dzisina banogala mudzile,
ng'umba dzakamisigwa kube matuluthulu e magwada.
29 Aatowofuma, fumwa iye aitowobhatilila,
ne thundu iye aitowowanda mu shango.
30 Aanga pudzumuke mu zhalima
nthuto unowowomesa thabi dzidze,
nge mafemo e Ndzimu unowotolegwa kutjena.
31 Ngaasizwitjengedze nge kugalabgwe tjisi tje tjimwe,
ngobe akuna tjinowombuyila.
32 Kowoti tjibaka tjitje tjisathu tjaswika,
unowobe alipiwa mbhayilo uwo nge buzhalo,
ne lutabi gugwe agutowopasula.
33 Unowoshashamuka mitjelo se nzhambi ushashamuka zhambi dzisakabidwa
unonga nti we zhambi washashamuka mitjelo.
34 Ngobe goko le basingagalebgwe lowoshaya bana,
moto unowoja mishasha ya ibabo banoda tjizwimba nlomo.
35 Banozwisenga mang'oni, bakazwala bubi,
mitumbu yabo inolulwamisila butjebeli.”