1“Me ne mʼani yɛɛ apam sɛ
meremfi akɔnnɔ mu, nhwɛ ababaa.
2Dɛn ne onipa kyɛfa a efi ɔsoro Nyankopɔn nkyɛn?
Dɛn ne nʼagyapade a efi ɔsoro Tumfo no nkyɛn?
3Ɛnyɛ ɔsɛe mma amumɔyɛfo,
atoyerɛnkyɛm mma wɔn a wɔyɛ bɔne ana?
4Onhu mʼakwan
na ɔnkan anammɔn biara a mitu ana?
5“Sɛ manantew wɔ nkontompo mu
anaasɛ matu mmirika adi nnaadaasɛm akyi a,
6ma Onyankopɔn nkari me wɔ nsania papa so
na obehu sɛ me ho nni asɛm;
7sɛ mʼanammɔntu afom ɔkwan,
sɛ me koma adi mʼani akyi,
anaasɛ me nsa ho agu fi a
8ɛno de ma afoforo nni nea madua,
na ma wontutu me nnɔbae ngu.
9“Sɛ ɔbea bi atɔ me koma so,
anaasɛ matɛw me yɔnko bi pon akyi a,
10ɛno de, me yere nyam ɔbarima foforo aduan,
na mmarima afoforo ne no nna.
11Efisɛ anka ɛno na ɛbɛyɛ aniwusɛm
ne bɔne a ɛsɛ sɛ wɔtwe aso wɔ so.
12Ɛyɛ ogya a ɛhyew kodu Ɔsɛe mu;
na ebetumi atutu me nnɔbae ase.
13“Sɛ mabu mʼasomfo mmarima ne mmea ntɛnkyew,
bere a wɔne me nyaa asɛm,
14sɛ Onyankopɔn de si mʼanim a dɛn na mɛyɛ?
Sɛ wɔfrɛ me akontaabu a, mmuae bɛn na mɛma?
15Ɛnyɛ nea ɔbɔɔ me wɔ ɔyafunu mu no na ɔbɔɔ wɔn?
Ɛnyɛ onipa koro no na ɔyɛɛ yɛn baanu wɔ yɛn nanom yafunu mu?
16“Sɛ mamma ahiafo nea wɔn koma pɛ
anaa mama akunafo ani ayɛ wɔn yaw,
17sɛ mabɔ mʼaduan ho atirimɔden a
mamma ayisaa bi,
18nanso efi mmerantebere mu matetew no sɛnea agya bɛyɛ,
na efi ɔyafunu mu, mahwɛ akunafo.
19Sɛ mahu obi a onni adurade na ɔrebrɛ,
anaa ohiani bi a onni atade,
20na sɛ wɔamfi koma mu anhyira me
sɛ mede me nguan ho nwi kaa wɔn hyew,
21sɛ mama me nsa so atia ayisaa bi,
esiane sɛ mewɔ tumi wɔ asennii nti a,
22ɛno de, ma me basa mpan mfi me mmati,
ma emmubu mfi nʼapɔw so.
23Misuroo ɔsɛe a efi Onyankopɔn nkyɛn,
na nʼanuonyam ho suro nti mantumi anyɛ saa nneyɛe no.
24“Sɛ mede me werɛ ahyɛ sikakɔkɔɔ mu
anaasɛ maka akyerɛ sikakɔkɔɔ ankasa se, ‘Wo na wobɔ me ho ban,’
25sɛ masɛpɛw me ho wɔ mʼahode bebrebe nti,
ahode a me nsa aka yi,
26sɛ mahwɛ owia ne ne hyerɛn
anaa ɔsram a ɔnam anuonyam mu,
27ama aka me koma a obiara nnim
na me nsa yɛɛ wɔn atuu de nidi maa wɔn a,
28ɛno de, na eyinom nso bɛyɛ bɔne a wobu ho atɛn,
efisɛ na manni Onyankopɔn a ɔte ɔsoro no nokware.
29“Sɛ mʼani gyee wɔ me tamfo amanehunu nti
anaa mesrew no wɔ ɔhaw a aba ne so nti,
30memmaa mʼano nyɛɛ bɔne
sɛ mɛdome ne nkwa,
31sɛ nnipa a wɔwɔ me fi mu nkaa da sɛ,
‘Hena na Hiob pon so nam mmee no da?’
32Ɔhɔho biara anna abɔnten so da,
efisɛ me pon ano daa hɔ da biara maa akwantufo,
33Makata me bɔne so sɛnea nnipa yɛ
de mʼafɔdi ahyɛ me koma mu
34esiane sɛ misuroo nnipadɔm
ne ahohora a efi mmusua hɔ no nti
na meyɛɛ komm a mamfi adi.
35(“Ao, sɛ anka mewɔ obi a obetie me.
Mede me din ahyɛ mʼanoyi ase, ma Otumfo no mmua me;
ma nea ɔbɔ me kwaadu no nkyerɛw ne sobobɔ.
36Ampa ara, mɛhyɛ wɔ me mmati,
mɛhyɛ sɛ ahenkyɛw.
37Mebu mʼanammɔntu biara ho akontaa akyerɛ no;
mɛkɔ nʼanim sɛ ɔheneba.)
38“Sɛ mʼasase teɛ mu tia me
na nusu fɔw ne nkɔ nyinaa,
39sɛ madi so aba a mintuaa ka
anaasɛ mabu so apaafo no aba mu a,
40ma nsɔe mfifi nsi awi anan mu
na wura mfuw nsi atoko anan mu.”
Hiob nsɛm no asi.
1“I made an agreement with my eyes.
I promised not to look at a young woman with impure thoughts.
2What do we receive from God above?
What do we get from the Mighty One in heaven?
3Sinful people are destroyed.
Trouble comes to those who do what is wrong.
4Doesn’t God see how I live?
Doesn’t he count every step I take?
5“I haven’t told any lies.
My feet haven’t hurried to cheat others.
6So let God weigh me in honest scales.
Then he’ll know I haven’t done anything wrong.
7Suppose my steps have turned away from the right path.
Suppose my heart has wanted what my eyes have seen.
Or suppose my hands have become ‘unclean.’
8Then may others eat what I’ve planted.
May my crops be pulled up by the roots.
9“Suppose my heart has been tempted by a woman.
Or suppose I’ve prowled around my neighbor’s home.
10Then may my wife grind another man’s grain.
May other men sleep with her.
11Wanting another woman would have been an evil thing.
It would have been a sin that should be judged.
12It’s like a fire that burns down to the grave.
It would have caused my crops to be pulled up by the roots.
13“Suppose I haven’t treated any of my male and female servants fairly
when they’ve brought charges against me.
14Then what will I do when God opposes me?
What answer will I give him
when he asks me to explain myself?
15Didn’t he who made me make my servants also?
Didn’t the same God form us inside our mothers?
16“I haven’t said no to what poor people have wanted.
I haven’t let widows lose their hope.
17I haven’t kept my bread to myself.
I’ve shared it with children whose fathers had died.
18From the time I was young, I’ve helped those widows.
I’ve raised those children as a father would.
19Suppose I’ve seen people dying
because they didn’t have enough clothes.
I’ve seen needy people
who didn’t have enough to keep warm.
20And they didn’t give me their blessing
when I warmed them with wool from my sheep.
21Suppose I’ve raised my hand
against children whose fathers have died.
And I did it because I knew
I had power in the courts.
22Then let my arm fall from my shoulder.
Let it be broken off at the joint.
23I was afraid God would destroy me.
His glory terrifies me.
So I’d never do things like that.
24“Suppose I’ve put my trust in gold.
I’ve said to pure gold, ‘You make me feel secure.’
25And I’m happy because I’m so wealthy.
I’m glad because my hands have earned so much.
26Suppose I’ve worshiped the sun in all its glory.
I’ve bowed down to the moon in all its beauty.
27My heart has been secretly tempted.
My hand has thrown kisses to the sun and moon.
28Then these things would have been sins that should be judged.
And I wouldn’t have been faithful to God in heaven.
29“I wasn’t happy when hard times came to my enemies.
I didn’t enjoy seeing the trouble they had.
30I didn’t allow my mouth to sin
by asking for bad things to happen to them.
31The workers in my house always said,
‘Job always gives plenty of food to everyone.’
32No stranger ever had to spend the night in the street.
My door was always open to travelers.
33I didn’t hide my sin as other people do.
I didn’t hide my guilt in my heart.
34I was never afraid of the crowd.
I never worried that my relatives might hate me.
I didn’t have to keep quiet or stay inside.
35“I wish someone would listen to me!
I’m signing my name to everything I’ve said.
I hope the Mighty One will give me his answer.
I hope the one who brings charges against me will write them down.
36I’ll wear them on my shoulder.
I’ll put them on my head like a crown.
37I’ll give that person a report of every step I take.
I’ll present it to him like I would to a ruler.
38“Suppose my land cries out against me.
And all its soil is wet with tears.
39Suppose I’ve used up its crops without paying for them.
Or I’ve broken the spirit of its renters.
40Then let thorns grow instead of wheat.
Let stinkweed come up instead of barley.”
The words of Job end here.
