1Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said, 2Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?15.2 vain…: Heb. knowledge of wind 3Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can do no good? 4Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God.15.4 castest…: Heb. makest void15.4 prayer: or, speech 5For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.15.5 uttereth: Heb. teacheth 6Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee. 7Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills? 8Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? 9What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which is not in us? 10With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father. 11Are the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee? 12Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at, 13That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth? 14What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? 15Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight. 16How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?
17I will shew thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare; 18Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it: 19Unto whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them. 20The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor. 21A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.15.21 A dreadful…: Heb. A sound of fears 22He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword. 23He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand. 24Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle. 25For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty. 26He runneth upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers: 27Because he covereth his face with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on his flanks. 28And he dwelleth in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps. 29He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth. 30He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away. 31Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence. 32It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green.15.32 accomplished: or, cut off 33He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive. 34For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery. 35They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.15.35 vanity: or, iniquity
Mawu a Elifazi
1Pamenepo Elifazi wa ku Temani anayankha kuti,
2“Kodi munthu wanzeru angayankhe ndi mawu achabechabe otere,
kapena angakhutitse mimba yake ndi mphepo yotentha yochokera kummawa?
3Kodi angathe kutsutsa ndi mawu opanda pake,
kapena kuyankhula mawu opanda phindu?
4Koma iwe ukuchepetsa zoopa Mulungu
ndipo ukutchinga zodzikhuthulira kwa Mulungu.
5Tchimo lako ndiye likuyankhulitsa pakamwa pakopo;
ndipo watengera mayankhulidwe a atambwali.
6Pakamwa pakopo ndiye pakukutsutsa osati pakamwa panga;
milomo yakoyo ikukutsutsa.
7“Kodi ndiwe munthu woyamba kubadwa?
Kodi unalengedwa mapiri asanalengedwe?
8Kodi unali mʼgulu la alangizi a Mulungu?
Kodi ukudziyesa wanzeru ndiwe wekha?
9Kodi iwe umadziwa chiyani chimene ife sitichidziwa?
Kodi iwe uli ndi chidziwitso chanji chimene ife tilibe?
10Anthu a imvi ndi okalamba ali mbali yathu,
anthu amvulazakale kupambana abambo ako.
11Kodi mawu otonthoza mtima ochokera kwa Mulungu sakukukwanira,
mawu oyankhula mofatsawa kwa iwe?
12Chifukwa chiyani ukupsa mtima,
ndipo chifukwa chiyani ukutuzula maso ako,
13moti ukupsera mtima Mulungu
ndi kuyankhula mawu otero pakamwa pako?
14“Kodi munthu nʼchiyani kuti nʼkukhala woyera mtima
kapena wobadwa mwa amayi nʼchiyani kuti nʼkukhala wolungama mtima?
15Ngati Mulungu sakhulupirira ngakhale angelo ake,
ngakhale zakumwamba sizoyera pamaso pake,
16nanga kuli bwanji munthu amene ndi wonyansa ndi wa njira zokhotakhota,
amene kuchita zoyipa kuli ngati kumwa madzi.
17“Mvetsera kwa ine ndipo ndidzakufotokozera;
ndilole ndikuwuze zimene ndaziona,
18zimene anandiphunzitsa anthu anzeru,
sanandibisire kalikonse kamene anamva kuchokera kwa makolo awo.
19(Ndi kwa iwowa kumene dziko lino linaperekedwa
pamene panalibe mlendo wokhala pakati pawo).
20Munthu woyipa amavutika ndi masautso masiku onse a moyo wake,
munthu wankhanza adzavutika zaka zake zonse.
21Amamva mawu owopsa mʼmakutu mwake,
pamene zonse zikuoneka ngati zili bwino, anthu achifwamba amamuthira nkhondo.
22Iye sakhulupirira kuti angathe kupulumuka ku mdima wa imfa;
iyeyo ndi woyenera kuphedwa.
23Amangoyendayenda pali ponse kunka nafuna chakudya;
amadziwa kuti tsiku la mdima lili pafupi.
24Masautso ndi nthumanzi zimamuchititsa mantha kwambiri;
zimamugonjetsa iye monga imachitira mfumu yokonzekera kukathira nkhondo,
25chifukwa iye amatambasula dzanja lake kuyambana ndi Mulungu
ndipo amadzitama yekha polimbana ndi Wamphamvuzonse.
26Amapita mwa mwano kukalimbana naye
atanyamula chishango chochindikala ndi cholimba.
27“Ngakhale nkhope yake ndi yonenepa
ndipo mʼchiwuno mwake muli mnofu wambiri,
28munthuyo adzakhala mʼmizinda yowonongeka
ndi mʼnyumba zosayenera kukhalamo anthu,
nyumba zimene zikugwa ndi kuwonongeka.
29Iye sadzalemeranso ndipo chuma chake sichidzakhalitsa,
ngakhale minda yake sidzabala zipatso pa dziko lapansi.
30Iyeyo sadzapulumuka mu mdimamo;
lawi lamoto lidzawumitsa nthambi zake,
ndipo mpweya wochokera mʼkamwa mwa Mulungu udzamusesa.
31Asadzinyenge yekha podalira zinthu zachabechabe,
pakuti pa mapeto pake sadzaphulapo kanthu.
32Iye adzalandira malipiro ake nthawi yake isanakwane,
ndipo nthambi zake sizidzaphukanso.
33Iye adzakhala ngati mtengo wamphesa wopululidwa zipatso zake zisanapse,
adzakhala ngati mtengo wa olivi umene wayoyola maluwa ake.
34Pakuti anthu osapembedza Mulungu adzakhala osabala
ndipo moto udzapsereza nyumba za onse okonda ziphuphu.
35Iwo amalingalira zaupandu ndipo amachita zoyipa;
mtima wawo umakonzekera zachinyengo.”
