Job’s Final Word to His Friends
1And Job continued his discourse:
2“As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,
the Almighty, who has made my life bitter,
3as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God in my nostrils,
4my lips will not say anything wicked,
and my tongue will not utter lies.
5I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.
6I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it;
my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.
7“May my enemy be like the wicked,
my adversary like the unjust!
8For what hope have the godless when they are cut off,
when God takes away their life?
9Does God listen to their cry
when distress comes upon them?
10Will they find delight in the Almighty?
Will they call on God at all times?
11“I will teach you about the power of God;
the ways of the Almighty I will not conceal.
12You have all seen this yourselves.
Why then this meaningless talk?
13“Here is the fate God allots to the wicked,
the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:
14However many his children, their fate is the sword;
his offspring will never have enough to eat.
15The plague will bury those who survive him,
and their widows will not weep for them.
16Though he heaps up silver like dust
and clothes like piles of clay,
17what he lays up the righteous will wear,
and the innocent will divide his silver.
18The house he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,
like a hut made by a watchman.
19He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;
when he opens his eyes, all is gone.
20Terrors overtake him like a flood;
a tempest snatches him away in the night.
21The east wind carries him off, and he is gone;
it sweeps him out of his place.
22It hurls itself against him without mercy
as he flees headlong from its power.
23It claps its hands in derision
and hisses him out of his place.”
1Hiob toaa nʼasɛm so sɛ,
2“Sɛ Onyankopɔn te ase yi, ɔno a wammu me atɛntenenee,
Otumfoɔ a wama madi me kra mu awerɛhoɔ;
3mmerɛ dodoɔ a nkwa wɔ me mu,
na Onyankopɔn homeɛ wɔ me mu yi,
4mʼano renka amumuyɛsɛm,
na me tɛkrɛma rentwa nkontompo.
5Merennye nto mu da sɛ deɛ woka no yɛ nokorɛ;
merenka me mudie nhyɛ, kɔsi sɛ mɛwuo.
6Mɛkura me tenenee mu. Merennyaa mu;
sɛ mete ase yi, me tiboa remmu me fɔ.
7“Ma mʼatamfoɔ nyɛ sɛ amumuyɛfoɔ,
na wɔn a wɔkyiri me nyɛ sɛ atorofoɔ.
8Anidasoɔ bɛn na deɛ ɔnni nyamesu no wɔ wɔ ne wuo akyi,
ɛberɛ a Onyankopɔn agye ne nkwa afiri ne nsam?
9Onyankopɔn tie ne sufrɛ
ɛberɛ a amanehunu aba ne so anaa?
10Nʼani bɛgye wɔ Otumfoɔ mu?
Ɔbɛsu afrɛ Onyankopɔn ɛberɛ biara anaa?
11“Mɛma mo Onyankopɔn tumi ho nkyerɛkyerɛ;
meremfa Otumfoɔ no akwan nhinta.
12Mo ankasa moahunu yeinom nyinaa.
Afei nsɛnhunu yi ase ne sɛn?
13“Yei ne deɛ Onyankopɔn ahyɛ ato hɔ ama omumuyɛfoɔ,
agyapadeɛ a otirimuɔdenfoɔ nya firi Otumfoɔ nkyɛn:
14Sɛ ɔwɔ mma dodoɔ sɛn ara, wɔn hyɛberɛ ne akofena;
na nʼasefoɔ rennidi mmee da.
15Ɔyaredɔm bɛsie wɔn a wɔbɛka wɔ nʼakyi,
na wɔn akunafoɔ rensu wɔn.
16Ɛwom sɛ ɔhɔre dwetɛ te sɛ mfuturo
na ɔboa ntoma ano sɛ dɔteɛ deɛ,
17nanso deɛ ɔpɛ gu hɔ no, ateneneefoɔ na wɔbɛfira
na pɛpɛfoɔ no nso akyekyɛ dwetɛ no.
18Efie a ɔsi no te sɛ ananse afafa,
ɛte sɛ pata bi a ɔwɛmfoɔ abɔ.
19Ɔda hɔ te sɛ ɔdefoɔ, nanso ɔrenna saa bio;
ɔbɛte nʼani no na ne nyinaa atu ayera.
20Ahunahuna ba ne so sɛ nsuyire;
ahum hwim no kɔ anadwo.
21Apueeɛ mframa soa no kɔ, na ɔnni hɔ bio;
ɛtwe no firi ne teberɛ.
22Ɛbɔ no a ahummɔborɔ nni mu
ɛberɛ a ɔredwane afiri ne tumi ase.
23Ɔde fɛ bɔ ne nsam
na ɔpamoo no firi ne teberɛ.”
