1‘I made a covenant with my eyes
not to look lustfully at a young woman.
2For what is our lot from God above,
our heritage from the Almighty on high?
3Is it not ruin for the wicked,
disaster for those who do wrong?
4Does he not see my ways
and count my every step?
5‘If I have walked with falsehood
or my foot has hurried after deceit –
6let God weigh me in honest scales
and he will know that I am blameless –
7if my steps have turned from the path,
if my heart has been led by my eyes,
or if my hands have been defiled,
8then may others eat what I have sown,
and may my crops be uprooted.
9‘If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
or if I have lurked at my neighbour’s door,
10then may my wife grind another man’s grain,
and may other men sleep with her.
11For that would have been wicked,
a sin to be judged.
12It is a fire that burns to Destruction31:12 Hebrew Abaddon;
it would have uprooted my harvest.
13‘If I have denied justice to any of my servants,
whether male or female,
when they had a grievance against me,
14what will I do when God confronts me?
What will I answer when called to account?
15Did not he who made me in the womb make them?
Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?
16‘If I have denied the desires of the poor
or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,
17if I have kept my bread to myself,
not sharing it with the fatherless –
18but from my youth I reared them as a father would,
and from my birth I guided the widow –
19if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,
or the needy without garments,
20and their hearts did not bless me
for warming them with the fleece from my sheep,
21if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
knowing that I had influence in court,
22then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
let it be broken off at the joint.
23For I dreaded destruction from God,
and for fear of his splendour I could not do such things.
24‘If I have put my trust in gold
or said to pure gold, “You are my security,”
25if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,
the fortune my hands had gained,
26if I have regarded the sun in its radiance
or the moon moving in splendour,
27so that my heart was secretly enticed
and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,
28then these also would be sins to be judged,
for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.
29‘If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune
or gloated over the trouble that came to him –
30I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by invoking a curse against their life –
31if those of my household have never said,
“Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?” –
32but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
for my door was always open to the traveller –
33if I have concealed my sin as people do,31:33 Or as Adam did
by hiding my guilt in my heart
34because I so feared the crowd
and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
that I kept silent and would not go outside –
35(‘Oh, that I had someone to hear me!
I sign now my defence – let the Almighty answer me;
let my accuser put his indictment in writing.
36Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,
I would put it on like a crown.
37I would give him an account of my every step;
I would present it to him as to a ruler.) –
38‘if my land cries out against me
and all its furrows are wet with tears,
39if I have devoured its yield without payment
or broken the spirit of its tenants,
40then let briers come up instead of wheat
and stinkweed instead of barley.’
The words of Job are ended.
1“Ndinachita pangano ndi maso anga
kuti sindidzapenya namwali momusirira.
2Kodi Mulungu kumwambako wandisungira zotani?
Kodi cholowa changa chochokera kwa Wamphamvuzonse kumwambako nʼchotani?
3Kodi si chiwonongeko kwa anthu oyipa,
tsoka kwa iwo amene amachita zolakwa?
4Kodi Mulungu saona zochita zanga,
ndi kudziwa mayendedwe anga?
5“Ngati ndachita zinthu mwachiphamaso,
kapena kufulumira kukachita zachinyengo,
6Mulungu andiyeze ndi muyeso wake wolungama
ndipo Iye adzadziwa kuti ine ndine wosalakwa,
7ngati mayendedwe anga asempha njira,
ngati mtima wanga wakhumbira zimene maso anga aona,
kapena ngati ndachita choyipa chilichonse.
8Pamenepo ena adye zimene ndinadzala,
ndipo zomera zanga zizulidwe.
9“Ngati mtima wanga unakopekapo ndi mkazi,
ndipo ngati ndinalakalaka mkazi wa mnansi wanga,
10pamenepo mkazi wanga aphikire mwamuna wina chakudya,
ndipo amuna ena azigona naye.
11Pakuti zimenezo zikanakhala zochititsa manyazi,
tchimo loyenera kulangidwa nalo.
12Ndi moto umene umayaka mpaka chiwonongeko;
ukanapsereza zokolola zanga.
13“Ngati ndinkapondereza mlandu wa akapolo anga aamuna kapena aakazi,
pamene ankabwera kwa ine ndi milandu yawo,
14ndidzatani pamene Mulungu adzanditsutsa?
Nanga ndidzayankha chiyani akadzandifunsa?
15Kodi amene anapanga ine mʼmimba mwa amayi anga si yemwe anapanganso iwo?
Kodi si mmodzi yemweyo amene anatipanga tonsefe mʼmimba mwa amayi athu?
16“Ngati ndinawamana aumphawi zinthu zimene ankazikhumba,
kapena kuwagwiritsa fuwa lamoto akazi amasiye amene amafuna thandizo kwa ine,
17ngati chakudya changa ndinadya ndekha,
wosagawirako mwana wamasiye,
18chonsechotu kuyambira unyamata wanga ndinamulera monga abambo ake,
ndipo moyo wanga wonse ndakhala ndikusamalira akazi amasiye,
19ngati ndinaona wina aliyense akuzunzika ndi usiwa,
kapena munthu wosauka alibe chofunda,
20ndipo ngati iyeyo sananditamandepo
chifukwa chomufunditsa ndi nsalu ya ubweya wankhosa,
21ngati ndinaopsezapo mwana wamasiye,
poganiza kuti ndinali ndi mphamvu mʼbwalo la milandu,
22pamenepo phewa langa lipokonyeke,
mkono wanga ukonyoke polumikizira pake.
23Popeza ine ndinaopa kwambiri chiwonongeko chochokera kwa Mulungu,
ndinachitanso mantha ndi ulemerero wake, sindikanatha kuchita zinthu zimenezi.
24“Ngati ndinayika mtima wanga pa chuma
kapena kunena kwa golide wabwino kwambiri kuti, ‘Iwe ndiye chitetezo changa,’
25ngati ndinakondwera chifukwa choti chuma changa chinali chambiri,
zinthu zimene manja anga anazipeza,
26ngati pamene ndinaona dzuwa likuwala,
kapena mwezi ukuyenda mwa ulemerero wake,
27ndipo kuti mtima wanga unakopeka nazo
nʼkuyika dzanja langa pakamwa mozilemekeza,
28pamenepo zimenezinso zikanakhala machimo oti ndilangidwe nawo,
chifukwa ndikanakhala wosakhulupirika kwa Mulungu wakumwamba.
29“Ngati ndinasangalala ndi kuwonongeka kwa mdani wanga,
kapena kusekera mavuto pamene mavuto anamugwera,
30ine sindinachimwe ndi pakamwa panga
potulutsa matemberero a mdani wanga kuti awonongeke,
31ngati anthu amene ndimakhala nawo mʼnyumba mwanga sananenepo kuti,
‘Kodi ndani amene sakhuta ndi chakudya cha Yobu?’
32Komatu mlendo sindinamusiye pa msewu usiku wonse,
pakuti khomo langa linali lotsekuka nthawi zonse kwa alendo,
33ngati ndinabisa tchimo langa monga amachitira anthu ena,
kubisa kulakwa mu mtima mwanga
34chifukwa choopa gulu la anthu,
ndi kuchita mantha ndi mnyozo wa mafuko
kotero ndinakhala chete ndipo sindinatuluke panja.
35“Aa, pakanakhala wina wondimva!
Tsopano ndikutsiriza mawu anga odzitetezera. Wamphamvuzonse andiyankhe;
mdani wanga achite kulemba pa kalata mawu ake ondineneza.
36Ndithu ine ndikanakoleka kalatayo pa phewa langa,
ndikanayivala kumutu ngati chipewa chaufumu.
37Ndikanamufotokozera zonse zimene ndinachita;
ndikanafika pamaso pake ngati kalonga.
38“Ngati minda yanga ikulira monditsutsa ine
ndipo malo ake onse osalimidwa anyowa ndi misozi,
39ngati ndinadya za mʼminda mwake osapereka ndalama
kapena kukhumudwitsa anthu olima mʼmindamo,
40pamenepo mʼmindamo mumere namsongole mʼmalo mwa tirigu
ndi udzu mʼmalo mwa barele.”
Mawu a Yobu athera pano.
