1 Maar hoor tog, o Job, na my rede, en luister na al my woorde.
2 Kyk, ek het my mond oopgemaak; my tong spreek in my verhemelte.
3 My woorde kom uit die opregtheid van my hart, en wat my lippe weet, spreek hulle suiwer uit.
4 Die Gees van God het my geskape, en die asem van die Almagtige maak my lewend.
5 As u kan, antwoord my; maak klaar teen my; staan gereed!
6 Kyk, teenoor God staan ek in dieselfde verhouding as u: van klei is ek ook afgeknyp.
7 Kyk, vrees vir my hoef u nie te beangstig nie, en my las sal op u nie swaar wees nie.
8 Sekerlik, u het voor my ore gesê, ek het die geluid van die woorde gehoor:
9 Rein is ek, sonder oortreding; suiwer is ek, en daar is geen skuld by my nie.
10 Kyk, Hy soek aanleidinge vir vyandskap teen my; Hy hou my vir 'n vyand van Hom.
11 Hy sit my voete in die blok; Hy bewaak al my paaie.
12 Kyk, daarin het u nie reg nie antwoord ek u, want groter is God as 'n mens.
13 Waarom het u teen Hom getwis, dat Hy op al die woorde van 'n mens nie antwoord nie?
14 Want God spreek op een, ja, op twee maniere; maar die mens let daar nie op nie.
15 In die droom, in 'n naggesig, as diepe slaap op die mense val, tydens sluimeringe op die bed,
16 dan open Hy die oor van die mense, en Hy druk die seël op die waarskuwing aan hulle;
17 om die mens terug te hou van sy onderneming en trotsheid vir die man te verberg;
18 sodat Hy sy siel kan red uit die kuil; en sy lewe, dat dit nie omkom deur die spies nie.
19 Ook word hy getugtig met smart op sy bed en aanhoudende stryd in sy gebeente,
20 sodat sy lewe hom laat walg van brood en sy siel van lieflingspys.
21 Sy vlees verdwyn, weg uit die gesig; en sy gebeente, wat onsigbaar was, steek uit.
22 Ja, sy siel kom nader by die kuil en sy lewe by die dodende magte.
23 Is daar dan vir hom 'n gesant, 'n tolk, een uit duisend, om die mens sy plig te kenne te gee;
24 en is Hy hom genadig en sê: Verlos hom, dat hy in die kuil nie afdaal nie: Ek het 'n losprys gevind --
25 dan word sy vlees fris van jeugdige krag, hy keer terug na die dae van sy jonkheid.
26 Hy bid tot God, en Hy het 'n welbehae in hom, sodat hy sy aangesig sien met gejuig: so vergeld Hy dan aan die mens sy geregtigheid.
27 Hy sing voor die mense en sê: Ek het gesondig en verdraai wat reg is, maar dit is my nie na verdienste vergeld nie.
28 Hy het my siel verlos, dat dit nie in die kuil ingegaan het nie, en my lewe mag hom verlustig in die lig.
29 Kyk, dit alles doen God, twee keer, ja, drie keer met 'n mens
30 om sy siel terug te bring van die kuil, sodat hy bestraal word met die lig van die lewe.
31 Let op, o Job! Luister na my; swyg, en ,k sal spreek.
32 As u woorde het, antwoord my; spreek, want ek wil u graag gelyk gee.
33 So nie, luister u dan na my; swyg, en ek sal u wysheid leer.
1 And now, O Job, give ear to my words, and take note of all I say.
2 See, now my mouth is open, my tongue gives out words.
3 My heart is overflowing with knowledge, my lips say what is true.
4 The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Ruler of all gives me life.
5 If you are able, give me an answer; put your cause in order, and come forward.
6 See, I am the same as you are in the eyes of God; I was cut off from the same bit of wet earth.
7 Fear of me will not overcome you, and my hand will not be hard on you.
8 But you said in my hearing, and your voice came to my ears:
9 I am clean, without sin; I am washed, and there is no evil in me:
10 See, he is looking for something against me; in his eyes I am as one of his haters;
11 He puts chains on my feet; he is watching all my ways.
12 Truly, in saying this you are wrong; for God is greater than man.
13 Why do you put forward your cause against him, saying, He gives no answer to any of my words?
14 For God gives his word in one way, even in two, and man is not conscious of it:
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep comes on men, while they take their rest on their beds;
16 Then he makes his secrets clear to men, so that they are full of fear at what they see;
17 In order that man may be turned from his evil works, and that pride may be taken away from him;
18 To keep back his soul from the underworld, and his life from destruction.
19 Pain is sent on him as a punishment, while he is on his bed; there is no end to the trouble in his bones;
20 He has no desire for food, and his soul is turned away from delicate meat;
21 His flesh is so wasted away, that it may not be seen, and his bones. ...
22 And his soul comes near to the underworld, and his life to the angels of death.
23 If now there may be an angel sent to him, one of the thousands which there are to be between him and God, and to make clear to man what is right for him;
24 And if he has mercy on him, and says, Let him not go down to the underworld, I have given the price for his life:
25 Then his flesh becomes young again, and he comes back to the days of his early strength;
26 He makes his prayer to God, and he has mercy on him; he sees God's face with cries of joy; he gives news of his righteousness to men;
27 He makes a song, saying, I did wrong, turning from the straight way, but he did not give me the reward of my sin.
28 He kept my soul from the underworld, and my life sees the light in full measure.
29 Truly, God does all these things to man, twice and three times,
30 Keeping back his soul from the underworld, so that he may see the light of life.
31 Take note O Job, give ear to me; keep quiet, while I say what is in my mind.
32 If you have anything to say, give me an answer; for it is my desire that you may be judged free from sin.
33 If not, give attention to me, and keep quiet, and I will give you wisdom.