1 Verder het El¡hu aangehef en gesê:
2 Hoor my woorde, o wyse manne! En luister na my, u wat kennis het!
3 Want die oor toets woorde soos die verhemelte die spys proe.
4 Laat ons vir onsself uitmaak wat reg is, en onder mekaar uitvind wat goed is.
5 Want Job het gesê: Ek is regverdig, en God het my my reg ontneem.
6 Ondanks my reg staan ek as leuenaar; ongeneeslik is my pylwond, en dit sonder oortreding!
7 Waar is 'n man soos Job wat godslastering drink soos water?
8 Wat in die geselskap loop van die werkers van ongeregtigheid en wandel saam met goddelose mense?
9 Want hy het gesê: Dit baat 'n man niks dat hy 'n welgevalle aan God het nie.
10 Daarom, manne van verstand, luister na my: Ver is God van goddeloosheid en die Almagtige van onreg!
11 Veelmeer vergeld Hy die mens na sy werk, en volgens 'n man se wandel laat Hy hom ondervind.
12 Ja waarlik, God handel nie onregverdig nie, en die Almagtige verdraai nie die reg nie.
13 Wie het aan Hom die aarde toevertrou, en wie het die hele wêreld gegrond?
14 As Hy op Homself ag sou gee, sy Gees en sy asem na Hom sou terugtrek,
15 dan sou alle vlees tesame die asem uitblaas en die mens sou tot stof terugkeer.
16 As daar dan verstand by u is, hoor dit; luister na die stem van my woorde.
17 Kan ook een wat die reg haat, heers? Of durf u die Regverdige, die Geweldige, veroordeel?
18 Durf iemand aan 'n koning sê: Jou deugniet! Aan die edeles: Jou goddelose!
19 Hoeveel minder aan Hom wat die vorste nie voortrek nie en op die vername nie meer ag gee as op die arme nie; want hulle almal is die werk van sy hande.
20 In 'n oomblik sterf hulle, en in die middel van die nag word 'n volk in beroering gebring en hulle gaan onder, en die magtige word weggedryf -- nie deur 'n hand nie.
21 Want sy oë is op die weë van die mens, en Hy sien al sy voetstappe.
22 Daar is geen duisternis en daar is geen diepe donkerheid waarin die werkers van ongeregtigheid hulle kan wegsteek nie.
23 Want Hy hoef nie lank op 'n mens ag te gee, dat hy voor God in die gereg sou gaan nie.
24 Hy verpletter die geweldiges sonder ondersoek en sit ander in hulle plek.
25 So ken Hy dan hulle werke en werp hulle omver in die nag, sodat hulle verbrysel word.
26 Hy straf hulle soos goddelose op die plek waar almal dit sien,
27 omdat hulle van Hom afgewyk en op geeneen van sy weë ag gegee het nie --
28 om die geroep van die arme na Hom te laat kom, en dat Hy die geroep van die ellendiges sou hoor.
29 En gee Hy rus, wie durf Hom dan veroordeel? En verberg Hy die aangesig, wie kan Hom dan aanskou? -- of dit al 'n nasie betref of 'n mens, almal saam;
30 sodat die goddelose mense nie sal regeer, sodat hulle geen strikke vir die volk sal wees nie.
31 Want sê iemand wel tot God: Ek boet sonder dat ek sleg handel;
32 wat ek nie insien nie, leer U my dit; s ek onreg gedoen het, ek sal dit nie meer doen nie --
33 moet Hy volgens u mening tog vergelding doen? U is mos ontevrede, sodat u moet sê wat beter is, en nie ek nie! Wat u dan weet -- spreek dit uit!
34 Manne van verstand sal vir my sê, en 'n wyse man wat my aanhoor:
35 Job spreek sonder kennis, en sy woorde is sonder verstand.
36 Ag, mag Job getoets word tot die einde toe weens die antwoorde in die trant van kwaaddoeners.
37 Want hy voeg 'n oortreding by sy sonde; onder ons spreek hy smadelik en vermenigvuldig sy woorde teen God.
1 And Elihu made answer and said,
2 Give ear, you wise, to my words; and you who have knowledge, give attention to me;
3 For words are tested by the ear, as food is tasted by the mouth.
4 Let us make the decision for ourselves as to what is right; let us have the knowledge among ourselves of what is good.
5 For Job has said, I am upright, and it is God who has taken away my right;
6 Though I am right, still I am in pain; my wound may not be made well, though I have done no wrong.
7 What man is like Job, a man who freely makes sport of God,
8 And goes in the company of evil-doers, walking in the way of sinners?
9 For he has said, It is no profit to a man to take delight in God.
10 Now then, you wise, take note; you men of knowledge, give ear to me. Let it be far from God to do evil, and from the Ruler of all to do wrong.
11 For he gives to every man the reward of his work, and sees that he gets the fruit of his ways.
12 Truly, God does not do evil, and the Ruler of all is not a false judge.
13 Who put the earth into his care, or made him responsible for the world?
14 If he made his spirit come back to him, taking his breath into himself again,
15 All flesh would come to an end together, and man would go back to the dust.
16 If you are wise, take note of this; give ear to the voice of my words.
17 How may a hater of right be a ruler? and will you say that the upright Ruler of all is evil?
18 He who says to a king, You are an evil-doer; and to rulers, You are sinners;
19 Who has no respect for rulers, and who gives no more attention to those who have wealth than to the poor, for they are all the work of his hands.
20 Suddenly they come to an end, even in the middle of the night: the blow comes on the men of wealth, and they are gone, and the strong are taken away without the hand of man.
21 For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps.
22 There is no dark place, and no thick cloud, in which the workers of evil may take cover.
23 For he does not give man a fixed time to come before him to be judged.
24 He sends the strong to destruction without searching out their cause, and puts others in their place.
25 For he has knowledge of their works, overturning them in the night, so that they are crushed.
26 The evil-doers are broken by his wrath, he puts his hand on them with force before the eyes of all onlookers.
27 Because they did not go after him, and took no note of his ways,
28 So that the cry of the poor might come up to him, and the prayer of those in need come to his ears.
29 ...
30 ...
31 ...
32 ...
33 ...
34 Men of knowledge, and all wise men, hearing me, will say,
35 Job's words do not come from knowledge; they are not the fruit of wisdom.
36 May Job be tested to the end, because his answers have been like those of evil men.
37 For in addition to his sin, he is uncontrolled in heart; before our eyes he makes sport of God, increasing his words against him.