The Second Dialogue
(15.1—21.34)Eliphaz
1-2 Empty words, Job! Empty words!
3 No one who is wise would talk the way you do
or defend himself with such meaningless words.
4 If you had your way, no one would fear God;
no one would pray to him.
5 Your wickedness is evident by what you say;
you are trying to hide behind clever words.
6 There is no need for me to condemn you;
you are condemned by every word you speak.
7 Do you think you were the first person born?
Were you there when God made the mountains?
8 Did you overhear the plans God made?
Does human wisdom belong to you alone?
9 There is nothing you know that we don't know.
10 We learned our wisdom from gray-haired people—
those born before your father.
11 God offers you comfort; why still reject it?
We have spoken for him with calm, even words.
12 But you are excited and glare at us in anger.
13 You are angry with God and denounce him.
14 Can any human being be really pure?
Can anyone be right with God?
15 Why, God does not trust even his angels;
even they are not pure in his sight.
16 And we drink evil as if it were water;
yes, we are corrupt; we are worthless.
17 Now listen, Job, to what I know.
18 Those who are wise have taught me truths
which they learned from their ancestors,
and they kept no secrets hidden.
19 Their land was free from foreigners;
there was no one to lead them away from God.
20 The wicked who oppress others
will be in torment as long as they live.
21 Voices of terror will scream in their ears,
and robbers attack when they think they are safe.
22 They have no hope of escaping from darkness,
for somewhere a sword is waiting to kill them,
23 and vultures are waiting to eat their corpses.
They know their future is dark;
24 disaster, like a powerful king,
is waiting to attack them.
25 That is the fate of those
who shake their fists at God
and defy the Almighty.
26-27 They are proud and rebellious;
they stubbornly hold up their shields
and rush to fight against God.
28 They are the ones who captured cities
and seized houses whose owners had fled,
but war will destroy those cities and houses.
29 They will not remain rich for long;
nothing they own will last.
Even their shadows will vanish,
30 and they will not escape from darkness.
They will be like trees
whose branches are burned by fire,
whose blossoms are blown away by the wind.
31 If they are foolish enough to trust in evil,
then evil will be their reward.
32 Before their time is up they will wither,
wither like a branch and never be green again.
33 They will be like vines that lose their unripe grapes;
like olive trees that drop their blossoms.
34 There will be no descendants for godless people,
and fire will destroy the homes built by bribery.
35 These are the ones who plan trouble and do evil;
their hearts are always full of deceit.
ǀGamǁî ǂgaenamǃgâgus
1 Ob ge Elifasi Temanǁîba ge ǃeream:
2 “Gā-ai khoe-e kha ǂoaxa ǁnâuǃāb ǀkha ǃeream ǁkhā i a;
tamas ka io aiǂoasǀkhāb ǀgamsa ǂoab xa i nî ǁâ?
3 Harebeoǃnâse ǂgaenamǃgâgu ǁkhā i a,
tamas ka io ǁau mîdi ǀkha?
4 Xawets ge Elobats ūba hâ ǃaoǃgâba ǂoaǃnâ
tsî Elob ǃoa ǀgores tsîna ra ǂhani.
5 Sa ǁoren ge sa amsa ra ǃhoaǃhoa,
tsî sa namsa ǀhôagaosiba ra ǁkhāǁkhā.
6 Sa ams ǂûs ra ǀgoraǃgâ tsi, ti tama ta;
sa amǁgaukha ge sa ǃoagu ra ǀhûǀgui.
7 “Hoa khoen xats ge ǂguro ǃnae?
ǃHomgu di hās aiǃâts ge ǁorahe?
8 Elob di ǀapemāǃnans ǃnâts gere ǃgâ?
Sats ǀguitsa ǀguri a gā-ai?
9 Tare-i sige ǀū-ets a ǂan?
Tare-i sige ǁnâuǃā tama-ets ra ǁnâuǃā?
10 Sige ǁaegu gu ge ǀhai danagu tsî kairagu tsîga hâ,
aogu sa îb xas tsîna a kaiga.
11 “Ob kha Elob ǁkhaeǂgaoba satsa ǁau xūse ība,
tamas ka io tsamtsiǃnâ mîdi sa ǃoa ge ǃhoahede.
12 Tare-i ǃaromab sa ǂgaoba ra tanibē tsi
tsî sa mûra kha tare-i xa ra ǂkhai?
13 Sa ǁaibats Elob ǃoagu ra ūǂui,
nēti ī mîn ga sa amsa xu ǂoaxao?
14 “Tare-e khoe-e, o i a ǃanu ǁkhā?
Tarasa xu ǃnae hâ-e ǂhanu-ai ǁkhā-e?
15 Elob ge ǁîb ǀhomǃgāgu ǂûga ǂgomǃgâ tama hâ,
tsî ǀhommi tsîn ge ǁîb mûǁae ǃanu tama hâ.
16 Mâtikō ǃnāsase ǃanuo tsî gāxaǃnâ khoe-i,
ǂkhababa ǁgam-i khami ra ā-e!
17 “Tita ge nî mîǃgāǃgāba tsi, ǃgâ te re;
mû ta ge xūna ta ge nî ǂanǂan tsi.
18 Nēs ge gā-ai khoegu ra mî ǀgausa;
ǁîgu aboxagu xa gu ge mîbahe
xūn xa gu ge ǀgui xū-i tsîna ǃkhō-oa tama ge i.
19 ǁÎgu ǀguigu ge ǃhūba ge māhe hâ i
tsî ǃhaokhoe-i xare-i ge ǁîn ǁaegu ge mā-amhe tama hâ i.
20 “ǂKhabadī-ao-i ge hoaraga tsēsa tsûb xa ra ǂhansenma,
tsî ǁî-i ûiǁaeb hoab ǃaromab ge ǂōǂōsiba ge ǁguirihe hâ i.
21 ǃHuriǃhurisa ǀōgu ge ǁî-i ǂgaera ǃnâ ra ǀō;
ǃnorasase i hâ ti i ǂâi hâ, hîa gu ge ǁkhâuǁnâ-aoga ǁî-e nî ǁnāǂam.
22 ǁKhawa ǃkhaenasa xu ǂoaxas ǃâubasen-i tsîna i ge ūhâ tama,
tsî gôab xa nî ǃgamhe xūse ǀgui nî ī.
23 Pere-i ǃaroman ge ra ǂhansenma tsî: ‘Mâpa i ǁî-e hâ’ ti ra mî;
ǃkhaenab tsēs go hātoasan ge a ǂan.
24 ǂÂiǂhansens tsî ǃaob tsîra ge ǁîba xāǂgā hâ,
tsî ǃkhams ǃaroma ra ǂhomisen
gao-ao-i khami ra ǁnāǂam.
25 “ǁÎ-i ǃomma i ge Elob ǃoagu ra ūkhâi,
tsî Hoaǀgaixab ǃoagu ra khâikhâisen xui-ao.
26 ǂNîǃaoxase i ge Elob ǃoagu ra khâi,
ǁî-i ǁau tsî ǀgaisa ǁkhaukhōs ǀkha.
27 ǁÎ-i ais ge kaub xa a ǃgupu
tsî ǁî-i kamanab ge kaub xa a ǁau.
28 “ǁÎ-i ge hîkākāsa ǃādi ǃnâ nî ǁan,
tsî ǃū-aisa omdi ǃnâ nî hâ;
omdi ǃkhom tsî nî ǀapo kaidi ǃnâ.
29 ǁÎ-i ge ǃkhū tide
tsî ǁî-i ǃkhūsib ge aiǃgû tide,
tamas ka io ǁî-i ǃkhūsib ge ǃnomaǃkhō tide.
30 ǁÎ-i ge ǃkhaenasa ǃkhoeni ǁkhā tide;
ǀaeǁhabub ge ǁî-i ǁnâuga nî ǂnâ kai
tsî Elob ams di ǂoab ge ǀasa ǁharerona nî ǃgombē.
31 A i ǁî-e tā harebeoǃnâ xū-e ǂgomǃgâ,
tsî aitsama ǀhôagaoǃnâsen;
harebeoǃnâsib nî ǁî-i mādawa-am xui-ao.
32 ǁAeb â-i nî hās aiǃâ i ge nî ǂnâ
tsî ǁî-i ǁnâub ge ǁhare tide.
33 ǁÎ-i ora draibena i ge nî ǀgabiǁnâ,
ǀkherahais ra ǁîs ǀasa ǁharerona ǁnā kai khami.
34 Eloxoresan ǃnans ge nî ǀgôao
tsî ǀhôagao ǁaxasigu tendi ge ǀaes xa nî ǂhubiǂuihe.
35 ǁÎn ge ǂkhababa ǀgamǀkhā tsî ǂkhababa ra ǁora
tsî ǁîn ǂgaogu ge ǀhôagaosiba ra ǂhomisen.”
