Job 8

1 The Baldad the Suhite answered, and said:

叔亞人彼耳達得發言說：

2 How long wilt thou speak these things, and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?

這些話你要講到幾時﹖你口中的話像狂風要到何時﹖

3 Doth God pervert judgment, or doth the Almighty overthrow that which is just?

天主豈能違背公道﹖全能者豈能屈枉正義﹖

4 Although thy children have sinned against him, and he hath left them in the hand of their iniquity:

若你的子女得罪了他，他必將他們交於罪過的權勢下。

5 Yet if thou wilt arise early to God, and wilt beseech the Almighty:

你若急切尋覓天主，哀求全能者；

6 If thou wilt walk clean and upright, he will presently awake onto thee, and will make the dwelling of thy justice peaceable:

你若純潔正直，他必親來守護你，恢復你正義的居所。

7 Insomuch, that if thy former things were small, thy latter things would be multiplied exceedingly.

你起初雖然微小，今後必要興隆強大。

8 For inquire of the former generation, and search diligently into the memory of the fathers:

請你查問上一代，細想祖先的經驗；

9 (For we are but of yesterday, and are ignorant that our days upon earth are but a shadow: )

因為我們由昨日纔有，本來一無所知；我們在世上的日月，好似影子。

10 And they shall teach thee: they shall speak to thee, and utter words out of their hearts.

他們必訓誡你，指教你，向你說出內心的話：

11 Can the rush be green without moisture? or a sedge-bush grow without water?

蒲草不在池沼內，怎能長大﹖蘆葦沒有水，怎會長起﹖

12 When it is yet in flower, and is not plucked up with the hand, it withereth before all herbs.

在茁壯中，尚未砍下，已先百草而枯萎。

13 Even so are the ways of all that forget God, and the hope of the hypocrite shall perish:

凡忘記天主的，他的末路也是這樣：惡人的希望必化為泡影。

14 His folly shall not please him, and his trust shall be like the spider’s web.

他的依靠好似游絲，他的憑藉有如蛛網。

15 He shall lean upon his house, and it shall not stand: he shall prop it up, and it shall not rise:

他倚恃自己的家，但它卻站立不住；他要依附自己的住所，住所卻不能久存。

16 He seemeth to have moisture before the sun cometh, and at his rising his blossom shall shoot forth.

它在日光下而青蔥，枝蔓爬滿了園囿，

17 His roots shall be thick upon a heap of stones, and among the stones he shall abide.

根盤據在石堆上，纏繞在石屋上。

18 If one swallow him up out of his place, he shall deny him, and shall say: I know thee not.

若有人從原處把它拔除，那地必否認說：「我未曾見過它。」

19 For this is the joy of his way, that others may spring again out of the earth.

看，它要腐爛在路上，必從地上生出另一棵。

20 God will not cast away the simple, nor reach out his hand to the evildoer:

天主決不棄捨完善的人，也決不支持惡人的勢力。

21 Until thy mouth be filled with laughter, and thy lips with rejoicing.

你的口角必再洋溢著喜悅，你的唇邊必再充滿歡笑。

22 They that hate thee, shall be clothed with confusion: and the dwelling of the wicked shall not stand.

憎恨你的必蒙受羞辱，惡人的帳幕必化為烏有。