< Job 12 >

1 Then Job said [to his three friends],
Tete Hiob ɖo eŋu nɛ be,
2 “You (talk as though/You think) [SAR] that you are the people [whom everyone should listen to], and that when you die, there will be no more wise people.
“Mewɔ nuku be miawo koe nye amewo eye ne mieku la nunya aku kpli mi o!
3 But I have as much good sense as you do; I am (not less wise than/certainly as wise as [LIT]) you. Certainly everyone knows [RHQ] all that you have said.
Gake susu le asinye abe miawo ke ene. Mienyo wum o. Ame ka menya nu siawo katã o?
4 My friends all laugh at me now. Previously I habitually requested God to help me, and he answered/helped me. I am righteous, a very godly man [DOU], but everyone laughs at me.
“Togbɔ be meyɔ Mawu eye wòtɔ nam hã la, mezu nu ɖikokoe na xɔ̃nyewo. Togbɔ be mele dzɔdzɔe eye fɔɖiɖi mele ŋunye o hã la, mezu alɔmeɖenu na wo!
5 Those [like you] who have no troubles make fun of me; they cause those [like me] who are already suffering to have more troubles.
Ŋutsu siwo li le dziɖeɖi me la do vlo dzɔgbevɔ̃etɔ eye nenema ke woawɔ na ame siwo ƒe afɔ ɖiɖi.
6 Bandits live peacefully, and no one threatens those who cause God to become angry; their own strength is the god [that they worship].
Adzohawo ƒe agbadɔwo li le ŋutifafa me eye ame siwo do dziku na Mawu la li le dedinɔnɔ me. Nenema kee nye ame siwo tsɔa woƒe mawu ɖe woƒe asi me.
7 “But ask the wild animals [what they know about God], and [if they could speak] they would teach you. [If you could] ask the birds, they would tell you.
“Ke bia gbemelãwo, ne woafia nu wò alo dziƒoxeviwo, ne woagblɔe na wò.
8 [If you could] ask the creatures [that crawl] on the ground, or the fish in the sea, they would tell you [about God].
Alo ƒo nu na anyigba, ne wòafia nu wò alo na atsiaƒumelã ne wòaka eta na wò.
9 All of them certainly know [RHQ] that it is Yahweh who has made them with his hands.
Nu siawo katã dometɔ kae menyae be, Yehowa ƒe asie wɔ esiawo katã o?
10 He directs the lives of all living creatures; he gives breath to all [us] humans [to enable us to remain alive].
Nuwɔwɔ ɖe sia ɖe ƒe agbe le eƒe asi me eye amegbetɔwo katã ƒe gbɔgbɔ hã le eƒe asi me.
11 And when we [SYN] hear what other people [like you] say, we [RHQ] think carefully about what they say [to determine what is good and what is bad], like we [SYN] taste food [to determine what is good and what is bad].
Ɖe to medoa nyawo kpɔ abe ale si aɖe ɖɔa nuɖuɖu kpɔe ene oa?
12 Old people are [often] very wise, and because of having lived many years, they understand much,
Ɖe menye amegãɖeɖiwo gbɔe nunya tso aƒe ɖo oa? Ɖe agbe didi mehea gɔmesese vɛ oa?
13 but God is wise and very powerful; he has good sense and understands [everything].
“Mawu tɔe nye nunya kple ŋusẽ; aɖaŋudede kple gɔmesese hã nye etɔ.
14 If he tears [something] down, no one can rebuild it; if he puts someone in prison, no one can open [the prison doors to allow that person to escape].
Nu si wògbã kɔ ɖi la, womagate ŋu agbugbɔ atui o. Ame si wòde gaxɔ me la, womate ŋu aɖe asi le eŋu o.
15 When he prevents rain from falling, everything dries up. When he causes a lot of rain to fall, [the result is that] there are floods.
Ne eɖo asi tsidzadza dzi la, ku ɖina, ne egaɖe asi le eŋu fũu hã la, eɖea anyigba
16 He is the one who is truly strong and wise; he rules over those who deceive others and those whom they deceive.
Etɔe nye ŋusẽ kple dziɖuɖu, ame si woble kple ameblela katã wonye etɔ.
17 He [sometimes] causes [the king’s] officials to no longer be wise, and he causes judges to become foolish.
Ekplɔa dumegãwo dzonae amama eye wònana Ʋɔnudrɔ̃lawo zua bometsilawo.
18 He takes from kings the robes that they wear and puts loincloths around their waists, [causing them to become slaves].
Eɖea atsyɔ̃ɖonu siwo fiawo dona la ɖa eye wòtsɔa avɔ kakɛ sana ɖe ali na wo.
19 He takes from priests the sacred clothes that they wear, [with the result that they no longer can do their work], and takes power from those who rule others.
Ekplɔa nunɔlawo dzonae amama eye ame siwo li ke tso gbe aɖe gbe ke la emua wo ƒua anyi.
20 He [sometimes] causes those whom others trust to be unable to speak, and he causes old men to no longer have good sense.
Edea ga nu na aɖaŋuɖola siwo ŋu woɖoa dzi ɖo eye wòɖea dumegãwo ƒe sidzedze ɖa.
21 He causes those who have authority to be despised, and he causes those who are powerful to no longer have any power/strength.
Edoa ŋunyɔ bubumewo eye wòxɔa lãnu le kalẽtɔwo si.
22 He causes things that are hidden in the darkness to be revealed.
Eɖea nu goglo siwo le viviti me la ɖe go eye wòhea blukɔ tsiɖitsiɖi vaa kekeli me.
23 He causes some nations to become very great, and [later] he destroys them; he causes the territory of some nations to become much larger, and [later] he causes them to be defeated and their people to be scattered.
Eyae naa dukɔwo xɔa ŋkɔ eye eya kee tsrɔ̃a wo. Eyae dzia dukɔwo ɖe edzi eye eya kee kakaa wo.
24 He causes [some] rulers to become foolish/stupid, and then he causes them to wander around, lost, in an barren desert.
Exɔa susu le anyigbadzifiawo si eye wònana wonɔa tsaglalã tsam le gbegbe.
25 They grope around in the darkness, without any light, and he causes them to stagger like [SIM] people who are drunk.”
Wotsaa asi blukɔ me afi si akaɖi mele o eye wònana wonɔa ya mum abe ame siwo mu aha ene.”

< Job 12 >