< Job 24 >

1 “(Why does Almighty [God] not set a time when he will judge [evil people]?/I do not understand why Almighty [God does] not set a time when he will judge [evil people].) [RHQ] Those who know him never [RHQ] see him do that!
“Nu ka ŋuti Ŋusẽkatãtɔ la meɖo ɣeyiɣiwo ɖi hena ʋɔnudɔdrɔ̃ o? Nu ka ta ame siwo nyae la nanɔ mɔ kpɔm na ŋkeke siawo dzodzro?
2 [Some evil people] remove the markers of boundaries of [other people’s] land, [in order to steal their land]; they seize/steal [other people’s] sheep and put them in their own pastures.
Amewo ɖea liƒokpewo ɖa, wokplɔa lãha siwo wofi la yia gbeɖuƒee.
3 [Some] (take away/steal) the donkeys that belong to orphans, and they take widow’s oxen to guarantee that the widows will pay back the money that they loaned to those widows.
Wokplɔa tsyɔ̃eviwo ƒe tedziwo dzonae eye woxɔa ahosi ƒe nyi abe awɔbanu ene.
4 [Some] shove poor people off the road (OR, prevent poor people from (obtaining their rights/being treated justly)), and they force poor people to find places to hide from them.
Wotutua asi hiãtɔwo ɖa le mɔƒome eye wozia ame dahe siwo katã le anyigba dzi la dzi be woasi abe.
5 The result is that poor people have to search for food in the desert like wild donkeys do.
Ame dahewo ɖoa gbe nɔa nuɖuɖu dim abe gbetedziwo le gbegbe ene eye kuɖiɖinyigbawo dia nuɖuɖu na wo viwo.
6 The poor people harvest left-over grain in other people’s fields, and gather grapes from vineyards that belong to wicked men.
Woŋe gbe le agblewo dzi na lãwo eye wofɔa nuku siwo ge la le ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ƒe waingblewo me.
7 During the night they have nothing to cover their bodies, nothing to keep them warm.
Esi avɔ mele wo si o ta la womlɔ anyi ƒuƒlu le zã me eye naneke meli woatsyɔ le vuvɔ me o.
8 When it rains on the mountains, the poor people become very wet, so they huddle under the rock ledges to be protected [from the rain].
Tsi ƒoa wo tea wo ŋu nyuie le towo dzi, wokuna ɖe agakpewo ŋu elabena bebeƒe meli o.
9 [Some evil men] snatch infants away from their widowed mothers [SYN], and they say ‘I will return your babies to you when you repay the money that I lent to you.’
Woɖea tsyɔ̃evi le no nu eye woxɔa ame dahe ƒe vi ɖe fe si wònyi la nu.
10 But the poor people walk around with no clothes on; they are hungry while they are working to carry [other people’s] bundles of grain [to the places where their grain will be threshed].
Esi wònye avɔ mele wo si o ta la, wole yiyim amama, wolé lu bablawo ɖe ta, evɔ dɔ le wo wum.
11 Poor people press olives to make [olive] oil; they tread on grapes [to make juice for wine], but [they are not allowed to drink any of it when] they become thirsty.
Wole amiti ƒe ku tum le te dzi, wofiaa wain le wainfiaƒewo gake tsikɔ le wo wum.
12 In the cities, people who are wounded and dying cry out [to God for help], but God does not heed their prayers.
Ame siwo le kudɔ ƒom ƒe ŋeŋe de dzi le dua me kɔtɔɔ eye ame siwo xɔ abi la ƒe luʋɔwo le ɣli dom be woaxɔ na yewo, gake Mawu mebu fɔ ame aɖeke be edze agɔ o.
13 Some wicked people avoid the light [because they do evil things in the dark]; they do not walk on roads that are lighted.
“Ame aɖewo li siwo tsi tsitre ɖe kekeli la ŋu, ame siwo menya eƒe mɔwo alo zɔ eƒe toƒewo o.
14 Murderers steal things during the night, and then they arise before dawn in order that they may [go out again and] kill needy [DOU] people.
Ne viviti do la, hlɔ̃dola la tsona hewua ame dahewo kple hiãtɔwo, le zã me la, enɔa zɔzɔm abe fiafitɔ ene
15 Those who want to commit adultery wait for twilight/evening; they say ‘I do not want anyone to see me,’ so they keep their faces covered.
Ahasitɔ ƒe ŋku nɔa viviti lalam, egblɔna le eƒe susu me be, ‘Ŋku aɖeke makpɔm o,’ eye wòɣlaa eƒe mo.
16 It is during the night that robbers break into houses [to steal things], but during the day they hide because they want to avoid [being seen in] the light.
Le viviti me la, amewo gbãa ʋɔ, gena ɖe aƒewo me gake ne ŋu ke la, wonɔa xɔ me tua ʋɔ ɖe wo ɖokuiwo nu elabena womedi kekeli ƒe nya aɖeke o.
17 All of those [people] want to do their evil things at night, not in the morning [when it is light], because they are not afraid of [the things that happen during the] night that terrify others.”
Ke wo katã la, viviti tsiɖitsiɖie le na wo abe ŋdikekeli ene eye wodzea xɔ̃ viviti ƒe ŋɔdzinuwo.
18 “[But it is wicked people] who are swept/carried away by floods, and God curses the land that they own, and no one goes to work in their vineyards.
“Evɔ la, futukpɔ ko wonye le tsi ŋgɔ, woƒoa fi dea anyigba ƒe akpa si nye woƒe gome ale be ame aɖeke mayi ɖe waingblewo me le afi ma o.
19 Just like the snow melts away when it is hot and there is no rain, those who have sinned disappear into the place where dead people are. (Sheol h7585)
Abe ale si dzoxɔxɔ kple kuɖiɖi kplɔa tsikpe si lolõ la dzonae ene la, nenemae yɔdo kplɔa ame siwo wɔa nu vɔ̃ la hã dzonae. (Sheol h7585)
20 Not even their mothers remember them now; wicked people are destroyed like trees that are cut down, and maggots eat their corpses.
Vidzidɔ ŋlɔa wo be, wozua nuɖuɖu na ŋɔviwo, womegaɖoa ŋku ame vɔ̃ɖiwo dzi o, ke boŋ woŋena abe atilɔ ene.
21 They mistreat women who have been unable to give birth to children and women who no longer have children [to take care of them], and they never do good things for widows.
Wohaa konɔwo kple vimanɔsitɔwo eye womekpɔa nublanui na ahosiwo o.
22 But God, by his power, gets rid of mighty/influential people. God acts and causes the wicked people to die.
Gake Mawu kplɔa kalẽtɔwo dzonae kple eƒe ŋusẽ. Togbɔ be woli ke hã la, kakaɖedzi mele wo si be woanɔ agbe o.
23 God allows them to think that they are secure and safe, but he is watching [MTY] them all the time.
Ɖewohĩ ana woaɖe dzi ɖi abu be yewole dedie gake eƒe ŋkuwo le woƒe mɔwo ŋu.
24 They prosper for a little while, and then [suddenly] they are gone; they disappear like weeds wither and die; they are like [SIM] stalks of grain that have been cut off.
Wodoa wo ɖe dzi ɣeyiɣi kpui aɖe, tete wo nu va yina, woɖiɖia wo ɖe anyi eye wokuna abe bubuawo katã ko ene ale woŋea wo abe ale si woŋea bli le bliti ŋu ene.
25 If this is not true, is there [RHQ] anyone who will show that I am a liar and prove that what I have said is not true?”
“Ne mele alea o la, ame kae aɖe aʋatso nam eye wòana nye nyawo nazu tofloko?”

< Job 24 >