Job 9
1 Darauf gab Job zur Antwort:
Then Job replied,
2 "Wahrhaft, ich weiß, daß es so ist. Wie könnte gegen Gott ein Mensch obsiegen?
“Yes, I certainly know that [much of] what you said is true. But (how can anyone say to God, ‘I (am innocent/have not done what is wrong) and prove it?’/no one can say to God ‘I (am innocent/have not done what is wrong) and prove it.’) [RHQ]
3 Hat einer Lust, mit ihm zu streiten, gibt er auf tausend nicht ein Wort zu hören.
If someone wanted to argue with God [about that], God could ask him 1,000 questions, and that person would not be able to answer any of them!
4 Ist einer noch so klug und stark, wer trotzte ihm und bliebe heil?
God is very wise [IDM] and very powerful; no one who has tried to challenge God has been able to win.
5 Der Berge so versetzt, daß man nicht merkt, daß er im Zorn sie umgestürzt,
He even moves mountains, without them (OR, anyone) knowing about it. When he is angry, he turns them upside down.
6 der zittern macht der Erde Bau, daß ihre Säulen wanken,
He sends earthquakes that shake the ground; he causes the pillars that support the earth to tremble.
7 der nicht mehr scheinen heißt die Sonne, und Sterne unter Siegel legt,
[Some days] he speaks to the sun, and it does not rise, and [some nights] he prevents the stars from shining.
8 der ganz allein den Himmel spannte, auf Wolken schreitet,
He alone (stretched out/put in place) the sky; he alone puts his feet on the waves (OR, on the huge sea monster).
9 den Bären und Orion schuf, den Siebenstern, des Südens Kreuz,
He put in their places [the clusters/groups of stars that are called] The Dipper/Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and the stars in the southern sky.
10 der groß und unerforschlich waltet und Wunder wirket ohne Zahl:
Only he does great things that we cannot understand; he does more marvelous things than we are able to count.
11 Er macht sich an mich her, bevor ich's sehe, dringt auf mich ein, eh ich's bemerke.
He passes by where I am, but I do not see him; he moves further on, but I do not see him go.
12 Und packt er zu, wer hält ihn ab? Wer sagt zu ihm: 'Was tust du da?'
If he [wants to] snatch something away, no one [RHQ] can hinder him; no one dares to ask him, ‘Why are you doing that?’ [RHQ]
13 Wenn seinem Zorne Gott nicht wehrt, dann winden sich zu seinen Füßen selbst des Ungestüms Gehilfen.
God will not very easily stop being angry; he defeated [MTY] those who [tried to] help Rahab, [the great sea monster].
14 Wie kann dann ich ihm Rede stehen, ihm gegenüber meine Worte wählen,
“So, [if God took me to court], what could I say [MTY] to answer him?
15 ich, der ich nicht Bescheid darf geben, mag ich im Recht auch sein, nein, meinen Richter noch anwinseln muß?
Even though I (would be innocent/would not have done what is wrong), I would not be able to answer him. All I could do would be to request God, my judge/accuser, to act mercifully toward me.
16 Wenn ich ihn riefe, gäbe er mir Antwort? Ich glaub' es nicht, daß er auf meine Stimme hörte,
If I summoned him to [come to the courtroom] and he said that he would come, I would not believe that he would pay attention to what I would say.
17 er, der mich für ein Härchen packt, mir grundlos viele Wunden schlägt.
He sends storms to batter me, and he bruises me many times (without any reason to do that/even though I am innocent).
18 Er läßt mich nicht zu Atem kommen, weil er mit Bitterkeit mich sättigt.
[It is as though] he will not let me get/catch my breath, because he causes me to suffer all the time.
19 Wenn's auf die Kraft ankommt, dann ist er stark, und gilt es zu beweisen, wer zeugt für mich?
If I would try to (wrestle with/fight against) him, [there is no way that I could defeat him, ] [because] he is stronger than I am. If I would request him to appear in court, there is no one who could [RHQ] force him to go there.
20 Bin ich im Recht, dann zeiht mich doch sein Mund des Unrechts, bin ich unschuldig, stellt er mich doch als schuldig hin.
Even though I was innocent, what I would say would cause him to say that I must be punished [MTY]; even though I had not done anything wrong, he would prove that I am guilty.
21 Und wüßte ich nicht selber, daß ich schuldlos bin, wegwürfe ich mein Leben.
“I have not done what is wrong, but that is not important. I despise continuing to remain alive.
22 Nun ist es so; drum sage ich es offen. Er bringt den Frommen gleich dem Frevler um.
But it doesn’t matter, because God will get rid of [all of us, ] both those who are innocent and those who are wicked.
23 Die Geißel tötet blindlings; er lacht ob der Unschuldigen Verzweiflung.
When people experience disaster and it causes them to suddenly die, God laughs at it, even if they are innocent.
24 Die Welt ist somit ausgeliefert in eines Ungerechten Hand, der seinen Strafgerichten das Gesicht verhüllt. Ist's dem nicht so, wie ist es dann?
God has allowed wicked people to control [what happens in] the world. [It is as though] he has caused judges to be blindfolded, [with the result that they cannot judge fairly]. If it is not God who has put wicked people in control, who has done it?
25 Und meine Zeit läuft schneller als ein Läufer; sie flieht und sieht das Glück nicht mehr,
“My days go by very quickly, like a fast runner; [it is as though] they run away, and nothing good happens to me on those days.
26 so flüchtig wie die Binsenschiffe, rasch wie der beutegierige Aar.
My life goes by very rapidly, like a boat made from reeds sailing swiftly, or like an eagle that swoops down to seize a small animal.
27 Nie kann ich sagen: 'Ich will mein Leid vergessen, mein Trauern lassen, heiter sein.'
If I smile and say [to God], ‘I will forget what I am complaining about; I will stop looking sad and try to be cheerful/happy,’
28 Mir graut vor allen meinen Schmerzen; ich weiß: Du sprichst mich nimmer los.
then I become afraid because of all that I am suffering, because I know that God does not consider that I am innocent.
29 Ich soll nun einmal schuldig sein. Wozu mich zwecklos mühen?
He will (condemn me/declare that I should be punished), so why should I keep trying in vain [to defend myself]?
30 Und wüsche ich mich weiß wie Schnee und reinigte mit Lauge mir die Hände,
If I washed myself with snow or cleansed my hands with lye/soap [to get rid of my guilt],
31 dann tauchtest Du mich um so tiefer in den Kot, daß meine Kleider selbst vor mir sich ekelten.
he would still throw me into a filthy pit; as a result [it would be as though] even my clothes would detest me.
32 Er ist kein Mensch wie ich, dem ich erwiderte: 'Gehn wir zusammen vor Gericht!'
“God is not a human, as I am, so there is no way that I could answer him [to prove that I am innocent] if we went together to have a trial [in a courtroom].
33 Wenn einen Schiedsmann zwischen uns es gäbe, der beide unter seine Aufsicht stellte,
There is no one to (mediate/hear us and decide who is right), no one who has authority over both of us [IDM].
34 der seinen Stock von mir fernhielte; daß mich die Angst vor jenem nicht betäubte,
I wish/desire that he would stop punishing [MTY] me, and that he would not continue to terrify me.
35 dann wollt' ich furchtlos frei aussprechen, daß er - ich weiß es - gegen mich nicht ehrlich ist."
If he did that, I would declare [that I am innocent] without being afraid of him, because I know that I really have not [done what is wrong like God thinks that I have].”
