Hopa 34
1 I korero ano hoki a Erihu, i mea,
Then Elihu continued:
2 Whakarongo ki aku kupu, e te hunga whakaaro nui; kia whai taringa ki ahau, e te hunga mohio.
“You [three] men who [think that you] [SAR] are very wise, hear me; listen to what I am saying, you men who [say that you] know so much.
3 E whakamatau ana hoki te taringa i te kupu, e pera ana me ta te mangai ki te reka o te kai.
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].
4 Ko ta tatou e whiriwhiri ai ma tatou ko te mea tika: kia mohiotia hoki e tatou, e tenei, e tenei, ko te aha te mea pai.
We need to decide [who is saying] what is right and to determine among ourselves what is good/best.
5 Kua mea nei hoki a Hopa, He tika taku, a kua whakapeaua ketia e te Atua te whakawa moku:
Job has said, ‘I am innocent, but God has refused to judge me fairly/justly.
6 Ahakoa kei ahau te tika ka kiia ahau he tangata teka; e kore e mahu toku werohanga, ahakoa kahore oku he.
Even though I have always done what is right, he is lying about me. Even though I have not done what is wrong, he has caused me to suffer, and I will certainly die.’
7 Ko wai te tangata e rite ki a Hopa, me te mea he wai te tawai e inumia ana e ia?
(Is there any person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water?/There is no person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water.) [RHQ]
8 Kua uru nei ki te tira o nga kaimahi i te he, a e haere tahi ana me nga tangata kikino.
He habitually associates with people who do what is evil and spends time with wicked people.
9 Kua mea hoki ia, Kahore he painga ki te tangata ki te ahuareka atu ia ki te Atua.
He has said, ‘It is useless for people to try to please God.’
10 No reira whakarongo mai ki ahau, e nga tangata ngakau mohio: e kore rawa te Atua e mahi i te kino; e kore rawa hoki te Kaha Rawa e mahi i te he.
“So, you men who [claim that you] understand everything, listen to me! Almighty God would never consider doing anything that is wicked or wrong [DOU]!
11 Ka utua hoki e ia te tangata mo tana mahi, ka rite hoki ki to te tangata ara nga mea e whakawhiwhia e ia ki a ia.
He (pays back/punishes) people for what they have done; he gives them what they deserve for the way that they have conducted their lives.
12 Tika rawa, e kore te Atua e kino, e kore ano hoki te Kaha Rawa e whakaputa ke i te whakawa.
Truly, Almighty God never does what is wicked; he always [LIT] does what is fair/just.
13 Na wai ia i mea hei kaitirotiro mo te whenua? Na wai hoki i whakatakoto nga tikanga mo te ao katoa?
The authority that he has to rule everything on the earth, no one [RHQ] gave it to him; no one [RHQ] put him in control of the whole world. [He has always had that authority].
14 Ki te anga mai tona ngakau ki te tangata, ki te kohia atu e ia ki a ia tona wairua me tona manawa;
If he would take his spirit back to himself,
15 Ka hemo ngatahi nga kikokiko katoa, a ka hoki ano te tangata ki te puehu.
everyone would die [immediately], and their corpses would soon become dirt again.
16 Na ki te mea he ngakau mohio tou, whakarongo ki tenei; kia whai taringa mai ki te reo o aku kupu.
“So, [Job], if [you say that you] understand everything, listen to what I am saying.
17 E whai kingitanga ranei tetahi kotahi e kino ana ki te tika? E whakakino ranei koe ki te tangata tika, kaha hoki?
God could certainly not [RHQ] govern the world if he hated doing what is fair/just. So, will you condemn God, who is righteous and powerful, [saying that what he has done is wrong]?
18 E tau ana ranei te mea atu ki te kingi, He weriweri koe? ki nga rangatira ranei, He kino koutou?
He tells [some] kings that they are worthless, and he says to [some] officials that they are wicked.
19 Kia iti rawa iho ki a ia e kore nei e whakapai ki te kanohi o nga rangatira, e kore nei e hira ake tona pai ki te hunga whai rawa i nga rawakore? No te mea he mahi ratou katoa na ona ringa.
He does not favor rulers [more than he favors others]; he does not favor rich people more than poor people, because he created all of them.
20 Kihai i aha kua mate ratou, kua mate i waenganui po; ka wiri te iwi, ka pahemo atu, ka riro te hunga nunui, kahore hoki he ringa.
People [often] die suddenly; he strikes them at midnight and they die; he even gets rid of mighty people without the help of any humans [SYN].
21 Kei runga hoki i nga ara o te tangata ona kanohi, e kitea ana e ia ona hikoinga katoa.
“He sees [MTY] everything that people do; [when we walk, ] he watches every step that we take.
22 Kahore he pouri, kahore he atarangi o te mate e piri ai nga kaimahi i te kino.
There is no gloom or darkness [DOU] that is so dark that sinners can hide [from him] in that darkness.
23 E kore hoki e nui atu i te tika te mea e whakawaha e ia ki te tangata, e haere ai ia ki te aroaro o te Atua ki te whakawa.
God does not [need to] set a time when we will stand in front of him in order that he may judge us. [He can judge us whenever he wants to].
24 Ka wawahia e ia nga tangata nunui, te mohiotia nga ara, a whakaturia ake etahi atu i muri i a ratou.
He destroys mighty people without [needing to] investigate [what they have done], and he appoints others to take their places.
25 Na e mohio ana ia ki a ratou mahi; a hurihia ake ratou e ia i te po, a mongamonga noa ratou.
Because he [already] knows what they have done, he removes them at night and gets rid of them.
26 He hunga kino ratou, pakia iho e ia i te tirohanga a te tangata;
Where [many] people can see it, he strikes/punishes them because of the wicked things that they have done;
27 Mo ratou i tahuri ke i te whai i a ia, kihai hoki i whakaaro ki tetahi o ona ara:
he strikes them because they turned away from doing what he wanted them to do and did not pay attention to any of his commands.
28 Na ratou hoki i puta ai te tangi a te rawakore ki a ia, a rongo ana ia ki te tangi a te hunga e tukinotia ana.
They [mistreated] the poor people, with the result that those poor people cried out to God [for help], and he heard those afflicted people when they cried out [to him].
29 Ki te meinga e ia kia ata noho, ko wai hei whakararuraru? A ki te huna e ia tona kanohi, ko wai e kite i a ia? ahakoa i meatia ki te iwi, ki te tangata ranei, rite tonu.
But if God decides to do nothing [to punish wicked people], no one can criticize/condemn him. If a godless/wicked man rules a nation, a man who tricks/deceives the people,
30 Kore ake te whakaponokore e whai kingitanga, kore ake te iwi e mahangatia.
and if [God] hides his face [with the result that he does not see that ruler or punish him], no one will be able to prevent that ruler [from doing those things].
31 Kua mea atu ranei ki te Atua, Kua pehia ahau e te whiu, e kore ahau e mahi i te he a muri nei?
“Job, have you or anyone else ever said to God, ‘I have been punished [for my sins], and I will not sin any more;
32 Ko te mea kihai i kitea e ahau mau e whakaatu mai ki ahau; ki te mea i mahi ahau i te he, ka mutu taku.
so teach/show me what [sins I have committed]; if I have done anything that is evil, I will not do it any more’?
33 Kia rite ranei tana utu ki tau e mea ai, i whakakahoretia ai e koe? Mau te whiriwhiri, kahore maku: na mau e korero mai tau i mohio ai.
[Job, ] you object to what God has done to you, but do you think that he will do what you want him to do? It is you who must choose [what you say to God], not I; so tell me what you are thinking about this.
34 Ka korero mai nga tangata ngakau mahara ki ahau, ae ra, nga tangata whakaaro nui e whakarongo ana ki ahau:
“People who have good sense, those who are wise and who listen to what I say, will say to me,
35 Kahore he matauranga o Hopa i a ia i korero ra, kahore hoki he mahara i roto i ana kupu.
‘Job is speaking ignorantly; what he says is nonsense.’
36 He pai me i whakamatauria a Hopa a te mutunga ra ano, mo ana kupu i whakahokia mai nei e ia, he mea i rite ki a nga tangata kikino.
I think that Job should be taken to a court and (put on trial/judged), because he answers [us his friends] like wicked men would answer.
37 E tapiritia ana hoki e ia te tutu ki runga ki tona hara, kei te pakipaki ia i ona ringa i waenganui i a tatou, a whakanuia ana e ia ana kupu kite Atua.
To add to the [other] sins that he has committed, he is rebelling [against God]; he shows us that he does not respect God [IDM], making long speeches [saying that God has punished him unjustly].”
