The Second Dialogue
(15.1—21.34)Eliphaz
1-2 Empty words, Job! Empty words!
3 No one who is wise would talk the way you do
or defend himself with such meaningless words.
4 If you had your way, no one would fear God;
no one would pray to him.
5 Your wickedness is evident by what you say;
you are trying to hide behind clever words.
6 There is no need for me to condemn you;
you are condemned by every word you speak.
7 Do you think you were the first person born?
Were you there when God made the mountains?
8 Did you overhear the plans God made?
Does human wisdom belong to you alone?
9 There is nothing you know that we don't know.
10 We learned our wisdom from gray-haired people—
those born before your father.
11 God offers you comfort; why still reject it?
We have spoken for him with calm, even words.
12 But you are excited and glare at us in anger.
13 You are angry with God and denounce him.
14 Can any human being be really pure?
Can anyone be right with God?
15 Why, God does not trust even his angels;
even they are not pure in his sight.
16 And we drink evil as if it were water;
yes, we are corrupt; we are worthless.
17 Now listen, Job, to what I know.
18 Those who are wise have taught me truths
which they learned from their ancestors,
and they kept no secrets hidden.
19 Their land was free from foreigners;
there was no one to lead them away from God.
20 The wicked who oppress others
will be in torment as long as they live.
21 Voices of terror will scream in their ears,
and robbers attack when they think they are safe.
22 They have no hope of escaping from darkness,
for somewhere a sword is waiting to kill them,
23 and vultures are waiting to eat their corpses.
They know their future is dark;
24 disaster, like a powerful king,
is waiting to attack them.
25 That is the fate of those
who shake their fists at God
and defy the Almighty.
26-27 They are proud and rebellious;
they stubbornly hold up their shields
and rush to fight against God.
28 They are the ones who captured cities
and seized houses whose owners had fled,
but war will destroy those cities and houses.
29 They will not remain rich for long;
nothing they own will last.
Even their shadows will vanish,
30 and they will not escape from darkness.
They will be like trees
whose branches are burned by fire,
whose blossoms are blown away by the wind.
31 If they are foolish enough to trust in evil,
then evil will be their reward.
32 Before their time is up they will wither,
wither like a branch and never be green again.
33 They will be like vines that lose their unripe grapes;
like olive trees that drop their blossoms.
34 There will be no descendants for godless people,
and fire will destroy the homes built by bribery.
35 These are the ones who plan trouble and do evil;
their hearts are always full of deceit.
1 فأجابَ أليفازُ التِّيمانيُّ:
2 «أحكيمٌ وتُجيـبُ بِكلامٍ فارغٍ
كمَن في جَوفِهِ ريحٌ شرقيَّةٌ؟
3 فتُجادِلَ سِواكَ بِـحُجَجٍ واهيةٍ
وبأقوالٍ لا يُعوَّلُ علَيها؟
4 بل أنتَ تَنقُضُ مَخافَةَ اللهِ
وتُعيقُ كُلَّ خُشوعٍ أمامَهُ.
5 خُبثُكَ يُملي علَيكَ كلامَكَ،
وأنتَ تَختارُ لِسانَ الماكِرينَ.
6 أنا لا أدينُكَ، بل فَمُكَ.
وشفتاكَ تَشهدانِ علَيكَ.
7 أوُلِدتَ أنتَ أوَّلَ البشَرِ
أم أبدَعَكَ اللهُ قَبلَ التِّلالِ؟
8 هل سَمِعتَ أسرارَ اللهِ،
أمِ احتكرتَ الحكمةَ لِنَفْسِكَ؟
9 ماذا تَعرِفُ أنتَ ولا نَعرِفُ،
أم ماذا فَهِمتَ وخَفيَ عَنَّا؟
10 كم مِنَ الشِّيـبِ عِندَنا والشُّيوخِ،
أصغَرُهُم في السِّنِّ أكبَرُ مِنْ أبـيكَ.
11 ألا تكفيكَ تَعزيَةُ اللهِ لكَ
والرِّفْقُ في كلامِنا معَكَ؟
12 لماذا يَغتاظُ قلبُكَ،
ولماذا تَزْوَرُّ عيناكَ؟
13 فيَرتَدَّ على اللهِ غضَبُكَ
ويَلفُظَ هذا الكلامَ فَمُكَ.
14 ما الإنسانُ ليكونَ طاهِرا؟
ولَدَتْهُ امرَأةٌ فكيفَ يَصلُحُ.
15 القِدِّيسونَ لا يأتَمِنُهُمُ اللهُ،
والسَّماواتُ غَيرُ طاهِرةٍ عِندَهُ،
16 فكيفَ الإنسانُ وهوَ بَغيضٌ فاسِدٌ،
ويشربُ الشَّرَّ كأنَّهُ ماءٌ.
17 فاسمَعْ لي لأوضِحَ لكَ،
وبِما رَأيتُ أُحَدِّثُكَ،
18 وبِما رواهُ لنا الحُكَماءُ
عَنْ آبائِهِم ولم يَكتُموهُ.
19 ولهُم أُعطيَت هذِهِ الأرضُ
ولم يَعبُرْ بَينَهُم غريـبٌ:
20 الشِّرِّيرُ يتَوَجَّعُ كُلَّ أيّامِهِ،
ولِلطَّاغيةِ سِنينٌ مَعدودَةٌ.
21 صوتُ الرُّعبِ لا يُفارِقُ أُذُنَيهِ،
وفي السَّلامِ يُفاجِئُهُ المُعتَدي.
22 لا يأمَنُ الهرَبَ مِنَ الظَّلامِ،
وعَينُهُ تـتَرَقَّبُ السَّيفَ.
23 تنتَظِرُهُ النُّسورُ لِتَأكُلَ جُثَّثَهُ
ويعرِفُ أنَّ مَصيرَهُ مُظلِمٌ.
24 يُباغِتُهُ الضَّرَرُ ويُلاحِقُهُ الضِّيقُ
كمَلِكٍ مُتَأهِّبٍ لِلقِتالِ،
25 لأنَّهُ على اللهِ مَدَّ يَدَهُ
وتجَبَّرَ على الإلهِ القديرِ.
26 بادَرَهُ بِــعُنُقٍ مُتَصَلِّبةٍ
خَلْفَ تُرْسِهِ الكثيفِ المُحَدَّبِ.
27 معَ أنَّ الشَّحْمَ كَسا وجهَهُ،
ورَبِـيَ الدَّسَمُ على وِرْكَيهِ،
28 يُقيمُ في مُدُنِ خرابٍ
وأنقاضِ بُيوتٍ مهجورةٍ.
29 لا يَغْنى ولا تدومُ ثَروَتُهُ،
جُذورُهُ لا تمتَدُّ في الأرضِ،
30 ولا تزولُ عَنهُ الظُّلمَةُ.
اللَّهيـبُ يَلفَحُ أغصانَهُ،
والرِّيحُ تذهبُ بِأزهارِهِ.
31 لا يَأمَنُ الشَّرَّ فيَضِلُّ،
ويكونُ الشَّرُّ جَزاءَهُ.
32 يُسرِعُ إلى الزَّوالِ قَبلَ يومِهِ،
وفُروعُهُ لا تعودُ إلى الاخضِرارِ.
33 يُساقِطُ كالكرمةِ حِصرِمَهُ
ويَنفُضُ كالزَّيتونِ زَهرَهُ.
34 فالكافِرونَ جماعةٌ عقيمَةٌ،
والمُرتَشونَ خيامُهُم لِلنَّارِ.
35 يَحبَلونَ بِالفسادِ فيَلِدونَ الإثْمَ،
وأحشاؤُهُم تـتَمَخَّضُ بِالمَكْرِ».