Elihu Defends God

¹U-Elihu wathatha wathi:

²“Yizwani amazwi ami, nina zihlakaniphi, nibeke indlebe kimi nina zazi.

³Ngokuba indlebe iyavivinya amazwi, njengokuba ulwanga luzwa ukudla.

⁴Masizikhethele okulungileyo, sazi phakathi kwethu okuhle.

⁵Ngokuba uJobe uthe: ‘Ngilungile; uNkulunkulu ususile ukwahlulelwa kwami.

⁶Phezu kokwahlulelwa kwami ngishaywa onamanga; inxeba lami alinakupholiswa, noma ngingenasiphambeko.’

⁷Ngumuphi umuntu onjengoJobe ophuza usulu njengamanzi,

⁸ohamba ngokwazana nabenza okubi, ahambisane nabantu ababi, na?

⁹Ngokuba uthi: ‘Akunalusizo kumuntu ukuba azane noNkulunkulu.’

¹⁰“Ngalokho ngizweni nina bantu abanokuqonda; makube kude noNkulunkulu ukuba enze okubi, nakuSomandla ukuba enze ukona.

¹¹Ngokuba uyabuyisela kumuntu njengokwenza kwakhe, atholise kube yilowo nalowo njengezindlela zakhe.

¹²Impela uNkulunkulu akenzi okubi; uSomandla kahlanekezeli ukwahlulela.

¹³Ngubani owambeka phezu komhlaba na? Ngubani owamisa izwe lonke na?

¹⁴Uma ebeyakuzibheka yena, azibuyisele umoya wakhe nomphefumulo wakhe,

¹⁵inyama yonke ibiyakufa kanyekanye, umuntu abuyele othulini.

¹⁶“Uma unengqondo, yizwa lokhu, ulalele izwi lokukhuluma kwami.

¹⁷Imbala ozonda ukwahlulela uyakubusa na? Uyakumlahla olungileyo nonamandla

¹⁸oshoyo enkosini ukuthi: ‘Muntu omubi,’ nasezikhulwini: ‘Mashinga,’

¹⁹ongakhethi ubuso bezikhulu, onganaki ocebileyo kunompofu, na? Ngokuba bonke bangumsebenzi wezandla zakhe.

²⁰Bayafa ngokuphazima kweso; phakathi kwamabili abantu bayathuthumela, banyamalale; amaqhawe ayasuswa, kepha kungengasandla.

²¹“Ngokuba amehlo akhe akuzo izindlela zomuntu; ubona zonke izinyathelo zakhe.

²²Abukho ubumnyama, nethunzi lokufa alikho, lapho abenza okubi bengacasha khona.

²³Ngokuba akadingi ukuba abelokhu ebheka umuntu ukuba aye kuNkulunkulu ukwahlulelwa.

²⁴Uyaphahlaza abanamandla, kungahlolwanga, amise abanye ezikhundleni zabo.

²⁵Ngalokho uyazi imisebenzi yabo; uyabagumbuqela ebusuku, bachotshozwe.

²⁶Uyabashaya njengababi endaweni lapho bebonwa khona,

²⁷ngokuba bachezuka ekumlandeleni, abanakanga neyodwa yezindlela zakhe,

²⁸baze benza ukuba ukukhala kwabampofu kufike kuye, wezwa ukukhala kwabahluphekayo.

²⁹Lapho yena ethula, ngubani ongalahla, nalapho ethukusa ubuso bakhe, ngubani ongambona na? Ubusa ngokufananayo, noma kuyisizwe noma kungumuntu,

³⁰ukuba kungabusi muntu ongenaNkulunkulu, abantu bacushwe.

³¹“Ngokuba ukhona oke wathi kuNkulunkulu: ‘Ngithweswe icala noma ngingonanga, na?

³²Lokhu engingakuboni, ngifundise khona; uma ngenzile okubi, angisayikukuphinda.’

³³Uyakuphindisela njengokuthanda kwakho, lokhu ukwenqaba, na? Ngokuba nguwe ozakukhetha, akusimina; khuluma okwaziyo.

³⁴“Abantu abanokuqonda bayakusho kimi, yebo, nezihlakaniphi, lapho zingizwa, ziyakuthi:

³⁵‘UJobe ukhuluma engenalwazi; amazwi akhe awanangqondo.’

³⁶Sengathi uJobe angavivinywa kuze kube sekupheleni, ngokuba uphendula njengabantu ababi.

³⁷Ngokuba uyenezela ukuhlubuka esonweni sakhe; ushaya ihlombe phakathi kwethu, andise amazwi akhe kuNkulunkulu.”