¹Så tog Job til Orde og svarede:

¹And Job answereth and saith: —

²"Hvor længe vil I krænke min Sjæl og slå mig sønder med Ord?

²Till when do ye afflict my soul, And bruise me with words?

³I håner mig nu for tiende Gang, mishandler mig uden Skam.

³These ten times ye put me to shame, ye blush not. Ye make yourselves strange to me —

⁴Har jeg da virkelig fejlet, hænger der Fejl ved mig?

⁴And also — truly, I have erred, With me doth my error remain.

⁵Eller gør I jer store imod mig og revser mig ved at smæde?

⁵If, truly, over me ye magnify yourselves, And decide against me my reproach;

⁶Så vid da, at Gud har bøjet min Ret, omspændt mig med sit Net.

⁶Know now, that God turned me upside down, And His net against me hath set round,

⁷Se, jeg skriger: Vold! men får ikke Svar, råber om Hjælp, der er ingen Ret.

⁷Lo, I cry out — violence, and am not answered, I cry aloud, and there is no judgment.

⁸Han spærred min Vej, jeg kom ikke frem, han hylled mine Stier i Mørke;

⁸My way He hedged up, and I pass not over, And on my paths darkness He placeth.

⁹han klædte mig af for min Ære, berøved mit Hoved Kronen,

⁹Mine honour from off me He hath stripped, And He turneth the crown from my head.

¹⁰brød mig ned overalt, så jeg må bort, oprykked mit Håb som Træet;

¹⁰He breaketh me down round about, and I go, And removeth like a tree my hope.

¹¹hans Vrede blussede mod mig, han regner mig for sin Fjende;

¹¹And He kindleth against me His anger, And reckoneth me to Him as His adversaries.

¹²samlede rykker hans Flokke frem og bryder sig Vej imod mig, de lejrer sig om mit Telt.

¹²Come in do His troops together, And they raise up against me their way, And encamp round about my tent.

¹³Mine Brødre har fjernet sig fra mig, Venner er fremmede for mig,

¹³My brethren from me He hath put far off, And mine acquaintances surely Have been estranged from me.

¹⁴mine nærmeste og Hendinge holder sig fra mig, de, der er i mit Hus, har glemt mig;

¹⁴Ceased have my neighbours And my familiar friends have forgotten me,

¹⁵mine Piger regner mig for en fremmed, vildfremmed er jeg i deres Øjne;

¹⁵Sojourners of my house and my maids, For a stranger reckon me: An alien I have been in their eyes.

¹⁶ej svarer min Træl, når jeg kalder, jeg må trygle ham med min Mund;

¹⁶To my servant I have called, And he doth not answer, With my mouth I make supplication to him.

¹⁷ved min Ånde væmmes min Hustru, mine egne Brødre er jeg en Stank;

¹⁷My spirit is strange to my wife, And my favours to the sons of my [mother`s] womb.

¹⁸selv Drenge agter mig ringe, når jeg reljser mig, taler de mod mig;

¹⁸Also sucklings have despised me, I rise, and they speak against me.

¹⁹Standsfælleræmmes til Hobe ved mig, de, jeg elskede, vender sig mod mig.

¹⁹Abominate me do all the men of my counsel, And those I have loved, Have been turned against me.

²⁰Benene hænger fast ved min Hud, med Kødet i Tænderne slap jeg bort.

²⁰To my skin and to my flesh Cleaved hath my bone, And I deliver myself with the skin of my teeth.

²¹Nåde, mine Venner, Nåde, thi Guds Hånd har rørt mig!

²¹Pity me, pity me, ye my friends, For the hand of God hath stricken against me.

²²Hvi forfølger og I mig som Gud og mættes ej af mit Kød?

²²Why do you pursue me as God? And with my flesh are not satisfied?

²³Ak, gid mine Ord blev skrevet op, blev tegnet op i en Bog,

²³Who doth grant now, That my words may be written? Who doth grant that in a book they may be graven?

²⁴med Griffel af Jern, med Bly indristet i Hlippen for evigt!

²⁴With a pen of iron and lead — For ever in a rock they may be hewn.

²⁵Men jeg ved, at min Løser lever, over Støvet vil en Forsvarer stå frem.

²⁵That — I have known my Redeemer, The Living and the Last, For the dust he doth rise.

²⁶Når min sønderslidte Hud er borte, skal jeg ud fra mit Kød skue Gud,

²⁶And after my skin hath compassed this [body], Then from my flesh I see God:

²⁷hvem jeg skal se på min Side; ham skal mine Øjne se, ingen fremmed! Mine Nyrer forgår i mit Indre!

²⁷Whom I — I see on my side, And mine eyes have beheld, and not a stranger, Consumed have been my reins in my bosom.

²⁸Når I siger: "Hor vi skal forfølge ham, Sagens Rod vil vi udfinde hos ham!"

²⁸But ye say, `Why do we pursue after him?` And the root of the matter hath been found in me.

²⁹så tag jer i Vare for Sværdet; thi Vrede rammer de lovløse, at I skal kende, der kommer en Dom!

²⁹Be ye afraid because of the sword, For furious [are] the punishments of the sword, That ye may know that [there is] a judgment.