¹Så tog Job til Orde og svarede:

¹And Job answereth and saith: —

²"Hør dog, hør mine Ord, lad det være Trøsten, I giver!

²Hear ye diligently my word, And this is your consolation.

³Find jer nu i, at jeg taler, siden kan I jo håne!

³Bear with me, and I speak, And after my speaking — ye may deride.

⁴Gælder min Klage Mennesker? Hvi skulde jeg ej være utålmodig?

⁴I — to man [is] my complaint? and if [so], wherefore May not my temper become short?

⁵Vend jer til mig og stivn af Rædsel, læg Hånd på Mund!

⁵Turn unto me, and be astonished, And put hand to mouth.

⁶Jeg gruer, når jeg tænker derpå, mit Legeme gribes af Skælven:

⁶Yea, if I have remembered, then I have been troubled. And my flesh hath taken fright.

⁷De gudløse, hvorfor lever de, bliver gamle, ja vokser i Kraft?

⁷Wherefore do the wicked live? They have become old, Yea, they have been mighty in wealth.

⁸Deres Æt har de blivende hos sig, deres Afkom for deres Øjne;

⁸Their seed is established, Before their face with them, And their offspring before their eyes.

⁹deres Huse er sikre mod Rædsler, Guds Svøbe rammer dem ikke;

⁹Their houses [are] peace without fear, Nor [is] a rod of God upon them.

¹⁰ej springer deres Tyr forgæves, Koen kælver, den kaster ikke;

¹⁰His bullock hath eaten corn, and doth not loath. His cow bringeth forth safely, And doth not miscarry.

¹¹de slipper deres Drenge ud som Får, deres Børneflok boltrer sig ret;

¹¹They send forth as a flock their sucklings, And their children skip,

¹²de synger til Pauke og Citer, er glade til Fløjtens Toner;

¹²They lift [themselves] up at timbrel and harp, And rejoice at the sound of an organ.

¹³de lever deres Dage i Lykke og synker med Fred i Dødsriget,

¹³They wear out in good their days, And in a moment [to] Sheol go down.

¹⁴skønt de siger til Gud: "Gå fra os, at kende dine Veje er ikke vor Lyst!

¹⁴And they say to God, `Turn aside from us, And the knowledge of Thy ways We have not desired.

¹⁵Den Almægtige? Hvad han? Skal vi tjene ham? Hvad Gavn at banke på hos ham?"

¹⁵What [is] the Mighty One that we serve Him? And what do we profit when we meet with Him?`

¹⁶Er ej deres Lykke i deres Hånd og gudløses Råd ham fjernt?

¹⁶Lo, not in their hand [is] their good, (The counsel of the wicked Hath been far from me.)

¹⁷Når går de gudløses Lampe ud og når kommer Ulykken over dem? Når deler han Loddet ud i sin Vrede,

¹⁷How oft is the lamp of the wicked extinguished, And come on them doth their calamity? Pangs He apportioneth in His anger.

¹⁸så de bliver som Strå for Vinden, som Avner, Storm fører bort?

¹⁸They are as straw before wind, And as chaff a hurricane hath stolen away,

¹⁹Gemmer Gud hans Ulykkeslod til hans Børn? Ham selv gengælde han, så han mærker det,

¹⁹God layeth up for his sons his sorrow, He giveth recompense unto him — and he knoweth.

²⁰lad ham selv få sit Vanheld at se, den Almægtiges Vrede at drikke!

²⁰His own eyes see his destruction, And of the wrath of the Mighty he drinketh.

²¹Thi hvad bryder han sig siden om sit Hus, når hans Måneders Tal er udrundet?

²¹For what [is] his delight in his house after him, And the number of his months cut off?

²²Kan man vel tage Gud i Skole, ham, som dømmer de højeste Væsner?

²²To God doth [one] teach knowledge, And He the high doth judge?

²³En dør jo på Lykkens Tinde, helt tryg og så helt uden Sorger:

²³This [one] dieth in his perfect strength, Wholly at ease and quiet.

²⁴hans Spande er fulde af Mælk, hans Knogler af saftig Marv;

²⁴His breasts have been full of milk, And marrow his bones doth moisten.

²⁵med bitter Sjæl dør en anden og har aldrig nydt nogen Lykke;

²⁵And this [one] dieth with a bitter soul, And have not eaten with gladness.

²⁶de lægger sig begge i Jorden, og begge dækkes af Orme!

²⁶Together — on the dust they lie down, And the worm doth cover them over.

²⁷Se, jeg kender så vel eders Tanker og de Rænker, I spinder imod mig,

²⁷Lo, I have known your thoughts, And the devices against me ye do wrongfully.

²⁸når I siger: "Hvor er Stormandens Hus og det Telt, hvor de gudløse bor?"

²⁸For ye say, `Where [is] the house of the noble? And where the tent — The tabernacles of the wicked?`

²⁹Har I aldrig spurgt de berejste og godkendt deres Beviser:

²⁹Have ye not asked those passing by the way? And their signs do ye not know?

³⁰Den onde skånes på Ulykkens Dag og frelses på Vredens Dag.

³⁰That to a day of calamity is the wicked spared. To a day of wrath they are brought.

³¹Hvem foreholder ham vel hans Færd, gengælder ham, hvad han gør?

³¹Who doth declare to his face his way? And [for] that which he hath done, Who doth give recompence to him?

³²Til Graven bæres han hen, ved hans Gravhøj holdes der Vagt;

³²And he — to the graves he is brought. And over the heap a watch is kept.

³³i Dalbunden hviler han sødt, Alverden følger så efter, en Flok uden Tal gik forud for ham.

³³Sweet to him have been the clods of the valley, And after him every man he draweth, And before him there is no numbering.

³⁴Hvor tom er den Trøst, som I giver! Eders Svar - kun Svig er tilbage!

³⁴And how do ye comfort me [with] vanity, And in your answers hath been left trespass?