| 1 Elihú continuó de esta forma: | 1 Elihu continued his speech. He said: |
| 2 «¡Escuchad, sabios, mis palabras; | prestadme atención los doctos!, | 2 And now, you sages, listen to what I say, lend me your ears, you learned men. |
| 3 pues el oído distingue las palabras | igual que el paladar los sabores. | 3 The ear distinguishes the value of what is said, just as the palate can tel one food from another. |
| 4 Decidamos, pues, lo que es justo; | dilucidemos nosotros lo que es bueno. | 4 Let us consider together God's ruling and decide what we all mean by good. |
| 5 Job dijo: “Soy inocente, | pero Dios me niega justicia. | 5 Job has been saying, 'I am upright and God denies me fair judgement. |
| 6 ¿Voy a mentir sobre mi caso? | Me hieren de muerte sin culpa”. | 6 My judge is treating me cruel y, my wound is incurable, for no fault of mine.' |
| 7 ¿Hay algún hombre como Job, | que bebe sarcasmos como agua? | 7 Can anyone else exist like Job, who laps up mockery like water, |
| 8 Se hace acompañar de malhechores, | busca la sociedad de los malvados, | 8 who consorts with evil-doers and marches in step with the wicked? |
| 9 y dice: “Nada se gana | buscando el favor de Dios”. | 9 Did he not say, 'No one derives any benefit from enjoying the society of God'? |
| 10 Escuchadme, gente sensata: | ¡Lejos de Dios la maldad, | lejos del Todopoderoso la injusticia! | 10 Listen to me then, like intel igent people. Far be evil from God or injustice from Shaddai! |
| 11 Paga a los humanos según sus obras, | retribuye a los mortales según su conducta. | 11 For he pays people back for what they do, treating each as his own conduct deserves. |
| 12 Está claro que Dios no actúa con maldad, | que el Todopoderoso no pervierte la justicia. | 12 Be sure of it: God never does wrong, Shaddai does not pervert what is just. |
| 13 ¿Quién le encargó del cuidado de la tierra?, | ¿quién le confió custodiar el universo? | 13 Did someone else entrust the world to his care was he given charge of the universe by someoneelse? |
| 14 Si decidiera por cuenta propia | retirar su espíritu y su aliento, | 14 If he were to recal his spirit, to concentrate his breath back in himself, |
| 15 dejarían de respirar los vivientes, | volverían los humanos al polvo. | 15 all flesh would instantly perish and al people would return to dust. |
| 16 Si tienes conocimiento, escucha; | presta atención a mis palabras. | 16 If you have any intel igence, listen to this, lend your ear to the sound of my words. |
| 17 ¿Podría gobernar quien odia el derecho? | ¿Condenarías al que es Justo y Poderoso, | 17 Could an enemy of fair judgement ever govern? Would you dare condemn the Upright One, theAlmighty, |
| 18 capaz de llamar a un rey “canalla”, | de tratar como bandidos a los nobles, | 18 who says to a king, 'You are a scoundrel!' and to nobles, 'You are wicked!', |
| 19 que no tiene preferencias por los príncipes, | ni favorece al rico contra el pobre, | porque todos son obra de sus manos? | 19 who is unimpressed by princes and makes no distinction between rich and poor, since al alike havebeen made by him? |
| 20 Todos mueren de pronto, a medianoche; | los gobernantes se agitan y se esfuman, | cae el tirano, mas no por mano de hombre. | 20 They die suddenly, at dead of night, they perish -- these great ones -- and disappear: it costs him noeffort to remove a tyrant. |
| 21 Dios vigila el camino del hombre, | sigue atento todos sus pasos; | 21 For his eyes keep watch on human ways, and he observes every step. |
| 22 no hay sombra ni espesa tiniebla | donde pueda esconderse el malvado. | 22 No darkness, no shadow dark as death where wrong-doers can hide! |
| 23 El hombre no decide el momento | de comparecer a juicio con Dios. | 23 He serves no writ on anyone, no summons to appear before God's court: |
| 24 Destruye a los poderosos sin indagar | y nombra a otros en su lugar; | 24 he breaks the powerful without enquiry and sets up others in their places. |
| 25 como conoce bien sus acciones, | los trastorna de noche y los destruye; | 25 He knows the sort of things they do! He overthrows them at night, to be trampled on. |
| 26 les paga su maldad azotándolos | en un lugar donde la gente los vea, | 26 He beats them like criminals chained up for al to see, |
| 27 por haberle sido desleales, | por ignorar su modo de actuar, | 27 since they have turned their backs on him, having understood so little of his ways |
| 28 provocando ante Dios el grito del pobre, | haciéndole oír el grito del necesitado. | 28 as to make the cries of the weak rise to him and let him hear the appeal of the afflicted. |
| 29 Si guarda silencio, ¿quién lo condenará? | Si oculta su rostro, ¿quién podrá verlo? | Él vigila a hombres y países, | 29 But if he is stil silent and no one can move him, if he veils his face, so that no one can see him, he istaking pity on nations and individuals, |
| 30 para evitar que reine un impío | que tenga al pueblo sometido. | 30 is setting some wrong-doer free from the meshes of affliction. |
| 31 Si alguien dice a Dios: | “Estoy equivocado; no lo haré más. | 31 When such a one says to God, 'I was misled, I shal not do wrong any more; |
| 32 Enséñame lo que no puedo ver. | No reincidiré si he hecho algo malo”, | 32 although I have sinned, instruct me; although I did wrong, I will not do it again,' |
| 33 ¿debería castigar Dios, en tu opinión, | cuando tú rechazas su criterio? | Tú debes decidir, no yo; | demuestra todo lo que sabes. | 33 in your opinion, should he punish such a one -- you who have rejected his decisions? This is for youto decide -- not for me!- so kindly enlighten us! |
| 34 Si la gente sensata me escuchara, | si los sabios me oyesen, dirían: | 34 Ordinary sensible people, however, wil say to me, and so wil any sage who has been listening tome, |
| 35 “Job argumenta sin saber; | sus palabras no tienen sentido. | 35 'Job's words are spoken without any knowledge, what he says shows no intel igence. |
| 36 Debería ser probado hasta el límite, | pues responde igual que los malvados; | 36 Kindly examine him thoroughly, since his answers imply that he is a criminal. |
| 37 se empecina en seguir pecando, | vive tranquilo entre nosotros, | multiplica sus palabras contra Dios”». | 37 For to his sin he now adds rebellion, bringing law to an end among us and heaping abuse on God.' |
