Punishment, Repentance, and Hope
1 I am one who knows what it is to be punished by God.
2 He drove me deeper and deeper into darkness
3 And beat me again and again with merciless blows.
4 He has left my flesh open and raw, and has broken my bones.
5 He has shut me in a prison of misery and anguish.
6 He has forced me to live in the stagnant darkness of death.
7 He has bound me in chains; I am a prisoner with no hope of escape.
8 I cry aloud for help, but God refuses to listen;
9 I stagger as I walk; stone walls block me wherever I turn.
10 He waited for me like a bear; he pounced on me like a lion.
11 He chased me off the road, tore me to pieces, and left me.
12 He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows.
13 He shot his arrows deep into my body.
14 People laugh at me all day long; I am a joke to them all.
15 Bitter suffering is all he has given me for food and drink.
16 He rubbed my face in the ground and broke my teeth on rocks.
17 I have forgotten what health and peace and happiness are.
18 I do not have much longer to live; my hope in the Lord is gone.
19 The thought of my pain, my homelessness, is bitter poison.
20 I think of it constantly, and my spirit is depressed.
21 Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing:
22 The Lord's unfailing love and mercy still continue,
23 Fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise.
24 The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope.
25 The Lord is good to everyone who trusts in him,
26 So it is best for us to wait in patience—to wait for him to save us—
27 And it is best to learn this patience in our youth.
28 When we suffer, we should sit alone in silent patience;
29 We should bow in submission, for there may still be hope.
30 Though beaten and insulted, we should accept it all.
31 The Lord is merciful and will not reject us forever.
32 He may bring us sorrow, but his love for us is sure and strong.
33 He takes no pleasure in causing us grief or pain.
34 The Lord knows when our spirits are crushed in prison;
35 He knows when we are denied the rights he gave us;
36 When justice is perverted in court, he knows.
37 The will of the Lord alone is always carried out.
38 Good and evil alike take place at his command.
39 Why should we ever complain when we are punished for our sin?
40 Let us examine our ways and turn back to the Lord.
41 Let us open our hearts to God in heaven and pray,
42 “We have sinned and rebelled, and you, O Lord, have not forgiven us.
43 “You pursued us and killed us; your mercy was hidden by your anger,
44 By a cloud of fury too thick for our prayers to get through.
45 You have made us the garbage dump of the world.
46 “We are insulted and mocked by all our enemies.
47 We have been through disaster and ruin; we live in danger and fear.
48 My eyes flow with rivers of tears at the destruction of my people.
49 “My tears will pour out in a ceaseless stream
50 Until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees us.
51 My heart is grieved when I see what has happened to the women of the city.
52 “I was trapped like a bird by enemies who had no cause to hate me.
53 They threw me alive into a pit and closed the opening with a stone.
54 Water began to close over me, and I thought death was near.
55 “From the bottom of the pit, O Lord, I cried out to you,
56 And when I begged you to listen to my cry, you heard.
57 You answered me and told me not to be afraid.
58 “You came to my rescue, Lord, and saved my life.
59 Judge in my favor; you know the wrongs done against me.
60 You know how my enemies hate me and how they plot against me.
61 “You have heard them insult me, O Lord; you know all their plots.
62 All day long they talk about me and make their plans.
63 From morning till night they make fun of me.
64 “Punish them for what they have done, O Lord;
65 Curse them and fill them with despair!
66 Hunt them down and wipe them off the earth!”
Omberero nomeritanauriro nomaundjiro
1 Owami omurumendu ngu mbi tjiwa
kutja okuverwa i Ndjambi otjikeṋa.
2 Eye we ndji hingira monḓorera ṱukuṱuku
3 nu tjiri, eye aruhe u ndji tona nokuhinotjari.
4 Eye wa kurupisa onyama nomukova wandje,
nu a pongohora omaṱupa wandje.
5 Eye we ndji patera motjovakamburwa
tjombamisiro nomahihameno.
6 We ndji ṋiṋikiza okutura monḓorera
otja ovaṱi mba ṱa rukuru.
7 Eye we ndji patera morumbo
ne ndji pandeke nouketanga;
owami omukamburwa ngu
mbi hi nomaundjiro wokutaura.
8 Ami mba kwa ombatero tjinene;
nungwari Ndjambi ka puratenene
ko kongumbiro yandje.
9 Me teratera tji me kayenda,
omawe worumbo maye ndji
tjaere akuhe ku me tanaukire.
10 Eye we ndji ṱarera tjimuna ongu,
nu we ndji undja tjimuna
ongeyama motjihwa.
11 We ndji ramba mondjira,
we ndji nyondorora ne ndji esa mouza.
12 Eye wa rumbira outa we
na hungamisa oviku vye ku ami.
13 Oviku vyomunguma we
we vi yaha oukoto morutu rwandje.
14 Ovandu mave ndji yoro eyuva arihe;
owami omunyekererwa wawo avehe.
15 Eye we ndji hira omeva womiti omiruru,
nu we ndji kutisa novikurya oviruru.
16 Eye wa ṋiṋikizira omurungu wandje mehi,
ne ndji tetisa ozombawe,
nga omayo wandje tji ya teka.
17 Eye wa isa po ohange pu ami nami
mba zemba kutja ondjoroka otjikeṋa.
18 Ami hi tji nokuhupa orure.
Omaundjiro wandje ku Muhona
kaye tji po.
19 Zemburuka ondjenda nomatambaukiro
wandje mbya sana koṋango notjindombo.
20 Ami mbi ripura na vyo aruhe,
nombepo yandje i ri momayumaneno.
21 Nungwari omaundjiro wandje maye kotoka,
tji me rizemburuka notjiṋa tjimwe hi.
22 Orusuvero rwa Muhona
orwo orukarere, notjari tje katji nomaandero.
23 Ovyo ovipe muhuka auhe;
ouṱakame we ounene.
24 Muhona onguri avihe mbi mbi na vyo,
notji me undju ku ye.
25 Muhona u nouwa ku ngamwa
auhe ngu undja ku ye,
na komuinyo mbu paha ye.
26 Okokuwa okuundja kumwi nomuretima,
okutja okuundja kondjamo ya Muhona.
27 Okokuwa komundu okurihonga
omuretima mbwi moumutanda we.
28 Muhona tji me tu pe ouzeu,
tu sokuhaama pehi kumwi.
29 Tu sokurisusuparisa,
nani inga pe nomaundjiro.
30 Nandarire kutja matu tonwa
nokuyambururwa,
avihe ngatu vi yakure mombepo ombwa.
31 Muhona eye omunatjari,
nu kemee tu imbirahi nga aruhe.
32 Nungwari tje tu pe oruhoze,
eye me tu tjariparere otja
kounene wounyaṋutima we.
33 Eye ke norutjato mokutuyetera
oruhoze poo omihihamo.
34 Muhona u tjiwa eṱe,
imba ovakamburwa avehe
wokombanda yehi,
tji tu ṋiṋikiziwa motjovakamburwa.
35 Eye u tjiwa tji tu yekwa
ousemba eye mbwe tu pa.
36 Omundu tji ma pangurwa
nouhasemba mombanguriro,
eye tjandje ma tjiwa.
37 Ombango ya Muhona aiyerike
porwayo aruhe ondji yenenisiwa.
38 Ouwa noumba aviyevari
vi tjitwa otja komarakiza we.
39 Matu unaunine tjike tji
matu vererwa ourunde wetu?
40 Ngatu tare ozondjira zetu okuzekonḓonona,
tu ritanaurire ku Muhona.
41 Ngatu paturure omitima vyetu
nu tu yere omake wetu ku Ndjambi meyuru,
nu tu kumbe nai:
42 “Twa tura ondjo, nu twe ku pirukira,
nove, Muhona, koye tu isira.
43 “Ove we tu tezera no tu zepa;
otjari tjoye tja horekwa i omazenge woye;
44 Ove we rihoreka notjikamba otjitindi nai,
nga ozongumbiro zetu tji ze
hi nokusora okutuurunga.
45 Ove we tu tjita ondundu yoviyaya
mokati koviwaṋa mouye.
46 “Eṱe twa yambururwa nokunyekererwa
i ovanavita na eṱe avehe.
47 Twa muna oviwonga nomayandekero;
tu kara moumba na mooma.
48 Omeho wandje maye pupu omahoze
tjimuna onḓonḓu mena
romayandekero wotjiwaṋa tjandje.
49 “Omahoze wandje maye pupire
momupupo mbu ha pwire,
50 ngandu ndi Muhona tji maa
tara pehi okuza meyuru okutu muna.
51 Omutima wandje u nondjenda,
tji me munu imbi mbya tjitwa kovakazendu
avehe votjihuro tjandje.
52 “Ovanavita mbe hi notjiṋa na ami,
ve ndji yeva tjimuna onḓera.
53 Owo ve ndji yumba morutjiva nomuinyo
nave yezere otjinyo tjarwo newe.
54 Omeva ya uta okundjitanana,
nami mbe ripura kutja mbi ri pokukoka.
55 “Mourekoto worutjiva, Muhona,
ami mba kwa kove,
56 nu tji mbe riyarikaṋa kove kutja u
puratene kondjemeno yandje,
ove we ndji zuvira;
57 Ove we ndji zira no ndji
raere kutja e ha tira.
58 “Ove we ndji yeura mouzeu, Muhona,
nu wa yama omuinyo wandje.
59 Muhona, ove vari wa muna
okuṋiṋikiziwa kwandje,
nu we ndji vatera okumuna ousemba.
60 Ove wa muna nawa kutja ovanavita
na ami ve ndji humisa,
nokutja ve rikuta kumwe okundjisekamena.
61 “Ove we ve zuva amave ndji yamburura,
Muhona; ove wa muna
omerikutirokumwe wawo
aehe wokundjisekamena.
62 Owo ve uhara amave ndji yamba,
namave rikangere ami ominwe.
63 Okuza komuhuka nga kongurova
owo ve kara pokundjihemba.
64 “Muhona, ve verera imbi mbi va tjita;
65 ve senga, nu u ve poṱuparise omitima!
66 Ve teza momazenge woye,
nu u ve yandeke kombanda yehi!”
