1 “Xawe nēsi gu ge tita xa a ǂkham khoega, tita ra ǃhō!
ǁÎgu îgu ge xū-i tsîna ge ǃgâiba tama hâ i,
ti ǀgoana ra ǃûi arigu ǀkhas tsîna ta a ǃgû kai gu ǁoase.
2 ǁÎgu ǃomgu ǀgaiba tare-e harebeba te hâ?
ǁÎgu ǀgaib ge ge ǁō.
3 ǃGomma tsâs tsî ǃâs xa gu ge dītoahe hâ,
ǂnâsa ǃgaroǃhūb ǃnâ gu ge
ǂnâsa haiga tsuxub ǃnâ ra xâu.
4 ǀKhuru ǁhaon tsî haiǂnaren,
tsî ǀnapuhaidi ǃnomagu tsîn ge ǁîga ǂûse ge ība i.
5 ǁÎgu ge ǀhûhâsiba xu ge sauruǂuihe;
ǃnari-aogu as khamin ge ǁîga gere ǃauǃgâ.
6 ǁÎgu ge ǃāgu di ǃgoaǃnāgu, ǃhūb ǃnâ hâ āgu
tsî ǃgareǀui ǁhoagu tsîgu ǃnâ sī nî hâse ge ǁgariǂuihe.
7 Haiǀgommi ǃnâgu ge ǀgurun khami gere ǃū;
tsî ǀgom ǁkhūhaidi ǃnâ gere gau.
8 ǁÎgu ge ǁnâuǃāoǃnâ, ǀono khoen ôagu,
ǃhūba xu ge sauruǂuihega.
9 “Nēsi ta ge go ǁîgu ǃhōtsana kai;
ǁîgu di ǃhōxū kai ta ge go.
10 ǁÎgu ge tita xa ra uixa
tsî kaise ǃnūse tita xu ra hâ;
îganǀgē-i ose gu ge ti ais ǃnâ ra ǂara.
11 Elob ge ti ǀnaeba ǁara ǃkhais ge ge ǀgaioǃnâ kai te;
khoen ge ǃgôaose ti ǃoagu ra tanisen.
12 Ti amǀkhāba xu gu ra ǂkham khoega ǁnāǂam te;
sauruma te gu ra; tita hîkākāsa gu ra ôa-am.
13 Ti ûidaoba gu ra ǁara tsî tita hîkākāsa hō-am,
khoe-i xa gu huihe tamase.
14 ǂNubiǂgoab khôaǃkhais ǃnâ-ūs khami gu ge ra hā;
ǂnubiǂgoab ǃkhomǃkhais ǃnâ-u gu ge ra hāǂam te.
15 ǃAob ge ge ǃkhō te;
ǂoab xa ǃgombēhe hâ khamis ge ti khoesisa ge kā,
tsî ti ǃgâiǃgâb ge ǃâu-i khami ge bē.
16 “Nēsisa ta ǃaruǀî ûi-e ūhâ tama;
tsēdi ǂōǂōsib didi ge hāǂam te hâ.
17 Tsuxub ra ti ǂkhōga tsûb ǀkha ǃkhāǃkharuǃnâ;
sâ-e mā te tamaseb ra tsûba xâu te.
18 ǁÎb kai ǀgaib ǀkhab ge Eloba sara-i khami ge ǃā te;
sarab di ǃaob ǀkhas khamib ge ra ǃkhōdom te.
19 ǁÎb ge ǂgoab ǃnâ ge aoǂgā te
tsî ta ge tsarab tsî tsaob ǀkha ge ǀgui.
20 “Huib ǃaroma ta sa ǃoa ra ǂgai, xawets ǃeream te tama;
sa aiǃâ ta mâ, xawets ge mû te tama hâ.
21 Kaise ǁkhōǁkhōsasets ge ti ǃoagu ge dabasen;
sa ǃommi di ǁkhāsib hoab ǀkhats ge ra ǁnāǂam te.
22 ǂOas nî ǃgombē te sets ra kuikhâi te
tsîts sa ǁkhōǁkhōsa ǂoas ǃnâ ra ǃhaebema te.
23 ǁŌb kōsets nî ǀkhī-ū tesa ta ge a ǂan,
ǁnā ǃkhais hoaraga khoen ǂhomibahe hâs ǃoa.
24 Amase, ǂkhabutoa hâ khoe-i ǃoaguts ge khâi ǁoa,
ǂōǂōsib ǃnâ i ga ǁî-e ǀkhomxase huiǂgaio.
25 ǃGomma ra tsâ khoen ǃaroma ā tama ta ge hâ i?
ǀGâsan ǃaroma ti ǀomsa ǃoa tamas ge hâ i?
26 Xawe ǃgâina ta ga ôa, ob ra ǂkhababa ǃoa te
tsî ǃnâba ta ga ôa, ob ra ǃkhaenaba ǃoa te.
27 Ti ǂganagab ge ǂkhîoǃnâ tsî hoaǁae sâoǃnâ;
ǂōǂōsib tsēdi ge ǃâu te hâ.
28 ǂNū ta go, xawe sores ǀgamma xus ose;
ǀhûhâsib ǁaegu mâ tsî ta ra huiǂgai.
29 ǀGirib ǀguiba ta ǃgâsase ūhâ
tsî ǀamina, ti ǀhōsan ase.
30 Ti khōb ge ge ǂnû tsî ra ǁnāǁgôa,
tsî ti ǂkhōgu ge ǀgammi xa ra ǂhubi.
31 ǁGoas ai ta ge ti harps ai ǃoab ǀōb ǀguiba gere ǀhuru,
tsî ti ǂnunib ai ǁgamrogu di ǀōb ǀguiba.
1 But men younger than I am make fun of me now!
Their fathers have always been so worthless
that I wouldn't let them help my dogs guard sheep.
2 They were a bunch of worn-out men,
too weak to do any work for me.
3 They were so poor and hungry
that they would gnaw dry roots—
at night, in wild, desolate places.
4 They pulled up the plants of the desert and ate them,
even the tasteless roots of the broom tree!
5 Everyone drove them away with shouts,
as if they were shouting at thieves.
6 They had to live in caves,
in holes dug in the sides of cliffs.
7 Out in the wilds they howled like animals
and huddled together under the bushes.
8 A worthless bunch of nameless nobodies!
They were driven out of the land.
9 Now they come and laugh at me;
I am nothing but a joke to them.
10 They treat me with disgust;
they think they are too good for me,
and even come and spit in my face.
11 Because God has made me weak and helpless,
they turn against me with all their fury.
12 This mob attacks me head-on;
they send me running; they prepare their final assault.
13 They cut off my escape and try to destroy me;
and there is no one to stop them.
14 They pour through the holes in my defenses
and come crashing down on top of me;
15 I am overcome with terror;
my dignity is gone like a puff of wind,
and my prosperity like a cloud.
16 Now I am about to die;
there is no relief for my suffering.
17 At night my bones all ache;
the pain that gnaws me never stops.
18 God seizes me by my collar
and twists my clothes out of shape.
19 He throws me down in the mud;
I am no better than dirt.
20 I call to you, O God, but you never answer;
and when I pray, you pay no attention.
21 You are treating me cruelly;
you persecute me with all your power.
22 You let the wind blow me away;
you toss me about in a raging storm.
23 I know you are taking me off to my death,
to the fate in store for everyone.
24 Why do you attack a ruined man,
one who can do nothing but beg for pity?
25 Didn't I weep with people in trouble
and feel sorry for those in need?
26 I hoped for happiness and light,
but trouble and darkness came instead.
27 I am torn apart by worry and pain;
I have had day after day of suffering.
28 I go about in gloom, without any sunshine;
I stand up in public and plead for help.
29 My voice is as sad and lonely
as the cries of a jackal or an ostrich.
30 My skin has turned dark; I am burning with fever.
31 Where once I heard joyful music,
now I hear only mourning and weeping.
