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!”
Taezaro, Drieta, ndi Mio'ba be
1 Ma ni 'dise kondre rueza se
dofo kyila ndaro rosi be owo.
2 Nda nja ma te ago ezi
ma te le ŋgätini se ŋgaeyi te i'do;
3 ago 'bi mate kpe kpe drì kitu zwi.
4 Nda 'ba iza lomvo maro ndi kyini lomvo maro robe ruenjine,
ago toŋgo kowa maro te.
5 Nda ru ma te ago sedri maro te
rriti ya ago tausu ya.
6 Nda 'ba mate orine 'du ŋgätini ya.
Oso 'dise kodrate kyeno 'do ronye.
7 Nda mu drî maro te ago mäni kote voopane.
Nda embe ma te nyori si.
8 Matre ca ago mayo dri ca ta ŋgaopa rota,
caoko Lu gatezo mätu maro erine;
9 nda tisi liti maro te kuni tiṛi vosi;
ago se liti maro te shya.
10 Nda vute ma kotene oso mänyisile ronye;
nda eŋgate mädri oso ibi ronye.
11 Nda ugu mate zwi ni liti drisi,
ago towa mate jinyijinyi, ndi e'be mate ŋgaopa ako.
12 Nda ewa kusu ndaro te
ago diri mate ätu ndaro si.
13 Nda 'bo ätu ndaro te ägyuru le ya maro ya.
14 Ma'dote ŋga uguro ro lidri cini ri;
mate ŋga ojiro ro ànya cini ri kitu zwi.
15 Nda ozote rriti 'desi ayani märi
ndi rueza kozipara.
16 Nda toŋgo si maro te kagwa dri
kyiyi mi maro te gyini dri.
17 Musu taliatokpe kote,
ago mijeta a'do riyä ro rote.
18 Mbara maro te i'do;
ago mio'ba maro OPI dri kyete.
19 OPI miyi ta rueza maro ro,
ndi rriti maro be, tusu maro ndi rriti maro be.
20 Marite 'du tana usune oko,
tori maro a'dote mäyuro.
21 Caoko musu ta alodi ono tana te
oko 'ba mate a'done mio'ba be:
22 Ŋgalu 'duro OPI ro ndi yauni ndaro be
kye ko cu alona,
23 ànya orivoya to'diro kyenoŋbo cini si;
ago taŋgye miro orivoya ndra OPI.
24 Ŋgase ma'dobe sina toto ni OPI,
ta'doro ma'ba mi nda dri ayani.
25 OPI orivoya kadoro 'dise cini
koyi tabe nda ya iyi ri,
ago 'dise kabe nda uṛi ri.
26 Ni kado orine yaiŋgyi si-
ŋgaopa OPI ro kotevoya-
27 Ago orivoya kadopara eto yaiŋgyi ono ro tana unine
ṛo agoànji ndaro rosi.
28 Mi'ba nda kori iṛe ago titiro Yaiŋgyi si
ondro nda kate rueza owo;
29 nda kedi drî vuru taoro si
tana mio'ba drigba gi orivoya.
30 Mi'ba nda kozo biṛi ndaro o'bine,
màle tadrina ro kpeye.
31 Tana OPI orivoya yauni be amba
ago unina ko 'du ama ogane zo.
32 Nda kozo tusu gica ämäri,
caoko ndana a'dona 'da yauni be tana ŋgalu 'duro ndaro orivoya ago parandra.
33 Nda a'do ko yai'dwesi
lidri o'bane tusuro ago ruezane.
34 Ondro ate kamba'bai ezana ya
OPI ni tana te;
35 ondro akpe ama teni taŋgye se
nda kozobe ämäri 'do drisi nda ni tana te;
36 Ondro aye taŋgye kote vo vure roya
nda ni tana te.
37 A'di ata ta aza ni ndi a'dogwo taŋgye ro ya,
e'be gialo toto OPI o'bana tana ni.
38 Inye'do tase kadoro ago koziro 'do
ka ko a'do ota ndaro si ya?
39 Tana e'di lidri ka driovi
ondro ka'do eza ànya te ta takozi anyaro rota niya?
40 Mì'de mèna liti taoye amaro ro
ago mètadri OPI re.
41 Mì'de màfo ya amaro
ago mä̀mätu Lu se vo'buyakuru ya ono ri.
42 Tana mènjitate ago mògbote,
ago mi, OPI, nye'be ama kote takozi ta.
43 “Nya'dote kyilaro ago nyorote ama vo;
nyutufu ama te yauni ako si.
44 Nyagaga mi te 'dikolo si;
se 'ba mätu amaro kote osane mire.
45 Mi'ba ama te ŋgakozi ro
ago takaci ako 'bädri ya.
46 “Kyila'baazii cini amaro
guyi 'dolo te ama zele.
47 Màte ori rriti ya turi si;
epere ama te ago utufu ama te.
48 Miendre maro ka udi oso gyi ronye
ta tufu lidri maro rota.
49 “Miendre maro udina
'da 'du edreako,
50 madale OPI ezana mi lutu vuru
ni vo'buyakuru yasi ondrene.
51 Ondro mandre kandrakozi ndiriŋgwa 'bakici maro
oko rote ono ma'dote tusuro amba.
52 “Kyila'baazii 'ba meleyite iba ya oso ari ronye
teinye märi ŋgakozi aza oyeako.
53 Ànya voyi mate lidriidriro 'bu ya
ago voya kuni te mädri.
54 Gyi eto utite mädri ago mamate makye.
Odra maro te lototi,
55 “Miliyite miri Äye OPI ni 'bu zelesi,
56 nyeri rulo'ba maro te, ‘Miga ko zo liyi maro ta
ŋgaopa rota erine.’
57 Nyikyite ti ondro mazi mi te owo
ago nyatate märi mikye: ‘Nyuturi ko.’
58 “OPI, nyikyite ma opane,
ago mipa adri maro te.
59 Mini tase ayebe märi koziro ono te OPI;
mipe vure maro.
60 Tase ya kyila'baazii maro ro kosobe malomvo
ago käyiyi ta be malomvo ono mini tana te.
61 “Äye OPI, nyeri la'da se ànya kayibe ma lo'da sina
ono te; mini taäyi se cini ànyaro malomvo ono tana te.
62 Kyila'baazi kayi ta ata ago kayi
tavoora malomvo ṛo tu cini si.
63 Ànya kayi ma ugu 'dolo ro
eto ṛoni kyenoŋbo sagwo le ŋgäkyi ya.
64 “Äye OPI, nyologo votaro ànyari
a'do taoye ànyaro ro voro.
65 Mi'ba ànya a'done mio'ba ako
ago mitri ànya!
66 Nyalanja ànya kyila si
ago nyutufu ànya kpeye ni 'bädri yasi.”