The Prayer of a Troubled Youth
1 Listen to my prayer, O Lord,
and hear my cry for help!
2 When I am in trouble,
don't turn away from me!
Listen to me,
and answer me quickly when I call!
3 My life is disappearing like smoke;
my body is burning like fire.
4 I am beaten down like dry grass;
I have lost my desire for food.
5 I groan aloud;
I am nothing but skin and bones.
6 I am like a wild bird in the desert,
like an owl in abandoned ruins.
7 I lie awake;
I am like a lonely bird on a housetop.
8 All day long my enemies insult me;
those who mock me use my name in cursing.
9-10 Because of your anger and fury,
ashes are my food,
and my tears are mixed with my drink.
You picked me up and threw me away.
11 My life is like the evening shadows;
I am like dry grass.
12 But you, O Lord, are king forever;
all generations will remember you.
13 You will rise and take pity on Zion;
the time has come to have mercy on her;
this is the right time.
14 Your servants love her,
even though she is destroyed;
they have pity on her,
even though she is in ruins.
15 The nations will fear the Lord;
all the kings of the earth will fear his power.
16 When the Lord rebuilds Zion,
he will reveal his greatness.
17 He will hear his forsaken people
and listen to their prayer.
18 Write down for the coming generation what the Lord has done,
so that people not yet born will praise him.
19 The Lord looked down from his holy place on high,
he looked down from heaven to earth.
20 He heard the groans of prisoners
and set free those who were condemned to die.
21 And so his name will be proclaimed in Zion,
and he will be praised in Jerusalem
22 when nations and kingdoms come together
and worship the Lord.
23 The Lord has made me weak while I am still young;
he has shortened my life.
24 O God, do not take me away now
before I grow old.
O Lord, you live forever;
25 long ago you created the earth,
and with your own hands you made the heavens.
26 They will disappear, but you will remain;
they will all wear out like clothes.
You will discard them like clothes,
and they will vanish.
27 But you are always the same,
and your life never ends.
28 Our children will live in safety,
and under your protection
their descendants will be secure.
Mätu Agoanji se Rriti be ro
1 Nyeri mätu maro, Äye OPI,
ago nyeri driayo maro ta ŋgaopa rota!
2 Mina mi ko pere ni maresi
ondro ma'dote rriti ya owo!
Nyeri ma,
ago mizatadri maro ndriro ondro mate mi uzi owo!
3 Tu ori maro ka ugu ruona oso kätu ronye;
lomvo maro ka ugu uje oso asi ronye.
4 A'bi ma te vuru oso käyi awiro ronye;
tokanji maro te i'do ŋgaonya ta.
5 Ni leri amba ri,
e'bete toto kyini maro ndi kowa be.
6 Malabate oso ari vocowa ro vocowa ya ronye,
oso bivu se tandro ya ronye.
7 Ma u'du miuŋbo;
ma orivoya oso ari se iṛe zodri ronye.
8 Kyila'baazii kayi ma o'da kituzwi;
ànya se kayibe ma mo'do kayi ugu 'di o'da ävuru maro si.
9 Ŋgaonya maro ni orivoya torofo,
ago miendre maro tasarute ŋgaumvuro maro be.
10 Tana ta kyila miro ndi ozi be rota,
mihwe ma te atwa kuru ago mivo ma te cowa.
11 Tu ori maro ro laba oso lindri tandrolero ronye;
ma owi oso käyi ronye.
12 Oko mi, Äye OPI, mi orivoya 'bädri'ba yi äduako;
liku miro orina 'da le kovele'bai ya.
13 Miŋgana 'da ago ya miro unina 'da Zaiona lomvo;
ono ni tuse a'doza yauni be anya lomvo owo;
tuna ŋgyena esate.
14 Ruindu'bai miro luyi kuni na eperebe 'do tawi,
ànya yauni be tondro na lomvo.
15 Tu'dei turinayi OPI 'da;
ago 'bädri'bai cini 'bädri ro turinayi mbara ndaro 'da.
16 OPI ogo obena Zaiona 'da,
nda ka'dana a'do'desi ndaro 'da.
17 Nda erina mätu lidri ndaro se e'bete ro 'da
ago ogana mätu ànyaro ko zo.
18 Mi'ba egyi tase ono kovole'bai se kabe eso kai ri.
Tana lidri se äti dri ko iyi käräṛuyi OPI robe.
19 OPI ndrevote vuru ni vo alokado ndaro kuru yasi,
nda ndrevote vuru ni vo'buyakuru yasi 'bädri dri.
20 Nda eri leri kamba'bai rote
ago onji ànya se ape vurena te ufune te dritai ro.
21 Ta'doro ayona ävuru ndaro tana 'da Zaiona ya,
ago äräṛuna nda 'da Yerusalema ya,
22 ondro tu'dei ndi miri 'bädri'bai robe kikyiyite voaloya
OPI mätune owo.
23 OPI 'ba ma te mbaraako dri ṛo ma agoanji ro;
nda logo tu maro te juṛuŋwa.
24 Äye Lu maro, miru ma ko yau
teinye dri agoanji maro si.
Äye OPI, mi se nyaori äduako ono;
25 mi'ba 'bädri ṛoni kyeno,
ago drì modo miro rosi mi'ba vo'buyakuru ni.
26 Ànya a'dona 'da i'do, oko mirina 'da rriro;
ànya lewana 'da oso boŋgo ronye.
Mivona ànya 'da cowa oso boŋgo ronye,
ago ànya a'donayi 'da i'do.
27 Oko mi orivoya 'du drialodri,
ago ori miro orivoya äduako.
28 Ŋgwai ruindu'bai miro ro orinayi 'da londro ro,
ago zelevoi ànyaro orinayi 'da tokpero.