BOOK V
The Lord Is Good to His People
1 Shout praises to the Lord!
He is good to us,
and his love never fails.
2 Everyone the Lord has rescued
from trouble
should praise him,
3 everyone he has brought
from the east and the west,
the north and the south.
4 Some of you were lost
in the scorching desert,
far from a town.
5 You were hungry and thirsty
and about to give up.
6 You were in serious trouble,
but you prayed to the Lord,
and he rescued you.
7 At once he brought you
to a town.
8 You should praise the Lord
for his love
and for the wonderful things
he does for all of us.
9 To everyone who is thirsty,
he gives something to drink;
to everyone who is hungry,
he gives good things to eat.
10 Some of you were prisoners
suffering in deepest darkness
and bound by chains,
11 because you had rebelled
against God Most High
and refused his advice.
12 You were worn out
from working like slaves,
and no one came to help.
13 You were in serious trouble,
but you prayed to the Lord,
and he rescued you.
14 He brought you out
of the deepest darkness
and broke your chains.
15 You should praise the Lord
for his love
and for the wonderful things
he does for all of us.
16 He breaks down bronze gates
and shatters iron locks.
17 Some of you had foolishly
committed a lot of sins
and were in terrible pain.
18 The very thought of food
was disgusting to you,
and you were almost dead.
19 You were in serious trouble,
but you prayed to the Lord,
and he rescued you.
20 By the power of his own word,
he healed you and saved you
from destruction.
21 You should praise the Lord
for his love
and for the wonderful things
he does for all of us.
22 You should celebrate
by offering sacrifices
and singing joyful songs
to tell what he has done.
23 Some of you made a living
by sailing the mighty sea,
24 and you saw the miracles
the Lord performed there.
25 At his command a storm arose,
and waves covered the sea.
26 You were tossed to the sky
and to the ocean depths,
until things looked so bad
that you lost your courage.
27 You staggered like drunkards
and gave up all hope.
28 You were in serious trouble,
but you prayed to the Lord,
and he rescued you.
29 He made the storm stop
and the sea be quiet.
30 You were happy because of this,
and he brought you to the port
where you wanted to go.
31 You should praise the Lord
for his love
and for the wonderful things
he does for all of us.
32 Honor the Lord
when you and your leaders
meet to worship.
33 If you start doing wrong,
the Lord will turn rivers
into deserts,
34 flowing streams
into scorched land,
and fruitful fields
into beds of salt.
35 But the Lord can also turn
deserts into lakes
and scorched land
into flowing streams.
36 If you are hungry,
you can settle there
and build a town.
37 You can plant fields
and vineyards that produce
a good harvest.
38 The Lord will bless you
with many children
and with herds of cattle.
39 Sometimes you may be crushed
by troubles and sorrows,
until only a few of you
are left to survive.
40 But the Lord will take revenge
on those who conquer you,
and he will make them wander
across desert sands.
41 When you are suffering
and in need,
he will come to your rescue,
and your families will grow
as fast as a herd of sheep.
42 You will see this because
you obey the Lord,
but everyone who is wicked
will be silenced.
43 Be wise! Remember this
and think about the kindness
of the Lord.
LUKWALO GWE BUSHANU
Ndzimu unokudzigwa ndulamo
1 Tendani Yahwe, ngobe bakalulwama,
ngobe ludo gwabo gusingazunguzike gumile nge kusingapele kose.
2 Bakadzutunugwa ndi Yahwe ngabalebe bejalo,
ibabo bakadzutunugwa mu tjiazha tje tjita
3 babazwibuzila kudwa mu shango,
kudwa ku bhezhuba ne kudwa golombedzo,
kudwa ku bunandzwa ne kudwa ku burwa.
4 Bamwe bakadzungayila mu tjilambanyika tjisina ugele mutjili,
basingawane zila inoyenda ku nzi nkulu kwabangagala.
5 Bakabhakhwa nge zhala ne nyota,
bakabe bepela meya.
6 Ndizo bakalilila kuna Yahwe mukudziyidzika kwabo,
ngono bakabasunungula mu manikano dzabo.
7 Bakabatungamila nge zila yakatambunuka,
kuswikila beswika ku nzi nkulu wabangagala.
8 Ngababokele Yahwe ludo gwabo gusingazunguzike,
nenge mishingo yabo inotjenamisa mu bathu.
9 Ngobe banogukhwisa bana nyota,
ne bana zhala banobagutsha nge zwithu zwakanaka.
10 Bamwe bakagala mu zhalima ne mu lima dema lakatizwi,
basungwa bali mu kuhwazogwadza ne mu dzitshipi,
11 ngobe bakapandukila matama e Ndzimu,
bakalasha gumbuludzo le Upezhugwi zhugwi.
12 Bakapaugwa nge nshingo unolema,
bakawila pasi, kusina ne unobabhatsha.
13 Ndizo bakalilila kuna Yahwe mu kudziyidzika kwabo,
bakabatjidza mu kuhwazogwadza kwabo,
14 bakabadusa mu lima ne mu zhalima lakati zwititi,
bakathubula misungo yabo na pakati.
15 Ngababokele Yahwe ludo gwabo gusingazunguzike,
nenge mishingo yabo inotjenamisa mu bathu.
16 Ngobe banopkhwanya matendele akathamwa nge phangula,
bebuya bethubula mazhalilo e tshipi na pakati.
17 Bamwe bakabe begwalisiwa nge zila dzabo dze bubi,
kakale bakadziyila ngentha ye milandu yabo,
18 zojiwa zose zwakabe zwibashimisa,
bakashanduka pa gomba le lufu.
19 Ndizo bakalilila kuna Yahwe mu kudziyidzika kwabo,
ngono bakabatjidza mu kuhwazogwadza kwabo.
20 Bakatumila dama labo ngono likabapodza,
likabatjidza mu kulobesiwa.
21 Ngababokele Yahwe ludo gwabo gusingazunguzike
nenge mishingo yabo inotjenamisa mu bathu.
22 Ngabaduse zwibhayilo zwe dendo, kakale balebe
ngekwe mishingo yabo nge njimbo dzabo dze shatho.
23 Bamwe bakadelukila mu gungwa bali mu zwikepe,
beshaba bali mu vula hwuluhwulu dze gungwa,
24 Bakabona mishingo ya Yahwe,
mishingo yabo inotjenamisa mu kati kati kwe vula.
25 Ngobe bakalaula kukamilika matutu makulu,
akamilidza matuthu e vula ye gungwa.
26 Akamidukila pezhugwi, kabgwilila mukati kati,
bakatemeka mafupa bali mu mbatsha,
27 bakadzunguluka bakatshatsharika se bakalaladza,
ne luzibo gwabo gukabe mwina we tjigu.
28 Ndizo bakalilila kuna Yahwe mu kudziyidzika kwabo,
bakabadusa mu manikano dzabo,
29 bakadzikamisa dutu,
ne matuthu e gungwa akadzikama.
30 Ndizo bakashatha ngobe zwakabe zwadzikama,
bakanobaswikisa ku bukotokelo gwe njemulo dzabo.
31 Ngababokele Yahwe ludo gwabo gusingazunguzike,
nenge mishingo yabo inotjenamisa mu bathu.
32 Ngabamilidzile Yahwe pezhugwi mu gubungano le bathu,
babakudze mu nshangano we bahwola.
33 Banoshandula njizi dzikabe tjilambanyika,
misenya ikabe lidondo,
34 Shango ye zwizwalo ikabe gukuno,
kuli ngekwe bubi gwe bagali bayo.
35 Banoshandula tjilambanyika madziba e vula,
shango ye makwakwa ikashanduka misenya.
36 Banothama kuti bana zhala batjilile ipapo,
kakale babake nzi unogagwa muuli,
37 banodzwala mu minda, bakadzwala minda ye mizhambi,
ndizo bakavuna kunjinji.
38 Nge gombolelo labo, banowanda kwazo,
ngono abatoletja ng'ombe dzabo dzitapudzika.
39 Abatapudzika bakabe bashomanana,
balengudzika ngotshambilidziwa, kudziyidzika, nenge kuhwa zogwadza,
40 banotebulila kulengudzika mu hadzasha,
bethama kuti badzungayile mu shango pasina zila,
41 koga banomilidza basheti mu tshiyilo,
bebe bewatsha misha yabo se ngubi ye pkhwizi.
42 Bakatambunuka banokubona bebe beshatha,
koga babi bose banozhalila milomo yabo.
43 Batjenjedu ngabateedze zwithu izwezwi,
kakale babe ne njele ngekwe ludo gusingazunguzike gwa Yahwe.