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!”
Kulobgwa shamu ne kushanduka ne kugalabgwe
1 Imi ndimi nthu wakabona kudziyidzika,
mu shamu ye bushongola gwabo,
2 Bakandikweba bakandiyisa
ku lima lisina tjedza,
3 nge malebeswa banomilidza luboko gwabo
bendiloba be paphulula kanjinji zhuba lose.
4 Bakathama kuti nyama yangu
ne ganda langu zwishakale,
mafupa angu bakaavuna vuna.
5 Bakandikomba bakandipoteleka
nge bushungu ne mang'oni.
6 Bakathama kuti ndigale mu zhalima
se nfi wa ntolo.
7 Bakandibakilila nge bhakasa kuti ndizo ndisitongo siya
bakalonga ketani dzinolema mundili.
8 Nenguba ndidana ndikumbila bhatsho,
abatoteedza ntembezelo wangu,
9 bakazhalila zila dzangu nge mabgwe akabezhiwa,
bakathama kuti zila dzangu dzikombame.
10 Se bhira yakalalila bakandisala shule
se shumba imu zwimba,
11 bakandidzibilidza mu zila dzangu,
bakandipalula abe zwitibhu tibhu
bakandisiya ndili mu zhuba.
12 Bakapeta dati labo bakalingisana nami,
bakathama kuti ndibe unoposiwa nge misebe yabo.
13 Bakabhaya moyo wangu
nge misebe ye gobhodo labo.
14 Ndatjibe tjiseko ku bathu bose,
kundidadila kwabo kwatjibe lumbo gwe zhuba lose.
15 Bakandigutsha nge zwinobaba,
bakanding'wisa ndulu inobaba.
16 Bakathama kuti meno angu apupune mabgwana
bakandivukidza mu hwuluba.
17 Ndakadzibigwa mbakiso,
ndakakangang'wa kuti bhudilila kodwiwani.
18 Ndizo nditi, “Gudzo langu lakapela,
na zose zwandakabe ndakazwilingilila kudwa kuna Yahwe.”
19 Kumbulani kudziyidzika ne lungaila kwangu,
ne mbabashulo ne ndulu zwinobaba.
20 Nkumbulo wangu unogala wakakualakana,
ngono kondidzonga nkumbulo.
21 Koga ikoku ndowokulonga mu moyo,
ndizo nditjina kugalabgwe.
22 Ludo gusingazunguzike gwa Yahwe agutoma,
mahwilo ngoni abo aatopela,
23 matshwa mangwanana mamwe ne mamwe,
kukulu kugalikamoyo kwenyu.
24 Yahwe ndibo gobe langu,
ndozwidwa ndiyijalo,
ndizo ndowogalabgwe mu bali.
25 Yahwe bakalulwama kuna banogalabgwe mu bali,
kuna ibabo banobashaka.
26 Kwakanaka kulindila nge moyonlefu
jidzo la Yahwe.
27 Kwakanaka kuti nthu
asenge jokwi atji ntjetjana.
28 Ngaagale ali ega akanyalala,
ngoti Yahwe ndibo batilika ntolo mu nli.
29 Ngaavukidzile buso gugwe mu hwuluba,
pamwe swiyo kungabe kutjina kugalabgwe.
30 Ngaape lushaya gugwe kuna unonloba,
agute masapa awe.
31 Ngobe She abangatilashile tjose.
32 Nenguba bangazhisa zogwadza,
kudwapo banolakidza mahwilo zogwadza,
kuyendidzana nge bukulu gwe ludo gwabo gusingazunguzike.
33 Ngoti abatoloba kene
kuzhisa zogwadza mu bana be bathu nge mwaza.
34 Kutshamba nge makumbo
basungwa bose mu shango,
35 kulambila nthu tjakanlingisana,
mbeli kwe Upezhugwi zhugwi,
36 kudzibila nthu ndulamo,
Yahwe abatodumana ne zwithu zwakajali!
37 Ndiani ungalebeleka kukashingikala,
kuzhe kwe kuti She babe balaula kuti kujalo kene?
38 Apa ate nlomo we Upezhugwi zhugwi,
unodwa zogwadza zose ne zwithu zwibuya kene?
39 Ini nthu unotjila angang'ongola
haelobgwa shamu ye zwibi zwizwe kene?
40 Ngati shakisiseni zila dzedu kakale tidzilike,
ngono tishandukile kuna Yahwe.
41 Ngatizhuleni mimoyo yedu timilidzile maboko edu
ku Ndzimu u kudzimu titi,
42 “Takatjinya tikapanduka,
ngono amuzowotizwiibhatigwa.
43 “Makazwifukidza nge gwadzamoyo mukatitatamila
mukatibulaya musina ngoni.
44 Makazwifukidza nge gole,
kuti kushete ntembezelo ungaswika kumuli.
45 Makati thama tikabe shambgwa ne malala
pakati kwe zwitjaba.
46 “Zwita zose zwedu
zwakati zhulila milomo yazo zotituka.
47 Lutjo ne bhuzhu zwimbeli kwedu,
paladziwa ne golomodzo zwakatilingisana.”
48 Misenya ye mishodzi inowunga kudwa mu mesho angu,
ngoti bathu bakanyi kwangu balobesiwa.
49 “Mesho angu anowowunga mishodzi
nge kusingapele, asina kunyaluluka,
50 kudzina Yahwe belinga pasi bali pezhugwi
kubona tjinoshingikala.
51 Zwandinobona zondizhisila buyendasi mu moyo wangu,
ngekwe kudziyila kwe bakololokadzi be nzi wangu nkulu.
52 “Zwita zwangu zwakabe zwakandibengela suli,
zwakabe zwindivima se nyuni.
53 Zwakagwisa kupedza butjilo gwangu
nge kundilashila mu gomba,
zwikandikikithidza nge mabgwe,
54 vula ikandima pa thong'omana
ngono azwidwa nditi ndafa tjose.
55 “Ndakadana zina lenyu imwi Yahwe,
ndili pasi pasi mu gomba.
56 Makahwa kukumbila kwangu,
musizwine zebe dzenyu andililila kumuli
ndikumbila bhatsho.
57 Makasedzela pandili pandakabe ndimudana,
ngono makati kundili ‘Usitje!’
58 “Imwi She makatola ndebo yangu,
makadzutunula butjilo gwangu.
59 Yahwe makabona kuti ndakasundigwa nlandu tjini,
sumikilisani ndebo yangu.
60 Makabona kuti bakabe bali zhele kubgwilizila kungapani
ne njanga dzabakandilukila.
61 “Imwi Yahwe makahwa masapa azo,
ne kundilukila njanga kwazo,
62 milomo ne mikumbulu ye zwita zwangu
dzobhayana nami zhuba lose koga.
63 Tongobonani koga, abegala kene bema,
tjabo hwundidadila koga nge njimbo dzabo.
64 “Muzwibgwilizile itjo tjakazwilingisana imwi Yahwe,
kuyendidzana ne tjazwakathama.
65 Tundubadzani mimoyo yazo,
bhiso lenyu liwile muzwili.
66 Muzwitatamile nge bushongola muzwilobese,
mu zhuzhugwi la Yahwe.”