A Prayer for the Nation's Restoration
1 Listen to us, O Shepherd of Israel;
hear us, leader of your flock.
Seated on your throne above the winged creatures,
2 reveal yourself to the tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh.
Show us your strength;
come and save us!
3 Bring us back, O God!
Show us your mercy, and we will be saved!
4 How much longer, Lord God Almighty,
will you be angry with your people's prayers?
5 You have given us sorrow to eat,
a large cup of tears to drink.
6 You let the surrounding nations fight over our land;
our enemies insult us.
7 Bring us back, Almighty God!
Show us your mercy, and we will be saved!
8 You brought a grapevine out of Egypt;
you drove out other nations and planted it in their land.
9 You cleared a place for it to grow;
its roots went deep, and it spread out over the whole land.
10 It covered the hills with its shade;
its branches overshadowed the giant cedars.
11 It extended its branches to the Mediterranean Sea
and as far as the Euphrates River.
12 Why did you break down the fences around it?
Now anyone passing by can steal its grapes;
13 wild hogs trample it down,
and wild animals feed on it.
14 Turn to us, Almighty God!
Look down from heaven at us;
come and save your people!
15 Come and save this grapevine that you planted,
this young vine you made grow so strong!
16 Our enemies have set it on fire and cut it down;
look at them in anger and destroy them!
17 Preserve and protect the people you have chosen,
the nation you made so strong.
18 We will never turn away from you again;
keep us alive, and we will praise you.
19 Bring us back, Lord God Almighty.
Show us your mercy, and we will be saved.
Ntembezelo we kubaka itjaba
1 Teedzani, imwi nlisi we Iziraela.
Imwi munotungamila Josefa se ngubi ye pkhwizi!
Imwi mugele mu tjigalo tje bushe
pakati kwe dzikherubhu, dwililani ngopenya,
2 mbeli kwa Ifureimi na Bhenjamini na Manase!
Lakidzani simba lenyu,
ngono muzhe kowotitjidza!
3 Mutibake imwi Ndzimu,
penyesani buso gwenyu, kuti ndizo titjidziwe.
4 Imwi Yahwe Ndzimu we mibunga,
mowogwadzilamoyo mitembezelo
ye bathu benyu kuswikila lini kene?
5 Makabajisa tjiwunga nge mishodzi,
mukabapa mishodzi kuti bang'we nge buzhalo.
6 Motithama tikabe madado e babakidzani naswi,
zwita zwedu zwikatiseka mahanya.
7 Mutibake imwi Ndzimu we mibunga,
mutipenyesele buso gwenyu, kuti titjidziwe.
8 Makazhisa nzhambi kudwa ku Egipiti,
makatata zwitjaba mu shango ngono mukaudzwala.
9 Makakulila nzhambi lubazhe,
midzi yawo ikangina pasi ngono ukazhala shango.
10 Matombo akafukidzwa nge ntutshi wawo,
miti ye misida ikafukidzwa nge thabi dzawo,
11 ikadusila thabi dzawo ku gungwa,
thadzwana dzinothinila dzikaswika ku gwizi.
12 Ini ngono makapkhwanya makuma awo,
bapindi nge zila kwabanopinda betjela zhambi dzawo?
13 Hwotji ye shango inoupulula,
na zose zwinoyenda mu shango zouja.
14 Tendebukilani ku tili, imwi Ndzimu we mibunga!
Lingani pasi muli kudzimu mubone,
ibeni nge hanya ngekwe nzhambi uwoyu.
15 Iwo nti wakadzwagwa nge luboko gwenyu gwe luji.
16 Nzhambi wenyu wakatemwa ukaligigwa pasi, wakapisiwa nge moto,
dzene bangalobesiwa nge kutjemela kwenyu makashweshwanya phazha.
17 Koga tjiazha tjenyu ngatjibe pezhugwi kwa ibabo baku luboko gwenyu gwe luji,
tjaba yamakazwisimisila.
18 Ndizo atingatjamufupatile kakale,
mutipe butjilo, ngono towodana zina lenyu.
19 Mutibake imwi Yahwe Ndzimu Masimbawose,
penyesani buso gwenyu, kuti titjidziwe.