1 “Ndoshima butjilo gwangu,
ndowodusa tjipa moyo ngekwe kung'ong'ola kwangu,
ndowolebeleka ngogwadziwa kumukati kwangu.
2 Ndowodwa Ndzimu nditi musindibone nlandu,
koga mundibudze kuti ini tjamunondibonela nlandu.
3 Apa komushathisa kundidziyidza,
kulengudza nshingo we maboko enyu kene?
Koga mushathila butjakwani gwe babi kene?
4 Apa muna mesho e nyama kene?
Apa mobona sekunobona nthu?
5 Apa mazhuba enyu anofanana ne mazhuba e nthu wali?
Ne makole enyu apa anofanana ne e nthu wali?
6 Ini ngono mushakisisa kutjinya kwangu,
ne kusala shule tjibi tjangu?
7 Nenguba muziba zwenyu kuti andite ndili nlandu
ne kuti akuna iye ungandiangula mu luboko gwenyu kene?
8 “Nge maboko enyu makandisinyanga mukandibumba.
Apa ngwenu mungashanduka mukandikolomola kene?
9 Kumbulani kuti makandibumba nge ntapkhwi.
Apa mowondishandula ndikabe hwuluba kakale kene?
10 Apa amuzonditebula se nkaka kene?
Apa amuzondikununga se tjatjile kene?
11 Apa amuzondiambadza ganda ne nyama,
mukandiluka mubhatshanya mafupa angu ne makanyu kene?
12 Makandipa butjilo ne ludo gusingazunguzike,
makatjengeta meya yangu.
13 “Koga zwithu izwezwi makazwisumbika mu moyo wenyu,
ndoziba kuti ikoku kwagala kuli mu nkumbulo wenyu.
14 Ha nditjinya mobe makandilinga,
ngono amungandiletje ndisalobgwa shamu.
15 Ha ndili nlandu, ndabangalaligwa wee!
Ha ndili nlulwami, ndokongwa nge kumusa nsholo wangu
ngobe ndibhakhwa nge shoni kwazo,
andibona kudziyidzika kwangu.
16 Ha nditi ndomusa nsholo mondivima se shumba,
mothama matjenamiso mundili.
17 Momusidzila batendeki benyu batshwa nge kwangu,
mupapha bushongola gwenyu mu ndili,
mogala muna zila tshwa kundiloba.
18 “Makathamilani kuti ndizwagwe kene?
Ndoyemula ndingabe ndakafa kusina zhisho lathu landibona,
19 kuti kunge se ungati andizotongobepo,
kene kunge se ungati ndakadwa mu ntumbu ndiyisiwa ku gomba.
20 Apa mazhuba angu e bupenyu ate ali mashomanana kene?
Mundiletje nditongobe nge tjibaka tje shatho,
21 ndisathu ndikayenda kwandisingawoshanduka,
ku shango ye buyendasi ne zhalima lakati zwititi,
22 shango yakati zwititi ne kushangashangana
shango ina tjedza tjinonga zhalima.”
1 I am tired of living.
Listen to my bitter complaint.
2 Don't condemn me, God.
Tell me! What is the charge against me?
3 Is it right for you to be so cruel?
To despise what you yourself have made?
And then to smile on the schemes of wicked people?
4 Do you see things as we do?
5 Is your life as short as ours?
6 Then why do you track down all my sins
and hunt down every fault I have?
7 You know that I am not guilty,
that no one can save me from you.
8 Your hands formed and shaped me,
and now those same hands destroy me.
9 Remember that you made me from clay;
are you going to crush me back to dust?
10 You gave my father strength to beget me;
you made me grow in my mother's womb.
11 You formed my body with bones and sinews
and covered the bones with muscles and skin.
12 You have given me life and constant love,
and your care has kept me alive.
13 But now I know that all that time
you were secretly planning to harm me.
14 You were watching to see if I would sin,
so that you could refuse to forgive me.
15 As soon as I sin, I'm in trouble with you,
but when I do right, I get no credit.
I am miserable and covered with shame.
16 If I have any success at all,
you hunt me down like a lion;
to hurt me you even work miracles.
17 You always have some witness against me;
your anger toward me grows and grows;
you always plan some new attack.
18 Why, God, did you let me be born?
I should have died before anyone saw me.
19 To go from the womb straight to the grave
would have been as good as never existing.
20 Isn't my life almost over? Leave me alone!
Let me enjoy the time I have left.
21 I am going soon and will never come back—
going to a land that is dark and gloomy,
22 a land of darkness, shadows, and confusion,
where the light itself is darkness.