Social Injustice Is Condemned
1 The Lord hasn't lost
his powerful strength;
he can still hear
and answer prayers.
2 Your sins are the roadblock
between you and your God.
That's why he doesn't answer
your prayers
or let you see his face.
3 Your talk is filled with lies
and plans for violence;
every finger on your hands
is covered with blood.
4 You falsely accuse others
and tell lies in court;
sin and trouble are the names
of your children.
5 You eat the deadly eggs
of poisonous snakes,
and more snakes crawl out
from the eggs left to hatch.
You weave spider webs,
6 but you can't make clothes
with those webs
or hide behind them.
You're sinful and brutal.
7 You hurry off to do wrong
or murder innocent victims.
All you think about is sin;
you leave ruin and destruction
wherever you go.
8 You don't know how
to live in peace
or to be fair with others.
The roads you make are crooked;
your followers cannot find peace.
The People Confess Their Sins
9 No one has come to defend us
or to bring about justice.
We hoped for a day of sunshine,
but all we found
was a dark, gloomy night.
10 We feel our way along,
as if we were blind;
we stumble at noon,
as if it were night.
We can see no better
than someone dead.
11 We growl like bears
and mourn like doves.
We hope for justice and victory,
but they escape us.
12 How often have we sinned
and turned against you,
the Lord God?
Our sins condemn us!
We have done wrong.
13 We have rebelled and refused
to follow you.
Our hearts were deceitful,
and so we lied;
we planned to abuse others
and turn our backs on you.
14 Injustice is everywhere;
justice seems far away.
Truth is chased out of court;
honesty is shoved aside.
15 Everyone tells lies;
those who turn from crime
end up ruined.
The Lord Will Rescue His People
When the Lord noticed
that justice had disappeared,
he became very displeased.
16 It disgusted him even more
to learn that no one
would do a thing about it.
So with his own powerful arm,
he won victories for truth.
17 Justice was the Lord's armor;
saving power was his helmet;
anger and revenge
were his clothes.
18 Now the Lord will get furious
and do to his enemies,
both near and far,
what they did to his people.
19 He will attack like a flood
in a mighty windstorm.
Nations in the west and the east
will then honor and praise
his wonderful name.
20 The Lord has promised to rescue
the city of Zion
and Jacob's descendants
who turn from sin.
21 The Lord says: “My people,
I promise to give you my Spirit
and my message.
These will be my gifts to you
and your families forever.
I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Kēbo-aob ge khoen ǁorena ra ǀgoraǃgâ
1 Mû, ǃKhūb ǃommi ge ores ǃaroma ǃnubu tama, tamas ka ios ge ǁîb ǂgaesa ǁnâus ǃaroma ǂgansa tama hâ. 2 Xawe sadu ǁoren ge sadu tsî sadu Elob tsîdu ǁaegu ǁhāba ǁgui hâ, tsî sadu ǁoren ge ǁîb aisa sado xu gaugau hâna, ǁîb ǁnâu tidese. 3 Sa ǃomkha ǀaob xa ǀuriǀurihe hâ xui-ao tsî sa ǀkhunuga ǁoreb xa. Sa amǁgaukha ge ǂhumiba ge ǃhoa, sa namma ǀgoemîde.
4 Khoe-i xare-i ge ǂhanu-aisib ǀkha ǁae tama hâ, khoe-i xare-i ge ǂhauǃnâse ǂhanub ǁga ī tama hâ. ǁÎn ge ǀkhaiǃnâ ǀkhomadi ai ra ǂgomaiǂnûi, ǁîn ge ra ǂhumi, ǁgâiǀāba ǀgamǀkhā tsî dīsāde ra ǁora. 5 ǁÎn ge ǃgaidi ǃupude khore kai tsî ǀnûiǃkhamga ra dī. ǁÎn ǃupude ra ǂû khoe-i hoa-i ge ra ǁō tsî i ge khôasa ǃupusa xu ǃgāxa ǀao-e ra ǂoaxa. 6 ǁÎn ǀhū-oms ge a sara kai ǁoa, kurun gen ǀkhas tsîna. ǁÎn ǀapedi a ge ǂkhaba tsî ǂkhabadīb ge ǁîn ǃomǁae hâ. 7 ǁÎn ǂaidi ge ǂkhabab ǃaroma ra ǃkhoe tsîn ge ǀhapio ǀaoban nî ǂnâxūse ra ǃnoe. ǁÎn ǂâidi ge a ǂkhabadīb di, tsî hîkākās tsî khôaǂkhūs tsîra ge ǁîn ǃgangu ǃnâ hâ. 8 ǁÎn ge ǂkhîb daoba a ǀū tsî ǁîn daogu ǃnâ-i ge ǂhanu-aisi xare-e ǀkhai. ǁÎn daogan ge ǀhôagaosib ǀkha ge kuru; ǁîgu ǃnâ ra ǃgû khoe-i hoa-i ge ǂkhîba a ǀū.
Khoen ge ǁoren âna ra ǁguiǁnâ
9 ǁNā-amagab ge ǂhanuba sada xu a ǃnū tsîb ge ǂhanu-aisiba a hō da ǁoa. ǃNâba da ra kō-ôa, tsî mû, ǃkhaenas ǀguis tsî ǃnâsasiba, xawe da ǃkhaeb ǀguib ǃnâ ra ǃgû. 10 ǂGī khoe-i khami da ge ǂnubiǂgoab ai ra tsanana, mûna ūhâ taman khami da ra tsananama. Tsuxubas khami da ge tsēa ra ǃnôa, ǀgaisan ǁaegu da ge ǁō hân khami ī. 11 Sida hoada ge bērn khami ra ā, ǂnabudi khami da ge ra ǃgae; ǂhanu-aisiba da ra ôa, xaweb a ǀkhai, oresa da ra ôa, xawes ǁîsa sida xu a ǃnū.
12 “ǃKhūtse, sida ǀhapin ge sa aiǃâ a ǂgui tsîn ge sida ǁorena sida ǃoagu ra ǃkhō-am; sida dīsādi ge sida ǀkha hâ tsî sida ǀhapina da ge a ǂan. 13 ǃÛǂams tsî ǃKhūba ǀūxūs, tsî sida Eloba saosa xu da ge ge dabasen; ǁgâiǀāb tsî khâikhâisens tsîra xa ǃhoas, ǂhumib xa ǀgamǀkhā tsî ǂgaoba xu ǂhumis ǀkha da ge ǁnāsa ge dī. 14 ǂHanub ge ǁkhae-oahe hâ tsîb ge ǂhanu-aisiba ǃnūse mâ; ǀhûhâsib ǀhaoǃkhaidi aib ge amaba ra ǃnôa tsîb ge ǂhauǃnâsiba a ǂgâ ǁoa. 15 Amab ge a ǀkhai tsî ǂkhababa xu ra ūdabasen-i ge ra amǀnē kai. ǃKhūb ge ǁnāsa mû ob ge ǃgâibahe tama ge i, ǂhanu-aisib ge ǀkhai i xui-ao.”
ǃKhūb ge ǁîb ǁaesa huiǂuis ǃoa ra ǂhomisen
16 Khoe-i xare-i ǀkhai ǃkhaisab ge ge mû tsî ǀnae nî khoe-i ǀkhai ǃkhais xa gere burugâ. ǁNā-amagab ge ǁîb ǂhunuma ǁôaba dansa ge hā-ūba bi tsî ǁîb ǂhanu-aisib ge ǁîba ge mâǃgâ. 17 ǁÎb ge ǁkhaisarab ase ǂhanu-aisiba ge ǂgaeǂgā tsî ores toroǀgapasa ge ǀgapa. ǁÎb ge ǀkhaoba sarab ase ge ǂgaeǂgā tsîb ge tauxasiba anaǂamsarab ase ge ana. 18 ǁÎn dīgu ǃoan ge nî mādawa-amhe; ǁgôasiba ǁîb mâǃoa-aon ǃoagu, dīdawa-amsa ǁîb khākhoen ǃoagu. ǃNāǃnuideb ge ǁîdi amǃnâ nî mādawa-am. 19 ǁNā-amagan ge huriǂoas dina ǃKhūb ǀonsa nî ǃaoǃgâ tsîn ge aiǂoas dina ǁîb ǂkhaisiba nî ǃao. ǁÎb ge ǀgaisase ra dâu ǃāb, ǃKhūb di ǂoab xa ra sîheb khami nî hā.
20 “ǁÎb ge Sions ǃoa Ore-aob ase nî hā, ǁnān Jakob din hîa khâikhâisendi âna xu ra ūdabasenn ǃoa”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.21 Tsî tita xasa, nēs ge ti ǃgaeǀhaos ǁîn ǀkha hâsa,
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.“Ti Gagab sadu ai hâb tsî ti mîdi sadu ams ǃnâ ta ge ǂgādi ge sadu amde xu ǂoaxa tide, tamas ka io sadu ôan amde xu, tamas ka io sadu ôan di ôan di amde xus tsîna, nēsisa xu ǀamosib kōse”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.