A Prayer for Help
1 Oppose those who oppose me, Lord,
and fight those who fight against me!
2 Take your shield and armor
and come to my rescue.
3 Lift up your spear and war ax
against those who pursue me.
Promise that you will save me.
4 May those who try to kill me
be defeated and disgraced!
May those who plot against me
be turned back and confused!
5 May they be like straw blown by the wind
as the angel of the Lord pursues them!
6 May their path be dark and slippery
while the angel of the Lord strikes them down!
7 Without any reason they laid a trap for me
and dug a deep hole to catch me.
8 But destruction will catch them before they know it;
they will be caught in their own trap
and fall to their destruction!
9 Then I will be glad because of the Lord;
I will be happy because he saved me.
10 With all my heart I will say to the Lord,
“There is no one like you.
You protect the weak from the strong,
the poor from the oppressor.”
11 Evil people testify against me
and accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.
12 They pay me back evil for good,
and I sink in despair.
13 But when they were sick, I dressed in mourning;
I deprived myself of food;
I prayed with my head bowed low,
14 as I would pray for a friend or a brother.
I went around bent over in mourning,
as one who mourns for his mother.
15 But when I was in trouble, they were all glad
and gathered around to make fun of me;
strangers beat me
and kept striking me.
16 Like those who would mock a cripple,
they glared at me with hate.
17 How much longer, Lord, will you just look on?
Rescue me from their attacks;
save my life from these lions!
18 Then I will thank you in the assembly of your people;
I will praise you before them all.
19 Don't let my enemies, those liars,
gloat over my defeat.
Don't let those who hate me for no reason
smirk with delight over my sorrow.
20 They do not speak in a friendly way;
instead they invent all kinds of lies about peace-loving people.
21 They accuse me, shouting,
“We saw what you did!”
22 But you, O Lord, have seen this.
So don't be silent, Lord;
don't keep yourself far away!
23 Rouse yourself, O Lord, and defend me;
rise up, my God, and plead my cause.
24 You are righteous, O Lord, so declare me innocent;
don't let my enemies gloat over me.
25 Don't let them say to themselves,
“We are rid of him!
That's just what we wanted!”
26 May those who gloat over my suffering
be completely defeated and confused;
may those who claim to be better than I am
be covered with shame and disgrace.
27 May those who want to see me acquitted
shout for joy and say again and again,
“How great is the Lord!
He is pleased with the success of his servant.”
28 Then I will proclaim your righteousness,
and I will praise you all day long.
Ongumbiro yombatero
Epsalme ra David.
1 Muhona, pirukira imba mbe ndji pirukira;
rwisa imba mbe ndji rwisa!
2 Toora ovirwise noruvao rwoye,
nu u sekame okundjivatera.
3 Toorera imba mbe ndji toorera enga nekuva;
nu u ndji raere nai:
“Owami ombatero yoye!”
4 Imba mbe kondja okundjizepa
ngave haverwe nu ve ṱisiwe ohoṋi!
Imba mbe paha okundjitjita oumba
ngave yarurwe ombunda nu ve
rihahize mouripura wawo.
5 Ngave rire otja oviyaya, mbi mavi piziwa i ombepo,
omuengeri wa Muhona tji meve ramba.
6 Ondjira yawo ngai rire onḓorera noheze,
omuengeri wa Muhona
ngunda ame ve vanda pehi.
7 Owo kave na otjiṋa pu va sokundjitwira po ombate
nokundjisera otjitoto mbi wire mo.
8 Omanyoneno wawo nga e ye ku
wo ngunda ave hi nokutjiwa;
ngave patwe i ombate yawo oveni,
nu ngave wire motjitoto tji va sa oveni.
9 Ami otji me yoroka muMuhona,
nu me nyanda mena rokutja eye we ndji yama.
10 Nomutima wandje auhe ami me tja nai ku Muhona:
“Muhona, ka pena ngu ri otja ove.
Ove u yama ingwi otjingundi ku
ingwi ngu nomasa pu ye,
nomusyona nomuhepe ku ingwi
ngu meve pundu oviṋa.”
11 Ovandu ovanauvi mave hongonona
ovizeze ohunga naami,
nu mave ndji kuminine oviṋa, mbi mbi hi nokutjiwa.
12 Owo mave yarura ouvi mouwa,
nami me yumana mokurihahiza.
13 Nungwari, owo tji va ri ava vera,
mba zara ombanda yokupirika,
nu mbe ritatumisa omuini mokuritjaera kovikurya;
mba kumba amba pete otjiuru tjandje,
14 aayo me kumbire epanga
poo omuzamumwe wandje.
Ami mbe rikota moruhoze otja
omundu ngwa ṱirwa ina.
15 Nungwari ami tji mba ri moumba,
owo avehe va nyanda
nave woronganene okundjinyekerera;
ovandu wozonganda mbaa ve ha tjiwa
ve ndji nyondorora, nu va kara pokundjitona.
16 Owo ve ndji hemba nokundjinyekerera,
nu ve ndji kweyera omayo.
17 Muhona, mo tarere nai nga ruṋe?
Ndji yama komayandekero wawo
nu yama omuinyo wandje wina kozongeyama nḓa!
18 Me ku tjere okuhepa mombongo yotjiwaṋa tjoye,
nu me ku tanga momurungu wawo avehe.
19 Oyandjere ovanavita naami
ve ndji nyekerere.
Oyandjere imba mbe ndji tonda uriri,
ve kare nondjoroka moruhoze rwandje.
20 Owo kave hungire omambo wohange,
nungwari ku imba mba suvera ohange,
owo ve ungurisa omambo wovineya.
21 Ve ndji kuminina,
nave yahamisa ovinyo vyawo
ave tja: “Tjok! Tjok!
Twa munu nomeho wetu!”
22 Nungwari, Muhona,
ove wa munu kutja ka tjiperi.
O mwina ko, Muhona.
O kara kokure na ami!
23 Penduka, Muhona, nu ndji yeura.
Sekama, Ndjambi wandje,
nu u ndji kondjera otjiposa tjandje.
24 Oove omunausemba,
Muhona, Ndjambi wandje;
oyandjere ovanavita na
ami okutja ve ndji nyekerere.
25 Ove yandjere kutja ve
rihungirire nai momitima vyawo:
“Ii, opu twa vanga nao!
Twe mu ṋiṋa!”
26 Imba avehe mbe nyandera oumba wandje,
ngave ṱisiwe ohoṋi
nu ve purukisiwe ozondunge;
imba mbe muna kutja owo ohee pu ami,
ngave ṱisiwe ohoṋi.
27 Ngave nyande nu ve yoroke imba
mbe vanga kutja mbi pangurwe osemba,
nu ngave kare pokutja:
“Muhona, tjiri, omunene!
Eye u nonyuṋe mohange yomukarere we!”
28 Ami otji me hongonona ousemba woye,
nu me ku tanga omayuva aehe.
