1 “O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, from the depth of our troubled, weary souls we cry out to you. 2 Hear us, O Lord, and have mercy on us, because we have sinned against you. 3 You reign as king forever, but we die and are gone forever. 4 O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, hear our prayer. We are no better off than the dead. Our ancestors sinned against you, the Lord their God. They refused to obey you, and we are suffering the consequences of their sin. 5 Forget the sinful things that our ancestors did in the past; at a time like this, think only of your power and reputation, 6 for you are the Lord our God, and we will praise you. 7 You have made us fear you, so that we might pray to you. Here in exile we will praise you because we have turned away from the sins of our ancestors. 8 You have scattered us among the nations, and you have made them despise and curse us. You are punishing us for the sins of our ancestors when they rebelled against you, the Lord our God.”
In Praise of Wisdom
9 Listen, Israel, to the commands that promise life; pay attention, and you will become wise. 10 Why is it, Israel, that you find yourself in an enemy land? Why have you grown old in a foreign country? You are ritually unclean, like the dead; 11 you are already counted among the dead. But why? 12 It is because you have left the source of Wisdom! 13 If you had walked in God's ways, you would have lived in peace forever. 14 Learn where understanding, strength, and insight are to be found. Then you will know where to find a long and full life, light to guide you, and peace.
15 No one has ever found where Wisdom lives or has entered her treasure house, 16-17 and those who have tried have vanished: the rulers of the nations, those who hunted wild animals and birds for sport, those who accumulated vast fortunes of silver and gold, which everyone trusts and will do anything to get, 18 and those who worried and schemed to make money, but who left no trace of their work behind. 19 They have all disappeared and gone down to the world of the dead. Others have come along to take their place. 20 A later generation was born and lived in the land, but they too did not discover the way to knowledge. They did not find the path to Wisdom or ever reach her. 21 Their children also failed. 22 Wisdom was not found by the Canaanites. It has not been discovered by the Edomites 23 although they search after knowledge. The way to Wisdom has not been found by the merchants of Merran and Tema or by those who relate fables or by any others who seek understanding.
24 O Israel, how great is the universe in which God dwells! How vast is all that he possesses! 25 There is no end to it; there is no way to measure how wide or how high it is. 26 Here in early times the famous giants were born, a mighty race skilled in war. 27 But God did not choose them to be his people or show them the way of knowledge. 28 They died out because they had neither understanding nor insight.
29 No one has ever gone up into heaven to get Wisdom and bring her down out of the clouds. 30 No one has sailed across the seas to find Wisdom or bought her with precious gold. 31 No one knows how to get to her or how to discover the path that leads to her.
32 The only one who knows Wisdom is God, and he knows all things. With his understanding he found her. He established the earth for all time and filled it with all kinds of animals. 33 The light trembled and obeyed when he called. He sent it forth, and it appeared. 34 He called the stars, and they promptly answered; they took their places and gladly shone to please the one who made them. 35 He is our God, and there is none like him. 36 He discovered the entire path leading to understanding and gave Wisdom to his servant Israel, whom he loved. 37 From that time on, Wisdom appeared on earth and lived among us.
1 “ǃKhū Hoaǀgaixats, Israelǁaes di Elotse, sida ge tsau tsî ǂkhabu hâ ǂgaogu ǀkha huib ǃaroma sa ǃoa ra ā. 2 Sida ǀgorede ǁnâu-am î ǀkhomxa da re, sa mûǁae da ge ǃgâi tama xūna dī xuige. 3 Sats ge ǀamose gao-aose ra ǂgaeǂgui, xawe sida ge ǁō tsî ǀamose ra kā. 4 ǃKhū, Hoaǀgaixa Elots Israels ditse, sida ǀgoresa ǁnâu-am re. Sida aboxagu ge sats ǃKhūts, ǁîgu Elots ǃoagu ǁore tsî satsa ǁnâuǀnamsa ge ǂkhā tsî da ge sida ǁîgu ǁoren xa ǃaromahe hâse nētse ǃgomma ra tsâ. 5 Sida aboxagu ge ǃkharu ge ǁaeb ǃnâ dī ǁorena ǀuru, xawe nēti-ī ǁaeb ǃnâ sa ǂhunuma ǀgaib tsî ǂanǂansasib xa ǀgui ǂâi re. 6 Sats ǀguits a sida ǃKhū tsî Elo tsî da ge nî kare tsi. 7 Sats ge kai ǃaoǃgâba sida ǂgaogu ǃnâ sa ǃoa da nî huib ǃaroma dawasense ge ǂgā. Nē ǃhūb hîa da ǃhūsis ǃnâ hâb ǃnâ da ge satsa nî kare. Sida ge hoa ǂkhaba xūn sida aboxagu gere dīna dīǀû amaga. 8 Sats ge ǁaedi ǁaegu ge ǀgaruǀgaru da tsîts ge ǁîna sida ǃharaxū tsî ge ǀâxare kai. Sats ge sida aboxagu di ǁoren ǃaroma, ǁîgu ge sats ǃKhūts, sida Elotsa mâǃoa xui-ao sida ge ǁkhara.”
Xoa-aob ge Elob gā-aisiba ra koa
9 Israelǁîdo, Elob di mîmāde ǃgâ re. ǁÎdi ge sado ǀoasa tsî ǃgâi ûib ǃoa ǂgaeǂgui tsî gā-aisib ra tare-e ǂâibasen ǃkhaisa ra ǁgau. 10 Tare-i ǃaroma du kha Israelǁîdo, sadu khākhoen di ǃhūb ǃnâ hâ? Tare-i ǃaroma du kha ǃhao ǃhūb ǃnâ ge kaira? Sadu ge ǃKhūba ǀgoreǀîsa anu tama hâ tsî du ge ǁō hâ soro-i khami a ǃanuoǃnâ. 11 Sadu ge ǀnai ǁō hân ǁaegu ǃgôahe hâ. Tare-i ǃaroma? 12 Sadu ge Elob hîa gā-aisib di ǀauba xu ge dabasen xui-ao. 13 Elob di daob ai du ga ǃgû hâ, o du ge ǂkhîb ǃnâ ǀamose ga ûi hâ. 14 Mapab ǁnâuǃāb, gagasi ǀgaib tsî mûǂgāb tsîna hōhe ǁkhā ǃkhaisa ǁkhāǁkhāsen, o du ge mâpa du nî gaxu tsî ǀoasa ûib tsî ǁkhāti ǃnâb sado nî ǂgaeǂguib tsî ǂkhîb tsîna hō ǃkhaisa nî ǂan. 15 Khoe-e xare Elob ǁîb di gā-aisiba sâu hâ ǃkhaiba hō-i ge, tamas ka io nē ǃgomǀgausa amab sâuhe hâ ǃkhaib ǃnâ ǂgâ-i ge? 16-17 Gaoǀgôagu ǁaedi diga ǀnai Gā-aisib di omsa hō gu ge? ǁNān hîa ǀgurun tsî xamarin tsî ǀhomanina ra ǃaun tsî ǁîn di daoga ǂanna Gā-aisiba hōn ge? ǃNāsa xūna ūhân hîa ǀhaiǀurib tsî ǃhuniǀurib tsîn ǃnâ kai ǂgomǃgâsa ūhân xa mâtis? 18 ǀHaiǀuriǂnau-aogu hîa hoa ǃamkusib tsî sîsenǁkhāsiba ūhâga, Gā-aisib di omsa hō gu ge? 19 Hî-î, ǁÎn hoan ge kā tsî ǁŌhân Hâǃkhaib ǃoa ge ǁgôa. ǀNîn ge ǁîn ǃkhaide nî ǃkhōǃkhunise ge ǃnae. 20 Sao ra surib ge ge ǃnae tsî nē ǃhūbaib ai ǁan hâ, xawen ge ǁîn tsîna ǂans ǃoa hâ daoba hō tama hâ. ǁÎn ge Gā-aisib ǃoa hâ daoba hō tama tsî ǁkhāti ǃkhōǃkhai-e Gā-aisib ai hō tama ge i. 21 ǁÎn di surib tsîn ge ǁkhāti daob Gā-aisib ǃoa garuba hō tama ge i. 22 Kanaanǁîn tsî ǁkhāti Edomǁîn ge tātsē Gā-aisiba hō tama ge hâ i. 23 Hagars di ôananôagub ge hoaraga ǃhūbaib di ǂansan ūhâ ti ǂâi hâ, xawen ge tātsēs tsîna Gā-aisib ra tare-e ǂâibasen ǃkhaisa hōǂui tama hâ. ǁNās ǁkhās ge Merans tsî Temans di ǂharugu-aogu, ǀgarubeǃhoa-aogu tamas ka io xūn di ǂansa ra ôagu ǀkha ge ī. ǀGuib ǁîgu dib tsîn ge ama Gā-aisib ǃoa garu daoba ǁkhāǁkhāsen tama ge hâ i.
24 Israelǁîdo, Elob ge kuru ǀhommi tsî ǁîb di ǁanǃkhaib ge a kai. 25 ǁNāpa i ge mâtikōseb hara tamas ka io ǀgapi ǃkhaisats nî ǀnō ǀgau-e a ǀkhai. 26 ǁAeb ǃkharu hâse gu ge nēpa koahegomxa kaikara khoega ge ǃnae. ǁÎgu ge ǀgapimâ, ǀgaisa tsî torob ǃnâ ǃkhams ǁkhāsiba ge ūhâ i. 27 Xaweb ge Eloba ǁîga ǁîb khoegu ase ǁhûi tamas ka io ǁîga ǂans ǃoa hâ daoba ǁgau tama ge i. 28 ǁÎgu ge ǁnâuǃāb tsî gā-aisiba gu ge ūhâ tama hâ i xui-ao ge ǁōǂoa. 29 ǀGui-i xare-i ge tātsē ǀhommi ǃoa Gā-aisiba nî hōse ǃapa tsî ǃhūbaib ǃoa ǁîba ǁgôaxa-ū tama hâ. 30 ǀGui-i xare-i ge huriba Gā-aisiba nî hōse ǃgâu tsî ǁîba ǃgomǀgausa ǃhuniǀurib ǀkha ǁama ǁkhā tide. 31 ǀGui-i tsîn ge mâti i nî ǁîba hō tamas ka io ǁîb ǃoa garu daoba hōǂuisa ǂan tama.
32 Elob ǀguib ge Gā-aisiba ǂan. Tsîb ge ǁkhāti hoa xūna a ǂan. ǁÎb ge ǁîb ǁnâuǃāb ǀkha Gā-aisiba ge ǂnubi. ǁÎb ge ǃhūbaiba hoa ǁaegu ǃaroma ǂnubi tsî ǃkharagaǃnâgu ûitsama xūn ǀkha ge ǀoaǀoa. 33 Elob ga napaba sîǂui, ob ge ra ǂoa; tsî ǁîbab ga ǂgai-oa, ob ge ǃao tsî ra ǁnâuǀnam. 34 ǀGamirodeb ge ǂgai, o di ge ǁîde ǁkhoase ge ǃeream. ǁÎdi ge ǃkhaidi âde ūǂgā tsî ǃgâiǂgaoxase, ǁîde ge kuruba nî ǂkhî kaise ge ǃnâ. 35 ǁÎb ge a sada Elo tsî i ge ǁîb khami ī-e a ǀkhai. 36 ǁÎb ge ǁnâuǃās ǃoa ra ǂgaeǂgui daoba ǂhaiǂhai tsî Gā-aisiba ǁîb ǃgāb Israeli hîab ǀnamma ge mā. 37 ǁNā ǁaeba xus ge Gā-aisiba ǃhūbaib ǃnâ ǂhai tsî nau ǃhaodi hoadi ǃnâ ge ǂansa.
