A Prayer for Justice
1 Why are you so far away, O Lord?
Why do you hide yourself when we are in trouble?
2 The wicked are proud and persecute the poor;
catch them in the traps they have made.
3 The wicked are proud of their evil desires;
the greedy curse and reject the Lord.
4 The wicked do not care about the Lord;
in their pride they think that God doesn't matter.
5 The wicked succeed in everything.
They cannot understand God's judgments;
they sneer at their enemies.
6 They say to themselves, “We will never fail;
we will never be in trouble.”
7 Their speech is filled with curses, lies, and threats;
they are quick to speak hateful, evil words.
8 They hide themselves in the villages,
waiting to murder innocent people.
They spy on their helpless victims;
9 they wait in their hiding place like lions.
They lie in wait for the poor;
they catch them in their traps and drag them away.
10 The helpless victims lie crushed;
brute strength has defeated them.
11 The wicked say to themselves, “God doesn't care!
He has closed his eyes and will never see me!”
12 O Lord, punish those wicked people!
Remember those who are suffering!
13 How can the wicked despise God
and say to themselves, “He will not punish me”?
14 But you do see; you take notice of trouble and suffering
and are always ready to help.
The helpless commit themselves to you;
you have always helped the needy.
15 Break the power of wicked and evil people;
punish them for the wrong they have done
until they do it no more.
16 The Lord is king forever and ever.
Those who worship other gods
will vanish from his land.
17 You will listen, O Lord, to the prayers of the lowly;
you will give them courage.
18 You will hear the cries of the oppressed and the orphans;
you will judge in their favor,
so that mortal men may cause terror no more.
ǂHanu-aisib di ǀgores
1 ǃKhūtse, tare xū-i ǃaromats kha ǃnūse mâ?
Tare-i ǃaromats ǂōǂōsib ǁaeb ǃnâ ra gaugausen?
2 ǁÎn ǂnīsasib ǃnân ge ǂkhabadī-aona ǀgâsana ra ǃgôaǃgon
an ǁîn ǂûn ǂnûi hâ ǃnuidi xa ǃkhōhe.
3 ǂKhabadī-aon ge ǁîn di ǂkhaba turagu ǀkha ra koasen.
Xūǃgunuxan ge ǀâxareba ǃkhōǃoa tsî ǃKhūba ra ǃharaxū.
4 ǂKhabadī-aon ge ǁîn ǀgapiǂâixasib ǃnâ nēti ra ǂâi:
“Elob ge ǃeream-e ǂgaoǀkhā te tide.”
ǁÎn di ǂâidi ǃnâb ge Eloba a ǀkhai.
5 ǁÎn ge ǂâibasenn ra xūn hoan ǃnâ ra ǃgâiǃgâ,
sa ǀgoraǃgâdi ge ǁîna xu kaise a ǃnū.
ǃGôaǁnâs asen ge khākhoen ân ai ra ǂara.
6 ǂGaogu ân ǃnân ge ra mî:
“Tātsēs tsîna da ge tsūǃgâ-i ǃnâ ǂgâ tide.”
7 Ams â-i ge ǀâxareb tsî ǂhumib xa ǀoa hâ,
nams â-i ǃnaka ǂkhabasib tsî ǁgauoǃnâsib tsîkha.
8 ǀHôagaosen huio khoen ǃaroma ǃnuide ǃārodi ǃnâ ra ǁgui;
tsî ǂganǃgâsa ǃkhaidi ai ǀhapio khoena ra ǃgam
tsî di ge mûdi âna ǀkhomǀkhomsana ra ǃkhē.
9 Gauǃkhais ân ǃnân ge xam-i khami
ǀgâsan di ǃkharusa ǃâuǁgoe
tsî ǁîna ǃnuis ân ǃnâ ǃkhō tsî ra ǃkharabē.
10 Tsî i ge nē huio khoe-e ǂkhū tsî ra ǁnā
nē ǀgaiǀkhā-i xa danhe tsî.
11 ǂKhabadī-aon ge ǂgaogu ân ǃnâ
“Elob ge ǀuru hâ, tsî ais âba gaugau hâ,
tsî ǁkhawa mû tide” ti ra ǂâi.
12 Khâi re ǃKhūtse! Nē ǂkhabadī-aona ǁkhara re!
Îts ǁgâiǀāhe hâna tā ǀuru.
13 Mâtin kha ǂkhabadī-aona Eloba mîǁnâ tsî
“ǁÎb ge ǁkhara te tide” ti ǂgaogu ân ǃnâ ra mî?
14 Xawets ge satsa ǂōǂōsib tsî ǃoab tsîkha ra mû,
tsîts ge ǁîkha ra dībē.
Huio khoen ra sats ai mûmâinǃgâ,
tsîts ǃguniǀgôana ǁgûse ība.
15 Khôaǃā re ǁnā ǂkhabadī-aon di ǀgaiba,
î tsūdīb ân ai ǁîna ǁkhara re,
ôats ka xawets ǁkhawa hō tides kōse.
16 ǃKhūb ge ǀamose a gao-ao.
ǀŪben ge ǃhūbaiba xu nî kā.
17 ǃKhūtse, ǃgamǃgamsensan di ǀgoresa ǁnâu
tsîts ge ǁîna nî ǀgaiǀgai.
18 ǁGâiǀāhe hân tsî ǃguniǀgôan di āsa ǁnâu
tsîts ge ǁîn ǃgâib ǃoa nî ǀgoraǃgâ,
îb ǁō ǁkhā khoesiba tā ǃaruǀî ǁîna ǃaoǃao.
