The Prayer of a Troubled Youth
1 Listen to my prayer, O Lord,
and hear my cry for help!
2 When I am in trouble,
don't turn away from me!
Listen to me,
and answer me quickly when I call!
3 My life is disappearing like smoke;
my body is burning like fire.
4 I am beaten down like dry grass;
I have lost my desire for food.
5 I groan aloud;
I am nothing but skin and bones.
6 I am like a wild bird in the desert,
like an owl in abandoned ruins.
7 I lie awake;
I am like a lonely bird on a housetop.
8 All day long my enemies insult me;
those who mock me use my name in cursing.
9-10 Because of your anger and fury,
ashes are my food,
and my tears are mixed with my drink.
You picked me up and threw me away.
11 My life is like the evening shadows;
I am like dry grass.
12 But you, O Lord, are king forever;
all generations will remember you.
13 You will rise and take pity on Zion;
the time has come to have mercy on her;
this is the right time.
14 Your servants love her,
even though she is destroyed;
they have pity on her,
even though she is in ruins.
15 The nations will fear the Lord;
all the kings of the earth will fear his power.
16 When the Lord rebuilds Zion,
he will reveal his greatness.
17 He will hear his forsaken people
and listen to their prayer.
18 Write down for the coming generation what the Lord has done,
so that people not yet born will praise him.
19 The Lord looked down from his holy place on high,
he looked down from heaven to earth.
20 He heard the groans of prisoners
and set free those who were condemned to die.
21 And so his name will be proclaimed in Zion,
and he will be praised in Jerusalem
22 when nations and kingdoms come together
and worship the Lord.
23 The Lord has made me weak while I am still young;
he has shortened my life.
24 O God, do not take me away now
before I grow old.
O Lord, you live forever;
25 long ago you created the earth,
and with your own hands you made the heavens.
26 They will disappear, but you will remain;
they will all wear out like clothes.
You will discard them like clothes,
and they will vanish.
27 But you are always the same,
and your life never ends.
28 Our children will live in safety,
and under your protection
their descendants will be secure.
ǀAmo gao-aob ǃoa hâ ǀgores, huib ǃaroma
ǀKhomǀkhomsab di ǀgores ǂkhabub kao, ǃgaes âbab ǃKhūb tawa ra ǁhōǂui ǃnūbai
1 Ti ǀgoresa ǁnâu re ǃKhūtse
as ti ǂgaisa sats tawa sī re.
2 Tā ais âtsa ǂōǂōsib tsēs ai tita xu gaugau re.
Sa ǂgaesa tiǀî ǂō re, saǀî ta ga ǂgai tsēs ai
î ǃhaese ǁnâu-am te re.
3 Ti tsēdi ge ǀanni khami ra kā
tsî ti ǂkhōna ǀaes khami ra ǂhubi.
4 Ti ǂgaob ge ǂnauhe tsî ǂnâ hâ ǀgâb khami,
tsî ta ge ti pere-e ǂûsa ra ǀuru.
5 Ti ǀhâimâinǀoms xab ge
ti khōba ǂkhōgu ai ra ǂae.
6 Kai-anis ǃgaroǃhūb dis khami ta ge ī,
ǀhonos, khôaǂkhūsa ǃkhaidi ǃnâ hâs khami.
7 ǂKhaikari ta ge ǁgoe
tsî ta ge ǀguri oms ǂamǃnâ hâ ani-i khami ge ī.
8 Hoaraga tsēsan ge ti khākhoena gere mîǁgaiǁgai te,
ǁnān ǃhō te geren ge ti ǀons tawa gere ǀâxare.
9 Pere-i khami ta ge tsaoba ra ǂû
tsî ti āxū-e ǁgamrob ǀkha ra haba.
10 Sa ǀâxareb tsî ǁaixasib ǃaromats
ge ūkhâi tsî ge aoxū te.
11 Ti tsēdi ge gaxugaxuhe hâ sommi khami ī
ǀgâb khami ta ge ra ǂnâ.
12 Tsî sats ǃKhūts ge ǀamose ra gaosîsen,
tsîts ge ǃhaosa xu ǃhaos kōse ra ǂâihōhe.
13 Sats ge khâimâ tsî Sionsa nî ǀkhomxa
ǁaeb ǀkhomhes dib go ǀoa xui-ao,
mîmâisa ǁaeb go hā amaga.
14 Sa ǃgān ge ǁîs di ǀuidi xa a ǃgomǀgausabahe
tsîn ge tsarab âsa ra ǀkhom.
15 ǃHaodi ge ǃKhūb ǀonsa nî ǃao;
hoa gao-aogu ǃhūbaib diga ǁîb ǂkhaisiba.
16 ǃKhūb ge Sionsa nî ǂnubi
tsîb ge ǁîb ǂkhaisib ǃnâ nî ǂhai.
17 ǁÎb ge ǁnān xū-e ūhâ tama hân di ǀgorede ra ǁnâu-am
tsî ǁîna ǂhara tama hâ.
18 As nēsa hā nî suriba xoamâibahe
în ǁnān noxopa ǃnae tamana ǃKhūba koa.
19 ǁÎb ǃanusib di ǀgapisiba xub ge ge kōǁnâ,
ǀhomma xub ge ǃKhūba ǃhūbaib ǁga ra kōǁnâ.
20 ǃKhōsaben di ǃgaesa ǁnâu
tsîb ǁōb di ôana nî ǃnoraǃnorase.
21 ǁÎn ge ǃKhūb di ǀonsa Sions ǃnâ nî ǂhôa
tsî koas âba Jerusalems ǃnâ.
22 ǁAede ǀhao
tsî gu gaosiga ǃKhūba nî ǃoaba ǁaeb ai.
23 ǁÎb ge ti ǀgaiba ge ǂkhabu kai;
ti tsēdeb ge ge ǃnubuǃnubu.
24 O ta ge ra mî: “Elotse tā ti ǂkhamsis di
tsēdi ǃnâ ū te re.”
Sats ge nē suriba xu nau surib kōse ûi hâ.
25 ǃKharu ge ǁaeb aiǃâts ge satsa ǃhūbaiba ge ǃgaoǃgao;
ǀhommi ge a sa ǃomkha di sîsen.
26 ǁÎkha ge nî kā, xawe sats ge ǀamose nî hâ.
Saran khamin ge hoana nî ǀorotoa
anaǂamsarab khamits ge ǁîna nî anaǃkhuni, tsîn ge nî kā.
27 Xawets ge satsa a ǁkhā
sa kurigu ge tātse ǀam tama hâ.
28 Sa ǃgān di ôan ge nî ǁan
ǁîn di ôananôagub ge sa ǀgūhâsib ǃnâ nî ǃgaoǃgaohe.
