The Confession of a Sufferer
1 I said, “I will be careful about what I do
and will not let my tongue make me sin;
I will not say anything
while evil people are near.”
2 I kept quiet, not saying a word,
not even about anything good!
But my suffering only grew worse,
3 and I was overcome with anxiety.
The more I thought, the more troubled I became;
I could not keep from asking:
4 “Lord, how long will I live?
When will I die?
Tell me how soon my life will end.”
5 How short you have made my life!
In your sight my lifetime seems nothing.
Indeed every living being is no more than a puff of wind,
6 no more than a shadow.
All we do is for nothing;
we gather wealth, but don't know who will get it.
7 What, then, can I hope for, Lord?
I put my hope in you.
8 Save me from all my sins,
and don't let fools make fun of me.
9 I will keep quiet, I will not say a word,
for you are the one who made me suffer like this.
10 Don't punish me any more!
I am about to die from your blows.
11 You punish our sins by your rebukes,
and like a moth you destroy what we love.
Indeed we are no more than a puff of wind!
12 Hear my prayer, Lord,
and listen to my cry;
come to my aid when I weep.
Like all my ancestors
I am only your guest for a little while.
13 Leave me alone so that I may have some happiness
before I go away and am no more.
Tsâ ra khoe-i di ǁguiǁnâs
ǁNaeǃnans ǂgaeǂgui-aob ǃoa: Jedutunni ǃoa.
Davidi Psalms
1 Tita ge ge mî: “Ti daoga ǃûi;
tsî ta ge ti namsa ǁoreba xu nî ū-oa;
ti amsa ta ge ǂkhabab ǁaegu ta hâs kōse
tomsa nî ǂgā-amǃnâ.”
2 ǃGome tsî ta ge ge ǃnō;
ǃgâi xū-i tsîna ta ǃhoa tidese
xaweb ge ti tsûba ge ǀarosen.
3 Ti ǂgaob ge ge ǀgam
tsî ǂâiǂâisen ta rases ge ǀaesa gere ǂhubi
o ta ge ti nammi ǀkha ge gowa:
4 “ǃKhūtse, ti ûib di ǀams,
tsî mâtikōdi a ti ûitsēde ǃkhaisa ǁgau te re;
ǂan kai te re mâtib ti ûiba ra ǃgû-īsa.”
5 Sats ge ti tsēde ǃommi ǂhabab kōse ge mâi
tsî gu ge ti kuriga sats aiǃâ a ǁau.
Khoen hoan ge sa aiǃâ ǀommi khami ī.
6 Khoe-i ge som-i khami ra ǃgûma
tsîn ge xū-i ama tama ra ǀhupu.
ǃKhūsiban ge ra ǀhaoǀhao, tari-i nî ū ǃkhais tsîna ǀūse.
7 O tare-e ǁnâi nēsisa ǃKhūtse, ǁî-e ta ra ôa-e?
Ti ǃâubasens ge sats ǃnâ hâ.
8 Ti ǃûǂamdi hoade xu sâu te re;
î tā gân di ǃhōxūse dī te.
9 ǃGome ta go; ti amsa ta ge khoba tide
sats go nēsa ti ai hā-ū amaga.
10 Sa tsûtsû-aide tita xu ūbē re;
sa ǃommi di ǁaixasib xa ta ge toa hâ.
11 Sats ge khoesiba ǁoren ǃaroma ra ǁkhara;
ǃkhūsib ǁîn dibats ge ǁgurib khami ra hapu;
amaseb ge khoesib hoaba sa aiǃâ ǀommi khami ī.
12 Ti ǀgoresa ǁnâu re ǃKhūtse,
ti ās huib ǃaroma hâsa ǃgâ re;
tā sa ǂgaesa ǂgan re ti āsa xu.
Sats ǀkha ta ǃhaokhoe-i khami ra ǁan
ǃhaokhoese, ti aboxagu hoagu khami.
13 Tita xu kōbē re
kā ta nîs aiǃâ ta nî ǃgâiaǂgao ǁkhāse.
