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.
Ekuwo longhuwo molwokupopilwa kovamonifi voixuna
1 Omwene, oshike u li kokule ngaho
ndele to hondama pomafimbo oudjuu?
2 Moumbudilinenepeko otava taataa epongo;
nave likwatife neemhangela davo vene edi va tota.
3 Osheshi omukehenakalunga
ote litadele oiningwa yokahalu kaye;
ndele omunalwisho ta sheke Omwene.
4 Omukehenakalunga mokufulalala kwaye
ita kongo Kalunga;
Omadiladilo aye aeshe osho:
“Kaku na Kalunga.”
5 Meendjila daye efimbo alishe ota mono ouwa;
nomatokolo oye a fa e li kokule naye ngaashi eulu,
ovakondjifi vaye aveshe ote va tauluka.
6 Ote lipopile momutima waye, ta ti:
“Itandi ka punduka nande;
fiyo alushe itandi ka hangika komupya.”
7 Mokanya kaye omwa yada efingotukano,
nomaketuketu omafininiko;
koshi yelaka laye oku nehanauko nowii.
8 Ota hondjaunine pomikunda meenhele da fita,
opo a dipae omuyuki;
omesho aye otaa mono omunamupya.
9 Oye ta hondama mengade
ngaashi onghoshi monhele yayo;
ta nangele a kwate epongo;
ta kwata epongo moku li yula
meendjadja daye;
10 ta hondjaunine, te livate po,
nomunamupya ota wile momakasha aye.
11 Te lipopile momutima waye nokutya:
“Kalunga ote shi dimbwa,
Oye okwe likwata komesho,
Ye ite shi mono nande.”
12 Omwene, yambuka!
Kalunga, yelula okwooko kwoye!
Ove ino dimbwa ovanamupya!
13 Omukehenakalunga, oshike ta dini Kalunga
ndele ta ti momutima waye:
“Ito shi yavala.”
14 Ove we shi mona nokuli;
osheshi okuningwa nai nokulilifwa,
oto shi dimbulukwa,
noto shi tambula shi kale momake oye;
to lineekelwa kwaau, ehe nomukwafi,
Oove omukwafi weefiye.
15 Teyaula okwooko
kwomukolokoshi nomuhenakalunga,
u yukife owii waye, fiyo ito u mono vali.
16 Omwene, Ove ohamba fiyo alushe;
mouhamba woye ovapaani ova pwa mo.
17 Omwene, Ove ho udu odjuulufi yovalininipiki;
Oove ho pameke omitima davo;
nokutwi kwoye to ku ehenifa kuvo,
18 opo u yandjele ouyuki keefiye nokeehepele,
paha kale vali omukwadu
ta eta po etilifohaluko.
