1 “Ami mba urwa okukara nomuinyo.
Puratena kondjemeno
yandje ondetarise, Ndjambi.
Mombamisiro yomuinyo
wandje me hungire.
2 O ndji pangura, Ndjambi.
Ndji raera! Otjiposa tji u na
tjo na ami otjatjike?
3 Osemba kove tji mo tjiti outwe nai are?
Tji mo nyengwa imbi ove
omuini mbi wa ungura are?
Nu tji mo yorayora
kondunge yovanauvi are?
4 Ove mo munu oviṋa otja
omundu tje muna are?
5 Omuinyo woye omusupi
tjimuna owetu are?
Ozombura zoye ze kapita
tjimuna omayuva womundu are?
6 Okutjavi tji mo teza
ourunde wandje aehe,
nu tji mo paha ozondataiziro
zandje azehe nḓu mbi na zo?
7 Ove mo tjiwa kutja ami hi nondjo,
nokutja kape nomundu
ngu me ndji yama kove.
8 “Omake woye onge ndji zezenga,
nu onge ndji mema;
nambano omake tjingewo
ongu maye ndji nyono.
9 Zemburuka kutja ove we
ndji ungura pomunoko;
nambano mo ndji ṱukuṱura
mbi yaruke koruuma are?
10 Ove wa yandja omasa ku
tate kutja e ndji kwate;
Ove we ndji kurisira
mezumo ra mama.
11 Ove wa tunga orutu rwandje
nomaṱupa nomisepa,
nu wa mema orutu rwandje
nomaṱupa nonyama nomukova.
12 Ove we ndji pa omuinyo
norusuvero oruzikame,
nomerikendero woye ye
ndji ṱiza kutja mbi hupe.
13 Nungwari nambano ami me
tjiwa kutja oruveze aruhe ndwi ove
ooripura okundjihihamisa mongumumu.
14 Ove oondjitjevere kutja me tjiti ourunde,
kokutja u panḓe okundjiisira.
15 Tjimanga tji mba zu nokutjita ouvi,
ami tjandje mbi ri moumba kove,
nungwari tji mba tjiti ousemba,
hi nokupewa ondjambi.
Ami mba ningisa ondjenda nu mba ṱohoṋi.
16 Andakuzu ami mbi ri yera omuini,
ove otjo ndji yeva otja ongeyama;
notjiti ovihimise, kutja u ndji hihamise.
17 Ove aruhe u kara novahongonone
tjiva okundjipirura;
omazenge woye ku
ami ye ryamena ko;
nove aruhe u ndji rwisa
novimbumba ovipe vyovita.
18 “Okutjavi, Ndjambi,
tji wa tarera ame kwatwa?
Andakuzu mba koka,
ngunda ambi hiya munika komundu!
19 Atja rira kokuwa
okuza mezumo ra mama
nokuyenda ongarate keyendo,
komurungu wokukara nomuinyo.
20 Omuinyo wandje kau ri pokuyanda are?
Ndji esa mbi rikarere erike!
Ndji esa mbi yoroke
moruveze ndu mba sye po.
21 Ami me i tjimanga, nu himee kotoka;
me i kehi ronḓorera noromuzororema,
22 kehi ronḓorera
noromuzire noromazunganeno,
ondjerera oini ku i ri onḓorera.”
1 I am tired of living.
Listen to my bitter complaint.
2 Don't condemn me, God.
Tell me! What is the charge against me?
3 Is it right for you to be so cruel?
To despise what you yourself have made?
And then to smile on the schemes of wicked people?
4 Do you see things as we do?
5 Is your life as short as ours?
6 Then why do you track down all my sins
and hunt down every fault I have?
7 You know that I am not guilty,
that no one can save me from you.
8 Your hands formed and shaped me,
and now those same hands destroy me.
9 Remember that you made me from clay;
are you going to crush me back to dust?
10 You gave my father strength to beget me;
you made me grow in my mother's womb.
11 You formed my body with bones and sinews
and covered the bones with muscles and skin.
12 You have given me life and constant love,
and your care has kept me alive.
13 But now I know that all that time
you were secretly planning to harm me.
14 You were watching to see if I would sin,
so that you could refuse to forgive me.
15 As soon as I sin, I'm in trouble with you,
but when I do right, I get no credit.
I am miserable and covered with shame.
16 If I have any success at all,
you hunt me down like a lion;
to hurt me you even work miracles.
17 You always have some witness against me;
your anger toward me grows and grows;
you always plan some new attack.
18 Why, God, did you let me be born?
I should have died before anyone saw me.
19 To go from the womb straight to the grave
would have been as good as never existing.
20 Isn't my life almost over? Leave me alone!
Let me enjoy the time I have left.
21 I am going soon and will never come back—
going to a land that is dark and gloomy,
22 a land of darkness, shadows, and confusion,
where the light itself is darkness.
