1 “Ondjandero yomuinyo wandje i ri popezu.
Ami hi nokusora okusuvana;
kape notjiṋa tji tja sewa po ku
ami posi ye yendo porwaro.
2 Ami mba rire omunyekererwa;
me tarere, owo tji mave
ndji nyekerere tjinene.
3 Ami owami omuṱakame, Ndjambi.
Yakura omambo wandje.
Kape na warwe ngu ma zeuparisa
omambo nga ngu me hungire.
4 Ove wa pata omitima vyawo kokuzuva,
o ve yandjere ko kutja
ve ndji havere nambano.
5 Omuano omukuru mau tja nai:
Omundu u wovisa omapanga
we mokuvepa ovimariva
novanatje ve ve muna ouzeu motjiṋa hi.
6 Nambano Ndjambi we
ndji isa po omunyekererwa kovandu,
nowo mave ya nave
ndji tjekere omate momurungu.
7 Oruhoze rwandje rwa hara
okundjipoṱuparisa;
omaoko nomarama wandje
ya rambuka tjimuna otjizire.
8 Imba mbe tja owo ovaṱakame va uruma,
nu owo avehe ve ndji
pangura kutja owami omurunde.
9 Imba mbe tja owo ovatengwandu
ve panḓera pokutja ve ri osemba.
10 Nungwari avehe vawo tji ve
ya nave kurama komurungu wandje,
ami himee munu nangarire
umwe wawo ngu nozondunge.
11 “Omayuva wandje ya kapita;
omeripuriro wandje ya yanda mba;
nu hi tji nomaundjiro rukwao.
12 Nungwari omapanga wandje
maye tja ouṱuku owo omutenya;
owo mave tja ondjerera i ri popezu,
nungwari ami me tjiwa
kutja me kara monḓorera.
13 Omaundjiro wandje otjovakoke porwatjo,
mu me rangavara mozomboṱu monḓorera.
14 Eyendo, me tja ondi ri tate,
nomativa ngu maye ndji ri, me tja
onge ri mama novaṱena kwandje.
15 Ku ku nomaundjiro ku ami, ku pi?
Owaṋi ngu me ndji munine ouṋingandu?
16 Omaundjiro kaye nokuyenda puna ami,
tji me pundu motjovakoke.”
1 The end of my life is near. I can hardly breathe;
there is nothing left for me but the grave.
2 I watch how bitterly everyone mocks me.
3 I am being honest, God. Accept my word.
There is no one else to support what I say.
4 You have closed their minds to reason;
don't let them triumph over me now.
5 In the old proverb someone betrays his friends for money,
and his children suffer for it.
6 And now people use this proverb against me;
they come and spit in my face.
7 My grief has almost made me blind;
my arms and legs are as thin as shadows.
8 Those who claim to be honest are shocked,
and they all condemn me as godless.
9 Those who claim to be respectable
are more and more convinced they are right.
10 But if all of them came and stood before me,
I would not find even one of them wise.
11 My days have passed; my plans have failed;
my hope is gone.
12 But my friends say night is daylight;
they say that light is near,
but I know I remain in darkness.
13 My only hope is the world of the dead,
where I will lie down to sleep in the dark.
14 I will call the grave my father,
and the worms that eat me
I will call my mother and my sisters.
15 Where is there any hope for me?
Who sees any?
16 Hope will not go with me
when I go down to the world of the dead.
