ǁKharab, ǃhobasens tsî ǃâubasens
1 Tita ge ǁnā aota, Elob di ǁaixasib ǃnâ ge tsâ ta.
2 ǁÎb ge tita ǂgaeǂgui tsî ǃkhaenab ǃnâ ge ǃgû kai, ǃnâb ose.
3 Amaseb ge ǃommi âba tita ǃoagu ge daba, hoaraga tsēsa.
4 ǁÎb ge ti soros tsî khōba kaira kai, tsî ti ǂkhōga ge khôa.
5 ǁÎb ge ǃgāb tsî ǀhupub di ǂnubiǂgoab ǀkha ge ǁgâuǂnami te.
6 ǁÎb ge ǃkhae ǃkhaidi ǃnâ ge ǁan kai te, ǁnān ǂomxase ǁō hân khami.
7 ǁÎb ge ti ǂnamipe ǂnubiǂgoaba ge ǂnubi, ǂoa ǁkhā ta tidese; ǁîb ge ti bronsǂaiǃgae-ūdade ge ǃgomǃgom.
8 Huib ǃaroma ta ra ǂgai, xaweb ge ti ǀgoresa ǁnâu tama hâ.
9 Ti daogab ge ǀuidi ǀkha ge ǂnubiǂgan, ti ǃgûǂgarogab ge ge gama kai.
10 Elob ge beri tamas ka io xammi, ǂganǃgâsa ǃkhaidi ǃnâ tita ǃâuǁgoeb khami ge ī.
11 Tita daoǁnani tsîb ge ǃâdi ǃnâ ǀkhauǃā te, tsî ǃū-aisase ge ǁnāxūǁgui te.
12 Khās âba ǂgaeǃnâ tsîb ge ǁîb ǂāb di ǁnoraxūse ge dī te.
13 ǁÎb ge ǂāgu âba ti ǃnaira ǃnâ ge ǂgâ kai.
14 Hoaraga khoen di âixū kai ta ge, tsîn hoa tsēsa ǃhōtsanade ra ǁnae.
15 ǁÎb ge au xūn ǀkha ge ǁâǁâ te, alsemmab ge ge āsi te.
16 ǁÎb ge ti ǁgûna ǁkhaeǀuirodi ǀkha khôa, tsî tsaob ǃnâ ge ǁgâiǂgā te.
17 ǂKhîb ge ti ǀomsa xu ǃnūse dībēhe hâ, ǃgâiǃgâ-e ta ge a ǀū.
18 Tsî ta ge “Ti ǂkhaisib ge bē hâ, ǃKhūb ai ǀgui ta ge ǃâubasen hâ” ti ra mî.
19 Ti ǃgom tsâb tsî omosib xa ǂâi re, alsemmi tsî tsabab xa.
20 Ti ǀoms ge ǀûs ose ǁîn xa ra ǂâi, tsîs tita ǃnâ ra ǃgamǃgamhe.
21 ǁÎna ta ǂgaob ǃnâ ra ūbasen tsî ta ge ǁnā-amaga nî ǃâu.
22 Hâhâ ra ǀnammi ǃKhūb dib ge ǃaromas ge hîǀhuruhe tama da hâsa, ǀkhomxaǂgaosigu âb toa tamasa.
23 Mâ ǁgoas hoasa gu ge a ǀasa, sa îǂhôasib ge a kai.
24 “ǃKhūb ge a ti amǃnâ, ǁnā-amaga ta ge ǁîb ai nî ǂgomaiǂnûi” ti ta ge ra mîbasen.
25 ǃKhūb ge a ǃgâi, ǁnān ǁîb ai ra ǂgomaiǂnûin, ǁîba ra ôan ǃoagu.
26 ǃGâi i ge a ǃnōsase ǃKhūb di ǃgâiǃōsiba ǃâubasensa.
27 Khoeb ǃaroma i ge ǃgâi, ǂkhamsis âb ǃnâ jokhoesa tanisa.
28 Ab ǀguri, ǃnōsasib ǃnâ ǂnû, ǃKhūb ga ǁîba ǂgōǀauo.
29 Ab ams âba tsarab ǃnâ ǂgā, ǀnîsis kom ǃâubasensa hâo ti.
30 Ab ǁnā-i hîa ra ǂnau bi-e nau xōsa mā, tsî ǃharaxūb xa ǁâ.
31 ǃKhūb ge ǀamose ǂhābē da tide.
32 ǁÎb ga ǃoaǃoa ob ra ǀkhom, ǁîb hâhâ ra ǀnammi di kaisib ǃoa.
33 ǁÎb ǂgaoba xu khoen ôana ǃoaǃoa tama hâ xuige.
34 Hoaraga ǃkhōsaben ǃhūb din ga ǁîb ǂaira ǃnaka dāǂkhūǂkhūheo,
35 khoeba ǂhanu-aisib âba Hoan xa ǀGapib mûǁae ǀhana,
36 khoeba ǂhanub ǁhō-i ǃnâ gāxaǃnâsa, ǁî ǃkhaisab kha ǃKhūba mû tide.
37 Tari-e xū-e ra mî-e, tsî i ra ī, ǃKhūb ga ǁnāsa mîmā tama io?
38 Hoan xa ǀGapib mîmās ai tamasa ǃgâin tsî tsūn ra hāsa?
39 Ob kha khoeba ǁnâi tarexa nî ǀara, ǁîb ǁoren ǃaromab ga ǁkharaheo.
40 A da sada daoga ôaǃnâ tsî ǃKhūb ǃoa dabasen re.
41 A da sada ǂgaogu tsî ǃomgu tsîna Elob ǀhommi ǃnâ hâb ǃoa ǀhōǂui tsî mî:
42 “Sida ge ge ǃûǂam tsî da ge ge mâǃoaxa i, tsîts ge ǀûba da tama ge i.
43 “Sats ge ǁaixasib ǀkha ǃgū-aisen tsî sida ǃgôaǃgon tsî ǀkhomoǃnâse ge ǃgam.
44 Sats ge ǃâus ǀkha ge ǃgū-aisen, ǀgores tsîn ǃkharu ǁoase.
45 Sats ge sida ǀapose ge dī, aoxūxūse ǁaedi ǁaegu.
46 “Sida khākhoen hoan ge sida ǃoagu ge ǂapenam
47 ǃAob tsî āb ge ge hāǂam da; hîkākās tsî khôaǂkhūs tsîna.
48 ǁGamǃārogu khamib ǁgamroba ti mûra xu ra dâu, ti ǁaes ôas di ǂkhôahes ǃaroma.
49 “Ti ǁgamrogu ge ǀû tamase nî dâu,
50 ǃKhūb nî ǀhomma xu kōǁnâ tsî mûs kōse.
51 Ti mûs ge ti ǀomsa ra ǃoaǃoa, ǀgôadi ti ǃās didi ǃaroma.
52 “Amasen ge ti khākhoena ǀhapiose ani-i khami ge ǃau te.
53 Ti ûiban ge tsaus ǃnâ gere ǀamǀam ǂgao, tsî ǀuin ǀkha ge ǂnoa te.
54 ǁGamgu ge ti danasa ge dâuǂam, o ta ge ǃgaoǁnâhe ta go ti ge ǂâi.
55 “Tsaus di ǃgamsiba xu ta ge ra ǂgaiǀî tsi ǃKhūtse.
56 Sats ge ti ǀkhomasa ge ǁnâu: ‘Tā ǂgaes âtsa ǂganam, ti ǀhâimâinǀoms ai.’
57 ǂGaiǀî tsi ta ge tsēs aits ge ǀgūse ge hā tsîts ge ‘Tā ǃao’ ti ge mî.
58 “ǃKhūtse sats ge ti ǂnoaguǃkhaide ge ū; ti ûibats ge ge sâu.
59 Sats ge ti ǁgâiǀāba ge mû, ti ǂhanu-aisib ǃoa ǀgoraǃgâ re.
60 Sats ge ǁîn di ǀkhaoba hoaba ge mû, hoaraga ǀapedi tita ǃoagun ūhâde.
61 “ǃKhūtse sats ge ǃharaxūs âna ge ǁnâu, hoaraga ǀapedi tita ǃoagun ūhâde.
62 Tita ǃoagu ra khâin di amǁgaugu ge hoa tsēsa tita ǃoagu ra ǀape.
63 ǁÎn di khâis tsî ǂnûs ǃnâ ta ge ra mû, mâtin tita ra ǃhōsa.
64 “ǃKhūtse ǁîn di mādawa-amsa ǁîna mādawa-am re, ǃomgu ân di sîsenni ǃoa.
65 ǂGaogu ân ai ǃgū-aixūsa ǁgui, îb sa ǀâxareba ǁîn ai hâ re.
66 ǁÎna ǃgôaǃgon ǁaixasib âts ǃnâ, î ǁîna ǃKhūb di ǀhommi ǃnaka hîkākā re.”
Punishment, Repentance, and Hope
1 I am one who knows what it is to be punished by God.
2 He drove me deeper and deeper into darkness
3 And beat me again and again with merciless blows.
4 He has left my flesh open and raw, and has broken my bones.
5 He has shut me in a prison of misery and anguish.
6 He has forced me to live in the stagnant darkness of death.
7 He has bound me in chains; I am a prisoner with no hope of escape.
8 I cry aloud for help, but God refuses to listen;
9 I stagger as I walk; stone walls block me wherever I turn.
10 He waited for me like a bear; he pounced on me like a lion.
11 He chased me off the road, tore me to pieces, and left me.
12 He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows.
13 He shot his arrows deep into my body.
14 People laugh at me all day long; I am a joke to them all.
15 Bitter suffering is all he has given me for food and drink.
16 He rubbed my face in the ground and broke my teeth on rocks.
17 I have forgotten what health and peace and happiness are.
18 I do not have much longer to live; my hope in the Lord is gone.
19 The thought of my pain, my homelessness, is bitter poison.
20 I think of it constantly, and my spirit is depressed.
21 Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing:
22 The Lord's unfailing love and mercy still continue,
23 Fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise.
24 The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope.
25 The Lord is good to everyone who trusts in him,
26 So it is best for us to wait in patience—to wait for him to save us—
27 And it is best to learn this patience in our youth.
28 When we suffer, we should sit alone in silent patience;
29 We should bow in submission, for there may still be hope.
30 Though beaten and insulted, we should accept it all.
31 The Lord is merciful and will not reject us forever.
32 He may bring us sorrow, but his love for us is sure and strong.
33 He takes no pleasure in causing us grief or pain.
34 The Lord knows when our spirits are crushed in prison;
35 He knows when we are denied the rights he gave us;
36 When justice is perverted in court, he knows.
37 The will of the Lord alone is always carried out.
38 Good and evil alike take place at his command.
39 Why should we ever complain when we are punished for our sin?
40 Let us examine our ways and turn back to the Lord.
41 Let us open our hearts to God in heaven and pray,
42 “We have sinned and rebelled, and you, O Lord, have not forgiven us.
43 “You pursued us and killed us; your mercy was hidden by your anger,
44 By a cloud of fury too thick for our prayers to get through.
45 You have made us the garbage dump of the world.
46 “We are insulted and mocked by all our enemies.
47 We have been through disaster and ruin; we live in danger and fear.
48 My eyes flow with rivers of tears at the destruction of my people.
49 “My tears will pour out in a ceaseless stream
50 Until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees us.
51 My heart is grieved when I see what has happened to the women of the city.
52 “I was trapped like a bird by enemies who had no cause to hate me.
53 They threw me alive into a pit and closed the opening with a stone.
54 Water began to close over me, and I thought death was near.
55 “From the bottom of the pit, O Lord, I cried out to you,
56 And when I begged you to listen to my cry, you heard.
57 You answered me and told me not to be afraid.
58 “You came to my rescue, Lord, and saved my life.
59 Judge in my favor; you know the wrongs done against me.
60 You know how my enemies hate me and how they plot against me.
61 “You have heard them insult me, O Lord; you know all their plots.
62 All day long they talk about me and make their plans.
63 From morning till night they make fun of me.
64 “Punish them for what they have done, O Lord;
65 Curse them and fill them with despair!
66 Hunt them down and wipe them off the earth!”
