1“Abrabɔ afono me;
enti mɛka mʼasɛm a meremfa hwee nsie
na mɛkasa afi me kra yawdi mu.
2Mɛka akyerɛ Onyankopɔn se: Mmu me kumfɔ,
na mmom kyerɛ kwaadu a wobɔ me.
3Ɛyɛ wo fɛ sɛ wohyɛ me so,
de po wo nsa ano adwuma,
na woserew hwɛ amumɔyɛfo nhyehyɛe?
4Wowɔ ɔhonam mu ani ana?
Wuhu ade te sɛ ɔdesani ana?
5Wo nkwanna te sɛ ɔdesani
anaa wo mfe te sɛ onipa hoɔdenfo,
6a enti ɛsɛ sɛ wohwehwɛ me mfomso
na wopɛɛpɛɛ me bɔne mu?
7Ɛwɔ mu, wunim sɛ minni fɔ,
na obiara nso ntumi nnye me mfi wo nsam.
8“Wo nsa na ɛnwenee me na ɛbɔɔ me.
Afei wobɛdan wo ho asɛe me ana?
9Kae sɛ wonwen me sɛ dɔte.
Na wobɛdan me ayɛ me mfutuma bio ana?
10So woanhwie me sɛ nufusu
na woammɔ me toa sɛ srade,
11amfa were ne honam ankata me ho
ankeka nnompe ne ntin antoatoa mu ana?
12Womaa me nkwa, yii ayamye kyerɛɛ me,
na ɔhwɛsie mu wohwɛɛ me honhom so.
13“Nanso eyi na wode siee wo koma mu,
na minim sɛ na eyi wɔ wʼadwene mu.
14Sɛ meyɛɛ bɔne a anka wobɛhwɛ me
na wobɛma me so asotwe.
15Na sɛ midi fɔ a, nnome nka me!
Na sɛ mpo midi bem a, merentumi mma me ti so,
efisɛ aniwu ahyɛ me ma
na mʼamanehunu amene me.
16Na sɛ mema me ti so a, wodɛɛdɛɛ me sɛ gyata,
na bio woda wʼanwonwatumi no adi tia me.
17Wode nnansefo foforo betia me
na woma wʼabufuw ano yɛ den wɔ me so;
wʼasraafo tu ba me so bere biara.
18“Adɛn nti na woma wɔwoo me?
Ɛkaa me nko a anka miwui ansa na ani bi rehu me.
19Sɛ anka mamma nkwa yi mu,
anaasɛ wɔsoaa me fi awotwaa mu de me kɔɔ ɔda mu tee!
20So ɛnkaa kakraa bi na me nna kakraa no to ntwaa ana?
Gyaa me na minya anigye bere tiaa bi
21ansa na makɔ koransan
kusuuyɛ ne sunsuma kabii asase so,
22asase a ɛyɛ anadwo sum kabii,
sum kabii ne sakasaka,
baabi a ɛhɔ hann mpo te sɛ sum.”
1“I loathe my very life;
therefore I will give free rein to my complaint
and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.
2I say to God: Do not declare me guilty,
but tell me what charges you have against me.
3Does it please you to oppress me,
to spurn the work of your hands,
while you smile on the plans of the wicked?
4Do you have eyes of flesh?
Do you see as a mortal sees?
5Are your days like those of a mortal
or your years like those of a strong man,
6that you must search out my faults
and probe after my sin—
7though you know that I am not guilty
and that no one can rescue me from your hand?
8“Your hands shaped me and made me.
Will you now turn and destroy me?
9Remember that you molded me like clay.
Will you now turn me to dust again?
10Did you not pour me out like milk
and curdle me like cheese,
11clothe me with skin and flesh
and knit me together with bones and sinews?
12You gave me life and showed me kindness,
and in your providence watched over my spirit.
13“But this is what you concealed in your heart,
and I know that this was in your mind:
14If I sinned, you would be watching me
and would not let my offense go unpunished.
15If I am guilty—woe to me!
Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head,
for I am full of shame
and drowned in10:15 Or and aware of my affliction.
16If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion
and again display your awesome power against me.
17You bring new witnesses against me
and increase your anger toward me;
your forces come against me wave upon wave.
18“Why then did you bring me out of the womb?
I wish I had died before any eye saw me.
19If only I had never come into being,
or had been carried straight from the womb to the grave!
20Are not my few days almost over?
Turn away from me so I can have a moment’s joy
21before I go to the place of no return,
to the land of gloom and utter darkness,
22to the land of deepest night,
of utter darkness and disorder,
where even the light is like darkness.”
