Israel’s Misery
1What misery is mine!
I am like one who gathers summer fruit
at the gleaning of the vineyard;
there is no cluster of grapes to eat,
none of the early figs that I crave.
2The faithful have been swept from the land;
not one upright person remains.
Everyone lies in wait to shed blood;
they hunt each other with nets.
3Both hands are skilled in doing evil;
the ruler demands gifts,
the judge accepts bribes,
the powerful dictate what they desire—
they all conspire together.
4The best of them is like a brier,
the most upright worse than a thorn hedge.
The day God visits you has come,
the day your watchmen sound the alarm.
Now is the time of your confusion.
5Do not trust a neighbor;
put no confidence in a friend.
Even with the woman who lies in your embrace
guard the words of your lips.
6For a son dishonors his father,
a daughter rises up against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.
7But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me.
Israel Will Rise
8Do not gloat over me, my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will rise.
Though I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be my light.
9Because I have sinned against him,
I will bear the Lord’s wrath,
until he pleads my case
and upholds my cause.
He will bring me out into the light;
I will see his righteousness.
10Then my enemy will see it
and will be covered with shame,
she who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will see her downfall;
even now she will be trampled underfoot
like mire in the streets.
11The day for building your walls will come,
the day for extending your boundaries.
12In that day people will come to you
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
even from Egypt to the Euphrates
and from sea to sea
and from mountain to mountain.
13The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants,
as the result of their deeds.
Prayer and Praise
14Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
which lives by itself in a forest,
in fertile pasturelands.7:14 Or in the middle of Carmel
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead
as in days long ago.
15“As in the days when you came out of Egypt,
I will show them my wonders.”
16Nations will see and be ashamed,
deprived of all their power.
They will put their hands over their mouths
and their ears will become deaf.
17They will lick dust like a snake,
like creatures that crawl on the ground.
They will come trembling out of their dens;
they will turn in fear to the Lord our God
and will be afraid of you.
18Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy.
19You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot
and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
20You will be faithful to Jacob,
and show love to Abraham,
as you pledged on oath to our ancestors
in days long ago.
Israel Ahohia
1Mayɛ mmɔbɔ!
Mete sɛ aduaba tefoɔ a
otwa berɛ akyi mekɔdi mpɛpɛ wɔ bobe turo mu;
mennya bobe siaw na madi,
borɔdɔma aba a ɛdi ɛkan a me kɔn dɔ nso, saa ara.
2Moapra Nyamefɛrefoɔ nyinaa afiri asase so.
Anka ɔbaako a ɔtene mpo.
Nnipa nyinaa tetɛ na wɔhwehwɛ sɛ wɔbɛka mogya agu;
wɔsunsum wɔn ho wɔn ho mfidie.
3Nsa mmienu no nyinaa akokwa bɔneyɛ mu;
sodifoɔ bisa akyɛdeɛ,
ɔtemmufoɔ gye adanmudeɛ,
wɔn a tumi wɔ wɔn nsa mu no yɛ deɛ wɔpɛ,
wɔn nyinaa bɔ mu dwene amumuyɛ ho.
4Deɛ ɔyɛ wɔ wɔn mu no te sɛ hwerɛmo;
deɛ ɔtene pa ara no, nkasɛɛ ban yɛ sene no.
Wʼatɛmmuda no aso,
ɛda a Onyankopɔn reba wo nsrahwɛ.
Yei ne ɛberɛ a wɔn ani so bɛyɛ wɔn totɔtotɔ.
5Nnye obiara nni;
mfa wo werɛ nhyɛ adamfo mu.
Mpo ɔbaa a ɔda wo koko mu no
to wo tɛkrɛma nnareka wɔ ne ho.
6Ɔbabarima twiri nʼagya,
Ɔbabaa sɔre tia ne maame,
asebaa nso tia nʼase
na onipa biara atamfoɔ bɛfiri ɔno ankasa ne fiefoɔ mu.
7Me deɛ, mede anidasoɔ hwɛ Awurade,
Metwɛn me Nkwagyeɛ Onyankopɔn;
na me Onyankopɔn bɛtie me.
Israel Bɛsɔre
8Mma wʼani nnye, me ɔtamfoɔ!
Mahwe ase deɛ, nanso mɛsɔre.
Esum aduru me deɛ,
nanso Awurade bɛyɛ me hann.
9Sɛ mayɛ bɔne atia no enti,
Awurade abufuo bɛba me so,
kɔsi sɛ ɔbɛka mʼasɛm ama me
na wada me bembuo adi.
Ɔde me bɛba hann no mu;
na mɛhunu ne tenenee.
10Afei, mʼatamfoɔ bɛhunu
na wɔn ani bɛwu,
deɛ ɔsee me sɛ,
“Ɛhe na Awurade wo Onyankopɔn no wɔ?”
Mʼani bɛhunu nʼahweaseɛ;
mpo seesei no, wɔbɛtiatia ne so
te sɛ atɛkyɛ a ɛwɔ mmɔntene so.
11Ɛda a wɔbɛto wʼafasuo no bɛba,
ɛda a wɔbɛtrɛ wʼahyeɛ mu.
12Ɛda no, nnipa bɛba wo nkyɛn
firi Asiria ne Misraim nkuropɔn mu,
mpo wɔbɛfiri Misraim akɔsi Eufrate
afiri ɛpo akɔsi ɛpo
ne bepɔ so akɔsi bepɔ so.
13Asase no bɛyɛ amanfo ɛsiane nnipa a wɔtete so
ne wɔn nneyɛɛ enti.
Mpaeɛbɔ Ne Nkamfoɔ
14Fa wo poma di wo nkurɔfoɔ anim,
nnwan a wɔyɛ wʼagyapadeɛ no,
a wɔn nko ara tete kwaeɛ mu
wira frɔmfrɔm adidibea hɔ.
Ma wɔn nnidi wɔ Basan ne Gilead
sɛ tete nna no mu.
15“Mɛyɛ anwanwadeɛ akyerɛ wo,
sɛdeɛ meyɛɛ nna a wofiri Misraim baeɛ mu no.”
16Aman bɛhunu wo na wɔn ani bɛwu,
wɔn a tumi nyinaa afiri wɔn nsa no.
Wɔde wɔn nsa bɛtuatua wɔn ano
na wɔn aso bɛsisi.
17Wɔbɛdi dɔteɛ sɛ awɔ,
ne mmoa a wɔwea fam.
Wɔde ahopopoɔ bɛfiri wɔn abɔn mu aba;
wɔde suro bɛdane wɔn ho ama Awurade yɛn Onyankopɔn,
na wɔbɛsuro wo.
18Hwan na ɔte sɛ wo,
Onyankopɔn a wode bɔne kyɛ?
Wo a wode agyanom asefoɔ nkaeɛ amumuyɛ kyɛ wɔn.
Wʼabofuo nntena hɔ daa
na mmom wʼani gye sɛ wobɛda mmɔborɔhunu adi.
19Wobɛhunu yɛn mmɔbɔ bio,
wobɛtiatia yɛn bɔne so,
na woato yɛn amumuyɛ agu ɛpo bunu mu.
20Wobɛyɛ nokwafoɔ ama Yakob
na wahunu Abraham mmɔbɔ
sɛdeɛ wokaa yɛn agyanom ntam
teteete no.