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.
Taabu Ya Israeli
17:1 Yer 2:3; Hos 9:10; Wim 2:13Taabu gani hii niliyo nayo!
Nimefanana na yule akusanyaye
matunda ya kiangazi,
aokotaye masazo baada ya kuvunwa
shamba la mizabibu;
hakuna kishada chenye matunda ya kula,
hakuna hata ile tini ya mwanzoni ninayoitamani.
27:2 Za 10:8; 12:1; 57:6; Yer 2:29; 8:6; 5:26; Mit 6:17; 1Sam 24:11; Hab 1:15; Mik 3:10; Isa 3:5Wanaomcha Mungu wameondolewa kutoka nchi;
hakuna mtu mnyofu hata mmoja aliyebaki.
Watu wote wanavizia kumwaga damu,
kila mmoja anamwinda ndugu yake kwa wavu.
37:3 Mit 4:16; Kut 23:8; Hos 4:18; Isa 1:23; Eze 22:12Mikono yote miwili ni hodari katika kufanya ubaya,
mtawala anadai zawadi,
hakimu anapokea rushwa,
wenye nguvu wanaamuru wanachotaka:
wote wanafanya shauri baya pamoja.
47:4 Hes 33:55; Eze 2:6; Ay 31:14; 2Sam 23:6; Isa 22:5; Hos 9:7Aliye mwema kupita wote kati yao
ni kama mchongoma,
anayeonekana mnyofu zaidi miongoni mwao
ni mbaya kuliko uzio wa miiba.
Siku ya walinzi wako imewadia,
siku atakayokutembelea Mungu.
Sasa ni wakati wao
wa kuchanganyikiwa.
5Usimtumaini jirani;
usiweke matumaini kwa rafiki.
Hata kwa yule alalaye kifuani mwako
uwe mwangalifu kwa maneno yako.
67:6 Eze 22:7; Mwa 9:22-24; Mt 10:21, 35-36; Mk 13:12Kwa kuwa mwana humdharau baba yake,
naye binti huinuka dhidi ya mama yake,
mkwe kuwa kinyume na mama mkwe wake:
adui wa mtu ni wale wa nyumbani mwake hasa.
77:7 Isa 21:8; 25:9; Za 4:3; 130:5Lakini mimi, namtazama Bwana kwa matumaini,
namngoja Mungu Mwokozi wangu;
Mungu wangu atanisikia mimi.
Israeli Atainuka
87:8 Za 20:8; 22:17; 37:24; 37:5, 6; Mit 24:17; Mik 4:11; Mao 4:21; 2Sam 22:29; Isa 9:2Usifurahie msiba wangu, ee adui yangu!
Ingawa nimeanguka, nitainuka.
Japo ninaketi gizani,
Bwana atakuwa nuru yangu.
97:9 Mao 3:39-40; Za 107:10; 119:154; Isa 46:13Kwa sababu nimetenda dhambi dhidi yake,
nitabeba ghadhabu ya Bwana,
mpaka atakaponitetea shauri langu
na kuithibitisha haki yangu.
Atanileta nje kwenye mwanga,
nami nitaiona haki yake.
107:10 Za 35:26; 42:3; Isa 5:5; 51:23; Ay 40:12; Zek 10:5; 2Sam 22:43Kisha adui yangu ataliona
naye atafunikwa na aibu,
yule aliyeniambia,
“Yu wapi Bwana Mungu wako?”
Macho yangu yataona kuanguka kwake,
hata sasa atakanyagwa chini ya mguu
kama tope barabarani.
117:11 Amo 9:11; Isa 54:11Siku ya kujenga kuta zako itawadia,
siku ya kupanua mipaka yako.
127:12 Isa 19:23-25; 11:11; 60:4Siku hiyo watu watakuja kwako
kutoka Ashuru na miji ya Misri,
hata kutoka Misri hadi Frati
na kutoka bahari hadi bahari
na kutoka mlima hadi mlima.
137:13 Isa 3:10-11; Eze 12:19; 33:28-29Dunia itakuwa ukiwa kwa sababu ya wakazi wake,
kwa sababu ya matunda ya matendo yao.
Sala Na Sifa
147:14 Za 23:4; 28:9; 95:7; Mik 5:4; 7:14; Hes 23:9; Kum 33:28; Wim 4:1; Isa 33:9; Yer 50:19; Eze 36:11Wachunge watu wako kwa fimbo yako,
kundi la urithi wako,
ambalo linaishi peke yake msituni,
katika nchi ya malisho yenye rutuba.
Waache walishe katika Bashani na Gileadi
kama ilivyokuwa siku za kale.
157:15 Kut 3:20; Za 78:12“Kama siku zile mlipotoka Misri,
nitawaonyesha maajabu yangu.”
167:16 Isa 26:11; Amu 18:19Mataifa yataona na kuaibika,
waliondolewa nguvu zao zote.
Wataweka mikono yao kwenye vinywa vyao
na masikio yao yatakuwa na uziwi.
177:17 Mwa 3:14; 2Sam 22:46; Isa 25:3; 59:19Wataramba mavumbi kama nyoka,
kama viumbe vitambaavyo juu ya ardhi.
Watatoka nje ya mapango yao wakitetemeka;
watamgeukia Bwana Mungu wetu kwa hofu
nao watakuogopa.
187:18 Kut 10:8; 1Sam 2:2; Isa 43:25; 54:9; 57:16; Zek 3:4; Yer 31:20; 50:20; Kut 15:11; 34:6, 7, 9; Za 89:6-8; 103:9; 2Nya 6:21; 30:9; Za 103:8-13; Yoe 2:32; Amo 5:15; Mik 2:12Ni nani Mungu kama wewe,
ambaye anaachilia dhambi
na kusamehe makosa
ya mabaki ya urithi wake?
Wewe huwi na hasira milele,
bali unafurahia kuonyesha rehema.
197:19 Isa 43:25; Rum 6:6; Yer 31:34Utatuhurumia tena,
utazikanyaga dhambi zetu
chini ya nyayo zako,
na kutupa maovu yetu yote
katika vilindi vya bahari.
207:20 Gal 3:16; Kum 11:29; 7:8; Lk 1:72; Za 108:4Utakuwa wa kweli kwa Yakobo,
nawe utamwonyesha Abrahamu rehema,
kama ulivyowaahidi kwa kiapo baba zetu
siku za kale.
