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 neighbour;
put no confidence in a friend.
Even with the woman who lies in your embrace
guard the words of your lips.
6For a son dishonours 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 Saviour;
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 pasture-lands.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 for ever
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 otwabere nnuaba tasefo a
otwabere akyi mikodi mpɛpɛ wɔ bobeturo mu;
minnya bobe kasiaw na madi,
borɔdɔma aba a edi kan a mekɔn dɔ nso, saa ara.
2Wɔapra Onyamefɛrefo nyinaa afi asase so.
Anka ɔbaako a ɔteɛ mpo.
Nnipa nyinaa tetɛw na wɔhwehwɛ sɛ wɔbɛka mogya agu;
wɔde ɔtan sunsum wɔn ho wɔn ho mfiri.
3Nsa abien no nyinaa akokwaw bɔneyɛ mu;
ɔsodifo bisa akyɛde,
otemmufo gye adanmude,
wɔn a tumi wɔ wɔn nsa mu no yɛ nea wɔpɛ,
wɔn nyinaa bɔ mu dwene amumɔyɛ ho.
4Nea oye wɔ wɔn mu no te sɛ ohwirem;
nea ɔteɛ pa ara no, nsɔeban ye sen no.
Wʼatemmuda no aso,
da a Onyankopɔn reba wo nsrahwɛ.
Eyi ne bere a wɔn ani so bɛyɛ wɔn totɔtotɔ.
5Nnye obiara nni;
mfa wo werɛ nhyɛ adamfo mu.
Mpo, ɔbea a ɔda wo koko mu no
to wo tɛkrɛma nnareka wɔ ne ho.
6Ɔbabarima twiri nʼagya,
Ɔbabea sɔre tia ne na,
asebea nso tia nʼase
onipa atamfo ne nʼankasa ne fifo.
7Me de, mede anidaso hwɛ Awurade,
Metwɛn me Nkwagye Nyankopɔn;
na me Nyankopɔn betie me.
Israel Bɛsɔre
8Mma wʼani nnye, me tamfo!
Mahwe ase de, nanso mɛsɔre.
Sum aduru me de,
nanso Awurade bɛyɛ me hann.
9Sɛ mayɛ bɔne atia no nti,
Awurade abufuw bɛba me so,
kosi sɛ ɔbɛka mʼasɛm ama me
na wada me bembu adi.
Ɔde me bɛba hann no mu;
na mehu ne trenee.
10Afei, mʼatamfo behu
na wɔn ani bewu,
nea osee me sɛ,
“Ɛhe na Awurade wo Nyankopɔn no wɔ?”
Mʼani behu nʼasehwe;
mpo mprempren no, wobetiatia no so
te sɛ dontori a ɛwɔ mmɔnten so.
11Da a wɔbɛto wʼafasu no bɛba,
da a wɔbɛtrɛw wʼahye mu.
12Da no, nnipa bɛba wo nkyɛn
afi Asiria ne Misraim nkuropɔn mu,
mpo wobefi Misraim akosi Eufrate
afi po akosi po
ne bepɔw so akosi bepɔw so.
13Asase no bɛyɛ amamfo, esiane nnipa a wɔtete so
ne wɔn nneyɛe nti.
Mpaebɔ Ne Nkamfo
14Fa wo pema di wo nkurɔfo anim,
nguan a wɔyɛ wʼagyapade no,
a wɔn nko ara tete kwae mu,
wura frɔmfrɔm adidibea hɔ.
Ma wonnidi wɔ Basan ne Gilead
sɛ tete nna no mu.
15“Mɛyɛ anwonwade akyerɛ wo,
sɛnea meyɛɛ nna a wufi Misraim bae mu no.”
16Aman behu wo na wɔn ani bewu,
wɔn a tumi nyinaa afi wɔn nsa no.
Wɔde wɔn nsa betuatua wɔn ano
na wɔn aso besisiw.
17Wobedi dɔte sɛ awɔ,
ne mmoa a wɔwea wɔ fam.
Wɔde ahopopo befi wɔn abon mu aba;
wɔde osuro bɛdan wɔn ho ama Awurade yɛn Nyankopɔn,
na wobesuro wo.
18Hena na ɔte sɛ wo,
Onyankopɔn a wode bɔne kyɛ?
Wo a wode agyanom asefo nkae amumɔyɛ kyɛ wɔn.
Wʼabufuw ntena hɔ daa,
na mmom wʼani gye sɛ wobɛda mmɔborɔhunu adi.
19Wubehu yɛn mmɔbɔ bio,
wubetiatia yɛn bɔne so,
na woatow yɛn amumɔyɛ agu po bun mu.
20Wobɛyɛ ɔnokwafo ama Yakob
na woahu Abraham mmɔbɔ
sɛnea wokaa yɛn agyanom ntam
teteete no.
