This chapter is an acrostic poem; the verses of each stanza begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and the verses within each stanza begin with the same letter. 1I am the man who has seen affliction
by the rod of the Lord’s wrath.
2He has driven me away and made me walk
in darkness rather than light;
3indeed, he has turned his hand against me
again and again, all day long.
4He has made my skin and my flesh grow old
and has broken my bones.
5He has besieged me and surrounded me
with bitterness and hardship.
6He has made me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.
7He has walled me in so I cannot escape;
he has weighed me down with chains.
8Even when I call out or cry for help,
he shuts out my prayer.
9He has barred my way with blocks of stone;
he has made my paths crooked.
10Like a bear lying in wait,
like a lion in hiding,
11he dragged me from the path and mangled me
and left me without help.
12He drew his bow
and made me the target for his arrows.
13He pierced my heart
with arrows from his quiver.
14I became the laughingstock of all my people;
they mock me in song all day long.
15He has filled me with bitter herbs
and given me gall to drink.
16He has broken my teeth with gravel;
he has trampled me in the dust.
17I have been deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18So I say, “My splendor is gone
and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”
19I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
20I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
21Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
25The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
27It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.
28Let him sit alone in silence,
for the Lord has laid it on him.
29Let him bury his face in the dust—
there may yet be hope.
30Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
and let him be filled with disgrace.
31For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever.
32Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
33For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.
34To crush underfoot
all prisoners in the land,
35to deny people their rights
before the Most High,
36to deprive them of justice—
would not the Lord see such things?
37Who can speak and have it happen
if the Lord has not decreed it?
38Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that both calamities and good things come?
39Why should the living complain
when punished for their sins?
40Let us examine our ways and test them,
and let us return to the Lord.
41Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to God in heaven, and say:
42“We have sinned and rebelled
and you have not forgiven.
43“You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us;
you have slain without pity.
44You have covered yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer can get through.
45You have made us scum and refuse
among the nations.
46“All our enemies have opened their mouths
wide against us.
47We have suffered terror and pitfalls,
ruin and destruction.”
48Streams of tears flow from my eyes
because my people are destroyed.
49My eyes will flow unceasingly,
without relief,
50until the Lord looks down
from heaven and sees.
51What I see brings grief to my soul
because of all the women of my city.
52Those who were my enemies without cause
hunted me like a bird.
53They tried to end my life in a pit
and threw stones at me;
54the waters closed over my head,
and I thought I was about to perish.
55I called on your name, Lord,
from the depths of the pit.
56You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief.”
57You came near when I called you,
and you said, “Do not fear.”
58You, Lord, took up my case;
you redeemed my life.
59Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me.
Uphold my cause!
60You have seen the depth of their vengeance,
all their plots against me.
61Lord, you have heard their insults,
all their plots against me—
62what my enemies whisper and mutter
against me all day long.
63Look at them! Sitting or standing,
they mock me in their songs.
64Pay them back what they deserve, Lord,
for what their hands have done.
65Put a veil over their hearts,
and may your curse be on them!
66Pursue them in anger and destroy them
from under the heavens of the Lord.
3 Sura hii imetungwa kila beti likianzia, na pia kila mstari katika lile beti, na herufi ya alfabeti ya Kiebrania zikifuatana tangu Aleph (A) hadi Taw (T); zote ni 22. 13:1 Ay 19:21; Za 88:7; Yer 15:17-18Mimi ndiye mtu aliyeona mateso
kwa fimbo ya ghadhabu yake.
23:2 Ay 19:8; Za 82:5; Yer 4:23Amenifukuzia mbali na kunifanya nitembee
gizani wala si katika nuru;
33:3 Isa 5:25; Za 38:2hakika, amegeuza mkono wake dhidi yangu
tena na tena, mchana kutwa.
43:4 Za 51:8; Isa 38:13; Yer 50:17; Ay 30:30; Mao 4:8Amefanya ngozi yangu na nyama yangu kuchakaa
na ameivunja mifupa yangu.
53:5 Yer 23:15Amenizingira na kunizunguka
kwa uchungu na taabu.
63:6 Isa 59:10; Za 143:3; 88:5-6Amenifanya niishi gizani
kama wale waliokufa.
73:7 Ay 3:23; Yer 40:4Amenizungushia ukuta ili nisiweze kutoroka,
amenifunga kwa minyororo mizito.
83:8 Kum 1:45; Ay 30:20; Za 22:2; 5:2Hata ninapoita au kulia ili kuomba msaada,
anakataa kupokea maombi yangu.
93:9 Ay 9:24; Hos 2:6; Isa 63:17Ameizuia njia yangu kwa mapande ya mawe,
amepotosha njia zangu.
103:10 Ay 10:16; Hos 13:8; Amo 5:18-19Kama dubu aviziaye,
kama simba mafichoni,
11ameniburuta kutoka njia,
akanirarua na kuniacha bila msaada.
123:12 Mao 2:4; Ay 16:12; Za 38:2; 34:2Amevuta upinde wake
na kunifanya mimi niwe lengo
kwa ajili ya mishale yake.
13Alinichoma moyo wangu kwa mishale
iliyotoka kwenye podo lake.
143:14 Mwa 38:23; Za 22:6-7; Ay 30:9; Neh 4:2-4; Mt 27:29-31; Yer 20:7Nimekuwa kichekesho kwa watu wangu wote,
wananidhihaki kwa wimbo mchana kutwa.
153:15 Yer 9:15Amenijaza kwa majani machungu
na kunishibisha kwa nyongo.
163:16 Mit 20:17Amevunja meno yangu kwa changarawe,
amenikanyagia mavumbini.
17Amani yangu imeondolewa,
nimesahau kufanikiwa ni nini.
183:18 Ay 17:15; Za 31:22Kwa hiyo nasema, “Fahari yangu imeondoka
na yale yote niliyokuwa nimetarajia kutoka kwa Bwana.”
19Nayakumbuka mateso yangu na kutangatanga kwangu,
uchungu na nyongo.
203:20 Za 42:5; 43:5Ninayakumbuka vyema,
nayo nafsi yangu imezimia ndani yangu.
21Hata hivyo najikumbusha neno hili
na kwa hiyo ninalo tumaini.
223:22 Za 130:7; Mt 3:6; Neh 9:31; Ay 34:15; Za 130:1; Hos 11:9; Za 78:38; 57:10; Mal 3:6Kwa sababu ya upendo mkuu wa Bwana, hatuangamii,
kwa kuwa huruma zake hazikomi kamwe.
233:23 Kut 34:6; Isa 33:2; Ebr 10:23Ni mpya kila asubuhi,
uaminifu wako ni mkuu.
243:24 Za 16:5Nimeiambia nafsi yangu, “Bwana ni fungu langu,
kwa hiyo nitamngojea.”
253:25 Za 33:18; Isa 25:9; 30:18; Za 130:6Bwana ni mwema kwa wale ambao tumaini lao ni kwake,
kwa yule ambaye humtafuta;
263:26 Za 37:7ni vyema kungojea kwa utulivu
kwa ajili ya wokovu wa Bwana.
273:27 Za 90:12Ni vyema mtu kuchukua nira
bado angali kijana.
283:28 Yer 15:17Na akae peke yake awe kimya,
kwa maana Bwana ameiweka juu yake.
293:29 Yer 31:17; Ay 2:8; 42:6Na azike uso wake mavumbini
bado panawezekana kuwa na matumaini.
303:30 Ay 16:10; Isa 50:6; Mik 5:1; Mt 5:39Na atoe shavu lake kwa yule ampigaye,
na ajazwe na aibu.
313:31 Za 94:14; Isa 54:7Kwa kuwa watu hawakatiliwi mbali
na Bwana milele.
323:32 Za 106:43-45; Nah 1:12; Hos 11:8Ingawa huleta huzuni, ataonyesha huruma,
kwa kuwa upendo wake usiokoma ni mkuu.
333:33 Ay 37:23; Ebr 12:10; Yer 31:20; Eze 18:23Kwa maana hapendi kuwaletea mateso
au huzuni watoto wa wanadamu.
34Kuwaponda chini ya nyayo
wafungwa wote katika nchi,
353:35 Mwa 14:18-22Kumnyima mtu haki zake
mbele za Aliye Juu Sana,
363:36 Za 140:12; Mit 17:15; Hab 1:13; Yer 22:3kumnyima mtu haki:
Je, Bwana asione mambo kama haya?
373:37 Mit 19:21; Za 33:9-11; Mit 21:30Nani awezaye kusema nalo likatendeka
kama Bwana hajaamuru?
383:38 Ay 2:10; Isa 45:7; Yer 32:42Je, si ni kwenye kinywa cha Aliye Juu Sana
ndiko yatokako maafa na mambo mema?
393:39 Yer 30:15; Mik 7:9Mwanadamu yeyote aliye hai aweza kulalamika
wakati anapoadhibiwa kwa ajili ya dhambi zake?
403:40 2Kor 13:5; Za 119:59; 139:23-24Tuzichunguze njia zetu na kuzijaribu,
na tumrudie Bwana Mungu.
413:41 Dan 9:5; Yer 14:20; 2Fal 24:4; Yer 5:7-9; Za 86:4Tuinue mioyo yetu pamoja na mikono yetu
kwa Mungu mbinguni, na tuseme:
423:42 Dan 9:5“Tumetenda dhambi na kuasi
nawe hujasamehe.
433:43 Mao 2:2, 17, 21; Za 35:6“Umejifunika mwenyewe kwa hasira na kutufuatilia;
umetuchinja bila huruma.
443:44 Mao 2:1; Zek 7:13; Za 97:2; Isa 58:4Unajifunika mwenyewe kwa wingu,
ili pasiwe na ombi
litakaloweza kupenya.
453:45 1Kor 4:13Umetufanya takataka na uchafu
miongoni mwa mataifa.
463:46 Za 22:13; Mao 2:16“Adui zetu wote wamefumbua vinywa vyao
wazi dhidi yetu.
473:47 Yer 48:43; Isa 24:17-18; 51:19Tumeteseka kwa hofu kuu na shida ya ghafula,
uharibifu na maangamizi.”
483:48 Yer 9:1; Mao 2:18Vijito vya machozi vinatiririka kutoka machoni mwangu,
kwa sababu watu wangu wameangamizwa.
49Macho yangu yatatiririka machozi bila kukoma,
bila kupata nafuu,
503:50 Za 14:2; 80:14; Isa 63:15hadi Bwana atazame chini
kutoka mbinguni na kuona.
51Lile ninaloliona huniletea huzuni nafsini
kwa sababu ya wanawake wote wa mji wangu.
523:52 Za 35:7; 69:4Wale waliokuwa adui zangu bila sababu
wameniwinda kama ndege.
533:53 Yer 38:6; 37:16; Dan 6:17Walijaribu kukomesha maisha yangu ndani ya shimo
na kunitupia mawe;
543:54 Za 69:2; Yon 2:3-5; Eze 37:11; Za 88:5maji yalifunika juu ya kichwa changu,
nami nikafikiri nilikuwa karibu
kukatiliwa mbali.
553:55 Za 130:1; 2Nya 33:12; Yon 2:2; Za 18:5, 6Nililiitia jina lako, Ee Bwana,
kutoka vina vya shimo.
563:56 Rum 8:26; Za 116:1-2; 6:8Ulisikia ombi langu: “Usikizibie masikio yako
kilio changu nikuombapo msaada.”
573:57 Isa 41:10; Yak 4:8; Za 46:1; 69:18; Isa 58:9Ulikuja karibu nilipokuita,
nawe ukasema, “Usiogope.”
583:58 Yer 51:36; Za 34:22; Yer 50:34; 1Sam 25:39Ee Bwana, ulichukua shauri langu,
ukaukomboa uhai wangu.
593:59 Yer 18:19; Za 35:23Umeona, Ee Bwana, ubaya niliotendewa.
Tetea shauri langu!
603:60 Yer 11:20; 18:18Umeona kina cha kisasi chao,
mashauri yao yote mabaya dhidi yangu.
61Ee Bwana, umesikia matukano yao,
mashauri yao yote mabaya dhidi yangu:
623:62 Eze 36:3kile adui zangu wanachonongʼona na kunungʼunikia
dhidi yangu mchana kutwa.
633:63 Ay 30:9; Za 139:2Watazame! Wakiwa wameketi au wamesimama,
wananidhihaki katika nyimbo zao.
643:64 Za 28:4; Yer 51:6; 2Tim 4:14; Yer 11:20; Ufu 6:10Uwalipe kile wanachostahili, Ee Bwana,
kwa yale ambayo mikono yao imetenda.
653:65 Kut 14:8; Kum 2:30; Isa 6:10; Za 8:3Weka pazia juu ya mioyo yao,
laana yako na iwe juu yao!
66Wafuatilie katika hasira na uwaangamize
kutoka chini ya mbingu za Bwana.
