1 Misery is mine!
Indeed, I am like one who gathers the summer fruits, as gleanings of the vineyard.
There is no cluster of grapes to eat.
My soul desires to eat the early fig.
2 The godly man has perished out of the earth,
and there is no one upright among men.
They all lie in wait for blood;
every man hunts his brother with a net.
3 Their hands are on that which is evil to do it diligently.
The ruler and judge ask for a bribe.
The powerful man dictates the evil desire of his soul.
Thus they conspire together.
4 The best of them is like a brier.
The most upright is worse than a thorn hedge.
The day of your watchmen,
even your visitation, has come;
now is the time of their confusion.
5 Don’t trust in a neighbor.
Don’t put confidence in a friend.
With the woman lying in your embrace,
be careful of the words of your mouth!
6 For the son dishonors the father,
the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.
7 But as for me, I will look to Yahweh.
I will wait for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me.
8 Don’t rejoice against me, my enemy.
When I fall, I will arise.
When I sit in darkness, Yahweh will be a light to me.
9 I will bear the indignation of Yahweh,
because I have sinned against him,
until he pleads my case and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out to the light.
I will see his righteousness.
10 Then my enemy will see it,
and shame will cover her who said to me,
"Where is Yahweh your God?"
My eyes will see her.
Now she will be trodden down like the mire of the streets.
11 A day to build your walls!
In that day, he will extend your boundary.
12 In that day they will come to you from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
and from Egypt even to the River,
and from sea to sea,
and mountain to mountain.
13 Yet the land will be desolate because of those who dwell therein,
for the fruit of their doings.
14 Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your heritage,
who dwell by themselves in a forest.
Let them feed in the middle of fertile pasture land,
in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
15 "As in the days of your coming out of the land of Egypt,
I will show them marvelous things."
16 The nations will see and be ashamed of all their might.
They will lay their hand on their mouth.
Their ears will be deaf.
17 They will lick the dust like a serpent.
Like crawling things of the earth, they will come trembling out of their dens.
They will come with fear to Yahweh our God,
and will be afraid because of you.
18 Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity,
and passes over the disobedience of the remnant of his heritage?
He doesn’t retain his anger forever,
because he delights in loving kindness.
19 He will again have compassion on us.
He will tread our iniquities under foot.
You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give truth to Jacob,
and mercy to Abraham,
as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.
1 Wee my, want ek het geword soos n die insameling van somervrugte, soos die natrossies van die wynoes: geen tros om te eet nie, my siel begeer vroeë vye.
2 Die vrome het verdwyn uit die land, en daar is geen opregte meer onder die mense nie; hulle loer almal op bloed; hulle jaag elkeen sy broer met die net.
3 Na die kwaad gaan die hande uit, om dit dapper te doen. Die vors eis, en die regter vra betaling, en die groot man spreek die begeerte van sy siel uit, en hulle verdraai dit alles.
4 Die beste van hulle is soos 'n doringstruik, die mees opregte erger as 'n doringheining. Die dag van jou wagte, jou besoeking, kom; nou sal hulle verwarring daar wees.
5 Vertrou geen metgesel nie, maak op geen vriend staat nie, let op die poorte van jou mond teenoor haar wat in jou skoot lê.
6 Want die seun minag die vader, die dogter staan op teen haar moeder, die skoondogter teen haar skoonmoeder, die man se vyande is sy huisgenote!
7 Maar ek sal uitsien na die HERE, ek wil wag op die God van my heil, my God sal my hoor.
8 Wees nie bly oor my nie, o my vyandin! Al het ek geval, ek staan weer op; al sit ek in duisternis, die HERE is 'n lig vir my.
9 Die toorn van die HERE sal ek dra, want ek het teen Hom gesondig; totdat Hy my saak verdedig en my reg verskaf. Hy sal my uitlei in die lig; ek sal met welgevalle sien hoe Hy geregtigheid oefen.
10 Ook sal my vyandin dit sien, en skaamte sal haar bedek wat vir my sê: Waar is die HERE, jou God? My oë sal met welgevalle op haar neersien. Nou sal sy vertrap word soos modder van die strate.
11 Daar kom 'n dag om jou mure te herbou! In die dag sal die gebied ruim wees.
12 Dit is 'n dag dat hulle na jou sal kom van Assur en die stede van Egipte, en van Egipte tot by die Eufraat, en van see tot see, en van berg tot berg.
13 Maar die aarde sal 'n wildernis word vanweë sy inwoners, as gevolg van hulle handelinge.
14 Wei u volk met u staf, die kudde wat u erfdeel is, wat afgesonderd woon in 'n bosveld op Karmel; laat hulle wei in Basan en G¡lead soos in die ou dae.
15 Soos in die dae van jou uittog uit Egipteland sal Ek hom wonders laat sien.
16 Die nasies sal dit sien en skaam wees ondanks al hulle krag: hulle sal die hand op die mond lê, hulle ore sal doof word.
17 Hulle sal stof lek soos die slang, hulle sal soos grondkruipers bewende uit hulle vestings te voorskyn kom, hulle sal sidderende kom na die HERE onse God, en hulle sal vir U vrees.
18 Wie is 'n God soos U, wat die ongeregtigheid vergewe en by die oortreding van die oorblyfsel van sy erfdeel verbygaan? Hy hou toorn nie vir ewig vas nie, maar het 'n welbehae in goedertierenheid.
19 Hy sal Hom weer oor ons ontferm, ons ongeregtighede vertree; ja, U sal al hulle sondes in die dieptes van die see werp.
20 U sal trou bewys aan Jakob, goedertierenheid aan Abraham, wat U aan ons vaders met 'n eed beloof het sedert die dae van die voortyd.