< Psalmowo 144 >
1 David ƒe ha. Woakafu Yehowa, nye Agakpe la, ame si fia aʋawɔwɔ nye asi kple asibidɛwo.
I praise Yahweh, who is [like an overhanging] rock [under which I] ([get refuge/am protected])! He trains my hands so that I can use them to fight battles; he trains my fingers so that I can [shoot arrows in a war].
2 Enye nye Mawu lɔlɔ̃tɔ kple nye mɔ sesẽ, nye sitsoƒe kple nye xɔnametɔ kpakple nye akpoxɔnu, nye Mawu si me mebe ɖo, ame si bɔbɔ nye dukɔ ɖe tenye.
He is the one who protects me; he is [like] a fortress [DOU] in which I am safe, he protects me [like] [protect soldiers] [MET], and he gives me refuge. He defeats [other] nations and [then] puts them under my power.
3 O! Yehowa, nu kae nye amegbetɔ be nètsɔ ɖe le eme nɛ kple amegbetɔvi be nèbua eŋuti?
Yahweh, [we] people are [very insignificant/unimportant], so why (are you concerned/do you care about us) [RHQ]? [It is amazing to me that] you pay attention to humans.
4 Amegbetɔ le abe gbɔgbɔ ko ene, eye eƒe ŋkekewo le abe vɔvɔli si va yina kaba la ene.
[The time that we live is as short] as [SIM] a puff of wind; our time to live disappears like a shadow does.
5 O! Yehowa, dze wò dziƒowo ne nàɖi va, eye nàka asi towo ŋu, be woatu dzudzɔ.
Yahweh, (tear open/open up) the sky and come down! Touch the mountains in order that smoke will pour out from them!
6 Dɔ dzikedzo ɖa woakaka futɔwo, da wò aŋutrɔ, eye nàtsrɔ̃ wo.
Cause lightning to flash with the result that [your enemies] will run away! Shoot your arrows [at them] and cause them to (run away/scatter).
7 Do wò asi ɖa tso dziƒo nàxɔ nam, eye nàɖem tso tsi sesẽwo kple amedzrowo ƒe asi me,
[It is as though my enemies surround me like] a flood; reach your hand down from heaven and rescue me from them [SYN]. They are men from other countries
8 ame siwo ƒe nu me yɔ fũu kple alakpa, eye woƒe nuɖusi blea ame.
who [SYN] [always] tell lies. [Even in a courtroom where they swear to tell the truth] they tell lies.
9 O! Mawu, madzi ha yeye na wò, matsɔ kasaŋku, ka ewo tɔ aƒo ha na wò,
God, I will sing a new song to you, and I will play my ten-stringed harp [while I sing] to you.
10 wò ame si na dziɖuɖu fiawo, eye nèɖe wo dɔla David tso yi vɔ̃ɖi ƒe asi me.
You enable kings to defeat [their enemies]; and you rescued me, your servant David, from [being killed by] my enemies’ swords.
11 Xɔ nam, eye nàɖem tso amedzrowo ƒe asi me, ame siwo ƒe nu me yɔ fũu kple alakpa, eye woƒe nuɖusi blea ame.
[So I ask you to] save me from [being killed by] the swords [that those] evil [people carry]. Rescue me from the power [MTY] of those foreigners who [SYN] [always] tell lies, and [who raise] their right hands [in courtrooms when they solemnly declare that they will tell the truth].
12 Ekema mía viŋutsuwo le woƒe ɖekakpuime, anɔ abe ati siwo wode tsii nyuie ene, eye mía vinyɔnuwo anɔ abe sɔti si ŋu wota nu ɖo hetsɔ ɖo atsyɔ̃e na fiasã ene.
I wish/hope that our young sons will grow up to be like strong plants [SIM], and I wish/hope that our daughters will [grow up to] be [straight and tall] like the pillars [SIM] that stand in the corners of palaces.
13 Míaƒe avawo ayɔ fũu kple nuku vovovowo. Míaƒe alẽwo adzi ɖe edzi le akpewo kple akpe ewowo me le míaƒe lãnyiƒewo.
I wish/hope that our barns will be full of many different crops. I wish/hope that the sheep in our fields will give birth to tens of thousands of baby lambs.
14 Nenema ke míaƒe nyiwo atsɔ agba kpekpewo vɛ. Ale gli gbagbã maganɔ anyi o, aboyomeyiyi maganɔ anyi o, eye xaxa ƒe avifafa magaɖi le míaƒe mɔtatawo dzi azɔ o.
I wish/hope that our cows will give birth to many calves without having any miscarriages or deaths when they are born (OR, that no enemies will break through our city walls and take us (into exile/to their own countries)). I wish/hope that [there will not be a time when the people in] our streets cry out in distress [because foreign armies are invading].
15 Woayra dukɔ si wòava eme na alea le nyateƒe me; Woayra dukɔ si ƒe Mawue nye Yehowa.
If good things like that happen to a nation, the people will be very happy. The people whose God is Yahweh are the ones who will be happy!