Waiata 129

1 He waiata; he pikitanga. He ki tenei ma Iharaira, Ka maha a ratou tukinotanga i ahau o toku tamarikitanga ake;

A song for pilgrims going up to Jerusalem. Many enemies have attacked from the time I was young. Let everyone in Israel say:

2 Ka maha a ratou tukinotanga i ahau o toku tamarikitanga ake; heoi kihai ahau i taea e ratou.

Many enemies have attacked from the time I was young, but they never defeated me.

3 I parautia toku tuara e nga kaiparau; he roa a ratou parautanga.

They beat me on my back, leaving long furrows as if it had been ploughed by a farmer.

4 He tika ta Ihowa: motu pu i a ia nga aho a te hunga kino.

But the Lord does what is right: he has cut me free from the ropes of the wicked.

5 Kia whakama, kia whakahokia ki muri, te hunga katoa e kino nei ki Hiona.

May everyone who hates Zion be driven back in humiliating defeat.

6 Kia rite ratou ki te tarutaru i nga tuanui, e memenge nei i te mea kiano i tupu ake.

May they be like grass that grows on a roof that withers before it can be harvested,

7 E kore nei e ki te ringa o te kaikoti, te uma hoki o te kaipaihere.

There's not enough even for a reaper to hold, not enough even for the binder to bind.

8 E kore ano te hunga e haere ana i te taha e mea, Kia tau ki a koutou te manaaki a Ihowa: ko ta matou manaaki tenei ki a koutou i runga i te ingoa o Ihowa.

May passers-by not say to them, “The blessing of the Lord be on you; we bless you in the name of the Lord.”