Amahubo 79
1 Nkulunkulu, abezizwe sebengenile elifeni lakho; balingcolisile ithempeli lakho elingcwele; iJerusalema bayenze yaba zinqumbi.
God, other people-groups have invaded your land. They have (desecrated your temple/caused your temple to be unfit for worship), and they have destroyed all the buildings in Jerusalem.
2 Banikile izidumbu zezinceku zakho zaba yikudla kwenyoni zamazulu, inyama yabangcwele bakho kuzo izilo zomhlaba.
[Instead of burying] the corpses of your people [whom they killed], they allowed vultures and wild animals to eat the flesh of those corpses,
3 Balichithile igazi labo njengamanzi inhlangothi zonke zeJerusalema; njalo kakubanga khona ongcwabayo.
When they killed your people, your people’s blood flowed like water through [the streets of] Jerusalem, and there was [almost] no one [HYP] left to bury their corpses.
4 Sesibe yinhlamba kubomakhelwane bethu, inhlekisa loklolodelo kwabasiphahlileyo.
The people-groups that live in countries that surround our land insult us; they laugh at us and deride/belittle us.
5 Koze kube nini, Nkosi? Uzathukuthela phakade yini? Ubukhwele bakho buzavutha njengomlilo yini?
Yahweh, how long [will this continue]? Will you be angry with us forever? Will your being angry [destroy us like] a burning fire [destroys things]?
6 Thulula ulaka lwakho phezu kwabezizwe abangakwaziyo, laphezu kwemibuso engabizi ibizo lakho.
[Instead of being angry with us], be angry with the people-groups that do not know/worship you! Be angry with kingdoms whose people do not pray to you,
7 Ngoba bamdlile uJakobe, lomuzi wakhe sebewenze unxiwa.
because they have killed Israeli people and they have ruined your country.
8 Ungakhumbuli umelene lathi izono zethu zendulo; isihawu sakho kasize masinyane phambi kwethu, ngoba sehliselwe phansi kakhulu.
Do not punish us because of the sins that our ancestors committed! Be merciful to us now/quickly, because we are very discouraged.
9 Sisize, Nkulunkulu wosindiso lwethu, ngenxa yodumo lwebizo lakho; sikhulule, uhlawulele izono zethu, ngenxa yebizo lakho.
God, you have saved/rescued [us many times], [so] help us [now]; rescue us and forgive us for having sinned in order that other people will honor you [MTY].
10 Kungani abezizwe bezakuthi: Ungaphi uNkulunkulu wabo? Kawaziwe phakathi kwezizwe phambi kwamehlo ethu, impindiselo yegazi lenceku zakho elachithwayo.
It is not right that [RHQ] other people-groups say [about us], “If their God [is very powerful], (surely he should help them/why does he not [help them])?” Allow us to see you punishing the people of other nations in return for their shedding our blood; they have killed many of us, your people.
11 Ukububula kwezibotshwa kakuze phambi kwakho; njengobukhulu bengalo yakho ulondoloze abantwana bokufa.
Listen to your people groaning while they are in prison, and by your great power free those whom our enemies say that they will certainly execute.
12 Uphindisele omakhelwane bethu kasikhombisa esifubeni sabo ukuthuka kwabo, abakuthuka ngakho, Nkosi.
In return for their having [often] insulted you, punish them seven times as much!
13 Khona thina abantu bakho, izimvu zedlelo lakho, sizakubonga kuze kube nininini, silandise udumo lwakho esizukulwaneni ngesizukulwana.
After you do that, we, whom you [take care of like a shepherd takes care of] his sheep, will continue praising you; we will continue to praise you forever [HYP].
