A Prayer for Justice
1 Why are you so far away, O Lord?
Why do you hide yourself when we are in trouble?
2 The wicked are proud and persecute the poor;
catch them in the traps they have made.
3 The wicked are proud of their evil desires;
the greedy curse and reject the Lord.
4 The wicked do not care about the Lord;
in their pride they think that God doesn't matter.
5 The wicked succeed in everything.
They cannot understand God's judgments;
they sneer at their enemies.
6 They say to themselves, “We will never fail;
we will never be in trouble.”
7 Their speech is filled with curses, lies, and threats;
they are quick to speak hateful, evil words.
8 They hide themselves in the villages,
waiting to murder innocent people.
They spy on their helpless victims;
9 they wait in their hiding place like lions.
They lie in wait for the poor;
they catch them in their traps and drag them away.
10 The helpless victims lie crushed;
brute strength has defeated them.
11 The wicked say to themselves, “God doesn't care!
He has closed his eyes and will never see me!”
12 O Lord, punish those wicked people!
Remember those who are suffering!
13 How can the wicked despise God
and say to themselves, “He will not punish me”?
14 But you do see; you take notice of trouble and suffering
and are always ready to help.
The helpless commit themselves to you;
you have always helped the needy.
15 Break the power of wicked and evil people;
punish them for the wrong they have done
until they do it no more.
16 The Lord is king forever and ever.
Those who worship other gods
will vanish from his land.
17 You will listen, O Lord, to the prayers of the lowly;
you will give them courage.
18 You will hear the cries of the oppressed and the orphans;
you will judge in their favor,
so that mortal men may cause terror no more.
Moo toorariŋo la tankoo duwaa
1 Hee Yaawe*, muŋ ne ye a tinna
i jamfata ntolu la?
Muŋ ne ye a tinna i maabota m̀ ma,
waatoo meŋ m̀ be mantooroo kono?
2 Moo kuruŋo ka a faŋ wara le,
ka fentaŋolu toorandi.
A ye feere jawoolu mennu dadaa,
ì si a faŋo muta.
3 Moo kuruŋo ka kibiri a lafinna kuwolu kaŋ ne.
A ka a ñoŋ moo hadumeriŋo jayi le,
a ka Yaawe sooki.
4 A la faŋ waroo le ka a tinna
a ka a fo ko, “Alla te kuu kisikisi la.”
A ka tu ñiŋ ne miira la a faŋ ma ko,
“Alla te keriŋ.”
5 A ka firiŋo soto a baluuñaa bee le to,
a la jeroo buka futa Alla la kiitiyo ma.
A ka a jawoolu bee ñaawali le.
6 A ka ñiŋ ne fo a faŋ ma ko,
“N te bo la n noo to muk.
N te bula la mantooroo kono abadaa.”
7 A daa kono ka tara faariŋ dankaroo le la,
neeneeroo, aniŋ mantoora kumoo.
A neŋo be kalandiŋ kuruŋyaa
niŋ kuu jawoo le la.
8 A ka deleŋo laa moolu kamma saateeriŋolu to,
ka moolu faa, maakoyilaa te mennu la.
A ka tu a ñaa loo la moolu le la,
mennu te ì faŋ maakoyi noo la.
9 A jatamaa le ka tara bitiriŋ a la maabodulaa,
a ka tara bitiriŋ ne ka boyi moo bataariŋolu kaŋ.
A ka ì muta a la jaloolu le la,
a ye ì kuruntu ka ì samba.
10 Moolu mennu te ì faŋ maakoyi noo la
si busandi, ì ye kasaara.
A ka ì boyindi a semboo le la.
11 A ka ñiŋ ne fo a faŋ ma ko,
“Alla daa te n na kuu to.
A ye a ñaa kaasi n na le.
A nene te n je la.”
12 Hee Yaawe Alla, wuli,
i buloo ye laa moo kuruŋolu kaŋ.
Kana ñina moo toorariŋolu la.
13 Muŋ ne ka moo kuruŋo jutundi Alla la,
fo a ka a fo a faŋ ma ko,
“Alla te n kontibo la”?
14 Bari ite Alla ka jeroo ke le de,
ka moo bataariŋolu la kuwo hakilitu,
aniŋ niitoorariŋolu,
ñiŋ kamma la i si i buloo duŋ ì la kuwo to
ka ì maakoyi.
Moolu mennu te ì faŋ maakoyi noo la
ka ì faŋolu karafa ite le ma.
Ite le mu aliyatiimoolu maakoyilaa ti.
15 Moo kuruŋolu niŋ moo jawoolu semboo tiñaa.
Ì jarabi ì la kuu kuruŋolu la
fo a bee ye baŋ ì bala.
16 Yaawe le mu Mansoo ti fo fawu.
Bantala banku* moolu be turutumbuŋ na
a la bankoo kaŋ ne.
17 Hee Yaawe,
ite be i lamoyi la fammajiilaalu la duwaa la le,
ka ì la duwaa jaabi.
I be ì sondomoo bambandi la le.
18 I be aliyatiimoolu danku la le,
aniŋ moo toorariŋolu,
ka kiitiyo teyi ì ye.
Wo to le moo te tara la duniyaa
meŋ si moo doolu silandi.
