1. I complain to God of what I see in the tribes
When we draw near, their ignorant grow more distant

2. Yet we curb the impulses of our forbearance towards them
However much their ways may be wrong

3. The tribe's injustice stops us
Seeking their harm, though it would guide us better

4. When we want to shun a tribe
We place an advance guard before its people

5. If only these tribes knew what was right for them
Then they would make us a barrier against their enemies

6. But I see that God has set their affairs aright
And deprived them of propriety, having lost all propriety

7. To what end do we restrain the swords from them
And curb the chests of horses, now filled with rancor?

8. And overcome their hotheadedness with patience
While we shepherd men to whom we've given no pact

9. I fear for myself, and war has a whirl
Harbingers of something we cannot ward off

10. And a battle where patience perishes
And a raid that gathers freemen and slaves

11. We will meet ignorance with ignorance once
If we find no way with them to make amends