Prayer in Africa
The Serenity Prayer translated into the 10 most popular African languages
The Serenity Prayer is brilliant in its simplicity. Just as it is on every continent, there is passion and tension about religious life. There are thousands of languages spoken in Africa; over 2,000 in fact. The top 10 most spoken languages in Africa in order are; Arabic, Kiswahili (Swahili), Hausa, English, Amharic, French, Oromo, Yoruba, Igbo and Zulu. Below is the Serenity Prayer written by Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr translated into 10 widely spoken African languages.
The Serenity Prayer is brilliant in its simplicity. Just as it is on every continent, there is passion and tension about religious life. There are thousands of languages spoken in Africa; over 2,000 in fact. The top 10 most spoken languages in Africa in order are; Arabic, Kiswahili (Swahili), Hausa, English, Amharic, French, Oromo, Yoruba, Igbo and Zulu. Below is the Serenity Prayer written by Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr translated into 10 widely spoken African languages.
Mungu, nipe neema ya kukubali na utulivu mambo ambayo hayawezi kubadilishwa, ujasiri wa kubadili mambo ambayo lazima iliyopita, na Wisdom kutofautisha moja kutoka nyingine.
Yoruba
แปlแปrun, fun mi ore-แปfแบน lati gba pแบนlu serenity ohun ti a ko le yipada, รgboyร lati yi awแปn ohun eyi ti o yแบน ki o wa ni yipada, ati awแปn แปgbแปn lati se iyato แปkan lati miiran.
French
Dieu, donne-moi la grรขce d'accepter avec sรฉrรฉnitรฉ les choses qui ne peuvent รชtre modifiรฉs, le courage de changer les choses qui doivent รชtre changรฉes, et la sagesse de distinguer l'un de l'autre.
Zulu
Unkulunkulu, nginike grace ukwamukela nge nokuzola izinto ayikwazi ukushintshwa, Nesibindi ukushintsha izinto okuyinto okufanele washintsha, kanye Ukuhlakanipha ukuhlukanisa lo omunye nomunye.
Afrikaans
God, gee my die genade van die dinge wat nie verander kan word nie, Courage met kalmte te aanvaar die dinge wat verander moet word om te verander, en die wysheid om die een te onderskei van die ander.
Hausa
Allah, ka ba ni alherin yarda da ni'ima abubuwan da ba za a iya canja, Rashin tsoro don canja abubuwan da ya kamata a canza, da hikima na rarrabe daya daga wasu.
Portuguese
Deus, dai-me a graรงa de aceitar com serenidade as coisas que nรฃo podem ser mudadas, coragem para mudar as coisas que devem ser mudadas, e sabedoria para distinguir um do outro.
Igbo
Chineke, nye m amara na-anabata na ntแปฅsara ihe a na-apแปฅghแป gbanwere, obi ike แปgbanwe ihe nke a ga-agbanwe, na amamihe แปmata onye si แปzแป.
Arabic
ุงููู، ุฃุนุทูู ูุนู ุฉ ููุจูู ู ุน ุงูุตูุงุก ุงูุฃุดูุงุก ุงูุชู ูุง ูู ูู ุชุบููุฑูุง ูุงูุดุฌุงุนุฉ ูุชุบููุฑ ุงูุฃุดูุงุก ุงูุชู ููุจุบู ุชุบููุฑูุง، ูุงูุญูู ุฉ ููุชู ููุฒ ุจูู ูุงุญุฏ ู ู ุงูุขุฎุฑ.
English
God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.
The Serenity Prayer is the name for a prayer written by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. Niebuhr, who first wrote the prayer for a sermon at Heath Evangelical Union Church in Heath, Massachusetts, used it widely in sermons as early as 1934 and first published it in 1951. The prayer spread was later adopted and popularized by Alcoholics Anonymous and other twelve-step programs.
The Serenity Prayer
God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.

