Isaiah 37
1 On hearing this report, King Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered the house of the LORD.
Kwasekusithi inkosi uHezekhiya isikuzwile, yadabula izigqoko zayo, yazembesa ngesaka, yangena endlini yeNkosi.
2 And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz
Yasithuma uEliyakhimi umphathi wendlu, loShebina umabhalane, labadala babapristi bembethe amasaka, kuIsaya umprofethi indodana kaAmozi.
3 to tell him, “This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace; for children have come to the point of birth, but there is no strength to deliver them.
Basebesithi kuye: Utsho njalo uHezekhiya: Lolusuku lusuku lohlupho lolokusolwa lolokweyiswa, ngoba abantwana sebefikile emlonyeni wesizalo, kanti akulamandla okubeletha.
4 Perhaps the LORD your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to defy the living God, and He will rebuke him for the words that the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up a prayer for the remnant that still survives.”
Mhlawumbe iNkosi, uNkulunkulu wakho, izawezwa amazwi kaRabi-Shake, onkosi yeAsiriya, inkosi yakhe, emthume ukuthuka uNkulunkulu ophilayo, lokusola ngamazwi iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ewazwileyo. Ngakho phakamisa umkhuleko ngensali etholakeleyo.
5 So the servants of King Hezekiah went to Isaiah,
Ngakho inceku zenkosi uHezekhiya zafika kuIsaya.
6 who replied, “Tell your master that this is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid of the words you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me.
UIsaya wasesithi kuzo: Lizakutsho njalo enkosini yenu: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Ungesabi amazwi owezwileyo, inceku zenkosi yeAsiriya ezingithuke ngawo.
7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where I will cause him to fall by the sword.’”
Khangela, ngizafaka umoya kuyo, njalo izakuzwa ihungahunga, ibuyele elizweni layo; njalo ngizayenza ukuthi iwe ngenkemba elizweni layo.
8 When the Rabshakeh heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.
URabi-Shake wasebuyela, wafica inkosi yeAsiriya isilwa imelene leLibhina; ngoba wayezwile ukuthi isisukile eLakishi.
9 Now Sennacherib had been warned about Tirhakah king of Cush: “He has set out to fight against you.” On hearing this, Sennacherib sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
Wasesizwa ngoTirihaka inkosi yeEthiyophiya kuthiwa: Uphumile ukuzakulwa lawe. Esekuzwile wathuma izithunywa kuHezekhiya esithi:
10 “Give this message to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.
Lizakhuluma kanje kuHezekhiya inkosi yakoJuda lithi: UNkulunkulu wakho othembele kuye kangakukhohlisi esithi: IJerusalema kayiyikunikelwa esandleni senkosi yeAsiriya.
11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the other countries, devoting them to destruction. Will you then be spared?
Khangela, wena usuzwile ukuthi amakhosi eAsiriya enzeni kuwo wonke amazwe ngokuwatshabalalisa. Wena-ke uzakhululwa yini?
12 Did the gods of the nations destroyed by my fathers rescue those nations—the gods of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and of the people of Eden in Telassar?
Onkulunkulu bezizwe bazikhulula yini obaba abazichithayo, iGozani leHarani leRezefi, labantwana beEdeni ababeseTelasari?
13 Where are the kings of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”
Ingaphi inkosi yeHamathi, lenkosi yeArpadi, lenkosi yomuzi weSefavayimi, iHena, leIva?
14 So Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers, read it, and went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.
UHezekhiya wasesemukela izincwadi esandleni sezithunywa, wazifunda, wenyukela endlini yeNkosi; uHezekhiya wasezichaya phambi kweNkosi.
15 And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD:
UHezekhiya wasekhuleka eNkosini, esithi:
16 “O LORD of Hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.
Nkosi yamabandla, Nkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, ohlala phakathi kwamakherubhi, nguwe wedwa onguNkulunkulu wayo yonke imibuso yomhlaba; wena wenze amazulu lomhlaba.
17 Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see. Listen to all the words that Sennacherib has sent to defy the living God.
Thoba indlebe yakho, Nkosi, uzwe, vula amehlo akho, Nkosi, ubone; uzwe wonke amazwi kaSenakheribi awathumele ukuklolodela uNkulunkulu ophilayo.
18 Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all these countries and their lands.
Qiniso, Nkosi, amakhosi eAsiriya achithile zonke izizwe lamazwe azo;
19 They have cast their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods, but only wood and stone—the work of human hands.
aphosela onkulunkulu bazo emlilweni, ngoba babengeyisibo onkulunkulu, kodwa umsebenzi wezandla zabantu, izigodo lamatshe; ngalokho bababhubhisa.
20 And now, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God.”
Ngakho-ke, Nkosi Nkulunkulu wethu, sisindise esandleni sakhe, ukuze yonke imibuso yomhlaba yazi ukuthi wena wedwa uyiNkosi.
21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Because you have prayed to Me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria,
UIsaya indodana kaAmozi wasethumela kuHezekhiya, esithi: Itsho njalo iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Lokho okukhuleke kimi ngoSenakheribi inkosi yeAsiriya,
22 this is the word that the LORD has spoken against him: ‘The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises you and mocks you; the Daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head behind you.
leli yilizwi iNkosi elikhulume ngaye: Intombi emsulwa, indodakazi yeZiyoni iyakudelela, iyakuklolodela; indodakazi yeJerusalema inikina ikhanda ngemva kwakho.
23 Whom have you taunted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!
Ngubani omeyisileyo wamhlambaza? Njalo uphakamisele bani ilizwi, waphakamisela amehlo akho phezulu? Umelene loNgcwele kaIsrayeli.
24 Through your servants you have taunted the Lord, and you have said: “With my many chariots I have ascended to the heights of the mountains, to the remote peaks of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the finest of its cypresses. I have reached its farthest heights, the densest of its forests.
Uklolodele iNkosi ngesandla sezinceku zakho, wathi: Ngobunengi bezinqola zami mina ngenyukele endaweni ephakemeyo yezintaba, ezinhlangothini zeLebhanoni. Njalo ngizagamula imisedari yayo emide, ikhethelo lezihlahla zamafiri ayo, ngingene ekuphakameni kwemingcele yayo, igusu leKharmeli layo.
25 I have dug wells and drunk foreign waters. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.”
Mina ngagebha, nganatha amanzi, langengaphansi yenyawo zami ngomisa yonke imifula yendawo evinjelweyo.
26 Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it; in days of old I planned it. Now I have brought it to pass, that you should crush fortified cities into piles of rubble.
Kawuzwanga yini ukuthi ngakwenza endulo, ngakubumba ensukwini zendulo? Khathesi ngikufikisile, ukuthi ube ngowokudiliza imizi evikelweyo ibe zinqumbi zamanxiwa.
27 Therefore their inhabitants, devoid of power, are dismayed and ashamed. They are like plants in the field, tender green shoots, grass on the rooftops, scorched before it is grown.
Ngakho abahlali bayo babelesandla esifitshane, besaba, baba lenhloni, baba njengotshani beganga, lemibhida eluhlaza, utshani bempahla, lamabele ahanguliweyo engakami.
28 But I know your sitting down, your going out and coming in, and your raging against Me.
Kodwa ngiyakwazi ukuhlala kwakho, lokuphuma kwakho, lokungena kwakho, lokungithukuthelela kwakho.
29 Because your rage and arrogance against Me have reached My ears, I will put My hook in your nose and My bit in your mouth; I will send you back the way you came.’
Ngenxa yokungithukuthelela kwakho, lokuthi umsindo wakho wenyukele endlebeni zami, ngizakufaka umkhala wami emakhaleni akho, letomu lami endebeni zakho, ngikwenze ubuyele ngendlela oweza ngayo.
30 And this will be a sign to you, O Hezekiah: This year you will eat what grows on its own, and in the second year what springs from the same. But in the third year you will sow and reap; you will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
Lokhu-ke kuzakuba yisibonakaliso kuwe; lonyaka uzakudla okuzikhulelayo; langomnyaka wesibili umkhukhuzela; kuthi ngomnyaka wesithathu lihlanyele, livune, lihlanyele izivini, lidle izithelo zazo.
31 And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root below and bear fruit above.
Lokuphephileyo kwendlu yakoJuda okuseleyo kuzaphinda kugxumeke impande phansi, kuthele izithelo ngaphezulu.
32 For a remnant will go forth from Jerusalem, and survivors from Mount Zion. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.
Ngoba kuzaphuma eJerusalema insali, lokuphephileyo entabeni yeZiyoni. Ukutshiseka kweNkosi yamabandla kuzakwenza lokhu.
33 So this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria: ‘He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow into it. He will not come before it with a shield or build up a siege ramp against it.
Ngakho, utsho njalo uJehova ngenkosi yeAsiriya: Kayiyikungena kulumuzi, kayiyikutshoka umtshoko khona, kayiyikuza phambi kwawo ilesihlangu, kayiyikubuthelela idundulu maqondana lawo.
34 He will go back the way he came, and he will not enter this city,’
Ngendlela eyeza ngayo, ngayo izabuyela, njalo kayiyikungena kulo umuzi, itsho iNkosi.
35 ‘I will defend this city and save it for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David.’”
Ngoba ngizawuvikela lumuzi ukuwusindisa, ngenxa yami, langenxa kaDavida inceku yami.
36 Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies!
Khona kwaphuma ingilosi yeNkosi, yatshaya enkambeni yamaAsiriya abazinkulungwane ezilikhulu lamatshumi ayisificaminwembili lanhlanu. Kwathi bevuka ekuseni kakhulu, khangela-ke, bonke babeyizidumbu ezifileyo.
37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.
Ngakho uSenakheribi inkosi yeAsiriya wasuka, wahamba ebuyela, wahlala eNineve.
38 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer put him to the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. And his son Esar-haddon reigned in his place.
Kwasekusithi ekhonza endlini kaNisiroki unkulunkulu wakhe, oAdrameleki loSharezeri amadodana akhe bamtshaya ngenkemba; bona basebephephela elizweni leArarathi. UEsarihadoni indodana yakhe wasebusa esikhundleni sakhe.
