Isaiah 5
1 I will sing for my beloved a song of his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
Ngizahlabelela lowo engimthandayo ingoma ngesivini sakhe: Othandwa yimi wayelesivini eqaqeni oluvundileyo.
2 He dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour!
Wasigebha, wasusa amatshe kuso, wahlanyela kuso amavini amahle. Wakha umphotshongo ophakemeyo phakathi kwaso njalo wagebha lesikhamelo sewayini kuso. Walindela izithelo ezinhle, kodwa amavini athela ezimbi kuphela.
3 “And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem and men of Judah, I exhort you to judge between Me and My vineyard.
“Manje-ke lina abahlala eJerusalema lani madoda akoJuda, yahlulelani phakathi kwami lesivini sami.
4 What more could I have done for My vineyard than I already did for it? Why, when I expected sweet grapes, did it bring forth sour fruit?
Kuyini okudlula lapho okwakumele kwenziwe esivinini sami engingakwenzanga kuso na? Lapho ngangilindele izithelo ezinhle kungani sona sathela ezimbi kuphela na?
5 Now I will tell you what I am about to do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be consumed; I will tear down its wall, and it will be trampled.
Khathesi-ke sengizalitshela engizakwenza esivinini sami: Ngizasusa uthango lwaso; sizadilizwa. Ngizabhidliza umduli waso, sizagxotshwa ngezinyawo.
6 I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and thorns and briers will grow up. I will command the clouds that rain shall not fall on it.”
Ngizasenza sibe liganga kungabikho ukuthenwa kumbe ukuhlakulwa; inkotha lameva kuzakhula kuso. Ngizalaya amayezi anganisi zulu kuso.”
7 For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plant of His delight. He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard a cry of distress.
Isivini sikaThixo uSomandla yindlu ka-Israyeli; abantu bakoJuda bayinsimu eligugu kuye. Wayelindele okufaneleyo, kodwa wabona ukuchitheka kwegazi; endaweni yokulunga, wezwa ukukhala kosizi.
8 Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field until no place is left and you live alone in the land.
Maye kini elengeza izindlu ngezindlu lihlanganise insimu ensimini kuze kusweleke indawo eseleyo, njalo lihlala lodwa elizweni.
9 I heard the LORD of Hosts declare: “Surely many houses will become desolate, great mansions left unoccupied.
UThixo uSomandla usetshilo ngisizwa wathi: “Ngeqiniso izindlu ezinengi zizakuba ngamanxiwa; ezinkulu ezinhle zisale zingaselamuntu ohlala kuzo.
10 For ten acres of vineyard will yield but a bath of wine, and a homer of seed only an ephah of grain.”
Izindima ezilitshumi zesivini zizathela ifatshi elilodwa lewayini, ihomeri lenhlanyelo lithele ihefa lamabele.”
11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger into the evening, to be inflamed by wine.
Maye kulabo abavuka ngovivi ekuseni begijimela ukunatha utshwala; abaqhubekayo kuze kube phakathi kobusuku baze badakwe butshwala.
12 At their feasts are the lyre and harp, tambourines and flutes and wine. They disregard the actions of the LORD and fail to see the work of His hands.
Balamachacho lemihubhe emadilini abo, amagedla, imihlanga, lewayini, kodwa kabazinaki izenzo zikaThixo, akukho nhlonipho yomsebenzi wezandla zakhe.
13 Therefore My people will go into exile for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are starving and their masses are parched with thirst.
Ngakho-ke abantu bami bazakuya ekuthunjweni ngenxa yokungazwisisi; izikhulu zabo zizabulawa yindlala lenengi labo lizakoma ngomhawu wamanzi.
14 Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat and opens wide its enormous jaws, and down go Zion’s nobles and masses, her revelers and carousers! (Sheol h7585)
Ngakho indawo yabafileyo izakwelula imihlathi yayo, ikhamise umlomo wayo okungelamkhawulo; izikhulu zabo lenengi labo bawele phakathi labo bonke abaxokozelayo labazithokozisayo. (Sheol h7585)
15 So mankind will be brought low, and each man humbled; the arrogant will lower their eyes.
Abantu bazakwehliselwa phansi, abantu bazathobekiswa, amehlo abaziphakamisayo athotshiswe.
16 But the LORD of Hosts will be exalted by His justice, and the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.
Kodwa uThixo uSomandla uzaphakanyiswa ngokwahlulela kwakhe okuhle; ubungcwele bukaNkulunkulu buzabonakala ngokulunga kwakhe.
17 Lambs will graze as in their own pastures, and strangers will feed in the ruins of the wealthy.
Lapho-ke izimvu zizakudla angathi kusemadlelweni azo, amazinyane adle emanxiweni ezinothi.
18 Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of deceit and pull sin along with cart ropes,
Maye kulabo abahudula isono ngentambo zenkohliso lobubi kungathi kungamagoda enqola,
19 to those who say, “Let Him hurry and hasten His work so that we may see it! Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel come so that we may know it!”
kulabo abathi, “UNkulunkulu kaphangise, kaphangisise umsebenzi wakhe ukuze siwubone. Kalisondele icebo loNgcwele ka-Israyeli kalize ukuze silazi.”
20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter.
Maye kulabo abathi okubi kuhle bathi okuhle kubi, ababeka umnyama esikhundleni sokukhanya; ukukhanya esikhundleni somnyama; ababeka okubabayo esikhundleni sokumnandi, okumnandi esikhundleni sokubabayo.
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.
Maye kulabo abahlakaniphileyo emehlweni abo njalo besile ekuboneni kwabo.
22 Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing beer,
Maye kulabo abangamaqhawe ekunatheni iwayini njalo bezintshantshu ekuhlanganiseni okunathwayo,
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice.
abakhulula abalamacala ngenxa yokufunjathiswa. Kodwa banqabele abamsulwa imfanelo yabo.
24 Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes the straw, and as dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will decay and their blossoms will blow away like dust; for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of Hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Ngakho-ke, njengalokhu umlilo utshisa inhlanga, utshani obomileyo buphelela phakathi kwamalangabi, ngokunjalo impande zabo zizabola. Lamaluba abo aphephuke njengothuli; ngoba bawalile umthetho kaThixo uSomandla balidelela ilizwi loNgcwele ka-Israyeli.
25 Therefore the anger of the LORD burns against His people; His hand is raised against them to strike them down. The mountains quake, and the corpses lay like refuse in the streets. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
Ngakho ulaka lukaThixo luzavutha ebantwini bakhe; isandla sakhe siphakeme njalo uyabatshaya. Izintaba ziyanyikinyeka, izidumbu zabafileyo zinjengezibi ezindleleni. Ikanti kukho konke lokhu ulaka lwakhe kaluphelanga, isandla sakhe silokhu siphakanyisiwe.
26 He lifts a banner for the distant nations and whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Behold—how speedily and swiftly they come!
Uphakamisela izizwe ezikude uphawu, ubatshayela ikhwelo abasemaphethelweni omhlaba. Nampa besiza ngokuphangisa langejubane!
27 None of them grows weary or stumbles; no one slumbers or sleeps. No belt is loose and no sandal strap is broken.
Kakho omunye wabo odinwayo loba okhubekayo, kakho owozelayo kumbe olalayo, akukho bhanti elixegiswayo ekhalweni, akukho ntambo yenyathelo equmekileyo.
28 Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are strung. The hooves of their horses are like flint; their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind.
Imitshoko yabo ibukhali, wonke amadandili abo agotshisiwe; amasondo amabhiza abo afana lelitshe elilukhuni, amavili ezinqola zabo zokulwa anjengesivunguzane.
29 Their roaring is like that of a lion; they roar like young lions. They growl and seize their prey; they carry it away from deliverance.
Ukubhonga kwabo kufana lokwesilwane, babhonga njengezilwane ezikhulayo, bayabhavuma lapho bebamba inyamazana edliwayo, babaleke layo kungekho ongabemuka.
30 In that day they will roar over it, like the roaring of the sea. If one looks over the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the light will be obscured by clouds.
Ngalolosuku bazabhavumela phezu kwayo njengokubhavuma kolwandle. Njalo nxa umuntu ekhangela ilizwe, uzabona umnyama losizi; lelanga lizakwenziwa libe mnyama ngamayezi.
