Amos 5
1 Give ear to this word, my song of sorrow over you, O children of Israel.
Zwanini lelilizwi engiliphakamisa phezu kwenu, isililo, ndlu kaIsrayeli.
2 The virgin of Israel has been made low, never again to be lifted up: she is stretched out by herself on her land; there is no one to put her on her feet again.
Intombi emsulwa yakoIsrayeli iwile, kayiyikuvuka futhi; ideliwe emhlabathini wayo, kakho oyivusayo.
3 For these are the words of the Lord God: The town which was able to send out a thousand, will have only a hundred; and that which sent out a hundred, will have only ten, in Israel.
Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Umuzi ophuma labayinkulungwane uzasala labalikhulu, lophuma labalikhulu uzasala labalitshumi, kuyo indlu kaIsrayeli.
4 For these are the words of the Lord to the children of Israel: Let your hearts be turned to me, so that you may have life:
Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi endlini kaIsrayeli: Ngidingani liphile.
5 Do not be looking for help to Beth-el, and do not go to Gilgal, or make your way to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal will certainly be taken prisoner, and Beth-el will come to nothing.
Kodwa lingadingi iBhetheli, lingangeni eGiligali, lingedluleli eBherishebha, ngoba iGiligali izathunjwa lokuthunjwa, leBhetheli izakuba yize.
6 Go to the Lord for help so that you may have life; for fear that he may come like fire bursting out in the family of Joseph, causing destruction, and there will be no one to put it out in Beth-el.
Dingani iNkosi liphile, hlezi ifohlele indlu kaJosefa njengomlilo oqothulayo, kungabi khona owucitshayo eBhetheli.
7 You who make the work of judging a bitter thing, crushing down righteousness to the earth;
Lina eliphendula isahlulelo sibe ngumhlonyane, lilalise ukulunga emhlabathini.
8 Go for help to him who makes Orion and the Pleiades, by whom the deep dark is turned into morning, who makes the day black with night; whose voice goes out to the waters of the sea, sending them out over the face of the earth: the Lord is his name;
Owenza isiLimela leziNja, lophendula umthunzi wokufa ube yikusa, lowenza imini ibe mnyama njengobusuku, obiza amanzi olwandle, awathulule ebusweni bomhlabathi; iNkosi libizo lakhe.
9 Who sends sudden destruction on the strong, so that destruction comes on the walled town.
Okhazimulisa incithakalo phezu kolamandla, ukuze incithakalo ize phezu kwenqaba.
10 They have hate for him who makes protest against evil in the public place, and he whose words are upright is disgusting to them.
Bayamzonda okhuzayo esangweni, banengwe ngokhuluma ngokuqonda.
11 So because the poor man is crushed under your feet, and you take taxes from him of grain: you have made for yourselves houses of cut stone, but you will not take your rest in them; the fair vine-gardens planted by your hands will not give you wine.
Ngenxa yokuthi linyathelela phansi umyanga, limthathele umthwalo wamabele, lakhe izindlu zamatshe abaziweyo, kodwa kaliyikuhlala kuzo; lihlanyele izivini zentokozo, kodwa kaliyikunatha iwayini lazo.
12 For I have seen how your evil-doing is increased and how strong are your sins, you troublers of the upright, who take rewards and do wrong to the cause of the poor in the public place.
Ngoba ngiyazi ukuthi iziphambeko zenu zinengi, lokuthi izono zenu zilamandla; lina elihlupha olungileyo, elemukela isivalamlomo, eliphambula abayanga esangweni.
13 So the wise will say nothing in that time; for it is an evil time.
Ngakho ohlakaniphileyo uzathula ngalesosikhathi, ngoba kuyisikhathi esibi.
14 Go after good and not evil, so that life may be yours: and so the Lord, the God of armies, will be with you, as you say.
Dingani okuhle, hatshi-ke okubi, ukuze liphile, ukuze ngokunjalo iNkosi uNkulunkulu wamabandla ibe lani, njengokutsho kwenu.
15 Be haters of evil and lovers of good, and let right be done in the public place: it may be that the Lord, the God of armies, will have mercy on the rest of Joseph.
Zondani ububi, lithande okuhle, limise isahlulelo esangweni; mhlawumbe iNkosi uNkulunkulu wamabandla ingaba lesisa kunsali yakoJosefa.
16 So these are the words of the Lord, the God of armies, the Lord: There will be weeping in all the open spaces; and in all the streets they will say, Sorrow! sorrow! and they will get in the farmer to the weeping, and the makers of sad songs to give cries of grief.
Ngakho utsho njalo uJehova, uNkulunkulu wamabandla, iNkosi: Kuzakuba khona isililo emidangeni yonke, lakuzo zonke izitalada bazakuthi: Maye! Maye! Njalo bazabizela umlimi ekulileni, lesililo sizakuba labazi ukulila.
17 In all the vine-gardens there will be cries of grief: for I will go through among you, says the Lord.
Lakuzo zonke izivini kuzakuba lokulila, ngoba ngizadabula phakathi kwenu, itsho iNkosi.
18 Sorrow to you who are looking for the day of the Lord! what is the day of the Lord to you? it is dark and not light.
Maye kulabo abaloyisa usuku lweNkosi! Luzakuba ngolwani kini usuku lweNkosi? Luzakuba ngumnyama, hatshi ukukhanya.
19 As if a man, running away from a lion, came face to face with a bear; or went into the house and put his hand on the wall and got a bite from a snake.
Kunjengomuntu obaleke phambi kwesilwane, ahlangane lebhere; loba angene endlini abambelele ngesandla sakhe emdulini, lenyoka imlume.
20 Will not the day of the Lord be dark and not light? even very dark, with no light shining in it?
Usuku lweNkosi kaluyikuba ngumnyama yini, hatshi-ke ukukhanya, lomnyama omkhulu ongelakukhanya kuwo?
21 Your feasts are disgusting to me, I will have nothing to do with them; I will take no delight in your holy meetings.
Ngiyayizonda, ngiyayidelela imikhosi yenu, kangiyikunuka emihlanganweni yenu enzulu.
22 Even if you give me your burned offerings and your meal offerings, I will not take pleasure in them: I will have nothing to do with the peace-offerings of your fat beasts.
Ngoba lanxa linikela kimi iminikelo yokutshiswa leminikelo yenu yokudla, kangithokozi, leminikelo yokuthula yezifuyo zenu ezinonileyo kangiyinanzi.
23 Take away from me the noise of your songs; my ears are shut to the melody of your instruments.
Susani kimi umsindo wezingoma zenu, ngoba kangiyikuzwa ukukhala kwamachacho enu.
24 But let the right go rolling on like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Kodwa isahlulelo kasikhukhule njengamanzi, lokulunga njengesifula esigeleza njalo.
25 Did you come to me with offerings of beasts and meal offerings in the waste land for forty years, O Israel?
Lanikela yini kimi imihlatshelo leminikelo yokudla enkangala okweminyaka engamatshumi amane, lina ndlu kaIsrayeli?
26 Truly, you will take up Saccuth your king and Kaiwan your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.
Kodwa lathwala uSikuthi inkosi yenu, loKhiwuni izithombe zenu, inkanyezi kankulunkulu wenu, elizenzele zona.
27 And I will send you away as prisoners farther than Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is the God of armies.
Ngakho ngizalithumbela ngaphetsheya kweDamaseko, itsho iNkosi, obizo layo nguNkulunkulu wamabandla.
