Isaiah 22
1 The word about the valley of vision. Why have all your people gone up to the house-tops?
Isiphrofethi ngesiGodi soMbono: Kuyini okukukhathazayo khathesi, wena sewakhwela phezu kwezimpahla zezindlu,
2 You, who are full of loud voices, a town of outcries, given up to joy; your dead men have not been put to the sword, or come to their death in war.
wena dolobho eligcwele iziphithiphithi, wena dolobho lokuxokozela lokuthokoza? Abafayo bakho ababulawanga ngenkemba, njalo kabafelanga empini.
3 All your rulers ... have gone in flight; all your strong ones have gone far away.
Bonke abakhokheli bakho babaleke bebonke, bathunjiwe bengazange basebenzise mtshoko. Lonke lina elabanjwayo lathathwa ukuba libe yizibotshwa ndawonye, libalekile isitha sisesekhatshana.
4 For this cause I have said, Let your eyes be turned away from me in my bitter weeping; I will not be comforted for the wasting of the daughter of my people.
Ngakho ngathi, “Sukani kimi; lingiyekele ngikhale kabuhlungu. Lingazami ukungiduduza ngenxa yokuchithwa kwabantu bakithi.”
5 For it is a day of trouble and of crushing down and of destruction from the Lord, the Lord of armies, in the valley of vision; ...
INkosi, uThixo uSomandla, ulosuku lokuxokozela lokugxoba lokwesaba eSigodini soMbono, usuku lokudiliza imiduli lokumemezela ezintabeni.
6 And Elam was armed with arrows, and Aram came on horseback; and the breastplate of Kir was uncovered.
I-Elamu ithatha isikhwama semitshoko, labatshayeli balo bezinqola zempi, lamabhiza; iKhiri lambula ihawu.
7 And your most fertile valleys were full of war-carriages, and the horsemen took up their positions in front of the town.
Izigodi zakho ezinhle kakhulu zigcwele izinqola zempi, abagadi bamabhiza bamiswe emasangweni edolobho.
8 He took away the cover of Judah; and in that day you were looking with care at the store of arms in the house of the woods.
Ukuvikeleka kukaJuda kususiwe, Ngalolosuku wathemba izikhali eziseSigodlweni seHlathi,
9 And you saw all the broken places in the wall of the town of David: and you got together the waters of the lower pool.
wabona ukuthi iDolobho likaDavida lalilezikhala ezinengi ezivikelweni zalo; wagcina amanzi eSizibeni esingaPhansi.
10 And you had the houses of Jerusalem numbered, pulling down the houses to make the wall stronger.
Wabala izindlu zaseJerusalema, wazidiliza ukuze kuqiniswe umduli.
11 And you made a place between the two walls for storing the waters of the old pool: but you gave no thought to him who had done this, and were not looking to him by whom it had been purposed long before.
Phakathi kwemiduli yomibili wakha indawo yokugcinela amanzi eSiziba esiDala. Kodwa kawukhangelanga kuLowo owasenzayo, kumbe umnake Lowo owaceba ukusenza kudala.
12 And in that day the Lord, the Lord of armies, was looking for weeping, and cries of sorrow, cutting off of the hair, and putting on the clothing of grief:
Ngalolosuku iNkosi, uThixo uSomandla, wakubiza ukuba ukhale ulile, usiphune inwele zakho, ugqoke isaka.
13 But in place of these there was joy and delight, oxen and sheep were being made ready for food, there was feasting and drinking: men said, Now is the time for food and wine, for tomorrow death comes.
Kodwa khangela, kulokuthaba lokuthokoza, ukuhlatshwa kwezinkomo lokubalwa kwezimvu, ukudliwa kwenyama lokunathwa kwewayini! Lithi, “Kasidleni sinathe, ngoba kusasa sizakufa!”
14 And the Lord of armies said to me secretly, Truly, this sin will not be taken from you till your death, says the Lord, the Lord of armies.
UThixo uSomandla usekuvezile lokhu ngisizwa: “Lesisono kasiyikuthethelelwa kuze kube lusuku lwakho lokufa,” kutsho iNkosi, uThixo uSomandla.
15 The Lord, the Lord of armies, says, Go to this person in authority, this Shebna, who is over the house; who has made himself a resting-place on high, cutting out a place for himself in the rock, and say,
Lokhu yikho okutshiwo yiNkosi, uThixo uSomandla, uthi: “Hamba, uthi encekwini le, kuShebhina ongumphathi wesigodlo:
16 Who are you, and by what right have you made for yourself a resting-place here?
Wenzani lapha, njalo ngubani okuphe imvumo ukuba uzimbele ingcwaba lapha, ugubha ingcwaba lakho endaweni ephezulu, ugubha indawo yakho yokuphumula edwaleni?”
17 See, O strong man, the Lord will send you violently away, gripping you with force,
Qaphela, sekuseduze ukuthi uThixo akubambe aqinise, akuphosele khatshana, wena ndoda elamandla.
18 Twisting you round and round like a ball he will send you out into a wide country: there you will come to your end, and there will be the carriages of your pride, O shame of your lord's house!
Uzakugoqa ngokuqinisa akubumbe njengebhola akuphosele elizweni elikhulu. Uzafela khonapho. Lezigqoko zakho zempi ezinhle zizasala khonapho, wenza ihlazo endlini yenkosi yakho!
19 And I will have you forced out of your place of authority, and pulled down from your position.
Ngizakususa esikhundleni sakho, njalo uzaxotshwa emsebenzini wakho.
20 And in that day I will send for my servant, Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah:
Ngalolosuku ngizabiza inceku yami, u-Eliyakhimu indodana kaHilikhiya.
21 And I will put your robe on him, and put your band about him, and I will give your authority into his hand: and he will be a father to the men of Jerusalem, and to the family of Judah.
Ngizamgqokisa izembatho zakho, ngimbophe ngebhanti lakho, ngimnike amandla akho. Uzakuba nguyise walabo abahlala eJerusalema lakwabendlu kaJuda.
22 And I will give the key of the family of David into his care; and what he keeps open will be shut by no one, and what he keeps shut no one will make open.
Ngizabeka phezu kwamahlombe akhe isivulo sendlu kaDavida; akuvulayo kakho ongakuvala.
23 And I will put him like a nail in a safe place; and he will be for a seat of glory to his father's family.
Ngizambethela njengesikhonkwane endaweni eqinileyo; uzakuba yisihlalo sobukhosi sasendlini kayise.
24 And all the glory of his father's family will be hanging on him, all their offspring, every small vessel, even the cups and the basins.
Lonke udumo lwakwabo luzakuba kuye, inzalo yakhona lezizukulwane zonke, izitsha zakhona ezincinyane, kusukela emiganwini kusiya enkonxeni zonke.
25 In that day, says the Lord of armies, will the nail fixed in a safe place give way; and it will be cut down, and in its fall the weight hanging on it will be cut off, for the Lord has said it.
“Ngalolosuku,” kutsho uThixo uSomandla, “isikhonkwane esabethelwa endaweni eqinileyo sizakhumuka; sizaqunywa siwe, umthwalo ophezu kwaso uzawela phansi.” UThixo usekhulumile.
