Joel 2
1 Let the horn be sounded in Zion, and a war-cry in my holy mountain; let all the people of the land be troubled: for the day of the Lord is coming;
Vuthelani uphondo eZiyoni, lihlabe umkhosi entabeni yami engcwele; kabathuthumele bonke abahlali belizwe, ngoba usuku lweNkosi luyeza, ngoba luseduze.
2 For a day of dark and deep shade is near, a day of cloud and black night: like a black cloud a great and strong people is covering the mountains; there has never been any like them and will not be after them again, from generation to generation.
Usuku lomnyama lobumnyama, usuku lwamayezi lomnyama onzima, njengemadabukakusa lembese phezu kwezintaba; isizwe esikhulu lesilamandla, kakuzanga kube khona esinjengaso kusukela endulo, futhi kakusayikuba khona emva kwaso kuze kube yiminyaka yezizukulwana lezizukulwana.
3 Before them fire sends destruction, and after them flame is burning: the land is like the garden of Eden before them, and after them an unpeopled waste; truly, nothing has been kept safe from them.
Umlilo uyaqeda phambi kwaso, langemva kwaso kuvutha ilangabi. Phambi kwaso ilizwe lifanana lesivande seEdeni, kodwa ngemva kwaso liyinkangala yencithakalo; yebo kakulakuphunyuka kuso.
4 Their form is like the form of horses, and they are running like war-horses.
Isimo saso sinjengesimo samabhiza, lanjengabagadi bamabhiza ngokunjalo bazagijima.
5 Like the sound of war-carriages they go jumping on the tops of the mountains; like the noise of a flame of fire burning up the grain-stems, like a strong people lined up for the fight.
Bazakweqa njengomsindo wezinqola ezingqongeni zezintaba, njengomsindo welangabi lomlilo oqeda izidindi, njengabantu abalamandla abahlelelwe impi.
6 At their coming the people are bent with pain: all faces become red together.
Phambi kobuso babo abantu bazakuba lobuhlungu; bonke ubuso buzanyukumala.
7 They are running like strong men, they go over the wall like men of war; every man goes straight on his way, their lines are not broken.
Bazagijima njengamaqhawe, bakhwele imiduli njengamadoda empi, bahambe ngulowo lalowo ngezindlela zakhe, kabayikuphambuka emikhondweni yabo.
8 No one is pushing against another; everyone goes straight on his way: bursting through the sword points, their order is not broken.
Kabasunduzani omunye lomunye; bazahamba ngulowo lalowo ngomgwaqo wakhe omkhulu; lapho bewela phezu kwesikhali, kabayikulimala.
9 They make a rush on the town, running on the wall; they go up into the houses and in through the windows like a thief.
Bazahaluzela bedabula umuzi, bagijime phezu komduli, bakhwele bangene ezindlini, bangene ngamawindi njengesela.
10 The earth is troubled before them and the heavens are shaking: the sun and the moon have become dark, and the stars keep back their shining:
Umhlaba uzanyikinyeka phambi kwabo, amazulu athuthumele; ilanga lenyanga kube mnyama, lezinkanyezi zigodle ukukhanya kwazo.
11 And the Lord is thundering before his forces; for very great is his army; for he is strong who gives effect to his word: for the day of the Lord is great and greatly to be feared, and who has strength against it?
Njalo iNkosi izakhupha ilizwi layo phambi kwebutho layo, ngoba inkamba yayo inkulu kakhulu; ngoba ilamandla eyenza ilizwi layo; ngoba usuku lweNkosi lukhulu, luyesabeka kakhulu; ngubani-ke ongalumela?
12 But even now, says the Lord, come back to me with all your heart, keeping from food, with weeping and with sorrow:
Ngakho lakhathesi, itsho iNkosi, phendukelani kimi ngenhliziyo yenu yonke, langokuzila ukudla, langokukhala inyembezi, langokulila.
13 Let your hearts be broken, and not your clothing, and come back to the Lord your God: for he is full of grace and pity, slow to be angry and great in mercy, ready to be turned from his purpose of punishment.
Lidabule inhliziyo yenu, hatshi izembatho zenu, liphendukele eNkosini, uNkulunkulu wenu, ngoba ilesisa lesihawu, iphuza ukuthukuthela, njalo inkulu ngomusa, iyazisola ngobubi.
14 May it not be that he will again let his purpose be changed and let a blessing come after him, even a meal offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?
Ngubani owaziyo, ingaphenduka izisole, itshiye isibusiso ngemva kwayo, umnikelo wokudla lomnikelo wokunathwayo eNkosini, uNkulunkulu wenu.
15 Let a horn be sounded in Zion, let a time be fixed for going without food, have a holy meeting:
Vuthelani uphondo eZiyoni, yehlukanisani ukuzila ukudla, libize umhlangano onzulu,
16 Get the people together, make the mass of the people holy, send for the old men, get together the children and babies at the breast: let the newly married man come out of his room and the bride from her tent.
libuthanise abantu, lingcwelise ibandla, lihlanganise abadala, libuthanise abantwana, labamunya amabele; umyeni kaphume ekamelweni lakhe, lomakoti ekamelweni lakhe.
17 Let the priests, the servants of the Lord, be weeping between the covered way and the altar, and let them say, Have mercy on your people, O Lord, do not give up your heritage to shame, so that the nations become their rulers: why let them say among the peoples, Where is their God?
Kakuthi abapristi, izikhonzi zeNkosi, bakhale inyembezi phakathi kwekhulusi lelathi, bathi: Yekela abantu bakho, Nkosi; unganikeli ilifa lakho ehlazweni, ukuthi abahedeni bababuse. Bazatsholoni phakathi kwezizwe ukuthi: Ungaphi uNkulunkulu wabo?
18 Then the Lord had a care for the honour of his land and had pity on his people.
Khona iNkosi izatshisekela ilizwe layo, ihawukele abantu bayo.
19 And the Lord made answer and said to his people, See, I will send you grain and wine and oil in full measure: and I will no longer let you be shamed among the nations:
Yebo iNkosi izaphendula ithi ebantwini bayo: Khangelani, ngizalithumela amabele lewayini elitsha lamafutha, ukuthi lisuthe ngakho; kangisayikulenza inhlamba phakathi kwezizwe.
20 I will send the one from the north far away from you, driving him into a dry and waste land, with his front to the sea of the east and his back to the sea of the west, and the smell of him will go up, even his evil smell will go up.
Kodwa ngizasusela khatshana lani okuvela enyakatho, ngikuxotshele elizweni elomileyo leliyinkangala, ubuso bakho buqonde ngaselwandle lwempumalanga, lokucina kwakho ngaselwandle olungemuva; njalo kwenyuke ivumba lakho, kwenyuke iphunga lakho elibi, ngoba kwenze izinto ezinkulu.
21 Have no fear, O land; be glad with great joy; for the Lord has done great things.
Ungesabi, lizwe, jabula uthokoze, ngoba iNkosi yenze izinto ezinkulu.
22 Have no fear, you beasts of the field, for the grass-lands of the waste are becoming green, for the trees are producing fruit, the fig-tree and the vine give out their strength.
Lingesabi, zinyamazana zeganga, ngoba amadlelo enkangala asehlumile; ngoba isihlahla sithela isithelo saso, umkhiwa levini kunike amandla akho.
23 Be glad, then, you children of Zion, and have joy in the Lord your God: for he gives you food in full measure, making the rain come down for you, the early and the late rain as at the first.
Lani bantwana beZiyoni, thabani lithokoze eNkosini, uNkulunkulu wenu; ngoba ilinikile izulu lensewula ngokulunga, yalinisela izulu, izulu lensewula lezulu lamuva njengakuqala.
24 And the floors will be full of grain, and the crushing-places overflowing with wine and oil.
Lamabala okubhulela azagcwala amabele, lezikhamelo zewayini ziphuphume ngewayini elitsha lamafutha.
25 I will give back to you the years which were food for the locust, the plant-worm, the field-fly, and the worm, my great army which I sent among you.
Njalo ngizabuyisela kini iminyaka eyadliwa yintothoviyane, yisikhonyane, leqhwagi, lenswabanda, ibutho lami elikhulu engalithumela phakathi kwenu.
26 You will have food in full measure, and give praise to the name of the Lord your God, who has done wonders for you:
Njalo lizakudla lokudla, lisuthe, lidumise ibizo leNkosi, uNkulunkulu wenu, oliphethe ngokumangalisayo. Njalo abantu bami kabayikuyangiswa lanininini.
27 And you will be certain that I am in Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and there is no other: and my people will never be shamed.
Njalo lizakwazi ukuthi ngiphakathi kukaIsrayeli, lokuthi ngiyiNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu, njalo kakho omunye. Njalo abantu bami kabayikuyangiswa lanininini.
28 And after that, it will come about, says the Lord, that I will send my spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters will be prophets, your old men will have dreams, your young men will see visions:
Kuzakuthi emva kwalokho ngithele uMoya wami phezu kwayo yonke inyama; njalo amadodana enu lamadodakazi enu azaprofetha; abadala benu baphuphe amaphupho, amajaha enu abone imibono.
29 And on the servants and the servant-girls in those days I will send my spirit.
Yebo, laphezu kwenceku laphezu kwencekukazi ngizathela uMoya wami ngalezonsuku.
30 And I will let wonders be seen in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
Njalo ngizaveza izimangaliso emazulwini lemhlabeni, igazi, lomlilo, lezinsika zentuthu.
31 The sun will be made dark and the moon turned to blood, before the great day of the Lord comes, a day to be feared.
Ilanga lizaphenduka libe ngumnyama, lenyanga ibe ligazi, lungakafiki usuku lweNkosi olukhulu lolwesabekayo.
32 And it will be that whoever makes his prayer to the name of the Lord will be kept safe: for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem some will be kept safe, as the Lord has said, and will be among the small band marked out by the Lord.
Kuzakuthi-ke loba ngubani ozabiza ibizo leNkosi asindiswe; ngoba entabeni yeZiyoni leJerusalema kuzakuba khona ukukhululwa, njengokutsho kweNkosi, laphakathi kwabaseleyo iNkosi ezababiza.
