Isaiah 14
1 But the Lord will be merciful to the descendants of Jacob. Once again he will choose Israel and he will bring them back to live once more in their own land. Foreigners will come and join them there, and they will unite with the descendants of Jacob.
UThixo uzakuba lesihawu kuJakhobe; uzamkhetha njalo u-Israyeli, abahlalise elizweni labo. Abezizwe bazahlangana labo bamanyane lendlu kaJakhobe.
2 Nations will go with them and escort them to their own land. The foreigners who stay in the Lord's land will serve the Israelites. In this way the captors become their captives, and they rule over their former oppressors.
Izizwe zizabathatha zibase endaweni yabo. Indlu ka-Israyeli izathumba izizwe zibe yizisebenzi zesilisa lezesifazane elizweni likaThixo. Bazakwenza abathumbi babo babe yizigqili, babuse abancindezeli babo.
3 At that time the Lord will give you relief from your pain and trouble, and from the hard labor you were forced to do.
Ngosuku uThixo azaliphumuza ngalo ekuhluphekeni, ekutshikatshikeni, lasebugqilini obulesihluku,
4 You will mock the king of Babylon, saying, “How your oppressive rule has been ended, and your insolence stopped!
lizakutsho la amazwi okukloloda enkosini yaseBhabhiloni lithi: Umncindezeli usefikile ekucineni, ukuthukuthela kwakhe sekuphelile!
5 The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the rulers' scepter.
UThixo useyephule intonga yababi, induku yobukhosi eyababusi,
6 You kept on furiously hitting foreign peoples without stopping, and aggressively ruled nations with unrestrained persecution.
abatshaya abantu ngokuthukuthela, langokugalela okungapheliyo, banqoba izizwe ngentukuthelo langokuncindezela okungapheliyo.
7 Now the whole earth rests peacefully, and everyone starts celebrating!
Amazwe wonke alokuphumula lokuthula; aphahluka ahlabelele izingoma.
8 The cypress and cedar trees are glad you're gone. They sing, ‘Since you were cut down no woodcutters are coming to cut us down!’
Lezihlahla zamaphayini lemisedari yaseLebhanoni ziyathokoza ngawe zithi, “Njengoba khathesi usuwiselwe phansi akula ozakuzasigamula.”
9 Those in the grave beneath are keen to meet you when you arrive. It wakes the spirits of the dead to welcome you, those of all the rulers of the earth. All the kings of the nations stand up from their thrones. (Sheol h7585)
Ithuna ngaphansi liyanyakaza ukuba likuhlangabeze ekufikeni kwakho. Livusa imimoya yabafayo ukuba ikubingelele, bonke labo ababengababusi emhlabeni; libenza basukume ezihlalweni zabo zobukhosi, bonke labo ababengamakhosi ezizwe. (Sheol h7585)
10 They will all speak up and tell you, ‘So you too are as weak as we are—you've become just like us!
Bazaphendula bonke, bazakuthi kuwe, “Lawe usubuthakathaka njengathi, usube njengathi.”
11 Your pride is now buried with you in the grave, along with the harp music you loved. Maggots are the bed you lie on, and worms are your blanket.’ (Sheol h7585)
Bonke ubukhosi bakho sebehliselwe phansi ethuneni, kanye lomsindo wamachacho akho. Impethu zendlaliwe ngaphansi kwakho, inhlavane zikwembesile. (Sheol h7585)
12 Morning star, son of the dawn, how you have fallen from heaven! Destroyer of nations, you have been cut down to the ground!
Yeka ukuwa kwakho uvela ezulwini, wena nkanyezi yekuseni, ndodana yokusa! Uphoselwe phansi emhlabeni, wena owake wehlisela izizwe phansi!
13 You said to yourself: ‘I will ascend to heaven. I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit enthroned on the mountain of meeting, the summit of the northern mountain.
Wathi enhliziyweni yakho, “Ngizakwenyukela ezulwini, ngizaphakamisela isihlalo sami sobukhosi ngaphezu kwezinkanyezi zikaNkulunkulu; ngizahlala ebukhosini phezu kwentaba yombuthano, ezingqongweni zentaba engcwele.
14 I will ascend to the high places above the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
Ngizakwenyukela phezu kwezindawo eziphakemeyo emayezini; ngizazenza ngibe njengoPhezukonke.”
Kodwa ulethwe phansi ethuneni, ekuzikeni kwegodi. (Sheol h7585)
16 Those who see you will stare at you, examining you closely, asking, ‘Is this the man who shook the earth, who made kingdoms tremble?
Labo abakubonayo bakudonsela amehlo, bayacabanga ngowakudalelwayo bathi: “Nguye lo na umuntu owanyikinya umhlaba wenza imibuso yaqhaqhazela,
17 Is this the one who turned the world into a desert, destroyed cities, and never let his prisoners return home?’
umuntu owenza umhlaba waba lugwadule, owadiliza amadolobho awo, kazavumela abathunjwayo bakhe ukubuyela ekhaya na?”
18 All the other kings of the nations lie in splendor in their great mausoleums.
Wonke amakhosi ezizwe alele ebukhosini, enye lenye ethuneni layo.
19 But you are thrown out of your grave like a branch nobody wants, buried underneath the bodies of those killed by the sword. You are like a corpse trodden underfoot. You are tossed into a pit full of rocks—
Kodwa wena uphoselwe ngaphandle kwethuna lakho njengogatsha olulahliweyo; welekwe ngababulawayo, lalabo abagwazwa ngenkemba, labo abehlela ematsheni egodi. Njengesidumbu esinyathelwe ngezinyawo,
20 you will not be buried like those other kings because you destroyed your own land and killed your own people. The descendants of those who do evil will never survive.
kawuyikuhlangana labo ekungcwatshweni; ngoba usulichithile ilizwe lakho wabulala labantu bakini. Inzalo yababi kakungakhulunywa ngayo futhi.
21 Get ready to execute his sons because of their fathers' sins. Don't let them take over the earth; don't let them fill the whole world with their cities.
Lungisa indawo yokubulalela abantwabakhe ngenxa yezono zabokhokho babo. Kabamelanga bavuke ukuba bathathe ilizwe bagcwalise umhlaba ngamadolobho abo.
22 I will come and attack them, declares the Lord Almighty. I will destroy everything: their reputation, those who remain, their children, and their descendants, says the Lord.
“Ngizabavukela,” kutsho uThixo uSomandla. “Ngizakwesula iBhabhiloni labasindayo abantwabakhe lezizukulwane,” kutsho uThixo.
23 I will make Babylon into a place for water birds and into marshland. I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction, declares the Lord Almighty.”
“Ngizalenza libe yindawo yezikhova lelizwe elilixhaphozi. Ngizalithanyela ngomthanyelo wencithakalo,” kutsho uThixo uSomandla.
24 The Lord Almighty has sworn an oath: It will be as I have planned. It will happen as I have decided.
UThixo uSomandla ufungile wathi, “Ngeqiniso, njengoba sengilungisile, kuzakuba njalo, njalo njengoba ngikumisile kuzakuma kanjalo.
25 I will smash the Assyrians when they are in my country Israel; I will trample them underfoot on my mountains. I will remove their yoke from my people, and take away the burdens they place on my people's shoulders.
Ngizamchoboza umʼAsiriya elizweni lami; ezintabeni zami ngizamnyathelela phansi. Ijogwe lakhe lizasuswa ebantwini bami, umthwalo wakhe ususwe emahlombe abo.”
26 This is the plan I have made regarding the whole earth; my hand stretches out to control all the nations.
Lokhu yikho okumiselwe umhlaba wonke, lesi yisandla eselulelwe phezu kwezizwe zonke.
27 The Lord Almighty has made his plan, and who will block it? His hand stretches out, and who will push back against it?
Ngoba uThixo uSomandla usenze isimiso, ngubani ongamvimbela na? Isandla sakhe siphakanyisiwe, ngubani ongasibuyisela emuva na?
28 The following message came in the year King Ahaz died.
Ilizwi leli lafika nyakana kusifa inkosi u-Ahazi:
29 All you Philistines, don't celebrate the fact that the rod that was hitting you is broken, because from the root of that snake will grow up a viper, its fruit will be a flying serpent.
Lingathokozi, lonke lina maFilistiya, lisithi intonga eyalitshayayo yephukile; ngoba empandeni yenyoka leyana kuzavela inhlangwana, inzalo yayo izakuba yinyoka elobuthi obutshokayo.
30 The poor will have food, and the needy will live in safety, but you Philistines will die in a famine, and I will kill those who survive.
Abangabayanga kubayanga bazathola amadlelo, abaswelayo bazalala phansi bevikelekile. Kodwa impande yakho ngizayitshabalalisa ngendlala; izabulala abaseleyo bakho.
31 Howl, gates! Weep, town! Melt away in feat, all you Philistines! For a cloud of smoke is approaching from the north—an army with no soldier hanging back.
Lila wena sango! Bubula wena dolobho! Chithekani lonke lina maFilistiya! Iyezi lentuthu livela enyakatho; njalo akulamatshida eviyweni lalo.
32 What will be the answer given to the messengers from that nation? “The Lord was the one who laid the foundations of Zion, and that's where his suffering people will be kept safe.”
Yimpendulo bani ezanikwa izithunywa zalesosizwe na? “UThixo useyakhile iZiyoni, abantu bakhe abahluphekileyo bazaphephela kuye.”
