Isaiah 29
1 Tragedy is coming to you Ariel, Ariel the city where David lived! Year after year you have your festivals.
Ole wako, wewe Arieli, Arieli, mji alimokaa Daudi! Ongezeni mwaka kwa mwaka, na mzunguko wa sikukuu zenu uendelee.
2 But I'm going to cause trouble for Ariel; the city will cry and mourn, it will be like an altar hearth to me.
Hata hivyo nitauzunguka Arieli kwa jeshi, utalia na kuomboleza, utakuwa kwangu kama mahali pa kuwashia moto madhabahuni.
3 I will surround you, I will besiege you with towers and build ramps to attack you.
Nitapiga kambi pande zote dhidi yako, nitakuzunguka kwa minara na kupanga mazingirwa yangu dhidi yako.
4 You will be brought down, you will speak from where you're lying on the ground, mumbling in the dust. Your words will come like a ghost from the grave; your voice will be a whisper from the dust.
Utakaposhushwa, utanena kutoka ardhini, utamumunya maneno yako kutoka mavumbini. Sauti yako itatoka katika nchi kama vile ya mzimu, utanongʼona maneno yako toka mavumbini.
5 But then all your enemies will become like fine dust; all your cruel oppressors like chaff that's blown away. Then suddenly, in no time at all,
Lakini adui zako wengi watakuwa kama vumbi laini, kundi la wakatili watakuwa kama makapi yapeperushwayo. Naam, ghafula, mara moja,
6 the Lord Almighty will arrive with thunder, earthquake, and tremendous noise, with whirlwind, storm, and flames of fire that burn everything up.
Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote atakuja na ngurumo, tetemeko la ardhi, na kwa sauti kuu, atakuja na dhoruba, tufani na miali ya moto iteketezayo.
7 The nations besieging Ariel, attacking its fortifications and tormenting the people, they will all disappear as if it was a dream!
Kisha makundi ya mataifa yote yale yapiganayo dhidi ya Arieli, yale yanayomshambulia yeye na ngome zake, na kumzunguka kwa jeshi, watakuwa kama ilivyo ndoto, kama maono wakati wa usiku:
8 It will be like someone hungry dreaming that they're eating but who wakes up still hungry. It will be like someone thirsty dreaming of drinking but who wakes up still weak and thirsty. This is what it will be like for all your enemies, the ones attacking Mount Zion.
kama vile mtu aliye na njaa aotavyo kuwa anakula, lakini huamka, bado njaa yake ingalipo, kama vile mtu mwenye kiu aotavyo kuwa anakunywa maji, lakini huamka akiwa anazimia, akiwa bado angali ana kiu. Hivyo ndivyo itakavyokuwa kwa makundi yote ya mataifa yanayopigana dhidi ya Mlima Sayuni.
9 Be shocked and amazed! Make yourselves blind so you can't see! Get drunk, but not from wine! Stagger around, but not from beer!
Duwaeni na kushangaa, jifanyeni vipofu wenyewe na msione, leweni, lakini si kwa mvinyo, pepesukeni lakini si kwa kileo.
10 For the Lord has made you very sleepy, and he has shut the eyes and covered the heads of those who speak for God and see visions.
Bwana amewaleteeni usingizi mzito: Ameziba macho yenu (ninyi manabii); amefunika vichwa vyenu (ninyi waonaji).
11 This entire vision is like words in a scroll that is sealed shut. If you give it to someone who knows how to read and say, “Please read it,” they'll say, “I can't read it because it's sealed shut.”
Kwa maana kwenu ninyi, maono haya yote si kitu ila maneno yaliyotiwa lakiri katika kitabu. Kama mkimpa mtu yeyote awezaye kusoma kitabu hiki, nanyi mkamwambia, “Tafadhali kisome,” yeye atajibu, “Mimi siwezi, kwa kuwa kimetiwa lakiri.”
12 If you give it to someone who doesn't know how to read and say, “Please read it,” they'll say, “I don't know how to read.”
Au kama mkimpa mtu yeyote kitabu hiki asiyeweza kusoma na kumwambia, “Tafadhali kisome,” atajibu, “Mimi sijui kusoma.”
13 The Lord says, “These people come and praise me with their words, and honor me with lip service, but their thoughts are miles away. Their worship of me only consists of them following rules people have taught them.
Bwana anasema: “Watu hawa hunikaribia kwa vinywa vyao na kuniheshimu kwa midomo yao, lakini mioyo yao iko mbali nami. Ibada yao kwangu inatokana na maagizo waliyofundishwa na wanadamu.
14 So once again I will surprise these people with miracle upon miracle. The wisdom of the wise will die, and the insight of the insightful will disappear.”
Kwa hiyo mara nyingine tena nitawashangaza watu hawa, kwa ajabu juu ya ajabu. Hekima ya wenye hekima itapotea, nayo akili ya wenye akili itatoweka.”
15 Tragedy is coming to people who take such trouble to hide their plans from the Lord. They work in the dark and say to themselves, “Nobody can see us, can they? Nobody will know, will they?”
Ole kwa wale wanaokwenda kwenye vilindi virefu kumficha Bwana mipango yao, wafanyao kazi zao gizani na kufikiri, “Ni nani anayetuona? Ni nani atakayejua?”
16 How perverse you are! It's as if the clay was thought of as making the potter! Should something made say to its maker, “You didn't make me”? Can the pot tell the potter, “You don't understand anything”?
Mnapindua mambo juu chini, kana kwamba mfinyanzi aweza kufikiriwa kuwa kama udongo wa mfinyanzi! Je, kile kilichofinyangwa chaweza kumwambia yule aliyekifinyanga, “Wewe hukunifinyanga mimi?” Je, chungu kinaweza kumwambia mfinyanzi, “Wewe hujui chochote?”
17 It won't be long and the forests of Lebanon will be turned into a productive field, and a productive field will seem like a forest.
Kwa muda mfupi sana, je, Lebanoni haitageuzwa kuwa shamba lenye rutuba, na shamba lenye rutuba liwe kama msitu?
18 At that time the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and the eyes of the blind will see through the gloomy darkness what's written there.
Katika siku ile viziwi watasikia maneno ya kitabu, na katika utusitusi na giza macho ya kipofu yataona.
19 The humble will be even happier in the Lord, and the poor will find their joy in the Holy One of Israel.
Mara nyingine tena wanyenyekevu watafurahi katika Bwana, wahitaji watafurahi katika yeye Aliye Mtakatifu wa Israeli.
20 Cruel people will no longer exist, the scornful will vanish, and those looking to do evil will be destroyed—
Wakatili watatoweka na wenye kudhihaki watatokomea, nao wote wenye jicho la uovu watakatiliwa mbali,
21 those who say things to trick others into sin, those who trap people by legal arguments in court, those who lie to mislead the innocent.
wale ambao kwa neno humfanya mtu kuwa mwenye hatia, wamtegeao mtego mtetezi katika mahakama, na kwa ushuhuda wa uongo humnyima haki yeye asiye na hatia.
22 So this is what the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the descendants of Jacob: “You don't need to be ashamed anymore; your faces won't grow pale with fright any longer.
Kwa hiyo hili ndilo Bwana, aliyemkomboa Abrahamu, analosema kwa nyumba ya Yakobo: “Yakobo hataaibishwa tena, wala nyuso zao hazitabadilika sura tena.
23 When you see all your children and everything I've done for you, then you will regard my character as holy, and you will respect the Holy One of Jacob. You will have reverence for the God of Israel.
Wakati watakapoona watoto wao miongoni mwao, kazi ya mikono yangu, watalitakasa Jina langu takatifu; wataukubali utakatifu wa yeye Aliye Mtakatifu wa Yakobo, nao watamcha Mungu wa Israeli.
24 Those who've gone astray will understand their mistakes; those who grumble will learn how to receive instruction.”
Wale wanaopotoka rohoni watapata ufahamu, nao wale wanaolalamika watayakubali mafundisho.”
