Isaiah 37
1 And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of Yhwh.
Kwathi lapho uHezekhiya, inkosi, esezwe lokhu, wadabula izigqoko zakhe wagqoka amasaka, wasesiya ethempelini likaThixo.
2 And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.
Wathuma u-Eliyakhimu umphathi wesigodlo, uShebhina umabhalane labaphristi abangabakhokheli, bonke begqoke amasaka, baya kumphrofethi u-Isaya indodana ka-Amozi.
3 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.
Bathi kuye, “UHezekhiya uthi: ilanga lanamhla lusuku losizi lokusolwa kanye lehlazo njengalapho abantwana sekufike isikhathi sokuthi bazalwe kodwa amandla okubeletha engekho.
4 It may be Yhwh thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which Yhwh thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.
Mhlawumbe uThixo uNkulunkulu wakho izawezwa amazwi omlawuli webutho, onkosi yakhe, inkosi yase-Asiriya, emthume ukuba athuke uNkulunkulu ophilayo, lokuthi uzamthuka ngenxa yamazwi uThixo uNkulunkulu wakho ewazwileyo. Ngakho-ke khulekela insali elokhu iphila.”
5 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
Kwathi izithunywa zenkosi uHezekhiya sezifikile ku-Isaya,
6 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say unto your master, Thus saith Yhwh, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
u-Isaya wathi kuzo, “Tshelani inkosi yenu lithi, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo: Ungesabi lokhu okuzwileyo, amazwi lawana izinceku zenkosi yase-Asiriya ezingithuke ngawo.
7 Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.
Lalela! Ngizafaka umoya ozamenza athi nxa esizwa umbiko othile, afune ukubuyela elizweni lakhe, athi angafika khonale ngenze ukuba abulawe ngenkemba.’”
8 So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.
Kwathi lapho umlawuli webutho esezwile ukuthi inkosi yase-Asiriya yayisisukile eLakhishi, laye wasuka wayathola inkosi isilwa leLibhina.
9 And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come forth to make war with thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
USenakheribhi wemukela umbiko othi uThirihaka inkosi yaseKhushi, wayesiza ukuba amhlasele. Esezwe lokho wathumela izithunywa kuHezekhiya lombiko othi:
10 Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God, in whom thou trustest, deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.
“Tshela uHezekhiya inkosi yakoJuda ukuthi: Ungavumi ukuthi unkulunkulu omthembileyo akukhohlise esithi, ‘IJerusalema kaliyikunikelwa enkosini yase-Asiriya.’
11 Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be delivered?
Ngempela usukuzwile okwenziwa ngamakhosi ase-Asiriya emazweni wonke, ewabhidliza okupheleleyo. Wena-ke uzaphepha na?
12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed, as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Telassar?
Onkulunkulu bezizwe ezatshabalaliswa ngokhokho bami bake bazikhulula na, onkulunkulu beGozani, iHarani, iRezefi kanye labantu base-Edeni ababeseThelasari?
13 Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arphad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?
Ingaphi inkosi yaseHamathi, inkosi yase-Ariphadi, angaphi amakhosi aseLayiri leSefavayimi, loba eyaseHena kumbe eyase-Iva?”
14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of Yhwh, and spread it before Yhwh.
UHezekhiya wemukela incwadi eyeza lezithunywa wayibala. Emva kwalokho waya ethempelini leNkosi, wayichaya phambi kukaThixo.
15 And Hezekiah prayed unto Yhwh, saying,
UHezekhiya wakhuleka kuThixo esithi:
16 O Yhwh of Armies, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.
“Thixo Somandla, Nkulunkulu ka-Israyeli osebukhosini phakathi kwamaKherubhi, wena kuphela nguwe onguNkulunkulu wemibuso yonke yasemhlabeni. Nguwe owenza izulu lomhlaba.
17 Incline thine ear, O Yhwh, and hear; open thine eyes, O Yhwh, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God.
Beka indlebe Thixo, uzwe; vula amehlo akho Thixo, ubone. Lalela uzwe wonke amazwi uSenakheribhi awathumele ukuzathuka uNkulunkulu ophilayo.
18 Of a truth, Yhwh, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries,
Kuliqiniso, Thixo, ukuthi amakhosi ase-Asiriya abatshabalalisa bonke lababantu kanye lamazwe abo.
19 And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.
Aphosele onkulunkulu bawo emlilweni abatshabalalisa, ngoba kungesibo onkulunkulu kodwa yizigodo lamatshe kuphela, okubunjwe ngezandla zabantu.
20 Now therefore, O Yhwh our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art Yhwh, even thou only.
Khathesi, Thixo, Nkulunkulu wethu, sikhulule esandleni sakhe, ukuze imibuso yonke emhlabeni ibekwazi ukuthi wena Thixo, nguwe wedwa onguNkulunkulu.”
21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith Yhwh God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria:
U-Isaya indodana ka-Amozi wathumela ilizwi kuHezekhiya elithi, “Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli: Ngenxa yokuthi ukhulekile kimi mayelana ngoSenakheribhi inkosi yase-Asiriya,
22 This is the word which Yhwh hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.
nanti ilizwi uThixo aselikhulume ngaye wathi: INdodakazi eGcweleyo iZiyoni iyakweyisa njalo iyakuklolodela. INdodakazi iJerusalema inqekuza ikhanda layo lapho wena ubaleka.
23 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.
Ngubani lowo omthukileyo wamhlazisa? Ngubani lowo omphakamisele ilizwi lakho wamphakamisela lamehlo akho ngokuzigqaja na? NgoNgcwele ka-Israyeli!
24 By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel.
Ngezithunywa zakho umthukile uThixo. Utshilo njalo ukuthi, ‘Ngezinqola zami ezinengi ngikhwelile eziqongweni zezintaba iziqongo eziphezulu kakhulu zaseLebhanoni. Sengigamule ngawisa izihlahla ezinde zemisedari, izihlahla ezikhethiweyo zamaphayini. Ngifikile eziqongweni zalo ezikhatshana, emaguswini alo amahle kakhulu.
25 I have digged, and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.
Ngigebhile imithombo ezizweni nganatha amanzi khona. Ngezinyawo zami ngomisile zonke izifula zaseGibhithe.’
26 Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous heaps.
Kawuzwanga na? Lokhu ngakumisa endulo. Ngakuceba ensukwini zasendulo; khathesi sengenze ukuba kufezeke, ukuthi usudilize amadolobho avikelweyo aba yizinqwaba zamatshe.
27 Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded: they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as grain blasted before it be grown up.
Abantu bakhona, abangaselamandla, badangele njalo bayangekile. Banjengezilimo ensimini, njengamahlumela aluhlaza, lanjengotshani obuhluma ephahleni lwendlu bubuye butshe bungakakhuli.
28 But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.
Kodwa ngiyakwazi lapho okhona, lalapho usiza uphinde uhambe; kanye lokuthi ungithukuthelela kangakanani.
29 Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.
Ngenxa yokungithukuthelela kwakho langenxa yokuthi ubuqholo bakho sebufikile ezindlebeni zami, ngizafaka umkhala wami emakhaleni akho lamatomu ami emlonyeni wakho, njalo ngizakwenza ubuyele ngendlela oze ngayo.
30 And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.
Lokhu kuzakuba yisibonakaliso kuwe, Hezekhiya: Lonyaka lizakudla okuzikhulela kodwa, ngomnyaka wesibili lidle umkhukhuzela wakhona. Kodwa ngomnyaka wesithathu hlanyelani livune, hlanyelani izivini lidle izithelo zazo.
31 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:
Futhi insali yendlu kaJuda izagxilisa njalo impande phansi ithele izithelo ngaphezulu.
32 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of Yhwh of Armies shall do this.
Ngoba eJerusalema kuzavela insali, kuthi entabeni iZiyoni kuphume ixuku labasindayo. Ukutshiseka kukaThixo uSomandla kuzakwenza ukuba lokhu kufezeke.
33 Therefore thus saith Yhwh concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it.
Ngakho-ke mayelana lenkosi yase-Asiriya uThixo uthi: Kasoze angene kulelidolobho loba atshoke umtshoko lapha. Kasoze eze kulo elehawu kumbe akhe umduli wokulivimbezela.
34 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith Yhwh.
Uzabuyela ngendlela eza ngayo; kasoze angene kulelidolobho, kutsho uThixo.
35 For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
Idolobho leli ngizalivikela ngilihlenge, ngenxa yami langenxa kaDavida inceku yami!
36 Then the angel of Yhwh went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
Lapho-ke ingilosi kaThixo yasuka yayabulala abantu abalikhulu elilamatshumi ayisificaminwembili lanhlanu lezinkulungwane ezihonqweni zama-Asiriya. Kwathi lapho abantu bevuka ekuseni kwakhona bonke kwasekuyizidumbu kuphela!
37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
Ngakho uSenakheribhi inkosi yama-Asiriya wasuka ezihonqweni wahamba. Wabuyela eNiniva wahlala khona.
38 And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esar–haddon his son reigned in his stead.
Kwathi ngolunye usuku ekhonza ethempelini likaNisirokhi unkulunkulu wakhe, amadodana akhe u-Adrameleki loShareza ambulala ngenkemba asebalekela elizweni lase-Ararathi. U-Esarihadoni indodana yakhe yaba yinkosi esikhundleni sakhe.”
