Hosea 13
1 “When Ephraim speaks tremblingly, He has been lifted up in Israel, When he becomes guilty in Ba‘al he dies.
Lapho uEfrayimi ekhuluma kwakulokuqhuqha, waziphakamisa koIsrayeli; kodwa waba lecala ngoBhali, wafa.
2 And now they sin, And make for themselves a molten image of their silver, By their own understanding—idols, A work of artisans—all of it, Of them they say, who [are] sacrificers among men, The calves let them kiss.
Khathesi-ke baqhubeka besona, bazenzela izithombe ezibunjwe ngokuncibilikisa zesiliva sabo, izithombe njengokuqedisisa kwabo, zonke zingumsebenzi wezingcitshi; abathi ngazo: Abantu abanikela imihlatshelo bazakwanga amathole.
3 Therefore they are as a cloud of the morning, And as dew, rising early, going away, As chaff tossed about out of a floor, And as smoke out of a window.
Ngakho bazakuba njengeyezi lekuseni, lanjengamazolo ovivi ahambayo; njengomule ophetshulwa yisivunguzane ebaleni lokubhulela, njengentuthu ephuma etshiminini.
4 And I [am] your God YHWH from the land of Egypt, And you do not know a God besides Me, And a Savior—there is none except Me.
Kube kanti mina ngiyiNkosi, uNkulunkulu wakho, kusukela elizweni leGibhithe; ngakho kawuyikwazi unkulunkulu ngaphandle kwami, ngoba kakho umsindisi ngaphandle kwami.
5 I have known you in a wilderness, In a land of droughts.
Mina ngakwazi enkangala, elizweni elomileyo kakhulu.
6 They are satiated according to their feedings, They have been satiated, And their heart is lifted up, Therefore they have forgotten Me,
Njengokwedlelo labo, ngokunjalo basutha; basutha, lenhliziyo yabo yaphakama; ngenxa yalokho bangikhohlwa.
7 And I am to them as a lion, I look out as a leopard by the way.
Ngakho ngizakuba kubo njengesilwane, njengengwe endleleni ngizabacathamela.
8 I meet them as a bereaved bear, And I tear the enclosure of their heart, And I consume them there as a lioness, A beast of the field tears them.
Ngizabahlangabeza njengebhere elithathelwe imidlwane, ngidabule isisibekelo senhliziyo yabo, ngibadlele lapho njengesilwane; isilo seganga sizabadabudabula.
9 You have destroyed yourself, O Israel, But in Me [is] your help;
Kukuchithile, Israyeli, kodwa kimi kulosizo lwakho.
10 Where [is] your king now—And he saves you in all your cities? And your judges of whom you said, Give a king and heads to me?
Pho, ingaphi inkosi yakho, ukuthi ikusindise emizini yakho yonke? Labehluleli bakho owathi ngabo: Nginike inkosi leziphathamandla?
11 I give to you a king in My anger, And I take away in My wrath.
Ngakunika inkosi ekuthukutheleni kwami, ngayisusa ngolaka lwami.
12 Bound up [is] the iniquity of Ephraim, Hidden [is] his sin,
Ububi bukaEfrayimi bubotshiwe, isono sakhe sibekiwe.
13 Pangs of a travailing woman come to him, He [is] not a wise son, For he does not remain [at] the time for the breaking forth of sons.
Insizi zowesifazana ohelelwayo zizamfikela; uyindodana engahlakaniphanga, ngoba ingehlale isikhathi emlonyeni wesizalo sabantwana.
14 Will I ransom them from the hand of Sheol? Will I redeem them from death? Where [is] your plague, O death? Where your destruction, O Sheol? Comfort is hid from My eyes. (Sheol h7585)
Ngizabenzela inhlawulo yokuthula emandleni engcwaba, ngibahlenge ekufeni. Kufa, bangaphi omatshayabhuqe bezifo zakho? Ngcwaba, ingaphi incithakalo yakho? Uphenduko luzasitheliswa emehlweni ami. (Sheol h7585)
15 Though he produces fruit among brothers, An east wind comes in, a wind of YHWH, From a wilderness it is coming up, And it dries up his fountain, And his spring becomes dry, It—it spoils a treasure—every desirable vessel.
Loba yena engaveza izithelo phakathi kwabafowabo, kuzafika umoya wempumalanga, umoya weNkosi, usenyuka enkangala, lomthombo wakhe uzakutsha, kome lesiphethu sakhe; wona uzaphanga okuligugu kwazo zonke izitsha eziloyisekayo.
16 Samaria becomes desolate, Because she has been rebellious against her God, They fall by sword, Their sucklings are dashed in pieces, And its pregnant ones are ripped up!”
ISamariya izakuba lunxiwa, ngoba ihlamukele uNkulunkulu wayo; bazakuwa ngenkemba, labantwana babo bachotshozwe, labesifazana babo abakhulelweyo baqhaqhwe.
