Amos 7
1 Yahweh our God showed me [in a vision] that he was going to send locusts [to destroy our crops]. It was going to happen right after the king’s share of the hay had been harvested/cut and before the rest of the hay was ready to be harvested.
INkosi uJehova yangibonisa kanje; khangela-ke, yabumba isikhonyane ekuqaleni kokuhluma kotshani bamuva, njalo khangela, kwakubutshani bamuva emva kokusika kwenkosi.
2 [And in the vision I saw] those locusts come, and they ate everything that was green. Then I cried out, “Yahweh our Lord, please forgive us! We Israeli people are very helpless; (how will we be able to survive [RHQ]?/we will not be able to survive!)”
Kwasekusithi lapho sesiqedile ukudla utshani belizwe, ngathi: Nkosi Jehova, ake uthethelele. UJakobe uzakuma njani? ngoba emncinyane.
3 So Yahweh changed his mind and said, “That will not happen.”
INkosi yazisola ngalokhu; kakuyikwenzeka, itsho iNkosi.
4 Then this is what Yahweh our Lord showed me [in another vision]: He was calling to a fire to [come and] punish [his people]. [In the vision I saw that] the fire dried up the ocean and also burned [everything on] the land.
INkosi uJehova yangibonisa kanje; khangela-ke, iNkosi uJehova yabiza ukulwa ngomlilo, owaqothula ukujula okukhulu waqothula isabelo.
5 Then I cried out again, “Yahweh our Lord, I plead with you, please stop this! We Israeli people are very helpless; how will we be able to survive [RHQ]?”
Ngasengisithi: Nkosi Jehova, ake ume. UJakobe uzakuma njani? ngoba emncinyane.
6 So Yahweh changed his mind again, and said, “That also will not happen.”
INkosi yazisola ngalokhu. Lalokhu kakuyikwenzeka, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
7 Then Yahweh showed me [another vision]. I saw him standing beside a wall. [It was very straight because] it had been built using a (plumb line/cord with a weight on one end to determine if walls are vertically straight). Yahweh had the plumb line in his hand.
Yangibonisa kanje; khangela-ke, iNkosi yayimi emdulini owenziwa njengokwentambo yokuqondisa; kwakulentambo yokuqondisa esandleni sayo.
8 Yahweh asked me, “Amos, what do you see?” I replied, “A plumb line.” Then Yahweh said, “Look, I am going to use a plumb line among my Israeli people, [to show that they are like a wall that is not straight]. I will not change my mind again about punishing them.
INkosi yasisithi kimi: Ubonani, Amosi? Ngathi: Intambo yokuqondisa. INkosi yasisithi: Khangela, ngizabeka intambo yokuqondisa phakathi kwabantu bami uIsrayeli; kangisayikubedlula futhi.
9 The places on hills where [the descendants of] [MTY] Isaac worship [idols] will be destroyed. And the other important shrines in Israel will also be destroyed. And I will enable [your enemies] to attack your people with swords and they will get rid of [King] Jeroboam and all his descendants.”
Kodwa indawo eziphakemeyo zikaIsaka zizakuba ngamanxiwa, lezindawo ezingcwele zakoIsrayeli zizadilizwa; ngiyivukele indlu kaJerobowamu ngenkemba.
10 Then Amaziah, the priest at Bethel, sent [a message] to Jeroboam, the King of Israel. In the message he said, “Amos is plotting against you among the Israeli people [MTY]. [I am worried that] the people of this country will not be able to refute his words.
UAmaziya umpristi weBhetheli wasethumela kuJerobhowamu inkosi yakoIsrayeli, esithi: UAmosi wenze ugobe emelene lawe phakathi kwendlu kaIsrayeli; ilizwe kalilakuwathwala wonke amazwi akhe.
11 This is what he is saying: ‘Jeroboam will soon be killed by [someone using] a sword, and the people of Israel will be (exiled/forced to leave their land and go to another country).’”
Ngoba utsho njalo uAmosi: UJerobhowamu uzakufa ngenkemba, loIsrayeli athunjwe lokuthunjwa aphume elizweni lakhe.
12 Then Amaziah [came to me and] said, “You prophet, get out of here! Go back to the country of Judah! Earn money to [buy food to be able] to live there, and do your prophesying there!
UAmaziya wasesithi kuAmosi: Wena mboni, hamba ubalekele elizweni lakoJuda, lapho udle isinkwa khona, lalapho uprofethe.
13 Do not prophesy any more here at Bethel, because this is where the national temple, the king’s temple, is!”
Kodwa eBhetheli ungabe usaprofetha futhi, ngoba iyindawo engcwele yenkosi njalo iyindlu yombuso.
14 I replied to Amaziah, “I was [previously] not a prophet, and my father was not a prophet; I was a shepherd. I also took care of sycamore-fig trees.
UAmosi wasephendula wathi kuAmaziya: Ngangingasumprofethi mina, futhi ngangingasindodana yomprofethi mina; kodwa ngangingumelusi wenkomo, lomvuni wemikhiwa yesikhamore.
15 But Yahweh took me away from taking care of my sheep, and he said to me, ‘Go to Israel and prophesy to my people there!’
Kodwa iNkosi yangithatha ekulandeleni umhlambi, iNkosi yathi kimi: Hamba uyeprofetha ebantwini bami uIsrayeli.
16 You said to me, ‘Do not prophecy saying terrible things will happen to [the people of] Israel; stop saying those things!’
Ngakho-ke zwana ilizwi leNkosi. Wena uthi: Ungaprofethi umelene loIsrayeli, ungatshumayeli umelene lendlu kaIsaka.
17 Therefore listen to what Yahweh says about you: ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in this city, and your sons and daughters will be killed by [your enemies’] swords. Others will measure your land and divide it up [among themselves]; and you yourself will die in a foreign country. And the people of Israel will certainly be forced to leave their country and go (into exile/to live in another country).’”
Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi: Umkakho uzawula phakathi komuzi, lamadodana akho lamadodakazi akho azakuwa ngenkemba, lelizwe lakini lizakwabiwa ngentambo, wena-ke uzafela elizweni elingcolileyo, loIsrayeli athunjwe lokuthunjwa aphume elizweni lakhe.
