Habakkuk 2
1 [After I said that, I said to myself, ] “I will climb up into my watchtower, and stand there at my guard post. I will wait there to find out what Yahweh will say, what he will reply to what I have complained about.”
Ngizakuma esilindweni sami ngime phezu komthangala; ngizakhangela ukuba ngibone ukuthi uzakuthini kimi, lokuthi yimpendulo bani engizayitsho ngale insolo.
2 Then Yahweh replied to me, “Write plainly on tablets [what I am revealing to you in] this vision, [and then read it to a messenger] in order that he can run with it [to tell it to] other people.
UThixo waphendula wathi: “Loba phansi isibonakaliso usenze sicace ezicecedwini ukuze isithunywa sigijime laso.
3 In this vision [I will be talking about things that will happen] in the future. Now is not the time when those things will happen, but they certainly will happen, and when they occur, they will occur quickly, and they will not be delayed. Now you [want those things to happen immediately, but] they are not happening. But wait patiently for them [to happen]!
Ngoba isibonakaliso silindela isikhathi esimisiweyo; sikhuluma ngesiphetho njalo kasiyikuba ngamanga. Lanxa siphuza, silindele; sizafika impela njalo kasiyikuphuza.
4 Think about the proud [people of Babylonia]! They are certainly not doing what is righteous. But people who are righteous will live because they faithfully [do what I want them to do].
Khangela, uyazigqaja; izifiso zakhe kazilunganga, kodwa olungileyo uzaphila ngokholo lwakhe.
5 If people [trust in their wealth], they will deceive themselves, and proud people are never able to rest. [It is as though] the greedy people [of Babylonia open their mouths] as wide as the place where dead people are, and they never have enough, like [the place where] dead people go never has enough dead people [PRS]. The [armies of Babylonia] conquer many nations for themselves, and capture all their people. (Sheol h7585)
Impela iwayini liyamkhohlisa; uyazikhukhumeza njalo kalakho ukuphumula. Ngoba uyisihwaba njengengcwaba, njalo kasuthi njengokufa, ubuthelela izizwe zonke kuye athumbe labantu bonke. (Sheol h7585)
6 But [soon] all those [whom they have captured] will ridicule [the soldiers from Babylonia]! They will make fun of them, saying, ‘Terrible things will happen to you who have stolen things [from other countries]! You got many things by forcing people to give them to you. [But you certainly will not keep those things] for a long time [RHQ]!’
Bonke kabayikumchothoza na bamhleke besithi, ‘Maye kulowo obuthelela impahla zokwebiwa azinothise ngobugebenga! Koze kube nini lokhu kusenzakala na?’
7 Suddenly those whom you (oppressed/treated cruelly) will cause you to tremble, and they will take away all the things that you have stolen from them.
Labo olezikwelede kubo kabayikukujuma na? Kabayikuvuka bakuthuthumelise na? Lapho-ke uzakuba yinto yabo yokuhlutshwa.
8 You stole things from the people of many nations. You murdered [MTY] people of many people-groups, and you destroyed their land and their cities. So those who are still alive will steal valuable things from you.
Ngoba sewaphanga izizwe ezinengi, abantu abaseleyo bazakuphanga ngoba wachitha igazi labantu; watshabalalisa amazwe lamadolobho labo bonke abakuwo.
9 Terrible things will happen to you [people of Babylonia] who build big houses with money that you got by forcing others to give it to you. You are proud and you think that your houses will be safe because you have built them in places where you can easily defend them.
Maye kulowo obumba umbuso ngenzuzo embi ukuba akhele isidleke sakhe phezulu ukuba abalekele ukuwelwa yingozi!
10 But because you have destroyed others, you have caused your family [MTY] to be shamed/disgraced, and you yourselves will be killed.
Ucebe ukubhujiswa kwabantu abanengi, wayangisa indlu yakho, walahlekelwa yikuphila kwakho.
11 [It is as though] the stones in the walls [of your houses] cry out to accuse you, and [it is as though] the beams [in your ceilings] also say the same things.
Amatshe omduli azakhala imijabo yamapulanka izasabela.
12 Terrible things will happen to you [people of Babylonia] who kill people [MTY] in order to build cities, cities that you build by using money that you have gotten by committing crimes.
Maye kulowo owakha idolobho ngokuchitha igazi akhe umuzi ngobudlwangudlwangu.
13 But the Commander of the armies of angels has [RHQ] declared that everything that is built by people who do things like that [will be destroyed by] fire; they will have worked hard uselessly.
UThixo uSomandla kakumisanga na ukuthi umsebenzi uzinkuni zomlilo nje kuphela, lokuthi izizwe ziqeda amandla azo ngeze?
14 But [in contrast], like [SIM] the oceans are filled with water, the earth will be filled with [people who] know that Yahweh is very great.
Ngoba umhlaba uzagcwala ngolwazi lodumo lukaThixo, njengamanzi egcwalisa ulwandle.
15 Terrible things will happen to you [people of Babylonia] who cause people who live in nearby countries to become drunk. You force them to drink a lot of wine from wineskins [until they are drunk and then they walk around] naked, in order that you can see that.
Maye kulowo onika omakhelwane bakhe okunathwayo ekuthulula esigujini sewayini badakwe, ukuze akhangele imizimba yabo enqunu.
16 But you are the ones who [soon] will be disgraced instead of being honored. [It will be as though you are forced to] drink [a lot of wine] in order that you will also stagger [around, drunk]. You will drink the wine [that symbolizes that Yahweh will punish you], and he will cause you to be disgraced instead of being greatly respected [any more].
Uzakuba lehlazo elikhulu endaweni yodumo. Khathesi sekulithuba lakho! Natha uchayeke. Inkezo yesandla sokunene kaThixo iyeza kuwe, ihlazo lizamboza udumo lwakho.
17 You did violent [PRS] things to [the people in] Lebanon, and you killed the wild animals [there], but you will be punished severely for doing that. You have killed [MTY] many people and you have destroyed their lands and their cities.
Udlakela olwenze eLebhanoni luzakuqeda amandla, lokubulala kwakho izinyamazana kuzakuthuthumelisa. Ngoba uchithe igazi labantu; uchithe amazwe lamadolobho labo bonke abakuwo.
18 [You people of Babylonia need to know that your] idols are completely [RHQ] useless, because it is people who made them. Statues that have been carved or made in a mold deceive you. Those who trust in idols are trusting in things that they themselves created, things that cannot speak!
Silosizo bani isithombe njengoba sibazwe ngumuntu? Kumbe isifanekiso esifundisa amanga? Ngoba lowo osenzayo uthemba isidalwa sakhe; wenza izithombe ezingeke zikhulume.
19 Terrible things will happen to you who say to lifeless idols that are made of wood, ‘Wake up!’ Idols certainly cannot [RHQ] tell you what you should do; they [look nice/beautiful because] they are covered with silver and gold, but they are not alive.
Maye kulowo othi esigodweni, ‘Vuka uphile!’ loba athi elitsheni elingaphiliyo, ‘Phaphama!’ Linganika iseluleko na? Lembeswe ngegolide langesiliva, akulamphefumulo phakathi kwalo.”
20 But Yahweh is in his holy temple; everyone on the earth should be silent in his presence.”
Kodwa uThixo usethempelini lakhe elingcwele; umhlaba wonke kawuthule phambi kwakhe.
