Isaiah 29
1 [This is a message from Yahweh: ] Terrible things will happen to Jerusalem, the city where [King] David lived. You people continue to celebrate your festivals each year.
Maye kuwe Ariyeli, Ariyeli, idolobho uDavida ahlala kulo! Yengezelela umnyaka emnyakeni Wenze ukulandelana kwemikhosi yakho kuqhubeke.
2 But I will cause you to experience a great disaster, [and when that happens], people will weep and lament [very much]. Your city will become like [MET] an altar [to me] [where people are burned as sacrifices].
Ikanti i-Ariyeli ngizalivimbezela, lizakhala lilile, kimi lizafana leziko le-alithari.
3 I will cause your enemies [to come to your city]; they will surround it by [building] towers and putting in place other things with which to attack you.
Ngizakuhlasela amacele wonke, ngizakuzungeza ngemiphotshongo ngikuvimbezele ngemisebenzi yokukuhlasela.
4 Then you will talk [as though you were] buried deep in the ground [DOU]; it will sound like someone whispering from under the ground, like [SIM] a ghost speaking from a grave.
Nxa usudilizelwe phansi, uzakhuluma uphansi, inkulumo yakho ayiyikuzwakala ivela othulini. Ilizwi lakho lizafana lelethonga liphuma phansi emhlabathini. Ilizwi lakho lizanyenyeza liphuma othulini.
5 But, suddenly your enemies will be blown away like dust; their armies will disappear like [SIM] chaff that is blown away [by the wind]. [It will happen] very suddenly.
Kodwa izitha zakho ezinengi, zizakuba njengothuli olucolekileyo, amaxuku alesihluku afane lamakhoba aphephukayo. Masinyazana, ngesikhatshana nje,
6 The Commander of the armies of angels will come [to help you] with thunder and an earthquake and a very loud noise, with a strong wind and a big storm and a fire that will burn up everything.
UThixo uSomandla uzafika ngomdumo langokunyikinyeka komhlaba langomsindo omkhulu; ngesiphepho langesivunguzane langamalangabi omlilo oqothulayo.
7 [Then] the armies of all the nations that will be attacking Jerusalem will quickly disappear like a dream in the night [DOU]. Those who will be attacking Jerusalem will suddenly vanish/disappear.
Lapho-ke amaxuku ezizwe zonke ezilwa le-Ariyeli, ayihlaselayo kanye lezinqaba zayo, njalo eyizungezile, azakuba njengephupho, lilombono webusuku,
8 People who are asleep dream about eating food, [but] when they wake up, they are still hungry. People who are thirsty dream about drinking something, [but] when they wake up they are still thirsty. It will be like that when your enemies come to attack Zion Hill; [they will dream about conquering you, but when they wake up, ] [they will realize that they have not succeeded].
njengomuntu olambileyo ephupha esidla, kodwa aphaphame ukulamba kwakhe kulokhu kunjalo, lanjengalapho umuntu owomileyo ephupha enatha kodwa aphaphame engelamandla, ukoma kwakhe kungaphelanga. Kuzakuba njalo lakumaxuku ezizwe zonke ezilwa leNtaba iZiyoni.
9 You [people of Jerusalem], be amazed and surprised [about this] [IRO]! Do not believe [what I have said] [SAR]! And continue to be blind [IRO] [about what Yahweh is doing]. You are stupid, but it is not because you have drunk a lot of wine. You stagger, but not from drinking alcoholic drinks.
Thithibalani limangale, zenzeni iziphofu lingabe lisabona; dakwani kodwa kungabi ngenxa yotshwala.
10 Because Yahweh has prevented the prophets [DOU] from understanding [and telling you his messages], [it is as though] he has caused you to be fast/deeply asleep.
UThixo ulehlisele ubuthongo obukhulu: uwavalile amehlo enu (abaphrofethi); wagubuzela amakhanda enu (izanuse).
11 [Yahweh gave me] this vision; [but] for you, it is only words on a scroll that is sealed shut. If you give it to those who can read [and request that they read it], they will say, “We cannot read it because the scroll is sealed.”
Kini umbono wonke lo kawusilutho kodwa amazwi nje avalelwe encwadini egoqiweyo. Njalo nxa incwadi leyo liyiqhubela umuntu okwaziyo ukubala lithi kuye, “Ake ubale lokhu,” uzaphendula athi, “Anganelisi, ngoba ivaliwe.”
12 When you give it to [others] who cannot read, they will say, “[We cannot read it because] we do not know how to read.”
Loba nxa incwadi leyo liyiqhubela umuntu ongakwaziyo ukubala lithi kuye, “Ake ubale lokhu,” uzaphendula athi, “Angikwazi ukubala.”
13 [So] the Lord says, “These people say that they belong to me. They honor me by what they say [MTY], but they do not think [IDM] about what I [desire]. When they worship me, all they do is recite rules that people have made and that they have memorized.
UThixo uthi: “Abantu laba basondela kimi ngemilomo yabo bangikhonze ngezindebe zabo, kodwa inhliziyo zabo zikude lami; ukungikhonza kwabo kwenziwa kuphela nje ngemilayo abayifundiswa ngabantu.
14 Therefore, again I will do something to amaze these people; I will perform many miracles. And [I will show that] the people [who tell others that they] are wise are not really wise, and [I will show that] the people [who tell others that they] are intelligent are not really intelligent.
Ngakho-ke abantu laba ngizaphinda ngibethuse ngesimanga phezu kwesimanga; inhlakanipho yabahlakaniphileyo izaphela, ulwazi lwezazi lunyamalale.”
15 Terrible things will happen to those who try to conceal from me, Yahweh, the [evil] things that they plan to do; they do those things in the darkness and they think, ‘Yahweh certainly cannot [RHQ] see us; he cannot [RHQ] know what we are doing!’
Maye kulabo abatshona phansi ukuba bafihlele uThixo amacebo abo, abenzela imisebenzi yabo emnyameni bacabange bathi, “Ngubani osibonayo? Ngubani ozakwazi?”
16 They are extremely foolish! [They act as though] they were the potters and I was the clay! Something that was created should certainly never [RHQ] say to the one who made it, ‘You did not make me!’ A jar should never say, ‘The potter who made me did not know what he was doing!’”
Lina lihlanekela izinto kube sengathi kucatshangwa ukuthi umbumbi unjengebumba. Okubunjiweyo kungatsho yini kokubumbileyo kuthi, “Kangibumbanga”? Imbiza ingatsho na kumbumbi ithi, “Kazi lutho”?
17 Soon [the forests in] Lebanon will become fertile fields, and abundant crops will grow in those fields, and that will happen very soon.
Ngesikhatshana esifitshane nje, iLebhanoni kayiyikuphendulwa ibe yinsimu evundileyo, kuthi insimu evundileyo ifane legusu na?
18 At that time, deaf people will [be able to hear]; [they will be able to] hear when someone reads from a book; and blind people will [be able to see]; [they will be able to] see things when it is gloomy and [even] when it is dark.
Ngalolosuku izacuthe zizawezwa amazwi omqulu, njalo ekukhanyeni lebumnyameni amehlo eziphofu abone emnyameni omkhulu.
19 Yahweh will enable humble people to be very joyful again. Poor people will rejoice about what the Holy One of Israel [has done].
Abathobekileyo bazathokoza futhi kuThixo, abaswelayo bazathokoza koNgcwele ka-Israyeli.
20 There will be no more people who ridicule [others] and no more arrogant people. And those who plan to do evil things will be executed.
Abalesihluku bazanyamalala, abahleka usulu abayikuba khona, bonke abathanda ukwenza okubi bazabhujiswa,
21 Those who testify falsely in order to persuade judges to punish innocent people will vanish/disappear. Similar things will happen to those who by lying in court [persuade judges to] make unjust decisions.
labo abenza umuntu abe lecala ngokufakaza amanga, abathiya umvikeli enkundleni yamacala, kuthi ngobufakazi obungamanga benze omsulwa angehlulelwa ngemfanelo.
22 That is why Yahweh, who rescued Abraham, says about the people of Israel, “My people will no longer be ashamed; no longer will they show on their faces that they are ashamed.
Ngakho-ke lokhu yikho uThixo owahlenga u-Abhrahama akutshoyo kwabendlu kaJakhobe: “UJakhobe kasayikuba lenhloni, ubuso bakhe kabusayikudana.
23 When they see that I have blessed them by giving them many children and doing many other things for them, they will realize that I am the Holy One of Israel, and they will revere me, the God to whom they, the descendants of Jacob, belong.
Lapho bebona abantwana babo, umsebenzi wezandla zami, bazakwenza ibizo lami libengcwele; bazabubona ubungcwele boNgcwele kaJakhobe, njalo bazamesaba uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli.
24 When that happens, those who have not been able to think well will think clearly, and those who complain [about what I am doing] will accept what I am teaching them.”
Abalahlekileyo emoyeni bazakuba lokuzwisisa; abasolayo bazavuma ukufundiswa.”
