Micah 3
1 And I say, 'Hear, I pray you, heads of Jacob, And ye judges of the house of Israel, Is it not for you to know the judgment?
Lapho-ke mina ngathi, “Lalelani lina bakhokheli bakoJakhobe, lina babusi bendlu yako-Israyeli. Ukulunga akumelanga likwazi na,
2 Ye who are hating good, and loving evil, Taking violently their skin from off them, And their flesh from off their bones,
lina elizonda okuhle lithande okubi; elixebula isikhumba ebantwini bami lenyama emathanjeni abo;
3 And who have eaten the flesh of My people, And their skin from off them have stript, And their bones they have broken, And they have spread [them] out as in a pot, And as flesh in the midst of a caldron.
lina elibadla inyama abantu bami, lihlubule isikhumba sabo lichoboze lamathambo abo abe yizicucu; elibaqumaquma njengenyama yepani, lanjengenyama yembiza?”
4 Then do they cry unto Jehovah, And He doth not answer them, And hideth His face from them at that time, As they have made evil their doings.
Lapho-ke bazakhala kuThixo, kodwa kayikubaphendula. Ngalesosikhathi uzabafihlela ubuso bakhe ngenxa yobubi ababenzileyo.
5 Thus said Jehovah concerning the prophets Who are causing My people to err, Who are biting with their teeth, And have cried 'Peace,' And he who doth not give unto their mouth, They have sanctified against him war.
Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo: “Okunjengabaphrofethi, abedukisa abantu bami, umuntu angabapha ukudla, bamemezela ‘ukuthula’ nxa engabaphi balungisela ukumhlasela ngempi.
6 Therefore a night ye have without vision, And darkness ye have without divination, And gone in hath the sun on the prophets, And black over them hath been the day.
Ngakho ubusuku buzakwehlela phezu kwenu, kungekho mibono, kanye lomnyama, kungekho kuhlahlula. Ilanga lizabatshonela abaphrofethi, losuku luzakuba mnyama kubo.
7 And ashamed have been the seers, And confounded have been the diviners, And covered their lip have all of them, For their is no answer, O God.
Ababonisayo bazayangeka labahlahluli babe lenhloni. Bonke bazamboza ubuso babo ngoba kungelampendulo evela kuNkulunkulu.”
8 And yet I have been full of power by the Spirit of Jehovah, And of judgment, and of might, To declare to Jacob his transgression, And to Israel his sin.
Kodwa mina ngiphiwe amandla, loMoya kaThixo, lokulunga kanye lesibindi, ukuba ngitshele uJakhobe ukona kwakhe lo-Israyeli isono sakhe.
9 Hear this, I pray you, heads of the house of Jacob, And ye judges of the house of Israel, Who are making judgment abominable, And all uprightness do pervert.
Zwanini lokhu lina bakhokheli bendlu kaJakhobe, lani babusi bendlu ka-Israyeli, eleyisa ukulunga lihlanekele konke okuqondileyo;
10 Building up Zion with blood, And Jerusalem with iniquity.
elakha iZiyoni ngokuchitha igazi; leJerusalema ngobubi.
11 Her heads for a bribe do judge, And her priests for hire do teach, And her prophets for silver divine, And on Jehovah they lean, saying, 'Is not Jehovah in our midst? Evil doth not come in upon us.'
Abakhokheli bayo bahlulela ngokufunjathiswa, abaphristi bayo bafundisela inhlawulo, labaphrofethi bayo baphrofithela imali; ikanti bathembele kuThixo njalo bathi, “Kanti uThixo kakho phakathi kwethu na? Akulancithakalo engasehlela.”
12 Therefore, for your sake, Zion is ploughed a field, and Jerusalem is heaps, And the mount of the house [is] for high places of a forest!
Ngakho-ke ngenxa yenu, iZiyoni izalinywa njengensimu, iJerusalema izakuba yinqwaba yemfucuza, intaba yethempeli ibe yindunduma eyande izixukwana.
