< U-Isaya 10 >
1 Maye kulabo abenza imithetho emibi, lakulabo ababhala izimiso ezincindezelayo,
Woe [to] those decreeing decrees of iniquity, And writers who have prescribed perverseness.
2 ukuba kwamukwe abayanga amalungelo abo lokugodla okufaneleyo kwabantu bami abancindezelweyo; bazingela abafelokazi baqhwage izintandane.
To turn aside from judgment the poor, And to take violently away the judgment Of the afflicted of My people, That widows may be their prey, That the fatherless they may spoil.
3 Lizakwenzani ngosuku lokuthonisiswa lapho incithakalo isiza ivela khatshana? Lizabalekela kubani ukuba lithole usizo na? Lizayitshiya ngaphi inotho yenu?
And what do ye at a day of inspection? And at desolation? — from afar it cometh. Near whom do ye flee for help? And where do ye leave your honour?
4 Akukho okuzasala, kodwa ukuba baquthe phakathi kwabathunjiweyo loba bafe lababuleweyo. Ikanti kukho konke lokhu, ukuthukuthela kwakhe akupheli, isandla sakhe silokhu siphakanyisiwe.
Without Me it hath bowed down In the place of a bound one, And in the place of the slain they fall. With all this not turned back hath His anger, And still His hand is stretched out.
5 “Maye kumʼAsiriya, intonga yentukuthelo yami, esandleni sayo kulesagila solaka lwami!
Woe [to] Asshur, a rod of Mine anger, And a staff in their hand [is] Mine indignation.
6 Ngimthumela ukuyamelana lesizwe esingelankulunkulu, ngimthumela ukuyamelana labantu abangithukuthelisayo, ukuba athumbe ahluthune impahla yokuthunjwa, lokubanyathelela phansi njengodaka ezindleleni.
Against a profane nation I send him, And concerning a people of My wrath I charge him, To spoil spoil, and to seize prey, And to make it a treading-place as the clay of out places.
7 Kodwa lokhu akusikho akujongileyo, lokhu akusikho okusengqondweni yakhe; injongo yakhe yikutshabalalisa, abhubhise izizwe ezinengi.
And he — he thinketh not so, And his heart reckoneth not so, For — to destroy [is] in his heart, And to cut off nations not a few.
8 Uthi, ‘Izinduna zami zebutho kazisimakhosi zonke na?
For he saith, 'Are not my princes altogether kings?
9 IKhalino kaliphumelelanga njengeKharikhemishi na? IHamathi kalinjenge-Ariphadi na? LeSamariya kayinjengeDamaseko na?
Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus?
10 Lanjengoba isandla sami sabamba imibuso yezithombe, imibuso ezifanekiso zayo zedlula ezeJerusalema lezeSamariya,
As my hand hath got to the kingdoms of a worthless thing, and their graven images, [Greater] than Jerusalem and than Samaria,
11 angiyikuliphatha iJerusalema lezithombe zalo ngendlela engaphatha ngayo iSamariya lezithombe zayo na?’”
Do I not — as I have done to Samaria, And to her worthless things, So do to Jerusalem and to her grievous things?
12 Lapho uThixo esewuqedile wonke umsebenzi wakhe mayelana lentaba iZiyoni leJerusalema uzakuthi, “Ngizayijezisa inkosi yase-Asiriya ngenxa yokuzigqaja kwayo lokuzazisa okubonakala emehlweni ayo.”
And it hath come to pass, When the Lord doth fulfil all His work In mount Zion and in Jerusalem, I see concerning the fruit of the greatness Of the heart of the king of Asshur. And concerning the glory of the height of his eyes.
13 Ngoba uthi: “‘Ngamandla esandla sami langokuhlakanipha kwami sengenze lokhu ngoba ngilokuqedisisa. Ngayisusa imingcele yezizwe, ngathumba inotho yazo; njengolamandla nganqoba amakhosi azo.
For he hath said, 'By the power of my hand I have wrought, And by my wisdom, for I have been intelligent, And I remove borders of the peoples, And their chief ones I have spoiled, And I put down as a mighty one the inhabitants,
14 Njengomuntu efinyelela isidleke senyoni, ngokunjalo isandla sami safinyelela enothweni yezizwe, njengabantu bebutha amaqanda atshiyiweyo, kanjalo ngaqoqa amazwe wonke; akukho okwaphaphazelisa amaphiko loba okwavula umlomo wakho kwatshiyoza.’”
And my hand as to a nest Getteth to the wealth of the peoples, And as a gathering of forsaken eggs All the earth I — I have gathered, And there hath not been one moving wing, Or opening mouth, or whispering.'
15 Konje ihloka liyaziphakamisela ngaphezu kwalowo olizulisayo na, loba isaha izincome imelane lalowo oyisebenzisayo na? Njengangathi induku izanyikinya lowo oyiphakamisayo, kumbe isagila sinyikinye lowo ongasiso sigodo!
— Doth the axe glorify itself Against him who is hewing with it? Doth the saw magnify itself Against him who is shaking it? As a rod waving those lifting it up! As a staff lifting up that which is not wood!
16 Ngakho-ke, iNkosi, uThixo uSomandla, uzathumela isifo esicikizayo emabuthweni ayo aqinileyo; ngaphansi kobukhosi bayo kuzaphembeka umlilo njengelangabi elibhebhayo.
Therefore doth the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, Send among his fat ones leanness, And under his honour He kindleth a burning As the burning of a fire.
17 Ukukhanya kuka-Israyeli kuzakuba ngumlilo, oNgcwele wabo abe lilangabi, ngosuku olulodwa lizatshisa liqede ameva akhe lokhula lwakhe.
And the light of Israel hath been for a fire, And his Holy One for a flame, And it hath burned, and devoured his thorn And his brier in one day.
18 Ubuhle bamahlathi akhe lamasimu akhe avundileyo, uzakuqeda ngokupheleleyo njengalapho umuntu ogulayo ecikizeka.
And the honour of his forest, and his fruitful field, From soul even unto flesh He doth consume, And it hath been as the fainting of a standard-bearer.
19 Izihlahla zamahlathi ezisalayo zizakuba zilutshwana, okungathi lomntwana azibale.
And the rest of the trees of his forest [are] few, And a youth doth write them.
20 Ngalolosuku insalela yako-Israyeli, abendlu kaJakhobe abasindayo, kabasayikwethemba kuye owabatshayayo wababhubhisa kodwa ngeqiniso bazathembela kuThixo, oNgcwele ka-Israyeli.
And it hath come to pass, in that day, The remnant of Israel, And the escaped of the house of Jacob, Do not add any more to lean on its smiter, And have leant on Jehovah, The Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21 Insalela izabuyela, insalela kaJakhobe izabuyela kuSomandla uNkulunkulu.
A remnant returneth — a remnant of Jacob, Unto the Mighty God.
22 Loba abantu bakho, we Israyeli, benjengetshebetshebe olwandle, kuzabuya insalela kuphela. Incithakalo isimenyezelwe, iyabakhulela kodwa ilungile.
For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, A remnant doth return of it, A consumption determined, Overflowing [with] righteousness.
23 INkosi, uThixo uSomandla, uzasifeza isimemezelo sokubhujiswa elizweni lonke.
For a consumption that is determined, The Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, Is making in the midst of all the land.
24 Ngakho-ke lokho yikho iNkosi, uThixo uSomandla akutshoyo: “Awu bantu bami abahlala eZiyoni, lingawesabi ama-Asiriya alitshaya ngentonga njalo lawo aliphakamisela isagila njengokwenziwa yiGibhithe.
Therefore, thus said the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, 'Be not afraid, my people, inhabiting Zion, because of Asshur, With a rod he doth smite thee, And his staff lifteth up against thee, in the way of Egypt.
25 Masinyane ukulithukuthelela kwami kuzaphela, ulaka lwami luzaqondiswa ekubhujisweni kwabo.”
For yet a very little, And the indignation hath been completed, And Mine anger by their wearing out.
26 UThixo uSomandla uzabatshaya ngomchilo njengalapho atshaya iMidiyani edwaleni lase-Orebi, njalo uzaphakamisela intonga yakhe ngaphezu kwamanzi njengalokhu akwenza eGibhithe.
And awaking for him is Jehovah of Hosts, A scourge like the smiting of Midian at the rock Oreb, And his rod [is] over the sea, And he hath lifted it in the way of Egypt.
27 Ngalolosuku imithwalo yabo izasuswa emahlombe enu, lejogwe labo entanyeni zenu; ijogwe lizakwephulwa ngoba selizimukile.
And it hath come to pass, in that day, Turned is his burden from off thy shoulder, And his yoke from off thy neck, And destroyed hath been the yoke, because of prosperity.
28 Bayangena e-Ayathi; badabula phakathi kweMigironi; bagcina impahla eMikhimashi.
He hath come in against Aiath, He hath passed over into Migron, At Michmash he looketh after his vessels.
29 Badlula emkhandlwini bathi, “Ebusuku sizalala eGebha.” IRama liyathuthumela; iGibhiya likaSawuli liyabaleka.
They have gone over the passage, Geba they have made a lodging place, Trembled hath Rama, Gibeah of Saul fled.
30 Hlaba umkhosi, We! Ndodakazi kaGalimi, lalela we Layisha! Anathothi ozihawulelayo!
Cry aloud [with] thy voice, daughter of Gallim, Give attention, Laish! answer her, Anathoth.
31 IMadimena iyabaleka; abantu baseGebhimu bazacatsha.
Fled away hath Madmenah, The inhabitants of the high places have hardened themselves.
32 Ngalolosuku bazakuma kancane, kancane eNobhi, bazakhomba ngezinqindi zabo intaba yeNdodakazi yeZiyoni, eqaqeni lwaseJerusalema.
Yet to-day in Nob to remain, Wave its hand doth the mount of the daughter of Zion, The hill of Jerusalem.
33 Khangelani, iNkosi, uThixo uSomandla, uzaquma ingatsha ngamandla amakhulu. Izihlahla ezidephileyo zizaqunywa. Ezinde zazo zizakwehliselwa phansi.
Lo, the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, Is lopping a branch with violence, And the high of stature are cut down, And the lofty are become low,
34 Ngehloka uzagamula izixuku zehlathi; iLebhanoni izakuwa phambi kwakhe olaMandla.
And He hath gone round the thickets of the forest with iron, And Lebanon by a mighty one falleth!