U-Isaya 38
1 Ngalezonsuku uHezekhiya wagula eselengela ekufeni. Umphrofethi u-Isaya, indodana ka-Amozi waya kuye wathi, “Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo: Lungisa indlu yakho ngoba uzakufa, awuyikusila.”
In those days Hezekiah was ill and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him, and said to him, The Lord says, Put your house in order; for your death is near.
2 UHezekhiya waphenduka wakhangela emdulini wakhuleka kuThixo esithi,
And Hezekiah, turning his face to the wall, made his prayer to the Lord, saying,
3 “Khumbula, Thixo, ukuthi ngihambe phambi kwakho ngokuthembeka langokuzinikela ngenhliziyo yami yonke, njalo ngenze okuhle emehlweni akho.” UHezekhiya wakhala kabuhlungu.
O Lord, keep in mind how I have been true to you with all my heart, and have done what is good in your eyes. And Hezekiah gave way to bitter weeping.
4 Emva kwalokho kwafika ilizwi likaThixo ku-Isaya lisithi:
Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying,
5 “Yana kuHezekhiya uthi kuye, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo, uNkulunkulu kayihlo uDavida, uthi: Ngiwuzwile umkhuleko wakho, njalo ngizibonile lezinyembezi zakho. Ngizakwengezelela iminyaka elitshumi lanhlanu ekuphileni kwakho.
Go to Hezekiah, and say, The Lord, the God of David, your father, says, Your prayer has come to my ears, and I have seen your weeping: see, I will give you fifteen more years of life.
6 Njalo ngizakukhulula wena, kanye ledolobho leli ezandleni zenkosi yase-Asiriya. Ngizavikela idolobho leli.
And I will keep you and this town safe from the hands of the king of Assyria: and I will keep watch over this town.
7 Lesi yisibonakaliso sikaThixo kuwe sokuthi uThixo uzakwenza njengokuthembisa kwakhe:
And Isaiah said, This is the sign the Lord will give you, that he will do what he has said:
8 Ngizakwenza umthunzi obangelwe lilanga ubuyele emuva amanyathelo alitshumi umthunzi owehle ngawo emakhwelelweni ka-Ahazi.’” Ngakho ukukhanya kwelanga kwabuyela emuva ngamanyathela alitshumi elaselikhothame ngawo.
See, I will make the shade which has gone down on the steps of Ahaz with the sun, go back ten steps. So the shade went back the ten steps by which it had gone down.
9 La ngamazwi alotshwa nguHezekhiya inkosi yakoJuda emva kokuba esesilile ekuguleni kwakhe:
The writing of Hezekiah, king of Judah, after he had been ill, and had got better from his disease.
10 Ngathi, “Ebuhleni bokuphila kwami kumele ngedlule emasangweni okufa ngamukwe iminyaka yami eseleyo na?” (Sheol h7585)
I said, In the quiet of my days I am going down into the underworld: the rest of my years are being taken away from me. (Sheol h7585)
11 Ngathi, “Angiyikumbona futhi uThixo ngokwakhe elizweni labaphilayo; angisayikubabona futhi abantu bakithi loba ngibe lalabo abahlala kulumhlaba.
I said, I will not see the Lord, even the Lord in the land of the living: I will not see man again or those living in the world.
12 Njengethente lomelusi indlu yami idiliziwe ngayithathelwa. Njengomaluki impilo yami ngiyigoqile, ungisusile osungulweni; emini lebusuku ungenze ngaphela.
My resting-place is pulled up and taken away from me like a herdsman's tent: my life is rolled up like a linen-worker's thread; I am cut off from the cloth on the frame: from day even to night you give me up to pain.
13 Ngalinda ngokubekezela kwaze kwasa, kodwa amathambo ami uwephule wonke njengesilwane; emini lebusuku ungenze ngaphela.
I am crying out with pain till the morning; it is as if a lion was crushing all my bones.
14 Ngakhala njengenkonjane kumbe ihemu, ngabubula njengejuba elililayo. Amehlo ami afiphele ngokukhangela phezulu. Awu Thixo, ngikhathazekile, woza ungisize!”
I make cries like a bird; I give out sounds of grief like a dove: my eyes are looking up with desire; O Lord, I am crushed, take up my cause.
15 Kodwa ngingathini na? Ukhulumile kimi, wena ngokwakho ukwenzile lokhu. Ngizahamba ngokuzithoba ekuphileni kwami konke ngenxa yobuhlungu bomoya wami.
What am I to say? seeing that it is he who has done it: all my time of sleeping I am turning from side to side without rest.
16 Thixo, abantu baphila ngezinto ezinje; lomoya wami uthola ukuphila kuzo. Wangibuyisela empilweni wangenza ngaphila.
O Lord, for this cause I am waiting for you, give rest to my spirit: make me well again, and let me come back to life.
17 Ngeqiniso kwaba lusizo kimi ukuzwa ubuhlungu obungaka. Ngothando lwakho wangivikela emgodini wokutshabalaliswa; izono zami zonke uzibeke ngemva kwakho.
See, in place of peace my soul had bitter sorrow. but you have kept back my soul from the underworld; for you have put all my sins out of your memory.
18 Ngoba ingcwaba alingeke likubonge lokufa akungeke kukudumise; labo abangena emgodini abangeke bathemba ubuqotho bakho. (Sheol h7585)
For the underworld is not able to give you praise, death gives you no honour: for those who go down into the underworld there is no hope in your mercy. (Sheol h7585)
19 Abaphilayo, ngempela abaphilayo, bayakudumisa njengalokhu engikwenzayo lamuhla; abazali batshela abantwababo ngobuqotho bakho.
The living, the living man, he will give you praise, as I do this day: the father will give the story of your mercy to his children.
20 UThixo uzangisindisa; njalo sizahlabelela ngamachacho kuzozonke insuku zokuphila kwethu ethempelini likaThixo.
O Lord, quickly be my saviour; so we will make my songs to corded instruments all the days of our lives in the house of the Lord.
21 U-Isaya wayethe, “Lungisani isigaqa semikhiwa usifake phezu kwethumba, uzasila.”
And Isaiah said, Let them take a cake of figs, and put it on the diseased place, and he will get well.
22 UHezekhiya wayebuze wathi, “Kuyini okuzakuba yisibonakaliso sokuthi ngizakhwela ngiye phezulu ethempelini likaThixo na?”
And Hezekiah said, What is the sign that I will go up to the house of the Lord?
