U-Isaya 41
1 “Thulani lithi zwi phambi kwami lina zihlenge! Izizwe kazivuselele amandla azo! Kazisondele phambili zikhulume; kasihlanganeni sonke endaweni yokwahlulela.
Keep silence before me, islands; and let the peoples renew [their] strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us draw near together to judgment.
2 Ngubani osevuse lowo ovela empumalanga, embizela emsebenzini wakhe ngokulunga na? Unikela izizwe kuye, anqobe amakhosi phambi kwakhe. Ngenkemba yakhe uwenza abe luthuli, ngedandili lakhe awenze abe ngamakhoba aphetshulwa ngumoya.
Who raised up from the east him whom righteousness calleth to its foot? He gave the nations before him, and caused him to have dominion over kings; he gave them as dust to his sword, as driven stubble to his bow.
3 Uyawaxotsha yena adlule engathintwanga lutho, endleleni angakaze ahambe ngayo.
He pursued them, he passed on in safety, by a way he had never come with his feet.
4 Ngubani owenze lokhu wakuphumelelisa, ebiza izizukulwane kusukela ekuqaleni na? Mina uThixo, kusukela kwesokuqala sazo kanye lesokucina, nginguye.”
Who hath wrought and done [it], calling the generations from the beginning? I, Jehovah, the first; and with the last, I [am] HE.
5 Izihlenge zikubonile njalo ziyesaba; imikhawulo yomhlaba iyathuthumela, iyasondela ize ngaphambili;
The isles saw [it], and feared; the ends of the earth trembled: they drew near, and came.
6 yilowo lalowo usiza omunye athi kumfowabo, “Woba lesibindi!”
They helped every one his neighbour, and [each] said to his brother, Take courage.
7 Umbazi ukhuthaza umkhandi wegolide, lalowo ololonga ngesando utshotshozela otshaya ihandila. Mayelana lokunusela uthi, “Kulungile.” Ubethelela isithombe phansi ngezipikili ukuze singawi.
And the artizan encouraged the founder, he that smootheth [with] the hammer him that smiteth on the anvil, saying of the soldering, It is good; and he fasteneth it with nails, that it be not moved.
8 “Kodwa wena we Israyeli, nceku yami, Jakhobe, wena engikukhethileyo, wena nzalo ka-Abhrahama, umngane wami,
But thou, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, my friend
9 ngakuthatha emikhawulweni yomhlaba, ngakubiza usemakhoneni akhatshana kakhulu. Ngathi, ‘Wena uyinceku yami’; ngikukhethile njalo angikulahlanga.
— thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from the extremities thereof, and to whom I said, Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee and not rejected thee,
10 Ngakho ungesabi, ngoba ngilawe; ungakhathazeki, ngoba nginguNkulunkulu wakho. Ngizakuqinisa, ngikusize; ngizakusekela ngesandla sami sokudla esiqotho.
— Fear not, for I [am] with thee; be not dismayed, for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
11 Bonke abakuthukutheleleyo, ngoqotho bazayangeka babe lenhloni; labo abakuphikisayo bazakuba njengeze, babhubhe.
Lo, all that are incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded; they that strive with thee shall be as nothing, and shall perish.
12 Lanxa izitha zakho uzidinga, awuyikuzithola. Labo abalwa impi lawe bazakuba yize.
Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them — them that contend with thee; they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.
13 Ngoba mina nginguThixo uNkulunkulu wakho, okubamba ngesandla sakho sokudla athi kuwe: Ungesabi; ngizakusiza.
For I, Jehovah, thy God, hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
14 Ungesabi, wena mpethu enguJakhobe, wena Israyeli omncinyazana, ungesabi, ngoba mina ngokwami ngizakusiza,” kutsho uThixo, uMhlengi wakho, oNgcwele ka-Israyeli.
Fear not, thou worm Jacob, ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith Jehovah, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Khangela, ngizakwenza ube yisileyi sokubhula esitsha njalo esibukhali esilenhlendla ezinengi. Uzabhula izintaba uzibhidlize. Wenze amaqaqa abe ngamakhoba.
Behold, I have made of thee a new sharp threshing instrument having double teeth: thou shalt thresh and beat small the mountains, and shalt make the hills as chaff;
16 Uzawahlungula, umoya uwathathe, isavunguzane siwaphephulele khatshana. Kodwa wena uzathokoza kuThixo njalo uzibule koNgcwele ka-Israyeli.
thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them; and thou shalt rejoice in Jehovah, thou shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.
17 Abayanga labaswelayo badinga amanzi, kodwa kawakho; inlimi zabo sezitshile ngokoma. Kodwa mina Thixo ngizabaphendula; mina, Nkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, angiyikubalahla.
The afflicted and the needy seek water, and there is none; their tongue faileth for thirst: I, Jehovah, will answer them, [I], the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
18 Ngizakwenza amanzi ageleze emiqolweni engelalutho lemithombo phakathi kwezigodi. Ngizaguqula inkangala ibe yiziziba zamanzi, lomhlabathi owomileyo ube yimithombo yamanzi.
I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness into a pool of water, and the dry land into water-springs.
19 Enkangala ngizamilisa khona imisedari lemi-akhakhiya, amamithili kanye lama-oliva. Ogwaduleni ngizamisa izihlahla zamaphayini, ndawonye lemifiri kanye lemisiphresi,
I will give in the wilderness the cedar, acacia, myrtle, and oleaster; I will set in the desert the cypress, pine, and box-tree together;
20 ukuze abantu babone njalo bazi, bacabange bazwisise ukuthi isandla sikaThixo yiso esenza lokhu, lokuthi oNgcwele ka-Israyeli ukudalile.
that they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of Jehovah hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.
21 Bikani indaba yenu,” kutsho uThixo. “Bekani izizatho zenu,” kutsho iNkosi kaJakhobe.
Produce your cause, saith Jehovah; bring forward your arguments, saith the King of Jacob.
22 “Lethani izithombe zenu zisitshele okuzakwenzakala. Sitsheleni izinto zendulo ukuthi zaziyini ukuze sizihlole, sazi isiphetho sazo. Loba sitsheleni izinto ezizayo,
Let them bring them forward, and declare to us what shall happen: shew the former things, what they are, that we may give attention to them, and know the end of them; — or let us hear things to come:
23 lisazise okuqukethwe yizinsuku ezizayo, ukuze sazi ukuthi lingonkulunkulu. Yenzani okuthile, okuhle kumbe okubi, ukuze sithuthumele, sibe lokwesaba.
declare the things that are to happen hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods; yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be astonished, and behold it together.
24 Kodwa lina liyize, lemisebenzi yenu kayisilutho, okhetha lina uyisinengiso.
Behold, ye are less than nothing, and your work is of nought; an abomination is he that chooseth you. ...
25 Sengithukuthelise omunye enyakatho, njalo uyeza omunye ovela empumalanga obiza ibizo lami. Lowo unyathela phezu kwababusi kube sengathi baludaka, kube angathi ngumbumbi evoxa ibumba.
I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come, — from the rising of the sun, he who will call upon my name; and he shall come upon princes as on mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay.
26 Ngubani owabika lokhu kwasekuqaleni, ukuze sazi, kumbe ngaphambilini ukuze sithi, ‘Wayeqinisile na’? Kakho owabika ngalokhu, kakho owakutsho ngaphambilini, kakho owake wezwa amazwi aphuma kuwe.
Who hath declared [it] from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, [It is] right? Indeed, there is none that declareth; no, none that sheweth; no, none that heareth your words.
27 Mina yimi engaba ngowokuqala ukutshela iZiyoni ukuthi, ‘Khangela, nampa lapha!’ Nganika iJerusalema isithunywa sezindaba ezinhle.
The first, [I said] to Zion, Behold, behold them! and to Jerusalem, I will give one that bringeth glad tidings.
28 Ngiyakhangela kodwa akulamuntu, kakho phakathi kwabo onganika iseluleko, kakho ongaphendula lapho ngibabuza.
And I beheld, and there was no man; even among them, — and there was no counsellor, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word.
29 Khangela, bonke bayize! Izenzo zabo kazisilutho; izithombe zabo ezibunjiweyo zingumoya lensambatheka.”
Behold, they are all vanity, their works are nought, their molten images are wind and emptiness.
