U-Isaya 59
1 Ngeqiniso ingalo kaThixo kayimfitshane ukuba isindise, lendlebe yakhe kayibuthundu ukuba izwe.
Look, Yahweh's hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor his ear so dull, that it cannot hear.
2 Kodwa ububi benu sebulahlukanise loNkulunkulu wenu; lezono zenu sezisithe ubuso bakhe kini ukuze angezwa.
Your sinful acts, however, have separated you from your God, and your sins have made him hide his face from you and from hearing you.
3 Ngoba izandla zenu zingcolisiwe ngegazi, leminwe yenu ingcoliswe yibubi. Izindebe zenu zikhulume amanga lolimi lwenu luhlebeza izinto ezimbi.
For your hands are stained with blood and your fingers with sin. Your lips speak lies and your tongue speaks maliciously.
4 Kakho odinga ukwahlulela okuhle, kakho okhuluma ecaleni lakhe ngobuqotho. Bathembe ukuphika ngeze bekhuluma amanga; bemula uhlupho, bazale ububi.
No one calls in righteousness, and none pleads his case in truth. They trust in empty words, and tell lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to sin.
5 Bachamisela amaqanda ezinhlangwana, beluke ubulembu besayobe. Langabe ngubani odla amaqanda azo uzakufa, njalo nxa elinye lawo lichanyiselwe kuphuma ibululu.
They hatch eggs of a poisonous snake and weave a spider's web. Whoever eats of their eggs dies, and if an egg is crushed, it hatches into a poisonous snake.
6 Ubulembu babo kabusizi ekugqokeni; abangeke bazimboze ngabakwenzayo. Izenzo zabo yizenzo ezimbi, izenzo zodlakela zisezandleni zabo.
Their webs cannot be used for garments, nor can they cover themselves with their works. Their works are works of sin, and deeds of violence are in their hands.
7 Inyawo zabo zigijimela ukona; bayaphangisa ukuchitha igazi elimsulwa. Imicabango yabo yimicabango emibi; ukuchitha lokubhubhisa kubonakalisa izindlela zabo.
Their feet run to evil, and they run to pour out innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of sin; violence and destruction are their roads.
8 Indlela yokuthula kabayazi; akukho kulunga ezindleleni zabo. Sebenze zaba yimigwaqo ezombelezayo, kakho ohamba ngazo ozakwazi ukuthula.
The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths. They have made crooked paths; whoever travels these paths does not know peace.
9 Ngakho-ke ukwahlulela okuhle kukhatshana lathi, lokulunga akufiki kithi. Sidinga ukukhanya, kodwa kulobumnyama kuphela; sidinga ukucazimula, kodwa sihamba emathunzini amnyama.
Therefore justice is far from us, nor does righteousness reach us. We wait for light, but see darkness; we look for brightness, but we walk in darkness.
10 Njengeziphofu siphumputha silandela umduli, siphumputhe indlela yethu njengabantu abangelamehlo. Sikhubeka emini ingathi kukusihlwa; kwabalamandla, sinjengabafileyo.
We grope for the wall like the blind, like those who cannot see. We stumble at noonday as in the twilight; among the strong we are like dead men.
11 Sonke siyahwabha njengamabhele, sibubule ngosizi njengamajuba. Sidinga ukwahlulela okuhle, kodwa kasikutholi; sidinga ukuhlengwa, kodwa kukhatshana.
We growl like bears and moan like doves; we wait for justice, but there is none; for rescue, but it is far from us.
12 Ngoba ukona kwethu kuwe kunengi, lezono zethu zifakaza okubi ngathi. Ukona kwethu kuhlezi kulathi; siyabuvuma ububi bethu,
For our many transgressions are before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and we know our sins.
13 ukuhlamuka lokungathembeki kuThixo, ukufulathela uNkulunkulu wethu, ukukhuthaza uncindezelo lomvukela, ukukhuluma amanga esiwacabange ngezinhliziyo zethu.
We have rebelled, denying Yahweh and turning away from following our God. We have spoken extortion and turning aside, conceived complaining from the heart and words of lying.
14 Ngakho ukwahlulela okuhle kufuqelwa emuva, ukulunga kume khatshana; iqiniso likhubekile ezindleleni, ubuqotho bungeke bungene.
Justice is driven back, and righteousness stands far off; for truth stumbles in the public square, and right cannot come.
15 Iqiniso kalitholwa ndawo; oxwaya ububi uyahlaselwa. UThixo wakhangela wadaniswa yikuswelakala kokwahlulela okuhle.
Trustworthiness has gone away, and he who turns away from evil makes himself a victim. Yahweh saw it and was displeased that there was no justice.
16 Wabona ukuthi kwakungelamuntu, wanengwa yikuthi kakho owayengalamula; ngakho waletha ukukhululwa ngamandla akhe, ukulunga kwakhe kwamqinisa.
He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intervene. Therefore his own arm brought salvation for him, and his righteousness sustained him.
17 Wagqoka ukulunga njengesivikelo sakhe sasesifubeni, lengowane yensindiso ekhanda lakhe; wagqoka izembatho zokuphindisela njalo wazigoqela ngokutshiseka njengokuzigoqela ngengubo.
He put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation upon his head. He clothed himself with garments of vengeance and wore zeal as a mantle.
18 Uzaphindisela ulaka ezitheni zakhe, kusiya ngalokho abakwenzileyo; lokujeziswa kwabamelana laye; izihlenge uzaziphindisela ngemfanelo yazo.
He repaid them for what they had done, angry judgment to his adversaries, vengeance to his enemies, to the islands punishment as their reward.
19 Kusukela entshonalanga abantu bazalesaba ibizo likaThixo, njalo kusukela ekuphumeni kwelanga bazadumisa ubukhosi bakhe. Ngoba uzafika njengesikhukhula esifutheleneyo esifuqwa ngumoya kaThixo.
So they will fear the name of Yahweh from the west, and his glory from the sun's rising; for he will come as a rushing stream, driven by the breath of Yahweh.
20 “Umhlengi uzafika eZiyoni, kwabakaJakhobe abavuma izono zabo,” kutsho uThixo.
“A redeemer will come to Zion and to those who turn from their rebellious deeds in Jacob—this is Yahweh's declaration.
21 “Mina lesi yiso isivumelwano sami labo,” kutsho uThixo. “Umoya wami okuwe, lamazwi ami engiwabeke emlonyeni wakho akuyikusuka emlonyeni wakho, kumbe emilonyeni yabantwabakho, loba emilonyeni yezizukulwane zabo kusukela ngalesisikhathi kuze kube nininini,” kutsho uThixo.
As for me, this is my covenant with them—says Yahweh—my spirit who is upon you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, will not leave your mouth, or go out of the mouth of your children, or go out of the mouth of your children's children—says Yahweh—from this time and forever.”
