U-Isaya 6
1 Ngomnyaka inkosi u-Uziya eyafa ngawo, ngabona uThixo ehlezi esihlalweni sobukhosi esiphezulu esiphakemeyo, injobo yesembatho sakhe igcwele ithempeli.
In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord seated in his place, high and lifted up, and the Temple was full of the wide skirts of his robe.
2 Ngaphezu kwakhe kwakulamaserafimu, elinye lelinye lilempiko eziyisithupha. Ayegubuzele ubuso bawo ngezimpiko ezimbili, egubuzele inyawo zawo ngezimbili, ephapha ngezimbili.
Over him were the winged ones: every one had six wings; two for covering his face, two for covering his feed, and two for flight.
3 Elinye lamemezela kwelinye lisithi: “Ungcwele, ungcwele, ungcwele uThixo uSomandla, umhlaba wonke ugcwele inkazimulo yakhe.”
And one said in a loud voice to another, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of armies: all the earth is full of his glory.
4 Ekuzwakaleni kwamazwi awo imigubazi lombundu kwanyikinyeka, kwathi ithempeli lagcwala intuthu.
And the bases of the door-pillars were shaking at the sound of his cry, and the house was full of smoke.
5 Mina ngakhala ngathi, “Maye mina! Sengibhujisiwe! Ngoba ngingumuntu olezindebe ezingcolileyo, njalo ngihlala phakathi kwabantu abalezindebe ezingcolileyo, lamehlo ami asebone iNkosi, uThixo uSomandla.”
Then I said, The curse is on me, and my fate is destruction; for I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of armies.
6 Lapho-ke elinye lamaserafimu laphaphela kimi liphethe ilahle elivuthayo esandleni salo elalilithethe ngodlawu e-alithareni.
Then a winged one came to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from off the altar with the fire-spoon.
7 Lathinta umlomo wami ngalo lathi, “Khangela, lokhu sekuthinte izindebe zakho; icala lakho selisusiwe, njalo lesono sakho sesihlawulelwe.”
And after touching my mouth with it, he said, See, your lips have been touched with this; and your evil is taken away, and you are made clean from sin.
8 Ngasengisizwa ilizwi leNkosi lisithi, “Ngizathuma bani na? Ngubani na ozasihambela?” Mina ngathi, “Ngilapha. Ngithuma!”
And the voice of the Lord came to my ears, saying, Whom am I to send, and who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I, send me.
9 Yasisithi, “Hamba uyetshela abantu uthi: ‘Zwanini kokuphela, kodwa lingaqedisisi; libone kokuphela, kodwa lingabonisisi.’
And he said, Go, and say to this people, You will go on hearing, but learning nothing; you will go on seeing, but without getting wiser.
10 Yenza inhliziyo yalababantu ibe lukhuni; wenze indlebe zabo zibe buthundu, uvale amehlo abo. Hlezi babone ngamehlo abo, bezwe ngezindlebe zabo, baqedisise ngezinhliziyo zabo, baphenduke basiliswe.”
Make the hearts of this people fat, and let their ears be stopped, and their eyes shut; for fear that they may see with their eyes, and be hearing with their ears, and their heart may become wise, and they may be turned to me and made well.
11 Ngasengisithi, “Koze kube nini, Nkosi?” Yona yaphendula yathi: “Amadolobho aze achitheke njalo kungaselabantu kuwo, izindlu zize zisale zingaselabantu, lamasimu ephundleke abhuquzeka,
Then I said, Lord, how long? And he said in answer, Till the towns are waste and unpeopled, and the houses have no men, and the land becomes completely waste,
12 uThixo aze axotshele umuntu wonke khatshana njalo ilizwe lidelwe ngokupheleleyo.
And the Lord has taken men far away, and there are wide waste places in the land.
13 Lanxa ingxenye eyodwa etshumini isala elizweni izachithwa futhi. Kodwa njengezihlahla zetherebhinti lemi-okhi zitshiya izidindi lapho seziganyulwe, ngokunjalo inhlanyelo engcwele izakuba yisidindi elizweni.”
And even if there is still a tenth part in it, it will again be burned, like a tree of the woods whose broken end is still in the earth after the tree has been cut down (the holy seed is the broken end).
