U-Amosi 5
1 Zwanini lelilizwi engiliphakamisa phezu kwenu, isililo, ndlu kaIsrayeli.
Listen, people of Israel, to this funeral lament that I sing about you!
2 Intombi emsulwa yakoIsrayeli iwile, kayiyikuvuka futhi; ideliwe emhlabathini wayo, kakho oyivusayo.
Virgin Israel has fallen, and will never rise again! She lies abandoned on the ground, and there is no one to help her up.
3 Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Umuzi ophuma labayinkulungwane uzasala labalikhulu, lophuma labalikhulu uzasala labalitshumi, kuyo indlu kaIsrayeli.
This is what the Lord says: From a city that sends out a thousand soldiers, only a hundred will return; from a city that sends out a hundred soldiers, only ten will return.
4 Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi endlini kaIsrayeli: Ngidingani liphile.
This is what the Lord says to the people of Israel: Look to me so you may live!
5 Kodwa lingadingi iBhetheli, lingangeni eGiligali, lingedluleli eBherishebha, ngoba iGiligali izathunjwa lokuthunjwa, leBhetheli izakuba yize.
Do not look to the false gods of Bethel, do not go to the pagan shrines of Gilgal or travel to those of Beersheba. For Gilgal will go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing.
6 Dingani iNkosi liphile, hlezi ifohlele indlu kaJosefa njengomlilo oqothulayo, kungabi khona owucitshayo eBhetheli.
Look to the Lord so you may live! Otherwise he will explode like fire against the descendants of Joseph and no one from Bethel will be able to quench it.
7 Lina eliphendula isahlulelo sibe ngumhlonyane, lilalise ukulunga emhlabathini.
You twist justice and make it bitter, you throw integrity to the ground.
8 Owenza isiLimela leziNja, lophendula umthunzi wokufa ube yikusa, lowenza imini ibe mnyama njengobusuku, obiza amanzi olwandle, awathulule ebusweni bomhlabathi; iNkosi libizo lakhe.
The One who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns the darkness into morning, and daytime into night, who calls for the water of the seas, and pours it down as rain upon the earth—the Lord is his name!
9 Okhazimulisa incithakalo phezu kolamandla, ukuze incithakalo ize phezu kwenqaba.
In a flash he cuts down the strong and destroys the fortresses.
10 Bayamzonda okhuzayo esangweni, banengwe ngokhuluma ngokuqonda.
You hate anyone who confronts injustice and loathe anyone who speaks honestly.
11 Ngenxa yokuthi linyathelela phansi umyanga, limthathele umthwalo wamabele, lakhe izindlu zamatshe abaziweyo, kodwa kaliyikuhlala kuzo; lihlanyele izivini zentokozo, kodwa kaliyikunatha iwayini lazo.
Because you trample down the poor and impose a tax on their grain, building for yourselves impressive houses, you will not live in them, and you will not drink wine from the fine vineyards you have planted.
12 Ngoba ngiyazi ukuthi iziphambeko zenu zinengi, lokuthi izono zenu zilamandla; lina elihlupha olungileyo, elemukela isivalamlomo, eliphambula abayanga esangweni.
For I know the extent of your wrongdoing and your numerous sins. You oppress good people by taking bribes, and you prevent the poor from getting justice in the courts.
13 Ngakho ohlakaniphileyo uzathula ngalesosikhathi, ngoba kuyisikhathi esibi.
So smart people keep quiet in such evil times.
14 Dingani okuhle, hatshi-ke okubi, ukuze liphile, ukuze ngokunjalo iNkosi uNkulunkulu wamabandla ibe lani, njengokutsho kwenu.
Do what is right, and not evil, so you may live. Then the Lord God of power will be with you, as you claim he is.
15 Zondani ububi, lithande okuhle, limise isahlulelo esangweni; mhlawumbe iNkosi uNkulunkulu wamabandla ingaba lesisa kunsali yakoJosefa.
Hate evil and love good—and make sure justice wins out in your courts. Maybe the Lord God of power will have mercy on those who are left of Jacob's people.
16 Ngakho utsho njalo uJehova, uNkulunkulu wamabandla, iNkosi: Kuzakuba khona isililo emidangeni yonke, lakuzo zonke izitalada bazakuthi: Maye! Maye! Njalo bazabizela umlimi ekulileni, lesililo sizakuba labazi ukulila.
For this is what the Lord, the Lord God of power says: There will be weeping in the city squares and wailing in the streets. They will call even the farmers to grieve, as well as the professional mourners.
17 Lakuzo zonke izivini kuzakuba lokulila, ngoba ngizadabula phakathi kwenu, itsho iNkosi.
There will be wailing in every vineyard, for I will pass through the midst of you, says the Lord.
18 Maye kulabo abaloyisa usuku lweNkosi! Luzakuba ngolwani kini usuku lweNkosi? Luzakuba ngumnyama, hatshi ukukhanya.
How disastrous it will be for those of you who long for the day of the Lord. Why would you want the day of the Lord to come? It will bring darkness, not light.
19 Kunjengomuntu obaleke phambi kwesilwane, ahlangane lebhere; loba angene endlini abambelele ngesandla sakhe emdulini, lenyoka imlume.
It will be like a man running away from a lion only to meet a bear; or a man who goes home and leans his hand on a wall, only to be bitten by a snake.
20 Usuku lweNkosi kaluyikuba ngumnyama yini, hatshi-ke ukukhanya, lomnyama omkhulu ongelakukhanya kuwo?
Isn't the day of the Lord darkness without light? Yes, pitch dark without a glimmer of light.
21 Ngiyayizonda, ngiyayidelela imikhosi yenu, kangiyikunuka emihlanganweni yenu enzulu.
I hate, I despise your festivals and take no delight in your religious assemblies.
22 Ngoba lanxa linikela kimi iminikelo yokutshiswa leminikelo yenu yokudla, kangithokozi, leminikelo yokuthula yezifuyo zenu ezinonileyo kangiyinanzi.
Even though you present me with burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. As for your peace offerings of fattened cattle—I will not even look at them.
23 Susani kimi umsindo wezingoma zenu, ngoba kangiyikuzwa ukukhala kwamachacho enu.
Stop your noisy worship songs. I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
24 Kodwa isahlulelo kasikhukhule njengamanzi, lokulunga njengesifula esigeleza njalo.
Rather let justice flow like a river, and doing right like an ever-flowing stream.
25 Lanikela yini kimi imihlatshelo leminikelo yokudla enkangala okweminyaka engamatshumi amane, lina ndlu kaIsrayeli?
Did you bring me sacrifices during those forty years in the desert, people of Israel?
26 Kodwa lathwala uSikuthi inkosi yenu, loKhiwuni izithombe zenu, inkanyezi kankulunkulu wenu, elizenzele zona.
But now you carry idols of Sakkuth your king and Kaiwan your star god that you made for yourselves.
27 Ngakho ngizalithumbela ngaphetsheya kweDamaseko, itsho iNkosi, obizo layo nguNkulunkulu wamabandla.
So I will send you into exile in a land beyond Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is the God of power.
