UHoseya 13
1 Lapho uEfrayimi ekhuluma kwakulokuqhuqha, waziphakamisa koIsrayeli; kodwa waba lecala ngoBhali, wafa.
“When Ephraim speaks tremblingly, He has been lifted up in Israel, When he becomes guilty in Ba‘al he dies.
2 Khathesi-ke baqhubeka besona, bazenzela izithombe ezibunjwe ngokuncibilikisa zesiliva sabo, izithombe njengokuqedisisa kwabo, zonke zingumsebenzi wezingcitshi; abathi ngazo: Abantu abanikela imihlatshelo bazakwanga amathole.
And now they sin, And make for themselves a molten image of their silver, By their own understanding—idols, A work of artisans—all of it, Of them they say, who [are] sacrificers among men, The calves let them kiss.
3 Ngakho bazakuba njengeyezi lekuseni, lanjengamazolo ovivi ahambayo; njengomule ophetshulwa yisivunguzane ebaleni lokubhulela, njengentuthu ephuma etshiminini.
Therefore they are as a cloud of the morning, And as dew, rising early, going away, As chaff tossed about out of a floor, And as smoke out of a window.
4 Kube kanti mina ngiyiNkosi, uNkulunkulu wakho, kusukela elizweni leGibhithe; ngakho kawuyikwazi unkulunkulu ngaphandle kwami, ngoba kakho umsindisi ngaphandle kwami.
And I [am] your God YHWH from the land of Egypt, And you do not know a God besides Me, And a Savior—there is none except Me.
5 Mina ngakwazi enkangala, elizweni elomileyo kakhulu.
I have known you in a wilderness, In a land of droughts.
6 Njengokwedlelo labo, ngokunjalo basutha; basutha, lenhliziyo yabo yaphakama; ngenxa yalokho bangikhohlwa.
They are satiated according to their feedings, They have been satiated, And their heart is lifted up, Therefore they have forgotten Me,
7 Ngakho ngizakuba kubo njengesilwane, njengengwe endleleni ngizabacathamela.
And I am to them as a lion, I look out as a leopard by the way.
8 Ngizabahlangabeza njengebhere elithathelwe imidlwane, ngidabule isisibekelo senhliziyo yabo, ngibadlele lapho njengesilwane; isilo seganga sizabadabudabula.
I meet them as a bereaved bear, And I tear the enclosure of their heart, And I consume them there as a lioness, A beast of the field tears them.
9 Kukuchithile, Israyeli, kodwa kimi kulosizo lwakho.
You have destroyed yourself, O Israel, But in Me [is] your help;
10 Pho, ingaphi inkosi yakho, ukuthi ikusindise emizini yakho yonke? Labehluleli bakho owathi ngabo: Nginike inkosi leziphathamandla?
Where [is] your king now—And he saves you in all your cities? And your judges of whom you said, Give a king and heads to me?
11 Ngakunika inkosi ekuthukutheleni kwami, ngayisusa ngolaka lwami.
I give to you a king in My anger, And I take away in My wrath.
12 Ububi bukaEfrayimi bubotshiwe, isono sakhe sibekiwe.
Bound up [is] the iniquity of Ephraim, Hidden [is] his sin,
13 Insizi zowesifazana ohelelwayo zizamfikela; uyindodana engahlakaniphanga, ngoba ingehlale isikhathi emlonyeni wesizalo sabantwana.
Pangs of a travailing woman come to him, He [is] not a wise son, For he does not remain [at] the time for the breaking forth of sons.
14 Ngizabenzela inhlawulo yokuthula emandleni engcwaba, ngibahlenge ekufeni. Kufa, bangaphi omatshayabhuqe bezifo zakho? Ngcwaba, ingaphi incithakalo yakho? Uphenduko luzasitheliswa emehlweni ami. (Sheol h7585)
Will I ransom them from the hand of Sheol? Will I redeem them from death? Where [is] your plague, O death? Where your destruction, O Sheol? Comfort is hid from My eyes. (Sheol h7585)
15 Loba yena engaveza izithelo phakathi kwabafowabo, kuzafika umoya wempumalanga, umoya weNkosi, usenyuka enkangala, lomthombo wakhe uzakutsha, kome lesiphethu sakhe; wona uzaphanga okuligugu kwazo zonke izitsha eziloyisekayo.
Though he produces fruit among brothers, An east wind comes in, a wind of YHWH, From a wilderness it is coming up, And it dries up his fountain, And his spring becomes dry, It—it spoils a treasure—every desirable vessel.
16 ISamariya izakuba lunxiwa, ngoba ihlamukele uNkulunkulu wayo; bazakuwa ngenkemba, labantwana babo bachotshozwe, labesifazana babo abakhulelweyo baqhaqhwe.
Samaria becomes desolate, Because she has been rebellious against her God, They fall by sword, Their sucklings are dashed in pieces, And its pregnant ones are ripped up!”
