< UHoseya 2 >

1 Khulumani kubafowenu lithi: Ami; lakubodadewenu lithi: Ruhama.
“Say to your brothers—Ammi, And to your sisters—Ruhamah.
2 Phikisanani lonyoko, liphikise, ngoba kasuye umkami, lami kangisiyo indoda yakhe, ukuthi asuse ukuwula kwakhe phambi kwami, lokufeba kwakhe ngaphakathi kwamabele akhe,
Plead with your mother—plead (For she [is] not My wife, and I [am] not her husband), And she turns her whoredoms from before her, And her adulteries from between her breasts,
3 hlezi ngimhlubule abe nqunu, ngimbeke abe njengosukwini lokuzalwa kwakhe, ngimenze afanane lenkangala, ngimbeke njengelizwe elomileyo, ngimbulale ngokoma.
Lest I strip her naked. And have set her up as [in] the day of her birth, And have made her as a wilderness, And have set her as a dry land, And have put her to death with thirst.
4 Labantwana bakhe kangiyikubahawukela, ngoba bangabantwana bobufebe.
And her sons I do not pity, For they [are] sons of whoredoms,
5 Ngoba unina uwulile, owabazalayo wenzile ihlazo; ngoba wathi: Ngizazilandela izithandwa zami, ezingipha ukudla kwami, lamanzi ami, uboya bezimvu bami, lefilakisi yami, amafutha ami, lokunathwayo kwami.
For their mother has gone whoring, Their conceiver has acted shamefully, For she has said, I go after my lovers, Those giving my bread and my water, My wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.
6 Ngakho, khangela, ngizabiya indlela yakho ngameva, ngimakhele umduli ukuze angatholi imikhondo yakhe.
Therefore, behold, I am hedging up your way with thorns, And I have made a wall for her, And her paths she does not find.
7 Alandele izithandwa zakhe, kodwa angazifici; uzazidinga, kodwa angazitholi. Abesesithi: Ngizahamba ngibuyele endodeni yami yokuqala, ngoba kwakungcono kimi ngalesosikhathi kulakhathesi.
And she has pursued her lovers, And she does not overtake them, And has sought them, and does not find [them], And she has said: I go, and I return to my first husband, For—better to me then than now.
8 Ngoba wayengazi ukuthi mina ngamnika amabele, lewayini elitsha, lamafutha, ngamandisela isiliva legolide, abalisebenzisela uBhali.
And she did not know that I had given to her The grain, and the new wine, and the oil. Indeed, I multiplied silver to her, And the gold they prepared for Ba‘al.
9 Ngakho ngizabuyela, ngithathe amabele ami ngesikhathi sawo, lewayini lami elitsha ngesikhathi salo esimisiweyo, ngihluthune uboya bezimvu bami lefilakisi yami okwembesa ubunqunu bakhe.
Therefore I return, And I have taken My grain in its season, And My new wine in its appointed time, And I have taken away My wool and My flax, covering her nakedness.
10 Khathesi sengizakwambula ihlazo lakhe emehlweni ezithandwa zakhe, njalo kungabi khona omophulayo esandleni sami.
And now I reveal her dishonor before the eyes of her lovers, And none deliver her out of My hand.
11 Sengizaqeda intokozo yakhe yonke, amadili akhe, ukuthwasa kwenyanga zakhe, lamasabatha akhe, lemikhosi yakhe yonke emisiweyo.
And I have caused all her joy to cease, Her festival, her new moon, and her Sabbath, Even all her appointed times,
12 Sengizachitha ivini lakhe lomkhiwa wakhe, atsho ngakho ukuthi: Lokhu kungumvuzo wobuwule bami izithandwa zami ezinginike khona; kodwa ngizakwenza kube ligusu, ukuze inyamazana zeganga zikudle.
And made desolate her vine and her fig tree, Of which she said, They [are] a wage to me, That my lovers have given to me, And I have made them for a forest, And a beast of the field has consumed them.
13 Njalo ngizaphindisela phezu kwakhe insuku zaboBhali, ayebatshisela ngazo impepha, ezicecisa ngamasongo akhe langamangqongqo akhe, walandela izithandwa zakhe, kodwa wangikhohlwa, itsho iNkosi.
And I have charged on her the days of the Ba‘alim, To whom she makes incense, And puts on her ring and her ornament, And goes after her lovers, And forgot Me,” a declaration of YHWH.
14 Ngakho, khangela, ngizamhuga, ngimuse enkangala, ngikhulume enhliziyweni yakhe.
“Therefore, behold, I am enticing her, And have caused her to go to the wilderness, And I have spoken to her heart,
15 Ngibe sengimnika izivini zakhe kusukela lapho, lesihotsha seAkori, sibe ngumnyango wethemba. Njalo uzahlabela lapho njengensukwini zobutsha bakhe, lanjengosuku lokwenyuka kwakhe elizweni leGibhithe.
And given to her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor for an opening of hope, And she has responded there as in the days of her youth, And as in the day of her coming up out of the land of Egypt.
16 Kuzakuthi ngalolosuku, itsho iNkosi, ungibize uthi: Ndoda yami; ungabe usangibiza ngokuthi: Bhali wami.
And it has come to pass in that day,” A declaration of YHWH, “You call Me: My husband, And do not call Me anymore: My lord.
17 Ngoba ngizasusa amabizo aboBhali emlonyeni wakhe, bangabe besakhunjulwa futhi ngebizo labo.
And I have turned aside the names of the lords from her mouth, And they are not remembered anymore by their name.
18 Langalolosuku ngizabenzela isivumelwano lenyamazana zeganga lenyoni zamazulu lezinto ezihuquzelayo zomhlaba; ngephule idandili, lenkemba, lempi kusuke emhlabeni, ngibalalise phansi bevikelekile.
And I have made a covenant for them in that day, With the beast of the field, And with the bird of the heavens, And the creeping thing of the ground, And bow, and sword, and war I break from off the land, And have caused them to lie down confidently.
19 Njalo ngizakugana ube ngowami kuze kube phakade, yebo, ngikugane ube ngowami ngokulunga langesahlulelo langothandolomusa langezihawu.
And I have betrothed you to Me for all time, And betrothed you to Me in righteousness, And in judgment, and kindness, and mercies,
20 Yebo, ngizakugana ube ngowami ngothembeko; njalo uzayazi iNkosi.
And betrothed you to Me in faithfulness, And you have known YHWH.
21 Kuzakuthi ngalolosuku, ngizaphendula, itsho iNkosi, ngizaphendula amazulu, wona aphendule umhlaba,
And it has come to pass in that day, I answer,” A declaration of YHWH, “I answer the heavens, and they answer the earth.
22 lomhlaba uphendule amabele lewayini elitsha lamafutha, khona kuphendule uJizereyeli.
And the earth answers the grain, And the new wine, and the oil, And they answer Jezreel.
23 Besengizihlanyelela yena emhlabeni, ngibe lomusa phezu kongazuzanga umusa, ngithi kwababengasibantu bami: Lina lingabantu bami; bona bathi: Nkulunkulu wami.
And I have sowed her to Me in the land, And I have pitied Lo-Ruhamah, And I have said to Lo-Ammi, You [are] My people, And he says, My God!”

< UHoseya 2 >