UHoseya 7
1 Lapho bengingelapha uIsrayeli, khona isiphambeko sikaEfrayimi sembulwa, lobubi beSamariya; ngoba benza amanga, lesela liyangena, leviyo labaphangi liyaphanga ngaphandle.
“When I give healing to Israel, Then the iniquity of Ephraim is revealed, And the wickedness of Samaria, For they have worked falsehood, And a thief comes in, A troop has stripped off in the street,
2 Njalo kabangatsho enhliziyweni yabo ukuthi ngiyabukhumbula bonke ububi babo. Khathesi izenzo zabo zibahanqile, ziphambi kobuso bami.
And they do not say to their heart, [That] I have remembered all their evil, Now their doings have surrounded them, They have been before My face.
3 Bayayithokozisa inkosi ngobubi babo, leziphathamandla ngamanga abo.
With their wickedness they make a king glad, And with their lies—princes.
4 Bonke bayafeba; banjengeziko elibaselwa ngumphekizinkwa, oyekela ukukhwezela umlilo kusukela ekuxoveni inhlama kuze kube sekubileni kwayo.
All of them [are] adulterers, Like a burning oven of a baker, He ceases from stirring up after kneading the dough, until its leavening.
5 Kulusuku lwenkosi yethu; iziphathamandla ziyigulise ngokutshisa kwewayini; yelulela isandla sayo kanye labaklolodayo.
A day of our king! Princes have defiled themselves [with] the poison of wine, He has drawn out his hand with scorners.
6 Ngoba zalungisa inhliziyo yazo njengeziko ngokucathamela kwazo; umphekizinkwa wazo ulala ubusuku bonke; ekuseni libhebhe njengomlilo olelangabi.
For they have drawn near, Their heart [is] as an oven In their lying in wait—their baker sleeps all night, Morning! He is burning as a flaming fire.
7 Zonke ziyatshisa njengeziko; zidle abehluleli bazo; amakhosi azo wonke awile; kakulamuntu phakathi kwazo ongibizayo.
All of them are warm as an oven, And they have devoured their judges, All their kings have fallen, There is none calling to Me among them.
8 UEfrayimi yena uzihlanganise lezizwe; uEfrayimi uliqebelengwana elingaphendulwanga.
Ephraim! He mixes himself among peoples, Ephraim has been an unturned cake.
9 Abezizwe badla amandla akhe, kodwa yena kazi. Yebo, inwele ezimpunga zihlakazekile phezu kwakhe, kodwa yena kazi.
Strangers have devoured his power, And he has not known, Also old age has sprinkled [itself] on him, And he has not known.
10 Lokuzigqaja kukaIsrayeli kuyafakaza ebusweni bakhe, kodwa kababuyeli eNkosini uNkulunkulu wabo, kabayidingi ngakho konke lokhu.
And the excellence of Israel has been humbled to his face, And they have not turned back to their God YHWH, Nor have they sought Him for all this.
11 Njalo uEfrayimi unjengejuba eliyisiphukuphuku elingelangqondo; bakhalela iGibhithe, baye eAsiriya.
And Ephraim is as a simple dove without heart, Egypt they called on—[to] Asshur they have gone.
12 Lapho behamba ngizakwendlala imbule lami phezu kwabo, ngibehlise njengenyoni zamazulu, ngibajezise njengokwezwakala ebandleni labo.
When they go I spread over them My net, As the bird of the heavens I bring them down, I discipline them as their congregation has heard.
13 Maye kubo, ngoba babalekile kimi! Incithakalo kubo, ngoba baphambukile bemelene lami. Lanxa mina bengingabahlenga, kube kanti bona baqamba amanga bemelene lami.
Woe to them, for they wandered from Me, Destruction to them, for they transgressed against Me, And I ransom them, and they have spoken lies against Me,
14 Kabakhaleli-ke kimi ngenhliziyo yabo, lapho beqhinqa isililo emibhedeni yabo; babuthana ngenxa yamabele lewayini elitsha, bayaphambuka bemelene lami.
And have not cried to Me with their heart, but howl on their beds; They assemble themselves for grain and new wine, They turn aside against Me.
15 Lanxa mina ngibalaya ngiqinisa izingalo zabo, kanti baceba okubi bemelene lami.
And I instructed—I strengthened their arms, And concerning Me they think evil!
16 Bayaphenduka kodwa kunge koPhezukonke; banjengedandili elikhohlisayo; iziphathamandla zabo ziwa ngenkemba ngenxa yentukuthelo yolimi lwabo. Lokhu kuzakuba yinhlekisa yabo elizweni leGibhithe.
They turn back—not to the Most High, They have been as a deceitful bow, Their princes fall by sword, From the insolence of their tongue, This [is] their derision in the land of Egypt!”
