< UHoseya 9 >

1 Ungajabuli, wena Israyeli, kube yinjabulo, njengezizwe, ngoba uwulile usuka kuNkulunkulu wakho; uthanda umvuzo wobuwule emabaleni wonke okubhulela amabele.
[You people of] Israel, do not shout joyfully [during your festivals] like [people of other] nations do! [I say that] because you have (not been faithful to/abandoned) me, your God. At every place where the people thresh grain you have [presented gifts to your idols like men] pay money to prostitutes.
2 Ibala lokubhulela lesikhamelo sewayini kakuyikubondla, lewayini elitsha lizabakhohlisa.
[But soon] there will not be enough grain [MTY, PRS] and wine [MTY, PRS] for you.
3 Kabayikuhlala elizweni leNkosi, kodwa uEfrayimi uzabuyela eGibhithe, badle okungcolileyo eAsiriya.
And you people will not remain in the land that I, Yahweh, [gave to your ancestors]. You will be [captured and] taken to [Assyria], [where you will become slaves like your ancestors were] in Egypt; and in Assyria you will be forced to eat food that Yahweh has forbidden you to eat.
4 Kabayikuthululela iwayini eNkosini, kabayikuyithokozisa; imihlatshelo yabo izakuba njengesinkwa sokulila kubo; bonke abasidlayo bazangcola; ngoba isinkwa sabo ngesomphefumulo wabo, kasiyikufika endlini yeNkosi.
You Israelis will not [be able to] give wine offerings to him, or bring sacrifices to him. None of your other sacrifices will please him; they will be unacceptable to him, like [SIM] food that is touched by people at funerals, and everyone who eats that food will become unacceptable to him. They will be permitted to eat that food themselves, but they will not [be permitted to] bring it into the temple.
5 Lizakwenzani ngosuku lomkhosi omisiweyo, langosuku lwedili leNkosi?
At that time you will not [RHQ] be able to celebrate the feasts and sacred festivals.
6 Ngoba khangela, bahambile ngenxa yokuchitheka, iGibhithe izababutha, iMofi ibangcwabe, izindawo zabo eziloyisekayo zesiliva, ukhula oluhlabayo luzakudla ilifa lazo, ameva abe semathenteni abo.
And even if you escape and are not killed [by the Assyrians], you will be captured by [the army of] Egypt, and you will [die and] be buried in Memphis, [the capital of Egypt]. Briers will [grow up and] cover your treasures of silver, and thorns will grow in your [ruined] tents/houses.
7 Insuku zokuhanjelwa sezifikile, insuku zempindiselo sezifikile; uIsrayeli uzakwazi; umprofethi uyisithutha, umuntu womoya uyahlanya, ngenxa yobunengi bobubi benu, lenzondo enkulu.
It is now the time for Yahweh to punish you, to pay you back for all the sins that you have committed. You people will [soon] know that. You have [committed] very many sins, and you very much hate Yahweh. You consider that the prophets are foolish, and you think that those who proclaim messages from him are crazy.
8 Umlindi wakoEfrayimi uloNkulunkulu wami, kodwa umprofethi uyisifu somthiyi wenyoni endleleni zakhe zonke, inzondo endlini kaNkulunkulu wakhe.
My God appointed [me and the other] prophets to be [like] [MET] watchmen [to warn] you people of Israel, but everywhere that we go, [it is as though] people set traps for us and people are hostile [to us, even] in the temple of our God.
9 Bazonakalisile ngokujulileyo njengensukwini zeGibeya. Uzakhumbula ububi babo, ajezise izono zabo.
The sins that the Israeli people have committed are as awful as [what the men of] Gibeah did long ago; [so] God will not forget the wicked things that they have done; he will punish the Israelis for [all] those sins.
10 Ngamthola uIsrayeli njengezithelo zevini enkangala, ngababona oyihlo njengezithelo zokuqala emkhiweni ekuqaleni kwazo. Kodwa bona baya eBhali-Peyori, bazehlukanisela lelohlazo, baba ngokunengekayo njengokuthanda kwabo.
[Yahweh says], “When I first started [to do things to help] Israel, it seemed to me as though [SIM] I had found grapes in the desert. Your ancestors were [delightful], like [SIM] the first figs that grow on fig trees [each year]. But when they came to Peor [Mountain], they worshiped that disgusting idol Baal, and they became as disgusting as the idol that they loved.
11 NgoEfrayimi, udumo lwabo luzaphapha luhambe njengenyoni, kusukela ekuzalweni, njalo kusukela esiswini, njalo kusukela ekumithweni.
The things that cause Israel to be great will disappear like [SIM] a bird that flies away; [most of their women will] not become pregnant [DOU] or give birth to children.
12 Loba bekhulisa abantwana babo, kube kanti ngizabenza bafelwe, kungasali muntu. Yebo-ke, maye kubo ekusukeni kwami kubo!
Even if their children are born and start to grow up, I will cause all of them to die [while they are still young]. Terrible things will happen to them when I abandon them!
13 UEfrayimi, njengokubona kwami iTire, uhlanyelwe endaweni yokuhlala; kodwa uEfrayimi uzakhuphela abantwana bakhe kumbulali.
I have seen Israel become beautiful and prosperous like Tyre [city] was [before it was destroyed], but now the people of Israel will [be forced to] take their children to be slaughtered [by their enemies].”
14 Banike, Nkosi! Uzanikani? Banike isizalo esiphunzayo, lamabele omileyo.
Yahweh, [I do not know] [RHQ] what I should ask for my people. So I ask that you do this one thing: Cause the women who are pregnant to have miscarriages and unable [to nurse their babies].
15 Bonke ububi babo buseGiligali, ngoba ngabazonda khona, ngenxa yobubi bezenzo zabo, ngizabaxotsha endlini yami, kangisayikubathanda; zonke iziphathamandla zabo zingabahlamuki.
[Yahweh says], “Because of all the wicked things that my people did at Gilgal, that is where I started to hate them. [And now], because of [all] the sinful things that they have done, I will expel them from my country. I will not love them any longer; all their leaders rebel [against me].
16 UEfrayimi utshayiwe; impande yabo yomile, kabayikuthela isithelo; yebo loba bezala, ngizabulala izithelo zesizalo sabo ezithandekayo.
Israel is like [MET] a grapevine that is dried up; [like a vine] [MET] whose roots are withered and that produces no fruit. Even if the [women of Israel] give birth to [more] children, I will cause those children, whom they love, to die.
17 UNkulunkulu wami uzabala, ngoba kabamlaleli; bazakuba ngabazulayo phakathi kwezizwe.
The people of Israel have not obeyed me, their God, so I will reject them. [As a result], they will wander among the [other] nations, [searching for a place to live].”

< UHoseya 9 >