< U-Isaya 20 >
1 Ngomnyaka wokufika kukaTharithani eAshidodi, lapho uSarigoni inkosi yeAsiriya emthuma, lapho walwa leAshidodi wayithumba;
One year King Sargon of Assyria sent the chief commander of his army [to take his soldiers] to capture Ashdod [city in Philistia].
2 ngalesosikhathi iNkosi yakhuluma ngesandla sikaIsaya indodana kaAmozi isithi: Hamba, ukhulule isaka ekhalweni lwakho, ukhuphe inyathela lakho enyaweni zakho. Wasesenza njalo, ehambaze engafakanga manyathela.
At that time, Yahweh told me, “Take off the rough sackcloth that you have been wearing and take off your sandals.” [So] I did what he told me to do, and [then] I walked around naked and barefoot [for three years].
3 INkosi yasisithi: Njengalokhu inceku yami uIsaya isihambeze ingafakanga manyathela okweminyaka emithathu, kube yisibonakaliso lesimanga phezu kweGibhithe laphezu kweEthiyophiya;
[Then] Yahweh said this [to the people of Judah]: “My servant Isaiah has been walking around naked and barefoot for the past three years. That is to show the terrible disasters that [I will cause the people of] Egypt and Ethiopia to experience.
4 ngokunjalo inkosi yeAsiriya izaqhuba abathunjiweyo beGibhithe labaxotshiweyo beEthiyophiya, abatsha labadala, beze bengafakanga manyathela, lezibunu zisegcekeni, kube lihlazo eGibhithe.
What will happen is that the [army of the] King of Assyria will [invade those countries and capture many of the people and] take them away as their prisoners. They will force all them, including both the young ones and the old ones, to walk naked and barefoot. They will [also] force them to have no clothes around their buttocks, which will cause [the people of] Egypt to be ashamed.
5 Basebesethuka baba lenhloni ngeEthiyophiya ithemba labo, langeGibhithe udumo lwabo.
Then the people of other countries who trusted that the armies of Egypt and Ethiopia would be able to help them will be very dismayed/confused and afraid/disappointed.
6 Abahlali balesisihlenge bazakuthi ngalolosuku: Khangela, linjalo ithemba lethu, lapho esabalekelela usizo khona ukuze sikhululwe ebusweni benkosi yeAsiriya. Pho, thina sizaphunyuka njani?
They will say, ‘We trusted that the armies of Egypt and Ethiopia [would help us and defend us, but they have been destroyed], so there is no way [RHQ] that we can escape from [being destroyed by the army of] the King of Assyria!’”