< U-Isaya 24 >

1 Khangela, iNkosi yenza umhlaba ube yize, iwenze ube yincithakalo, yone ubuso bawo, ihlakaze abahlali bawo.
Behold, YHWH is emptying the earth, And is making it desolate, And has overturned [it on] its face, And has scattered its inhabitants.
2 Kuzakuthi njengabantu kube njalo umpristi; njengesisebenzi kube njalo inkosi yaso; njengencekukazi kube njalo inkosikazi yayo; njengomthengi kube njalo umthengisi; njengombolekisi kube njalo obolekayo; njengomniki wesikwelede kube njalo okweledayo.
And it has been—as a people so a priest, As the servant so his master, As the maidservant so her mistress, As the buyer so the seller, As the lender so the borrower, As the usurer so he who is lifting [it] on himself.
3 Umhlaba uzachitheka lokuchitheka, uphangwe lokuphangwa; ngoba iNkosi ilikhulumile lelilizwi.
The earth is utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled, For YHWH has spoken this word:
4 Umhlaba uyalila, ubune, ilizwe liyadangala, libune; abantu bomhlaba abaphakemeyo bayadangala.
The earth has mourned, faded, The world has languished, faded, They have languished—the high place of the people of the earth.
5 Umhlaba lawo ungcolisiwe ngaphansi kwabahlali bawo; ngoba beqile imilayo, baguqula isimiso, bephula isivumelwano esilaphakade.
And the earth has been defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed laws, They have changed a statute, They have made void a perpetual covenant.
6 Ngenxa yalokho isiqalekiso siwuqedile umhlaba, labahlala kuwo bayachitheka; ngakho-ke abahlali bomhlaba batshisiwe, njalo kusale abantu abalutshwana.
Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, And the inhabitants in it become desolate, Therefore inhabitants of the earth have been consumed, And few men have been left.
7 Iwayini elitsha liyalila, ivini lidangale, bonke abanhliziyo ethokozayo bayabubula.
The new wine has mourned, the vine languished, All the joyful of heart have sighed.
8 Injabulo yezigubhu iphelile, umsindo wabajabulayo uphelile, intokozo yechacho iphelile.
The joy of tambourines has ceased, The noise of exulting ones has ceased, The joy of a harp has ceased.
9 Kabayikunatha iwayini ngengoma; okunathwayo okulamandla kuzababa kwabakunathayo.
They do not drink wine with a song, Strong drink is bitter to those drinking it.
10 Umuzi wencithakalo ubhidlikile, yonke indlu ivaliwe ukuze kungangenwa.
It was broken down—a city of emptiness, Every house has been shut from [its] entrance.
11 Kukhalelwa iwayini ezitaladeni; intokozo yonke ifiphele, injabulo yomhlaba inyamalele.
In out-places [is] a cry over the wine, All joy has been darkened, The joy of the land has been removed.
12 Emzini kusele incithakalo, lesango litshayiwe lachithwa.
Desolation [is] left in the city, And the gate is struck [with] ruin.
13 Ngoba kuzakuba njalo phakathi kwelizwe, phakathi kwabantu, njengokunyikinywa kwesihlahla somhlwathi, njengokukhothoza sesiphelile isivuno sezithelo zevini.
When thus it is in the heart of the land, In the midst of the peoples, As the surrounding of the olive, As gleanings when harvest has been finished,
14 Bona bazaphakamisa ilizwi labo, bazahlabelela ubukhosi beNkosi, bamemeze beselwandle.
They lift up their voice, They sing of the excellence of YHWH, They have cried aloud from the sea.
15 Ngenxa yalokhu dumisani iNkosi emililweni, ibizo leNkosi uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli ezihlengeni zolwandle.
Therefore honor YHWH in prosperity, In islands of the sea, the Name of YHWH, God of Israel.
16 Sizwile amahubo avela emkhawulweni womhlaba, udumo kolungileyo. Kodwa ngathi: Ukucaka kwami, ukucaka kwami! Maye kimi! Abenzi benkohliso benze ngokukhohlisa; yebo abenzi benkohliso benze ngokukhohlisa okukhulu.
From the skirt of the earth we heard songs, The desire of the righteous. And I say, “Leanness [is] to me, Leanness [is] to me, woe [is] to me.” Treacherous dealers dealt treacherously, Indeed, treachery, treacherous dealers dealt treacherously.
17 Ukwesaba lomgodi lomjibila kuphezu kwakho, wena mhlali womhlaba.
Fear, and a snare, and a trap, [Are] on you, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 Kuzakuthi-ke obalekela umsindo wokwesaba awele emgodini; lowenyuka phakathi komgodi abanjwe ngumjibila; ngoba amawindi aphezulu avulekile, lezisekelo zomhlaba ziyaqhaqhazela.
And it has come to pass, He who is fleeing from the noise of the fear falls into the snare, And he who is coming up from the midst of the snare, Is captured by the trap, For windows have been opened on high, And foundations of the earth are shaken.
19 Umhlaba wephukile lokwephuka, umhlaba udatshudatshuliwe, umhlaba uyanyikinyeka kakhulu.
The earth has been utterly broken down, The earth has been utterly broken, The earth has been utterly moved.
20 Umhlaba uzadiyazela lokudiyazela njengesidakwa, uzunguzeke njengedumba; lesiphambeko sawo sizakuba nzima phezu kwawo; uzakuwa, ungabe usavuka futhi.
The earth staggers greatly as a drunkard, And it has been moved as a lodge, And its transgression has been heavy on it, And it has fallen, and does not add to rise.
21 Kuzakuthi-ke ngalolosuku iNkosi ijezise ibutho labaphakemeyo abaphezulu, lamakhosi omhlaba phezu komhlaba.
And it has come to pass in that day, YHWH lays a charge on the host of the high place in the high place, And on the kings of the earth on the earth.
22 Bazabuthelwa ndawonye njengezibotshwa zibuthelwa emgodini, bavalelwe entolongweni, langemva kwensuku ezinengi bethekelelwe.
And they have been gathered—A gathering of bound ones in a pit, And they have been shut up in a prison, And after a multitude of days are inspected.
23 Khona inyanga izayangeka, lelanga libe lenhloni, ngoba iNkosi yamabandla iyabusa entabeni iZiyoni laseJerusalema, laphambi kwabadala kuzakuba khona inkazimulo.
And the moon has been confounded, And the sun has been ashamed, For YHWH of Hosts has reigned In Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, And before His elderly—glory!

< U-Isaya 24 >