U-Isaya 24
1 Khangela, iNkosi yenza umhlaba ube yize, iwenze ube yincithakalo, yone ubuso bawo, ihlakaze abahlali bawo.
Some day, Yahweh is going to destroy everything on the earth. He will devastate it and cause it to become a desert and scatter its people.
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.
He will scatter everyone— priests and common people, servants and their masters, maids and their mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, people who owe money and people who are owed money.
3 Umhlaba uzachitheka lokuchitheka, uphangwe lokuphangwa; ngoba iNkosi ilikhulumile lelilizwi.
Nothing that is worth anything will be left on earth; everything valuable will be destroyed. [That will surely happen because] Yahweh has said it.
4 Umhlaba uyalila, ubune, ilizwe liyadangala, libune; abantu bomhlaba abaphakemeyo bayadangala.
[Everything on] the earth will dry up and die [DOU]; its important people will become weak and unimportant.
5 Umhlaba lawo ungcolisiwe ngaphansi kwabahlali bawo; ngoba beqile imilayo, baguqula isimiso, bephula isivumelwano esilaphakade.
The earth has become unacceptable to Yahweh because the people who live on it have disobeyed his laws; they have rejected the agreement that he intended to last forever.
6 Ngenxa yalokho isiqalekiso siwuqedile umhlaba, labahlala kuwo bayachitheka; ngakho-ke abahlali bomhlaba batshisiwe, njalo kusale abantu abalutshwana.
Therefore, [Yahweh] will curse the earth; the people who live on it must be punished because of the sins that they have committed. They will be destroyed by fire, and [only a] few people will remain [alive].
7 Iwayini elitsha liyalila, ivini lidangale, bonke abanhliziyo ethokozayo bayabubula.
The grapevines will wither, and there will be no [grapes to make] wine. All [the people] who were previously happy will then groan and mourn.
8 Injabulo yezigubhu iphelile, umsindo wabajabulayo uphelile, intokozo yechacho iphelile.
People will no longer play cheerful songs with tambourines, people will no longer play joyfully on their harps, and people will no longer shout noisily [during their celebrations].
9 Kabayikunatha iwayini ngengoma; okunathwayo okulamandla kuzababa kwabakunathayo.
People will no longer sing while they drink wine, and [all] their alcoholic drinks will taste bitter.
10 Umuzi wencithakalo ubhidlikile, yonke indlu ivaliwe ukuze kungangenwa.
[Towns and] cities will be desolate; every house will be locked to prevent thieves from entering.
11 Kukhalelwa iwayini ezitaladeni; intokozo yonke ifiphele, injabulo yomhlaba inyamalele.
[Mobs] will gather in the streets, wanting wine; no one on the earth will be happy [DOU] any more.
12 Emzini kusele incithakalo, lesango litshayiwe lachithwa.
Cities will be ruined and [all] their gates will be battered/broken into pieces.
13 Ngoba kuzakuba njalo phakathi kwelizwe, phakathi kwabantu, njengokunyikinywa kwesihlahla somhlwathi, njengokukhothoza sesiphelile isivuno sezithelo zevini.
It will be like that all over the earth: [there will only be a few people still alive], like what happens when [workers] beat all the olives off a tree [and there are only a few left], [or] when they harvest the grapes and there are only a few left [on the vines].
14 Bona bazaphakamisa ilizwi labo, bazahlabelela ubukhosi beNkosi, bamemeze beselwandle.
But [those who are left alive] will sing joyfully; people [in nations] to the west [of Israel] will declare that Yahweh is very great;
15 Ngenxa yalokhu dumisani iNkosi emililweni, ibizo leNkosi uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli ezihlengeni zolwandle.
people in nations to the east [of Israel will also] praise Yahweh [MTY]; in countries across the sea, people will praise Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship].
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.
We will hear [people] in the most distant places on the earth singing praise to [Yahweh], the [truly] righteous one. But [now], I am [SYN] very sad. Weep for me, [because] I have become thin and weak. Terrible things are happening! Treacherous [people still] betray/deceive others everywhere [DOU].
17 Ukwesaba lomgodi lomjibila kuphezu kwakho, wena mhlali womhlaba.
You people all over the earth, you will be terrified, and you will fall into deep pits and traps/snares.
18 Kuzakuthi-ke obalekela umsindo wokwesaba awele emgodini; lowenyuka phakathi komgodi abanjwe ngumjibila; ngoba amawindi aphezulu avulekile, lezisekelo zomhlaba ziyaqhaqhazela.
Those who [try to] flee because they are terrified will fall into [deep] pits, and those who climb out of the pits will be caught by traps/snares. The sky will split open and torrents [SIM] [of rain will fall]; the foundations of the earth will shake.
19 Umhlaba wephukile lokwephuka, umhlaba udatshudatshuliwe, umhlaba uyanyikinyeka kakhulu.
The earth will split apart and be shattered; it will shake violently.
20 Umhlaba uzadiyazela lokudiyazela njengesidakwa, uzunguzeke njengedumba; lesiphambeko sawo sizakuba nzima phezu kwawo; uzakuwa, ungabe usavuka futhi.
[It will be as though] the earth will stagger like [SIM] a drunk; it will shake like [SIM] a hut [shakes in a windstorm]. It will collapse and not [be able to] rise again, [because] the guilt of the people who rebel [against Yahweh] is very great.
21 Kuzakuthi-ke ngalolosuku iNkosi ijezise ibutho labaphakemeyo abaphezulu, lamakhosi omhlaba phezu komhlaba.
At that time, Yahweh will punish the [wicked] powerful beings in the skies and the wicked kings on the earth.
22 Bazabuthelwa ndawonye njengezibotshwa zibuthelwa emgodini, bavalelwe entolongweni, langemva kwensuku ezinengi bethekelelwe.
They will [all] be gathered together and thrown into a dungeon/pit. They will be shut/locked in that dungeon/pit, and later they will be punished.
23 Khona inyanga izayangeka, lelanga libe lenhloni, ngoba iNkosi yamabandla iyabusa entabeni iZiyoni laseJerusalema, laphambi kwabadala kuzakuba khona inkazimulo.
At that time the light of the moon and the sun will be lessened; [it will be as though] they are ashamed [in the presence of] Yahweh, because he, the Commander of the armies of angels, will rule gloriously (on Zion Hill/in Jerusalem), in the presence of the leaders [of his people].
