U-Isaya 29
1 Maye kuyo iAriyeli, kuyo iAriyeli umuzi uDavida amisa kuwo inkamba! Yengezelelani umnyaka emnyakeni; kayibhode imikhosi.
[This is a message from Yahweh: ] Terrible things will happen to Jerusalem, the city where [King] David lived. You people continue to celebrate your festivals each year.
2 Kanti ngizayicindezela iAriyeli, njalo kube khona ukulila losizi; njalo kuzakuba njengeAriyeli kimi.
But I will cause you to experience a great disaster, [and when that happens], people will weep and lament [very much]. Your city will become like [MET] an altar [to me] [where people are burned as sacrifices].
3 Njalo ngizamisa inkamba inhlangothi zakho zonke, ngikuvimbezele ngedundulu, ngikumisele izinqaba ezimelene lawe.
I will cause your enemies [to come to your city]; they will surround it by [building] towers and putting in place other things with which to attack you.
4 Njalo uzakwehliselwa phansi, ukhulume usemhlabathini, lenkulumo yakho izakuba phansi ethulini, lelizwi lakho lizakuba njengeloledlozi liphuma emhlabathini, lenkulumo yakho ibe ngumlozwi ophuma othulini.
Then you will talk [as though you were] buried deep in the ground [DOU]; it will sound like someone whispering from under the ground, like [SIM] a ghost speaking from a grave.
5 Njalo ixuku labezizwe bakho lizakuba njengothuli olucholekileyo, lexuku labalesihluku njengamakhoba adlulayo. Yebo, kuzahle kube masinyane.
But, suddenly your enemies will be blown away like dust; their armies will disappear like [SIM] chaff that is blown away [by the wind]. [It will happen] very suddenly.
6 Uzakwethekelelwa yiNkosi yamabandla ngomdumo, langokuzamazama komhlaba, lomsindo omkhulu, isivunguzane, lesiphepho, lelangabi lomlilo oqothulayo.
The Commander of the armies of angels will come [to help you] with thunder and an earthquake and a very loud noise, with a strong wind and a big storm and a fire that will burn up everything.
7 Lexuku lezizwe zonke elilwa limelene leAriyeli, ngitsho zonke ezilwa zimelene layo lezinqaba zayo, leziyicindezelayo, zizakuba njengephupho, umbono wobusuku.
[Then] the armies of all the nations that will be attacking Jerusalem will quickly disappear like a dream in the night [DOU]. Those who will be attacking Jerusalem will suddenly vanish/disappear.
8 Kuzakuba lanjengolambileyo ephupha, khangela-ke, uyadla, kodwa aphaphame, lomphefumulo wakhe ungelalutho; loba njengowomileyo ephupha, khangela-ke, uyanatha, kodwa aphaphame, khangela-ke uphelelwa ngamandla, lomphefumulo wakhe uyalangatha; lizakuba njalo ixuku lazo zonke izizwe ezilwa zimelene lentaba iZiyoni.
People who are asleep dream about eating food, [but] when they wake up, they are still hungry. People who are thirsty dream about drinking something, [but] when they wake up they are still thirsty. It will be like that when your enemies come to attack Zion Hill; [they will dream about conquering you, but when they wake up, ] [they will realize that they have not succeeded].
9 Manini, lithithibale; zithokoziseni liphumputheke; badakiwe, kodwa hatshi ngewayini; bayadiyazela, kodwa hatshi ngenxa yokunathwayo okulamandla.
You [people of Jerusalem], be amazed and surprised [about this] [IRO]! Do not believe [what I have said] [SAR]! And continue to be blind [IRO] [about what Yahweh is doing]. You are stupid, but it is not because you have drunk a lot of wine. You stagger, but not from drinking alcoholic drinks.
10 Ngoba iNkosi ithululele phezu kwenu umoya wobuthongo obunzima, yavala amehlo enu; abaprofethi lezinhloko zenu, ababoni, ibagubuzele.
Because Yahweh has prevented the prophets [DOU] from understanding [and telling you his messages], [it is as though] he has caused you to be fast/deeply asleep.
11 Lawo wonke umbono usube kini njengamazwi ogwalo olunanyekiweyo okuthi balunika owazi umbhalo, besithi: Bala lokhu siyakuncenga; yena athi: Ngingeke, ngoba lunanyekiwe.
[Yahweh gave me] this vision; [but] for you, it is only words on a scroll that is sealed shut. If you give it to those who can read [and request that they read it], they will say, “We cannot read it because the scroll is sealed.”
12 Ugwalo beselunikwa ongazi umbhalo, besithi: Bala lokhu, siyakuncenga; yena athi: Kangiwazi umbhalo.
When you give it to [others] who cannot read, they will say, “[We cannot read it because] we do not know how to read.”
13 INkosi yasisithi: Ngenxa yokuthi lababantu besondela ngomlomo wabo langezindebe zabo bengihlonipha, kodwa babeka inhliziyo yabo khatshana lami, lokungesaba kwabo kufundiswa ngumlayo wabantu;
[So] the Lord says, “These people say that they belong to me. They honor me by what they say [MTY], but they do not think [IDM] about what I [desire]. When they worship me, all they do is recite rules that people have made and that they have memorized.
14 ngakho, khangela, ngizaqhubeka ukukwenza ngokumangalisayo lalababantu, umsebenzi omangalisayo lesimanga; ngoba inhlakanipho yabahlakaniphileyo babo izaphela, lokuqedisisa kwabaqedisisayo babo kucatshe.
Therefore, again I will do something to amaze these people; I will perform many miracles. And [I will show that] the people [who tell others that they] are wise are not really wise, and [I will show that] the people [who tell others that they] are intelligent are not really intelligent.
15 Maye kulabo abajula besuka eNkosini ukuze bafihle icebo labo, lemisebenzi yabo isemnyameni, bathi: Ngubani osibonayo? Njalo ngubani osaziyo?
Terrible things will happen to those who try to conceal from me, Yahweh, the [evil] things that they plan to do; they do those things in the darkness and they think, ‘Yahweh certainly cannot [RHQ] see us; he cannot [RHQ] know what we are doing!’
16 Ukugonqomisa kwenu kuthiwa kunjengebumba lombumbi! Ngoba umsebenzi uzakutsho yini ngaye owenzileyo ukuthi: Kangenzanga? Kumbe okubunjiweyo kungatsho yini ngombumbi wakho ukuthi: Kaqedisisi?
They are extremely foolish! [They act as though] they were the potters and I was the clay! Something that was created should certainly never [RHQ] say to the one who made it, ‘You did not make me!’ A jar should never say, ‘The potter who made me did not know what he was doing!’”
17 Kakuseyisikhatshana esifitshane yini, ukuthi iLebhanoni iphendulwe ibe yinsimu ethelayo, lensimu ethelayo ithiwe injengehlathi?
Soon [the forests in] Lebanon will become fertile fields, and abundant crops will grow in those fields, and that will happen very soon.
18 Njalo ngalolosuku izacuthe zizakuzwa amazwi ogwalo, lamehlo eziphofu abone ekufiphaleni lemnyameni.
At that time, deaf people will [be able to hear]; [they will be able to] hear when someone reads from a book; and blind people will [be able to see]; [they will be able to] see things when it is gloomy and [even] when it is dark.
19 Abathobekileyo labo bazakwandisa intokozo eNkosini, labangabayanga ebantwini bathokoze koNgcwele kaIsrayeli.
Yahweh will enable humble people to be very joyful again. Poor people will rejoice about what the Holy One of Israel [has done].
20 Ngoba olesihluku uzaphela, lodelelayo uqediwe, labo bonke abalindele okubi baqunyiwe;
There will be no more people who ridicule [others] and no more arrogant people. And those who plan to do evil things will be executed.
21 abenza umuntu one ngelizwi, bambekele umjibila okhuzayo esangweni, baphambule olungileyo ngento engelutho.
Those who testify falsely in order to persuade judges to punish innocent people will vanish/disappear. Similar things will happen to those who by lying in court [persuade judges to] make unjust decisions.
22 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi eyahlenga uAbrahama, ngendlu kaJakobe: Khathesi uJakobe kayikuba lanhloni, lobuso bakhe khathesi kabuyikuhloba.
That is why Yahweh, who rescued Abraham, says about the people of Israel, “My people will no longer be ashamed; no longer will they show on their faces that they are ashamed.
23 Ngoba lapho ebona abantwana bakhe, umsebenzi wezandla zami, phakathi kwakhe, bazangcwelisa ibizo lami; bangcwelise oNgcwele kaJakobe, besabe uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli.
When they see that I have blessed them by giving them many children and doing many other things for them, they will realize that I am the Holy One of Israel, and they will revere me, the God to whom they, the descendants of Jacob, belong.
24 Lalabo abaduhayo emoyeni bazakwazi ukuqedisisa, labangungunayo bazafunda imfundiso.
When that happens, those who have not been able to think well will think clearly, and those who complain [about what I am doing] will accept what I am teaching them.”
