< U-Isaya 30 >
1 Maye ebantwaneni abahlamukayo! itsho iNkosi, ukuthi benze icebo, kodwa elingeyisilo elami, lokuthi bembese ngesembeso, kodwa esingesiso somoya wami, ukuze bengezelele isono phezu kwesono.
Tragedy is coming to my defiant children, declares the Lord. You make plans that don't come from me; you make alliances against my wishes, adding sin to sin.
2 Abahamba ukwehlela eGibhithe, njalo bengabuzanga umlomo wami, ukuze baziqinise emandleni kaFaro, bathembele emthunzini weGibhithe!
You go to Egypt without asking me, looking to Pharaoh for protection, hoping to find safety hiding behind Egypt.
3 Ngakho amandla kaFaro azakuba lihlazo kini, lokuthembela emthunzini weGibhithe kube yikuyangeka.
But the protection of Pharaoh will be an embarrassment to you; hiding behind Egypt will only bring you humiliation.
4 Ngoba iziphathamandla zakhe zaziseZowani lezithunywa zakhe zafika eHanesi.
Even though he has officials at Zoan and his messengers reach Hanes,
5 Bonke izabayangisa ngabantu ababengelakubasiza, bangabi luncedo njalo bangabi yinzuzo, kodwa babe luyangiso njalo babe lihlazo.
the Egyptians will offend everyone because they are useless—they're no help and good for nothing, except for causing shame and bringing disgrace.
6 Umthwalo wezilo zeningizimu. Elizweni lokucindezelwa lembandezelo, lapho okuvela khona ibhongo lesilwane, ibululu lenyoka ephaphayo elokutshisa, bathwala inotho yabo emhlana wamathole abobabhemi, lokuligugu kwabo phezu kwamalunda amakamela, bekusa ebantwini abangelasizo.
A message about the animals of the Negev. The messengers travel through a harsh and hostile land where lions and lionesses live, vipers and vicious snakes too. Their donkeys are burdened down with valuable gifts, their camels are loaded with treasure, to give to a worthless people that can't help.
7 Ngoba amaGibhithe azasiza ngeze langokungelalutho; ngakho ngakhala ngalokhu ngathi: Amandla abo yikuhlala bathule.
Egypt's support is an empty breath of wind. That's why I call her Pride Sitting Down.
8 Khathesi hamba, ukubhale phambi kwabo esibhebheni, ukulobe ngokugubha egwalweni, ukuze kube khona kuze kube lusuku lokucina, kuze kube nininini, kuze kube phakade.
Now go and write all this down on a tablet and on a scroll so that it will last forever and ever.
9 Ngoba bangabantu abavukelayo, abantwana abaqamba amanga, abantwana abangathandi ukuzwa umlayo weNkosi;
For they are a rebellious people, deceitful children, who refuse to listen to the Lord's instructions.
10 abathi kubaboni: Lingaboni; lakubakhangeli: Lingasikhangeleli izinto eziqondileyo; khulumani kithi izinto ezibutshelezi, likhangele izinkohliso;
They tell people who see visions, “Stop seeing visions!” and to the prophets, “Don't give us prophecies about doing right—just tell us pleasant things and give us fake prophecies.
11 phumani endleleni, liphambuke lisuke emkhondweni, lisuse oNgcwele kaIsrayeli phambi kwethu.
Stop telling us straight; go a different direction! We don't want to hear any more about the Holy One of Israel.”
12 Ngakho utsho njalo oNgcwele kaIsrayeli uthi: Ngoba lidelele lelilizwi, lathembela kucindezelo lokuphambeneyo, labambelela kukho.
So this is how the Holy One of Israel replies, Since you have rejected this message, and since you trust in oppression and believe in dishonesty,
13 Ngakho lobububi buzakuba kini njengomkenke osuzakuwa, ukhukhumala emdulini omude, okudilika kwawo kuhle kufike masinyazana.
your punishment will suddenly fall on you, like a high wall that bulges out and collapses in an instant.
14 Yebo, uzawephula njengokwephulwa kwembiza yababumbi ephahaziweyo; kayikuyekela, ukuze kungatholakali ezicucwini zayo udengezi lokokha umlilo eziko, kumbe ukukha amanzi emthonjeni.
You will be smashed like a clay pot, broken into such tiny pieces that there won't be a big enough piece to pick up coals from a hearth or a little bit of water from a well.
15 Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova, oNgcwele kaIsrayeli: Ngokuphenduka lokuphumula lizasindiswa; ngokuthula langokwethemba kuzakuba ngamandla enu; kodwa kalifunanga.
This is what the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, said, If you repent and patiently trust in me, you would be saved; you would be strong if you had such calm confidence. But you refused to do it.
16 Kodwa lathi: Hatshi, ngoba sizabaleka ngamabhiza; ngakho-ke lizabaleka; njalo: Sizagada amabhiza alejubane; ngakho-ke abalixotshayo bazakuba lejubane.
You replied, “No! We'll escape on horseback! We'll get away on fast horses!” But the fast ones will be the ones chasing you!
17 Inkulungwane eyodwa izabaleka ngokukhalima koyedwa; ngokukhalima kwabahlanu lizabaleka, lize lisale njengensika phezu kwengqonga yentaba, lanjengesiboniso phezu koqaqa.
Just one of them will chase after a thousand of you. Just five of them will make you all run away. All that will be left of you will look like a flag fluttering on the top of a mountain, a banner waving on a hill.
18 Ngakho-ke iNkosi izalinda, ukuze ibe lomusa kini, ngakho-ke izaphakanyiswa ukuthi ibe lesihawu kini; ngoba iNkosi inguNkulunkulu wesahlulelo; babusisiwe bonke abalindela kuyo.
So the Lord waits, wanting to be kind to you, ready to act to show you mercy, for the Lord is a God who does what is right. All who wait for him are blessed.
19 Ngoba abantu bazahlala eZiyoni eJerusalema; kaliyikukhala lokukhala inyembezi; izakuba lomusa omkhulu kuwe elizwini lokukhala kwakho; lapho ilizwa izakuphendula.
People of Zion, you who live in Jerusalem, you won't have to weep any more. When you cry for help he will be kind to you. He will answer you immediately he hears you.
20 Loba iNkosi ilinika isinkwa sosizi lamanzi okuhlupheka, kanti abafundisi bakho kabasayikususelwa engonsini, kodwa amehlo akho azabona abafundisi bakho.
Even though the Lord will give you the bread of hardship to eat and the water of suffering to drink, your teacher will no longer hide himself from you—you will see him with your own eyes.
21 Lendlebe zakho zizakuzwa ilizwi emva kwakho lisithi: Le yiyo indlela, hambani ngayo, lapho liphambukela ngakwesokunene lalapho liphambukela ngakwesokhohlo.
When you walk to the right or to the left, you will hear this command coming from behind you: “This is the way to follow.”
22 Lizangcolisa lokuhuqiweyo kwezithombe zakho ezibaziweyo zesiliva, lokunanyekiweyo kwezithombe zakho zegolide ezibunjwe ngokuncibilikisa; lizihlakaze njengelembu losesikhathini, lithi kuzo: Phumani!
You will defile your silver-coated idols coated with silver and your gold-covered images. You will throw them away like a dirty cloth used for periods, and say to them, “out of here!”
23 Khona izanika izulu lenhlanyelo yakho ozayihlanyela emhlabathini, lesinkwa sesivuno somhlaba; uzavunda ucicime. Ngalolosuku izifuyo zenu zizakudla emadlelweni abanzi;
He will send rain when you sow, and the land will produce great harvests. At that time your cattle will feed in rich pastures.
24 lezinkabi labobabhemi abatsha okulima umhlabathi kuzakudla umncantsha, oweliweyo ngefotsholo langefologwe.
The oxen and donkeys that help cultivate the earth will eat good greens and grain, spread with fork and shovel.
25 Laphezu kwayo yonke intaba ende laphezu kwalo lonke uqaqa oluphakemeyo kuzakuba lemifula lezifudlana zamanzi ngosuku lokubulawa okukhulu, lapho kusiwa imiphotshongo.
At that time when your enemies are killed and the fortresses fall, streams of water will flow down every mountain and hill.
26 Futhi ukukhanya kwenyanga kuzakuba njengokukhanya kwelanga, lokukhanya kwelanga kuphindwe kasikhombisa, njengokukhanya kwensuku eziyisikhombisa, mhla iNkosi ibopha ukwephuka kwabantu bayo, ipholisa umvimvinya wesilonda sabo.
The moon will shine as bright as the sun, and the sun will shine seven times brighter, like having seven days light in one. This is the way it will be when the Lord bandages the injuries of his people and heals the wounds he caused them.
27 Khangela, ibizo leNkosi livela khatshana, livutha ulaka lwayo, lomthwalo unzima; indebe zayo zigcwele intukuthelo, lolimi lwayo lunjengomlilo oqothulayo;
Look how the Lord arrives from far away, burning with anger and accompanied by thick clouds of smoke! What he says shows his anger—it's like a fire that burns everything up.
28 lokuphefumula kwayo kunjengesifula esiphuphumayo size sifike phakathi kwentamo, ukuhlungula izizwe ngesihlungulo sobuze; njalo kuzakuba letomu eliduhisayo emihlathini yabantu.
His breath rushes out like a flood that comes up to the neck. He shakes the nations in a sieve that destroys them; he puts bridles in the mouths of the different peoples to lead them away.
29 Lizakuba lengoma, njengeyobusuku bokwehlukaniswa komkhosi, lokuthokoza kwenhliziyo, njengohamba lomhubhe esiya entabeni yeNkosi, eDwaleni lakoIsrayeli.
But you will have a song to sing like you do on the night of a holy festival. You will celebrate in happiness like those who play pipes as they go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.
30 INkosi izazwakalisa-ke ilizwi layo elilodumo, ibonakalise ukwehla kwengalo yayo, ngentukuthelo yolaka, lelangabi lomlilo oqothulayo, isivunguvungu, lezulu lesiphepho, lesiqhotho.
The Lord will shout so everyone hears him he will reveal his great power. He will hit out in his anger and fury, with a fire that burns everything up, and with torrential rain, storm, and hail.
31 Ngoba ngelizwi leNkosi amaAsiriya azaphahlazwa, itshaya ngenduku.
At the Lord's command the Assyrians will be shattered, knocked down by his scepter.
32 Kuzakuthi loba ngaphi okwedlula khona induku emisiweyo, iNkosi eyibeka phezu kwayo, kube ngezigubhu langamachacho, langezimpi zokunyikinya ilwe labo.
Every time the Lord hits them with his rod of punishment it will be accompanied by the music of tambourines and harps as he fights them, swinging into them in battle.
33 Ngoba iThofethi yahlelwa endulo, layo yamiselwa inkosi; yayenza yatshona, yaba banzi, inqumbi yayo ingumlilo lenkuni ezinengi; ukuphefumula kweNkosi kuyayithungela njengesifula sesolufa.
The place of burning has been prepared a long time ago, ready for the king. Its funeral pyre is deep and wide, and has plenty of fire and wood. The breath of the Lord, like a flood of burning sulfur, sets it on fire.