U-Isaya 5
1 Ake ngihlabelele othandiweyo wami ingoma yomthandwa wami ngesivini sakhe. Othandiweyo wami ulesivini oqaqeni oluvundileyo.
I will sing for my beloved a song of his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
2 Wasibiyela, wakhupha amatshe kiso, wasihlanyela ngevini elikhethiweyo, wakha umphotshongo phakathi kwaso, wagubha lesikhamelo sewayini kiso; walindela ukuthi sizathela izithelo zevini, kodwa sathela izithelo zevini ezimunyu.
He dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour!
3 Ngakho-ke, bahlali beJerusalema, lani madoda akoJuda, ake lahlulele phakathi kwami lesivini sami.
“And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem and men of Judah, I exhort you to judge between Me and My vineyard.
4 Ngabe kwenziwani okunye esivinini sami engingakwenzanga kuso? Ngalindelelani ukuthi sizathela izithelo zevini, kodwa sathela izithelo zevini ezimunyu?
What more could I have done for My vineyard than I already did for it? Why, when I expected sweet grapes, did it bring forth sour fruit?
5 Ngakho-ke, ake ngilitshele engizakwenza esivinini sami: Ngizasusa uthango lwaso ukuze sibe lidlelo, ngidilize umduli waso ukuze sibe ngesokugxotshwa.
Now I will tell you what I am about to do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be consumed; I will tear down its wall, and it will be trampled.
6 Ngizasenza sibe liganga, singathenwa, singahlakulwa, kodwa kumile ameva lokhula oluhlabayo. Njalo ngizalaya amayezi ukuthi anganisi izulu phezu kwaso.
I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and thorns and briers will grow up. I will command the clouds that rain shall not fall on it.”
7 Ngoba isivini seNkosi yamabandla yindlu kaIsrayeli, labantu bakoJuda bayisithombo sentokozo zayo. Njalo yayilindele isahlulelo, kodwa khangela, ukuchithwa kwegazi; ukulunga, kodwa khangela, ukukhala.
For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plant of His delight. He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard a cry of distress.
8 Maye kulabo abahlanganisa indlu lendlu, abasondeza insimu lensimu, kuze kusweleke indawo, lina-ke lihlale lodwa phakathi kwelizwe!
Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field until no place is left and you live alone in the land.
9 Endlebeni zami iNkosi yamabandla yathi: Isibili izindlu ezinengi zizakuba ngamanxiwa, ezinkulu lezinhle zingabi lamhlali.
I heard the LORD of Hosts declare: “Surely many houses will become desolate, great mansions left unoccupied.
10 Ngoba indima ezilitshumi zesivini zizathela ibhathi elilodwa, lehomeri lenhlanyelo lithele i-efa.
For ten acres of vineyard will yield but a bath of wine, and a homer of seed only an ephah of grain.”
11 Maye kwabavuka ekuseni kakhulu, bexotshana lokunathwayo okulamandla, balibale kuze kuhlwe, lize iwayini libalumathise!
Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger into the evening, to be inflamed by wine.
12 Njalo ichacho lomhubhe, isigubhu lomhlanga, lewayini kusemadilini abo, kodwa kabananzi isenzo seNkosi, bengaboni umsebenzi wezandla zayo.
At their feasts are the lyre and harp, tambourines and flutes and wine. They disregard the actions of the LORD and fail to see the work of His hands.
13 Ngakho abantu bami bazakuya ekuthunjweni ngenxa yokungabi lolwazi, lamadoda abo odumo alendlala, lenengi labo lizakoma ngumhawu.
Therefore My people will go into exile for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are starving and their masses are parched with thirst.
14 Ngakho ingcwaba lizazinabulula, livule umlomo walo ube banzi ngokungelasilinganiso, kuze kwehle udumo lwabo lobunengi babo lenxokozelo yabo lothokozayo phakathi kwabo. (Sheol h7585)
Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat and opens wide its enormous jaws, and down go Zion’s nobles and masses, her revelers and carousers! (Sheol h7585)
15 Lomuntukazana uzakwehliselwa phansi, lomuntu ophakemeyo athotshiswe, lamehlo abazikhukhumezayo athotshiswe.
So mankind will be brought low, and each man humbled; the arrogant will lower their eyes.
16 Kodwa iNkosi yamabandla izaphakanyiswa ngesahlulelo, loNkulunkulu ongcwele uzangcweliswa ngokulunga.
But the LORD of Hosts will be exalted by His justice, and the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.
17 Lamawundlu azakudla ngokwendlela yawo, labemzini badle amanxiwa abakhulupheleyo.
Lambs will graze as in their own pastures, and strangers will feed in the ruins of the wealthy.
18 Maye kwabadonsa isiphambeko ngentambo zeze, lesono njengamagoda enqola!
Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of deceit and pull sin along with cart ropes,
19 Labo abathi: Kaphangise, aphangisise umsebenzi wakhe, ukuze siwubone; lecebo loNgcwele kaIsrayeli kalisondele lize, ukuze silazi.
to those who say, “Let Him hurry and hasten His work so that we may see it! Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel come so that we may know it!”
20 Maye kwabathi kokubi kuhle, lakokuhle kubi, ababeka umnyama ube yikukhanya, lokukhanya kube ngumnyama, ababeka okubabayo kube mnandi, lokumnandi kube ngokubabayo!
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter.
21 Maye kwabahlakaniphileyo emehlweni abo, labaqedisisayo phambi kobuso babo!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.
22 Maye kwabangamaqhawe okunatha iwayini, lamadoda alamandla okuhlanganisa okunathwayo okulamandla;
Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing beer,
23 abalungisisa okhohlakeleyo ngenxa yomvuzo, basuse ukulunga kwabalungileyo kubo!
who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice.
24 Ngakho njengolimi lomlilo lusidla isidindi sotshani, lamakhoba edilika ngelangabi, ngokunjalo impande yabo izakuba njengokubola, lempoko yabo iphephuke njengothuli; ngoba bewalile umlayo weNkosi yamabandla, balidelela ilizwi loNgcwele kaIsrayeli.
Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes the straw, and as dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will decay and their blossoms will blow away like dust; for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of Hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 Ngenxa yalokho ulaka lweNkosi lubavuthele abantu bayo, yelula isandla sayo imelene labo, yabatshaya, izintaba zaze zazamazama, lezidumbu zabo zaba njengengcekeza phakathi kwezitalada. Ngenxa yakho konke lokhu ulaka lwayo kaluphenduki, kodwa isandla sayo silokhu seluliwe.
Therefore the anger of the LORD burns against His people; His hand is raised against them to strike them down. The mountains quake, and the corpses lay like refuse in the streets. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
26 Njalo izasiphakamisela isizwe isiboniso ikhatshana, isitshayele ikhwelo isekucineni komhlaba; khangela-ke, sizakuza masinyane ngejubane.
He lifts a banner for the distant nations and whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Behold—how speedily and swiftly they come!
27 Kakho ozadinwa, njalo kakho ozakhubeka phakathi kwaso, kakho ozawozela, njalo kakho ozalala, njalo kakho ozakhululelwa ibhanti lokhalo lwakhe, njalo kakho ozaqanyukelwa ngumchilo wamanyathela akhe.
None of them grows weary or stumbles; no one slumbers or sleeps. No belt is loose and no sandal strap is broken.
28 Omitshoko yakhe ibukhali, lomadandili akhe wonke agotshiwe; amasondo amabhiza akhe azabalwa njengelitshe elilukhuni, lamavili akhe njengesivunguzane.
Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are strung. The hooves of their horses are like flint; their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind.
29 Ukubhonga kwakhe kuzakuba njengokwesilwane, njalo uzabhonga njengamabhongo esilwane, abhavume abambe impango, ayilethe ekuvikelekeni, njalo kungekho umemuki.
Their roaring is like that of a lion; they roar like young lions. They growl and seize their prey; they carry it away from deliverance.
30 Bazakubhavumela ngalolosuku njengokubhavuma kolwandle. Uba umuntu ekhangela emhlabeni, khangela-ke, umnyama, usizi, lokukhanya kwenziwe kwaba mnyama ngamayezi aso.
In that day they will roar over it, like the roaring of the sea. If one looks over the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the light will be obscured by clouds.
