UJoweli 3

1 Ngoba khangela, ngalezonsuku langalesosikhathi lapho ngibuyisa ukuthunjwa kukaJuda leJerusalema,

[Yahweh says this]: “At that time [DOU], I will enable [the people of] Jerusalem and [other places in] Judah to prosper again.

2 ngizabutha zonke izizwe, ngizehlisele esigodini sikaJehoshafathi, ngizigwebe khona ngenxa yabantu bami lelifa lami uIsrayeli, ezibahlakaze phakathi kwezizwe, zalaba ilizwe lami,

[Then] in the Valley of Judgment I will gather together [the people of] all the [other] nations; I will judge [and punish] them because they scattered my Israeli people and forced them to go to other countries. They divided up my land

3 zenza inkatho yokuphosa ngabantu bami, zanika umfana ngewule, zathengisa inkazana ngewayini, ukuze zinathe.

and they (threw marked stones/cast lots) to determine who would get [each of] my people. Then they sold [some of] the Israeli boys and girls [to get money to pay] for prostitutes and wine to drink.

4 Yebo-ke, lilani kimi, Tire leSidoni, lani lonke mingcele yeFilisti? Lizangibuyisela umvuzo yini? Uba-ke lingibuyisela, masinyane ngokuphangisa ngizabuyisela umvuzo wenu ekhanda lenu.

You [people of] [APO] Tyre and Sidon [cities] and [you people of] the Philistia [region], I certainly have not [RHQ] done anything to harm you! [So] if you are trying to get revenge on me, I will very quickly get revenge on you.

5 Ngoba lithethe isiliva sami legolide lami, laletha izinto zami eziloyisekayo ezinhle emathempelini enu.

You have taken the silver and gold and [other] things from my temple and put them in your temples.

6 Lathengisa abantwana bakoJuda labantwana beJerusalema ebantwaneni bamaGriki, ukuze libasusele khatshana lomngcele wabo.

[You dragged away] the people of Jerusalem and [other places in] Judah, and you took them far away and sold them to people in Greece.

7 Khangelani, ngizabavusa endaweni elabathengisa kiyo, ngibuyisele umvuzo wenu ekhanda lenu.

But I will cause my people to want to return from the places to which you sold them, and I will do to you what you did to them.

8 Njalo ngizathengisa amadodana enu lamadodakazi enu esandleni sabantwana bakoJuda, abazabathengisa kumaSabeya esizweni esikhatshana; ngoba iNkosi ikhulumile.

Then I will cause [some of] your sons and your daughters to be sold to the people of Judah! And [some of] them will be sold to the Sabea people-group, who live far away. [That will certainly happen because I], Yahweh, have said it.”

9 Memezelani lokhu phakathi kwezizwe; lingcwelise impi; livuse amaqhawe; kawasondele enyuke wonke amadoda empi.

Proclaim to the [people of all] nations, “Prepare for a war! Summon your soldiers, and tell them to stand in their battle positions.

10 Khandani amakhuba enu abe yizinkemba, lengqamu zenu zokuthena zibe yimikhonto; obuthakathaka athi: Ngiliqhawe.

[Take] your plows and make swords from them, and [take] your pruning knives and make spears from them. [Even] the weak people must [also] be like [MET] [strong] soldiers.

11 Phangisani lize, lina zizwe zonke ezizingelezeleyo, libuthane; Nkosi, yehlisa amaqhawe akho kuleyondawo.

All you [people from the] nations that are near [Judah] must come quickly and gather [in the Valley of Judgment].” But Yahweh, [when that happens], send your army [of angels to attack them]!

12 Kazizivuse izizwe zenyukele esihotsheni sikaJehoshafathi; ngoba kulapho engizahlala khona ukugweba zonke izizwe inhlangothi zonke.

The [people in] the nations near [Judah] must get ready and come to the Valley of Judgment. There Yahweh will sit and judge [and punish] them.

13 Fakani isikela, ngoba isivuno sivuthiwe; wozani lehlele phansi, ngoba isikhamelo sewayini sigcwele, amafatshi ewayini ayaphuphuma, ngoba ububi babo bukhulu.

[They are like] [MET] crops that are ready to be harvested; so [strike them like] [MET] [a farmer] swings his sickle to cut the grain. They are like [MET] grapes that are piled high in the pits where they will be pressed; because they are very wicked, [punish them severely] [MET] now, like [MET] [a farmer] tramples on the grapes until the pits are full of juice.

14 Amaxuku, amaxuku esihotsheni sesinqumo; ngoba usuku lweNkosi luseduze esihotsheni sesinqumo.

[There will be] huge crowds of people in that Valley of Judgment. It will soon be the time that Yahweh [will punish them].

15 Ilanga lenyanga kuzakuba mnyama, lezinkanyezi zigodle ukukhanya kwazo.

[At that time] there will be no light from the sun or moon, and the stars will not shine.

16 INkosi izabhonga-ke iseZiyoni, ikhuphe ilizwi layo iseJerusalema, kunyikinyeke amazulu lomhlaba. Kodwa iNkosi ibe yisiphephelo sabantu bayo, lamandla abantwana bakoIsrayeli.

From Zion [Hill] in Jerusalem Yahweh will shout, and his voice will be like thunder, and his voice will cause the sky and the earth to shake. But Yahweh will protect [MET] his people; he will be like [MET] a strong wall behind which the people of Israel will be protected.

17 Ngalokho lizakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi, uNkulunkulu wenu, ohlala eZiyoni, intaba yobungcwele bami. Njalo iJerusalema izakuba yibungcwele, labezizwe kabasayikudlula phakathi kwayo.

[Yahweh says], “At that time, you Israeli people will know that I am Yahweh, your God. I live on Zion, my sacred hill. Jerusalem will be a sacred [city], and [soldiers from] other countries will never conquer it again.

18 Kuzakuthi-ke ngalolosuku izintaba zithontise iwayini elimnandi, lamaqaqa ageleze uchago, lazo zonke izifula zakoJuda zigeleze amanzi, lomthombo uphume endlini yeNkosi, uthelele isihotsha seShithimi.

At that time, there will be vineyards covering [MTY] the hills, and [your cattle and goats on] those hills will produce plenty of milk. The streams in Judah will never dry up. And a stream will flow from my temple into the Acacia Valley [northeast of the Dead Sea].

19 IGibhithe izakuba lunxiwa, leEdoma ibe yinkangala elunxiwa, ngenxa yodlakela olumelene labantwana bakoJuda, ngoba bachithe igazi elingelacala elizweni labo.

[The armies of] Egypt and Edom attacked the people of Judah and killed [MTY] many people who had not done anything that was wrong. So [now] those countries will become deserts,

20 Kodwa uJuda uzahlala kuze kube nininini, leJerusalema kuze kube yisizukulwana lesizukulwana.

but there will always be people living in Jerusalem and [in other places] in Judea.

21 Ngoba ngizahlanza igazi labo, engangingalihlanzanga; ngoba iNkosi ihlala eZiyoni.

[I], Yahweh, live on Zion [Hill in Jerusalem], and I will get revenge on the people [of Egypt and Edom] who killed [MTY] [many of my people].”