U-Obhadiya 1
1 Umbono kaObhadiya. Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova mayelana leEdoma: Sizwile umbiko ovela eNkosini, njalo kuthunywe isithunywa phakathi kwezizwe: Sukumani, kasimvukele empini!
This is a message that Yahweh our God gave to me, Obadiah, about the Edom [people-group]. Yahweh our God has told me this about [the people of] Edom: “I, Yahweh, have sent a messenger to other nations, telling them to prepare to go and attack Edom.”
2 Khangela, ngikwenze waba mncinyane phakathi kwezizwe, udelelwe kakhulu.
And Yahweh says this to the people of Edom: “I will soon cause you to become the weakest and most despised nation [on the earth].
3 Ukuziqhenya kwenhliziyo yakho kukukhohlisile, wena ohlala ezingoxweni zamadwala, ondawo yakhe yokuhlala iphakeme, othi enhliziyweni yakhe: Ngubani ozangehlisela emhlabathini?
Your [capital city] is high in the rocky cliffs, and you are very proud; you think that you are safe from being attacked by your enemies [RHQ], but you [IDM] have deceived yourselves.
4 Loba uphakeme njengokhozi, njalo loba ubeka isidleke sakho phakathi kwezinkanyezi, ngizakwethula khona, itsho iNkosi.
And I tell you that even if [you had wings and] could fly higher than eagles fly, and if you could make your homes among the stars, I would bring you [crashing] down from there.
5 Uba amasela efika kuwe, loba abaphangi ebusuku (uqunywe kangakanani!) bebengayikuntshontsha baze banele yini? Uba abavuni bezithelo zevini bebengafika kuwe, bebengayikutshiya umkhothozo yini?
When thieves break into someone’s house during the night, they certainly [RHQ] steal only the things that they want. And people who pick grapes always [RHQ] leave a few grapes on the vines. But your country will be completely destroyed!
6 Yeka ukuhlolwa kwezinto zikaEsawu, ukudingisiswa kokuligugu kwakhe okufihliweyo!
Everything that is valuable will be taken away. [Your enemies] will find and take away even the valuable things that you have hidden.
7 Wonke amadoda esivumelwano sakho akuthumele emngceleni; amadoda okuthula kwakho akukhohlisile, akwehlule, adla isinkwa sakho abeke imbule ngaphansi kwakho; kakukho ukuqedisisa kuye.
All (your allies/nations who promised to help you) will turn against you, and they will force you to leave your country/land. Those with whom you have peace now will trick/deceive you and defeat you. Those who eat meals with you now are planning to trap you, and [then they will say to you], ‘You are not [RHQ] as clever [as you thought you were]!’
8 Kakuyikuba njalo yini ngalolosuku, itsho iNkosi, ukuthi ngizachitha abahlakaniphileyo eEdoma lokuqedisisa entabeni kaEsawu.
I, Yahweh, declare that at the time that I destroy Edom, I will punish the men who live in those cliffs who [thought that they] were wise.
9 Lamaqhawe akho azatshaywa luvalo, Themani, ukuze ngulowo lalowo aqunywe entabeni kaEsawu ngokubulawa.
The soldiers from Teman [town] will become terrified; all you people who are descendants of Esau will be (wiped out/killed).
10 Ngenxa yodlakela lwakho umelene lomfowenu uJakobe inhloni zizakusibekela, uqunywe kuze kube phakade.
You acted cruel in a cruel way toward your relatives who are descendants of Jacob, [the twin brother of your ancestor Esau]. So now you will be disgraced forever; you will be completely destroyed.
11 Ngosuku owema ngalo uqondene labo, ngosuku abezizweni abathumba ngalo amabutho akhe, abezizwe abangena emasangweni akhe, abenza inkatho yokuphosa ngeJerusalema, lawe wawunjengomunye wabo.
Foreigners entered the gates of Jerusalem and (cast lots/threw small stones that were marked) to decide what valuable things they would take away; but you were as bad as those foreigners, because you just stood there [and did not help the Israelis].
12 Kodwa wawungafanelanga ukukhangela ngosuku lomfowenu ngosuku lwenhlupheko yakhe; njalo wawungafanelanga uthokoze ngabantwana bakoJuda ngosuku lokuchitheka kwabo; njalo wawungafanelanga ukhulume ngokuziqhenya ngosuku lokuhlupheka.
You should not have (gloated/been happy) about the disaster that the Israelis were experiencing. You should not have been happy when their towns were ruined. You should not have made fun [of them] when they were suffering.
13 Ngabe kawungenanga ngesango labantu bami osukwini lwenhlupheko yabo; ngabe kawukhangelanga, lawe, ebubini babo osukwini lwenhlupheko yabo; njalo ngabe kawelulelanga isandla sakho enothweni yabo osukwini lwenhlupheko yabo.
They are my people, so you should not have entered their [city] gates when they were experiencing those disasters and you should not have laughed at them. And you should not have taken away their [valuable] possessions.
14 Ngabe kawumanga emehlukanweni endlela ukuquma abaphunyukayo bakhe; njalo ngabe kawunikelanga abasalayo bakhe osukwini losizi.
You should not have stood at crossroads to catch those who were [trying to] escape. You should not have [captured them and] put them into the hands of [their enemies] when they were experiencing those disasters.”
15 Ngoba usuku lweNkosi lusondele ezizweni zonke. Njengokwenza kwakho kuzakwenziwa kuwe; umvuzo wakho uzabuyela ekhanda lakho.
“There will soon be the time when I, Yahweh, will judge [and punish] all the nations. And you [people of Edom] will experience the same [disasters] that you caused [others to experience]. The same evil things that you have done to others will happen to you.
16 Ngoba njengoba linathile entabeni yami engcwele, ngokunjalo zonke izizwe zizanatha njalonjalo, yebo, zizanatha, ziginye, zibe kungathi kazizanga zibe khona.
[My people in Jerusalem have been punished] because I was very angry with them. [It is as though] [MET] they drank [a cup of very bitter liquid] on Zion, my sacred hill. But [I] will punish [MET] all the other nations even more severely, and cause them to disappear completely.
17 Kodwa entabeni yeZiyoni kuzakuba khona ukuphunyuka, kube lobungcwele; lendlu kaJakobe izakudla ilifa lamafa ayo.
But some [people in Jerusalem will escape], and Jerusalem will become a very holy/sacred place. Then the descendants of Jacob will [conquer and] possess again the land that truly belongs to them.
18 Lendlu kaJakobe izakuba ngumlilo, lendlu kaJosefa ibe lilangabi, lendlu kaEsawu ibe libibi; njalo bazazitshisa bazidle; njalo kakuyikuba khona oseleyo endlini kaEsawu; ngoba iNkosi ikhulumile.
The descendants [MTY] of Jacob and his son Joseph will be like [MET] a fire, and the people [MTY] of Edom will be like [MET] stubble that will be completely burned in that fire. Not one person will remain alive. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have said it.”
19 Labeningizimu bazakudla ilifa lentaba kaEsawu, lalabo abemagcekeni amaFilisti, yebo bazakudla ilifa lensimu yakoEfrayimi lensimu yeSamariya, loBhenjamini iGileyadi.
The Israeli people [who live] in the southern desert are the ones who will capture Edom. And those [who live in] the western foothills will capture the Phoenicia [region] and the areas of Ephraim and Samaria. And people of the tribe of Benjamin will conquer the Gilead [region].
20 Labathunjiweyo bale inqaba yabantwana bakoIsrayeli bazakudla ilifa elalingelamaKhanani, kuze kufike eZarefathi; labathunjiweyo beJerusalema abaseSefaredi bazakudla ilifa lemizi yeningizimu.
Those who were (exiled in/forced to go to) [Babylon] will [return to their land] [and] capture the Phoenicia [region] as far north as Zarephath [on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea]. People of Jerusalem who were captured and taken to Sardis, [the capital city of the Lydia region], will capture the towns in the southern desert.
21 Labasindisi bakhwele entabeni yeZiyoni ukwahlulela intaba kaEsawu; lombuso uzakuba ngoweNkosi.
The army of Jerusalem will attack Edom and conquer it, and Yahweh will be their king.
