Amahubo 68
1 UNkulunkulu kavuke, zihlakazeke izitha zakhe, labamzondayo babaleke phambi kwakhe.
God, arise and scatter your enemies, and cause those who hate you to run away from you.
2 Njengokuphetshethwa kwentuthu baphephethe; njengokuncibilikiswa kwengcino phambi komlilo, ababi kabachithwe phambi kukaNkulunkulu.
Like [wind] blows smoke away, chase your enemies away. Like wax melts when it is near a fire, cause wicked people to (disappear/be destroyed).
3 Kodwa abalungileyo kabajabule, bathabe phambi kukaNkulunkulu, njalo bathokoze ngentokozo.
But righteous people should be joyful; they should rejoice when they are in God’s presence; they should be happy, and be very joyful.
4 Hlabelelani kuNkulunkulu, hlabelelani indumiso ebizweni lakhe, limphakamise lowo ogade esedlula emagcekeni enkangala ngebizo lakhe uJehova, njalo thokozani phambi kwakhe.
Sing to God; sing to praise him; sing a song (OR, make a road) for him who rides on the clouds; his name is Yahweh; be glad when you are in his presence.
5 Unguyise wezintandane lomahluleli wabafelokazi, uNkulunkulu endaweni yakhe yokuhlala engcwele.
God, who lives in his sacred temple, is [like] [MET] a father to [those who are] orphans, and he is the one who protects widows.
6 UNkulunkulu uhlalisa ababodwa emulini, ukhupha ababotshiweyo ebasa empumelelweni, kodwa abalenkani bahlala elizweni elomileyo.
For those who have no one to live with, he provides families [to live with]. He frees prisoners and enables them to be successful, but those who rebel [against him] will be forced to live in a very hot and dry land.
7 Nkulunkulu, ekuphumeni kwakho phambi kwabantu bakho, ekuhambeni kwakho enkangala; (Sela)
God, you led your people out [of Egypt], and then you marched with them through the desert.
8 Umhlaba wazamazama, lawo amazulu athontisa phambi kukaNkulunkulu, le iSinayi, phambi kukaNkulunkulu, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli.
After you did that, because when you, the God [worshiped by us] Israeli people, appeared to us at Sinai [Mountain], the earth shook, and rain poured down from the sky.
9 Walinisa izulu elikhulu, Nkulunkulu; waliqinisa wena ilifa lakho selikhathele.
You caused plenty of rain to fall [on your land], [and so] you enabled good crops to grow again on the land that you gave [to us Israelis].
10 Ibandla lakho lahlala kulo; wamlungisela ngobuhle bakho oswelayo, Nkulunkulu.
Your people built homes there; and because you were good to them, you provided [food] for those who were poor.
11 INkosi yanika ilizwi; abesifazana ababika izindaba babelixuku elikhulu.
The Lord gave a message, and many women took that message to other places.
12 Amakhosi amabutho ayabaleka, ayabaleka. Owesifazana ohlezi ekhaya wayaba impango.
[They proclaimed], “Many kings and their armies are running away [from our army]!” [When our army brought back to their homes] the things that they captured, the women who were at home divided up those things [among themselves and among their families].
13 Lanxa lilala phakathi kwezibaya zezimvu, lizakuba njengempiko zejuba ezisitshekelwe ngesiliva, lezinsiba zalo ngegolide eliliganu.
Even those women who were in the pens [taking care of] the sheep [received some of those things]; they got statues of doves whose wings were covered with silver and whose feathers were covered with pure yellow gold.
14 Lapho uSomandla echitha amakhosi kulo, kwaba mhlophe njengeliqhwa elikhithikileyo eZalimoni.
When Almighty [God] scattered the [enemy] kings [and their armies], [the number of weapons that they abandoned there] seemed like there had been a snowstorm on Zalmon (OR, a black) [Mountain].
15 Intaba yeBashani yintaba kaNkulunkulu, intaba elezingqonga, intaba yeBashani.
There is a very high mountain in the Bashan [region], a mountain which has many peaks.
16 Likhangelelani ngomhawu, lina zintaba zezingqonga? Lintaba uNkulunkulu uyiloyisele ukuhlala kwakhe. Yebo, iNkosi izahlala kuyo kuze kube nininini.
But the [people who live near] that mountain should not [RHQ] envy those who live near [Zion], the mountain on which God chose to live! Yahweh will live there forever!
17 Izinqola zikaNkulunkulu ziyizinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amabili, izinkulungwane zezinkulungwane, iNkosi iphakathi kwazo, iSinayi endaweni engcwele.
[After we defeated all our enemies], [it was as though] the Lord, surrounded by many thousands of strong chariots, descended from Sinai [Mountain] and came into the sacred temple [in Jerusalem].
18 Wena wenyukele phezulu, wathumba abathunjiweyo; wemukela izipho ebantwini, yebo, lakwabalenkani; ukuze uJehova uNkulunkulu ahlale khona.
He ascended the sacred mountain [where his temple is], and took with him many people who had been captured [in battles]; and received gifts from the enemies [whom he had defeated]. He received gifts even from those who had rebelled against him, and Yahweh our God will live there [in his sacred temple] forever.
19 Kayibongwe iNkosi; isethwesa insuku ngensuku; uNkulunkulu ulusindiso lwethu. (Sela)
Praise the Lord, who [helps us] carry our heavy loads every day; he is the one who saves/rescues us.
20 UNkulunkulu wethu unguNkulunkulu wezinsindiso; lakuJehova iNkosi kulokuphuma ekufeni.
Our God is the God who saves us; He is Yahweh, our Lord, the one who (allows us to escape/prevents us) from being killed [in battles].
21 Kodwa uNkulunkulu uzaphohloza ikhanda lezitha zakhe, ukhakhayi olulenwele lwalowo ohamba ezonweni zakhe.
But God will smash the heads of his enemies, the skulls of those who continue to behave sinfully.
22 INkosi yathi: Ngizababuyisa bevela eBashani, ngibabuyise bevela enzikini yolwandle,
The Lord said, “I will bring back the [corpses of those who were killed in] Bashan, and I will bring back those who sank deep in the ocean [and drowned].
23 ukuze inyawo zakho uzigxamuze egazini lezitha, inlimi zezinja zakho kulo.
I will do that in order that you may wash your feet in their blood, and your dogs can [also] lap up some of your enemies’ blood.”
24 Zibonile izindwendwe zakho, Nkulunkulu; izindwendwe zikaNkulunkulu wami, iNkosi yami, endaweni engcwele.
God, many people see you march triumphantly into your sacred temple, [celebrating that you have defeated your enemies]. You [march like] a king does, and a large crowd walks with you.
25 Ngaphambili kuhamba abahlabelayo, ngemuva abatshayi bamachacho, phakathi izintombi zitshaya izigubhu.
The singers are in front, and the people who play stringed instruments are at the rear, and young women who are beating their tambourines are between them.
26 Bongani uNkulunkulu emabandleni, iNkosi, kuvela emthonjeni kaIsrayeli.
[They are all singing], “You Israeli people, praise God when you gather together; praise Yahweh, all you who are descendants of Jacob!”
27 Nango uBhenjamini omncinyane umbusi wabo, iziphathamandla zikaJuda, inkundla yazo, iziphathamandla zikaZebuluni, iziphathamandla zikaNafithali.
First come [the people of the tribe of] Benjamin, the smallest [tribe], and following them come the leaders of [the tribe of] Judah and their group, and following them come the leaders of [the tribes of] Zebulun and Naphtali.
28 UNkulunkulu wakho ulaye amandla akho; qinisa, Nkulunkulu, lokho osenzele khona.
God, show people that you are very powerful; show people the power with which you have helped us previously.
29 Ngenxa yethempeli lakho eJerusalema amakhosi azakulethela isipho.
Show that power from your temple in Jerusalem, where kings bring gifts to you.
30 Sikhuze isilo somhlanga, umhlambi wezinkunzi kanye lamankonyana abantu, kuze kuthobeke kulenhlamvu zesiliva; ubahlakaze abantu abathokoza ezimpini.
Rebuke [your enemies, such as those in Egypt who are like] wild hippopotamuses/animals that live in the reeds; and [powerful nations that are like] bulls that are among their calves [MET]; rebuke/trample them until they bow down and give you gifts of silver. Scatter the people who enjoy making wars.
31 Iziphathamandla zizakuza zivela eGibhithe; iEthiyophiya izakwelulela izandla zayo kuNkulunkulu ngokuphangisa.
Then people will bring gifts of bronze (OR, of cloth) to you from Egypt; the people in Ethiopia will lift up their hands [to praise you].
32 Mibuso yomhlaba, hlabelelani kuNkulunkulu, lihlabelele indumiso eNkosini. (Sela)
[You people who are citizens of] kingdoms/countries all over the world, sing to God! Sing praises to the Lord!
33 Kuyo egade phezu kwamazulu amazulu awendulo; khangelani, iphumisa ilizwi layo, ilizwi elilamandla.
Sing to the God, the one who rides across the sky, the sky that [he created] long ago. Listen as he shouts with a very powerful voice.
34 Phanini amandla kuNkulunkulu; ubukhosi bakhe buphezu kukaIsrayeli, lamandla akhe asemayezini.
Proclaim that God is very powerful; he is the king that rules over Israel, and in the skies [he also shows that] he is powerful.
35 Uyesabeka, Nkulunkulu, ezindaweni zakho ezingcwele; uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli nguye onika abantu bakhe amandla lengalo. Kabongwe uNkulunkulu.
God is awesome as he comes out of his sacred temple; he is the God whom [we] Israeli people [worship]. He makes [DOU] his people very powerful. Praise God!
