Isaya 29
1 Ole wako, wewe Arieli, Arieli, mji alimokaa Daudi! Ongezeni mwaka kwa mwaka, na mzunguko wa sikukuu zenu uendelee.
[This is a message from Yahweh: ] Terrible things will happen to Jerusalem, the city where [King] David lived. You people continue to celebrate your festivals each year.
2 Hata hivyo nitauzunguka Arieli kwa jeshi, utalia na kuomboleza, utakuwa kwangu kama mahali pa kuwashia moto madhabahuni.
But I will cause you to experience a great disaster, [and when that happens], people will weep and lament [very much]. Your city will become like [MET] an altar [to me] [where people are burned as sacrifices].
3 Nitapiga kambi pande zote dhidi yako, nitakuzunguka kwa minara na kupanga mazingirwa yangu dhidi yako.
I will cause your enemies [to come to your city]; they will surround it by [building] towers and putting in place other things with which to attack you.
4 Utakaposhushwa, utanena kutoka ardhini, utamumunya maneno yako kutoka mavumbini. Sauti yako itatoka katika nchi kama vile ya mzimu, utanongʼona maneno yako toka mavumbini.
Then you will talk [as though you were] buried deep in the ground [DOU]; it will sound like someone whispering from under the ground, like [SIM] a ghost speaking from a grave.
5 Lakini adui zako wengi watakuwa kama vumbi laini, kundi la wakatili watakuwa kama makapi yapeperushwayo. Naam, ghafula, mara moja,
But, suddenly your enemies will be blown away like dust; their armies will disappear like [SIM] chaff that is blown away [by the wind]. [It will happen] very suddenly.
6 Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote atakuja na ngurumo, tetemeko la ardhi, na kwa sauti kuu, atakuja na dhoruba, tufani na miali ya moto iteketezayo.
The Commander of the armies of angels will come [to help you] with thunder and an earthquake and a very loud noise, with a strong wind and a big storm and a fire that will burn up everything.
7 Kisha makundi ya mataifa yote yale yapiganayo dhidi ya Arieli, yale yanayomshambulia yeye na ngome zake, na kumzunguka kwa jeshi, watakuwa kama ilivyo ndoto, kama maono wakati wa usiku:
[Then] the armies of all the nations that will be attacking Jerusalem will quickly disappear like a dream in the night [DOU]. Those who will be attacking Jerusalem will suddenly vanish/disappear.
8 kama vile mtu aliye na njaa aotavyo kuwa anakula, lakini huamka, bado njaa yake ingalipo, kama vile mtu mwenye kiu aotavyo kuwa anakunywa maji, lakini huamka akiwa anazimia, akiwa bado angali ana kiu. Hivyo ndivyo itakavyokuwa kwa makundi yote ya mataifa yanayopigana dhidi ya Mlima Sayuni.
People who are asleep dream about eating food, [but] when they wake up, they are still hungry. People who are thirsty dream about drinking something, [but] when they wake up they are still thirsty. It will be like that when your enemies come to attack Zion Hill; [they will dream about conquering you, but when they wake up, ] [they will realize that they have not succeeded].
9 Duwaeni na kushangaa, jifanyeni vipofu wenyewe na msione, leweni, lakini si kwa mvinyo, pepesukeni lakini si kwa kileo.
You [people of Jerusalem], be amazed and surprised [about this] [IRO]! Do not believe [what I have said] [SAR]! And continue to be blind [IRO] [about what Yahweh is doing]. You are stupid, but it is not because you have drunk a lot of wine. You stagger, but not from drinking alcoholic drinks.
10 Bwana amewaleteeni usingizi mzito: Ameziba macho yenu (ninyi manabii); amefunika vichwa vyenu (ninyi waonaji).
Because Yahweh has prevented the prophets [DOU] from understanding [and telling you his messages], [it is as though] he has caused you to be fast/deeply asleep.
11 Kwa maana kwenu ninyi, maono haya yote si kitu ila maneno yaliyotiwa lakiri katika kitabu. Kama mkimpa mtu yeyote awezaye kusoma kitabu hiki, nanyi mkamwambia, “Tafadhali kisome,” yeye atajibu, “Mimi siwezi, kwa kuwa kimetiwa lakiri.”
[Yahweh gave me] this vision; [but] for you, it is only words on a scroll that is sealed shut. If you give it to those who can read [and request that they read it], they will say, “We cannot read it because the scroll is sealed.”
12 Au kama mkimpa mtu yeyote kitabu hiki asiyeweza kusoma na kumwambia, “Tafadhali kisome,” atajibu, “Mimi sijui kusoma.”
When you give it to [others] who cannot read, they will say, “[We cannot read it because] we do not know how to read.”
13 Bwana anasema: “Watu hawa hunikaribia kwa vinywa vyao na kuniheshimu kwa midomo yao, lakini mioyo yao iko mbali nami. Ibada yao kwangu inatokana na maagizo waliyofundishwa na wanadamu.
[So] the Lord says, “These people say that they belong to me. They honor me by what they say [MTY], but they do not think [IDM] about what I [desire]. When they worship me, all they do is recite rules that people have made and that they have memorized.
14 Kwa hiyo mara nyingine tena nitawashangaza watu hawa, kwa ajabu juu ya ajabu. Hekima ya wenye hekima itapotea, nayo akili ya wenye akili itatoweka.”
Therefore, again I will do something to amaze these people; I will perform many miracles. And [I will show that] the people [who tell others that they] are wise are not really wise, and [I will show that] the people [who tell others that they] are intelligent are not really intelligent.
15 Ole kwa wale wanaokwenda kwenye vilindi virefu kumficha Bwana mipango yao, wafanyao kazi zao gizani na kufikiri, “Ni nani anayetuona? Ni nani atakayejua?”
Terrible things will happen to those who try to conceal from me, Yahweh, the [evil] things that they plan to do; they do those things in the darkness and they think, ‘Yahweh certainly cannot [RHQ] see us; he cannot [RHQ] know what we are doing!’
16 Mnapindua mambo juu chini, kana kwamba mfinyanzi aweza kufikiriwa kuwa kama udongo wa mfinyanzi! Je, kile kilichofinyangwa chaweza kumwambia yule aliyekifinyanga, “Wewe hukunifinyanga mimi?” Je, chungu kinaweza kumwambia mfinyanzi, “Wewe hujui chochote?”
They are extremely foolish! [They act as though] they were the potters and I was the clay! Something that was created should certainly never [RHQ] say to the one who made it, ‘You did not make me!’ A jar should never say, ‘The potter who made me did not know what he was doing!’”
17 Kwa muda mfupi sana, je, Lebanoni haitageuzwa kuwa shamba lenye rutuba, na shamba lenye rutuba liwe kama msitu?
Soon [the forests in] Lebanon will become fertile fields, and abundant crops will grow in those fields, and that will happen very soon.
18 Katika siku ile viziwi watasikia maneno ya kitabu, na katika utusitusi na giza macho ya kipofu yataona.
At that time, deaf people will [be able to hear]; [they will be able to] hear when someone reads from a book; and blind people will [be able to see]; [they will be able to] see things when it is gloomy and [even] when it is dark.
19 Mara nyingine tena wanyenyekevu watafurahi katika Bwana, wahitaji watafurahi katika yeye Aliye Mtakatifu wa Israeli.
Yahweh will enable humble people to be very joyful again. Poor people will rejoice about what the Holy One of Israel [has done].
20 Wakatili watatoweka na wenye kudhihaki watatokomea, nao wote wenye jicho la uovu watakatiliwa mbali,
There will be no more people who ridicule [others] and no more arrogant people. And those who plan to do evil things will be executed.
21 wale ambao kwa neno humfanya mtu kuwa mwenye hatia, wamtegeao mtego mtetezi katika mahakama, na kwa ushuhuda wa uongo humnyima haki yeye asiye na hatia.
Those who testify falsely in order to persuade judges to punish innocent people will vanish/disappear. Similar things will happen to those who by lying in court [persuade judges to] make unjust decisions.
22 Kwa hiyo hili ndilo Bwana, aliyemkomboa Abrahamu, analosema kwa nyumba ya Yakobo: “Yakobo hataaibishwa tena, wala nyuso zao hazitabadilika sura tena.
That is why Yahweh, who rescued Abraham, says about the people of Israel, “My people will no longer be ashamed; no longer will they show on their faces that they are ashamed.
23 Wakati watakapoona watoto wao miongoni mwao, kazi ya mikono yangu, watalitakasa Jina langu takatifu; wataukubali utakatifu wa yeye Aliye Mtakatifu wa Yakobo, nao watamcha Mungu wa Israeli.
When they see that I have blessed them by giving them many children and doing many other things for them, they will realize that I am the Holy One of Israel, and they will revere me, the God to whom they, the descendants of Jacob, belong.
24 Wale wanaopotoka rohoni watapata ufahamu, nao wale wanaolalamika watayakubali mafundisho.”
When that happens, those who have not been able to think well will think clearly, and those who complain [about what I am doing] will accept what I am teaching them.”
