< Isaya 5 >

1 Nitaimba wimbo kwa ajili ya mmoja nimpendaye, kuhusu shamba lake la mizabibu: Mpendwa wangu alikuwa na shamba la mizabibu kwenye kilima chenye rutuba.
I will sing for my beloved a song of his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
2 Alililima na kuondoa mawe na akaliotesha mizabibu bora sana. Akajenga mnara wa ulinzi ndani yake, na kutengeneza shinikizo la kukamulia divai pia. Kisha akatazamia kupata mazao ya zabibu nzuri, lakini lilizaa matunda mabaya tu.
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 “Basi enyi wakazi wa Yerusalemu na watu wa Yuda, hukumuni kati yangu na shamba langu la mizabibu.
“And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem and men of Judah, I exhort you to judge between Me and My vineyard.
4 Ni nini zaidi ambacho kingeweza kufanyika kwa shamba langu la mizabibu kuliko yale niliyofanya? Nilipotazamia kupata zabibu nzuri, kwa nini lilizaa zabibu mbaya tu?
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 Sasa nitawaambia lile nitakalolitendea shamba langu la mizabibu: Nitaondoa uzio wake, nalo litaharibiwa, nitabomoa ukuta wake, nalo litakanyagwa.
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 Nitalifanya nchi ya ukiwa isiyokaliwa na watu, halitakatiwa matawi wala kulimwa, nayo michongoma na miiba itamea huko, nitaamuru mawingu yasinyeshe mvua juu yake.”
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 Shamba la mzabibu la Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote ni nyumba ya Israeli, na watu wa Yuda ni bustani yake ya kumpendeza. Alitazamia haki, lakini akaona umwagaji damu, alitazamia uadilifu, lakini akasikia vilio vya taabu.
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 Ole wenu mnaoongeza nyumba baada ya nyumba na kuunganisha mashamba baada ya mashamba hadi hakuna nafasi iliyobaki, nanyi mnaishi peke yenu katika nchi.
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 Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote amesema nikisikia: “Hakika nyumba kubwa zitakuwa ukiwa, nayo majumba ya fahari yatabaki bila kukaliwa.
I heard the LORD of Hosts declare: “Surely many houses will become desolate, great mansions left unoccupied.
10 Shamba la mizabibu la eka kumi litatoa bathi moja ya divai, na homeri ya mbegu zilizopandwa itatoa efa moja tu ya nafaka.”
For ten acres of vineyard will yield but a bath of wine, and a homer of seed only an ephah of grain.”
11 Ole wao wale waamkao asubuhi na mapema wakikimbilia kunywa vileo, wale wakawiao sana mpaka usiku, mpaka wamewaka kwa mvinyo.
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 Wana vinubi na zeze kwenye karamu zao, matari, filimbi na mvinyo, lakini hawayajali matendo ya Bwana, wala hawana heshima kwa ajili ya kazi ya mikono yake.
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 Kwa hiyo watu wangu watakwenda uhamishoni kwa sababu ya kukosa ufahamu, watu wao wenye vyeo watakufa kwa njaa na watu wao wengi watakauka kwa kiu.
Therefore My people will go into exile for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are starving and their masses are parched with thirst.
14 Kwa hiyo kaburi limeongeza hamu yake na kupanua mdomo wake bila kikomo, ndani mwake watashuka wakuu wao na wingi wa watu, pamoja na wagomvi wao, na wafanyao sherehe wote. (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 Hivyo mwanadamu atashushwa, na binadamu kunyenyekezwa, macho ya wenye majivuno yatanyenyekezwa.
So mankind will be brought low, and each man humbled; the arrogant will lower their eyes.
16 Lakini Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote atatukuzwa kwa ajili ya haki yake, naye Mungu Mtakatifu atajionyesha mwenyewe kuwa mtakatifu kwa haki yake.
But the LORD of Hosts will be exalted by His justice, and the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.
17 Kondoo watajilisha kwenye malisho yao wenyewe, wana-kondoo watajilisha katika magofu ya matajiri.
Lambs will graze as in their own pastures, and strangers will feed in the ruins of the wealthy.
18 Ole wao wanaovuta dhambi kwa kamba za udanganyifu na uovu kama kwa kamba za mkokoteni,
Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of deceit and pull sin along with cart ropes,
19 kwa wale wanaosema, “Mungu na afanye haraka, aharakishe kazi yake ili tupate kuiona. Huo mpango wa Aliye Mtakatifu wa Israeli na ukamilike, tena udhihirike ili tupate kuujua.”
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 Ole wao wanaoita ubaya ni wema, na wema ni ubaya, wawekao giza badala ya nuru, na nuru badala ya giza, wawekao uchungu badala ya utamu, na utamu badala ya uchungu.
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 Ole wao walio na hekima machoni pao wenyewe, na kujiona wenye akili machoni pao wenyewe.
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.
22 Ole wao walio mashujaa kwa kunywa mvinyo, nao walio hodari katika kuchanganya vileo,
Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing beer,
23 wale wanaoachilia wenye hatia kwa kupokea hongo, lakini huwanyima haki wasio na hatia.
who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice.
24 Kwa hiyo, kama ndimi za moto zirambavyo nyasi, na kama vile majani makavu yazamavyo katika miali ya moto, ndivyo mizizi yao itakavyooza na maua yao yatakavyopeperushwa kama mavumbi; kwa kuwa wameikataa sheria ya Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote na kulisukumia mbali neno la Aliye Mtakatifu wa Israeli.
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 Kwa hiyo hasira ya Bwana inawaka dhidi ya watu wake, mkono wake umeinuliwa na anawapiga. Milima inatetemeka, maiti ni kama takataka kwenye barabara. Hata kwa haya yote, hasira yake haijageukia mbali, mkono wake bado umeinuliwa juu.
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 Yeye anainua bendera kwa ajili ya mataifa yaliyo mbali, anapiga filimbi kwa ajili ya wale walio kwenye miisho ya dunia. Tazama wamekuja, kwa kasi na kwa haraka!
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 Hakuna hata mmoja wao anayechoka wala kujikwaa, hakuna hata mmoja anayesinzia wala kulala, hakuna mkanda uliolegezwa kiunoni, hakuna gidamu ya kiatu iliyokatika.
None of them grows weary or stumbles; no one slumbers or sleeps. No belt is loose and no sandal strap is broken.
28 Mishale yao ni mikali, pinde zao zote zimevutwa, kwato za farasi wao ziko kama jiwe la gumegume, magurudumu ya magari yao ya vita ni kama upepo wa kisulisuli.
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 Ngurumo yao ni kama ile ya simba, wananguruma kama wana simba, wanakoroma wanapokamata mawindo yao, na kuondoka nayo pasipo yeyote wa kuokoa.
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 Katika siku ile watanguruma juu yake kama ngurumo za bahari. Kama mtu akiitazama nchi, ataona giza na dhiki; hata nuru itatiwa giza kwa mawingu.
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.

< Isaya 5 >