< Isaya 7 >
1 Siku zile wakati Ahazi mtoto wa Yothani mtoto wa Uzia, mfalme wa Yuda, Rezeni mfalme wa Amramu, na Peka mtoto wa Remaelia, mfalme wa Israeli, walienda Yerusalemu kupigana vita nao, lakini hawakuweza kushinda vita.
And it cometh to pass in the days of Ahaz, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, gone up hath Rezin king of Aram, and Pekah, son of Remaliah, king of Israel, to Jerusalem, to battle against it, and he is not able to fight against it.
2 Ilitaarifiwa kwa nyumba ya Daudi kwamba Amramu amejiunga na Efraimu. Moyo wake na moyo watu wake ukatetemeka, kama vile miti ya misitu inavyopepea kwa upepo.
And it is declared to the house of David, saying, 'Aram hath been led towards Ephraim,' And his heart and the heart of his people is moved, like the moving of trees of a forest by the presence of wind.
3 Ndipo Yahwe akamwambia Isaya, ''Nenda nje na kijana wako, Sheari Jashubu ukaonane na Ahazi mwisho wa mfereji wa birika la juu, katika njia kuu ya uwanja Dobi.
And Jehovah saith unto Isaiah, 'Go forth, I pray thee, to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shear-Jashub thy son, unto the end of the conduit of the upper pool, unto the highway of the fuller's field,
4 Mwambie, 'awe makini, awe mtulivu, asiogope au vitisho kwa sababu ya mikia hii miwili ya vingi hivi vitokavyo moshi, kwa sababu ya hasira kubwa ya Resini na Amramu, na mtoto wa Remalia.
and thou hast said unto him: 'Take heed, and be quiet, fear not, And let not thy heart be timid, Because of these two tails of smoking brands, For the fierceness of the anger of Rezin and Aram, And the son of Remaliah.
5 Amramu, Ephraimu, na mtoto wa Remaeli wamepanga mabaya juu yako; wamesema, '' njooni tuwavamie Yuda na kuwaogopesha,
Because that Aram counselled against thee evil, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, saying:
6 njooni tujipange na tumueweke mfalme wetu ndani ya Yuda, mtoto wa Tabaeli.''
We go up into Judah, and we vex it, And we rend it unto ourselves, And we cause a king to reign in its midst — The son of Tabeal.
7 Bwana Yahwe asema, ''haitatokea; haitaonekana,
Thus said the Lord Jehovah: It doth not stand, nor shall it be!
8 maana kichwa cha Amramu ni Damaskasi, na kishwa cha Damaskasi ni Rezini. Ndani ya miaka sitini na tano, ndoto za Ephraimu zitasambaratishwa na hapatakuwa na watu.
For the head of Aram [is] Damascus, And the head of Damascus [is] Rezin, And within sixty and five years Is Ephraim broken from [being] a people.
9 Efraimu ni kichwa Samaria, na kishwa cha Samaria ni mtoto wa Remaria. Na kama hamtasimama imara katika imani yenu, hakika hamtakuwa salama''.
And the head of Ephraim [is] Samaria, And the head of Samaria [is] the son of Remaliah. If ye do not give credence, Surely ye are not stedfast.'
10 Bwana akaongea tena na Ahazi,
And Jehovah addeth to speak unto Ahaz, saying:
11 ''Omba ishara ya Yahwe Mungu wako; omba juu ya hilo kwa kina au kwa kiwango cha juu.'' (Sheol )
'Ask for thee a sign from Jehovah thy God, Make deep the request, or make [it] high upwards.' (Sheol )
12 Lakini Ahazi anasema, sintomba wala kumjaribu Yahwe.''
And Ahaz saith, 'I do not ask nor try Jehovah.'
13 Hivyo Isaya akajibu, ''sikilizen, nyumba ya Daudi. Je haijatosha kwa watu kuujaribu uvumilivu wa watu? Je ni lazima kuujaribu uvumilivu wa Mungu?
And he saith, 'Hear, I pray you, O house of David, Is it a little thing for you to weary men, That ye weary also my God?
14 Hivyo basi Mungu mwenyewe atawapa yeye mwenywe ishara: ona, mwanamke bikira atapata mimba na kumzaa mtoto, na atamwita Emanueli.
Therefore the Lord Himself giveth to you a sign, Lo, the Virgin is conceiving, And is bringing forth a son, And hath called his name Immanuel,
15 Atakula siagi na asali na wakati anapojua kuyakataa maovu na kuchagua mema.
Butter and honey he doth eat, When he knoweth to refuse evil, and to fix on good.
16 Maana kabla mtoto ajajua kuyakataa maovu na kuchagua mema, nchi ambayo wewe unawachukia wafalme itakuwa ukiwa.
For before the youth doth know To refuse evil, and to fix on good, Forsaken is the land thou art vexed with, because of her two kings.
17 Yahwe ataleta juu yako, juu ya watu wako, na juu ya nyumba ya baba yako siku hazijatimmia tangu Efraimu alipompokea Yuda- atamleta mfalme wa Asiria.''
Jehovah bringeth on thee, and on thy people, And on the house of thy father, Days that have not come, Even from the day of the turning aside of Ephraim from Judah, By the king of Asshur.
18 Mda huo Yahwe atapuliza filimbikwa ajili ya kupaa kutoka mkondo wa umbali wa Misri, na maana nyuki kutoka nchi ya Asiria.
And it hath come to pass, in that day, Jehovah doth hiss for a fly that [is] in the extremity of the brooks of Egypt, And for a bee that [is] in the land of Asshur.
19 Zitakuja na kukaa chini ya korongo, ndani ya mapango ya miamba, kwenye vichaka vya miba, na kwenye malisho.
And they have come, and rested all of them in the desolate valleys, And in holes of the rocks, and on all the thorns, And on all the commendable things.
20 Katika mda huo Bwana atamnyoa kichwani kichwani na nywele za miguuni kwa wembe ulioazimwa mto Efrarate— mfalme wa Asiria - na vilevile utasafisha ndevu zote.
In that day doth the Lord shave, By a razor that is hired beyond the river, By the king of Asshur, The head, and the hair of the feet, Yea, also the beard it consumeth.
21 Siku hiyo, mtu atahifadhi ndama na na kondoo wawili,
And it hath come to pass, in that day, A man keepeth alive a heifer of the herd, And two of the flock,
22 na kwasababu ya maziwa yatakayo patikana ni mengi, atakula siagi, maana kila atakaye bakia kwnye nchi atakula siagi na asali.
And it hath come to pass, From the abundance of the yielding of milk he eateth butter, For butter and honey doth every one eat Who is left in the heart of the land.
23 Mda huo, kutakuwa na maelfu ya mizabibu na thamani elfu za shekeli, hakutakuwa na kitu zaidi ya kuzalisha mbigiri na miiba.
And it hath come to pass, in that day, Every place where there are a thousand vines, At a thousand silverlings, Is for briers and for thorns.
24 Watu watenda pale kuwinda kwa upinde, kwa sababu nchi yote itazalisha mbigiri na miiba.
With arrows and with bow he cometh thither, Because all the land is brier and thorn.
25 Watakaa mbali na vilima vitalimwa kwa jembe, kwa sababu ya hofu ya mbigiri na miiba, lakini hapo patakuwa mahali pa kuchungia ngo'mbe na kondoo
And all the hills that with a mattock are kept in order, Thither cometh not the fear of brier and thorn, And it hath been for the sending forth of ox, And for the treading of sheep!'