Zacharias 8
1 And the word of the Lord Almighty came, saying,
Laselifika ilizwi leNkosi yamabandla lisithi:
2 Thus saith the Lord Almighty; I have been jealous for Jerusalem and for Sion with great jealousy, and I have been jealous for her with great fury.
Itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla: Ngilobukhwele ngeZiyoni ngobukhwele obukhulu, yebo, ngilobukhwele ngayo ngokuvutha okukhulu.
3 Thus saith the Lord; I will return to Sion, and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a true city, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty a holy mountain.
Itsho njalo iNkosi: Ngibuyele eZiyoni, njalo ngizahlala phakathi kweJerusalema; njalo iJerusalema izakuthiwa ngumuzi weqiniso, lentaba yeNkosi yamabandla, intaba engcwele.
4 Thus saith the Lord Almighty; There shall yet dwell old men and old women in the streets of Jerusalem, every one holding his staff in his hand for age.
Itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla: Kusezakuhlala amaxhegu lezalukazi ezitaladeni zeJerusalema, ngulowo lalowo elodondolo esandleni sakhe ngenxa yobunengi bezinsuku.
5 And the broad places of the city shall be filled with boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.
Lezitalada zomuzi zizagcwala abafana lamankazana bedlala ezitaladeni zawo.
6 Thus saith the Lord Almighty; If it shall be impossible in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, shall it also be impossible in my sight? saith the Lord Almighty.
Itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla: Uba kumangalisa emehlweni ensali yalababantu ngalezozinsuku, kungamangalisa lemehlweni ami yini? itsho iNkosi yamabandla.
7 Thus saith the Lord Almighty; Behold, I [will] save my people from the east country, and the west country;
Itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla: Khangela, ngizasindisa abantu bami elizweni lempumalanga, lelizweni lokutshona kwelanga;
8 and I will bring them in, and cause [them] to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be to me a people, and I will be to them a God, in truth and in righteousness.
ngibalethe, bahlale phakathi kweJerusalema; njalo bazakuba ngabantu bami, lami ngibe nguNkulunkulu wabo, ngeqiniso langokulunga.
9 Thus saith the Lord Almighty; Let your hands be strong, [ye that] hear in these days these words out of the mouth of the prophets, from the day that the house of the Lord Almighty was founded, and from the time that the temple was built.
Itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla: Izandla zenu kaziqine, lina elizwayo ngalezinsuku amazwi la ngomlomo wabaprofethi, ababekhona mhla isisekelo sendlu yeNkosi yamabandla sibekwa, ukuze ithempeli lakhiwe.
10 For before those days the wages of men could not be profitable, and there could be no hire of cattle, and there could be no peace by reason of the affliction to him that went out or to him that came in: for I would have let loose all men, every one against his neighbour.
Ngoba ngaphambi kwalezonsuku kwakungelaholo lomuntu, kwakungekho iholo lenyamazana; futhi kungekho ukuthula kulowo owayephuma kumbe owayengena ngenxa yenhlupheko; ngoba ngathuma wonke umuntu ngulowo emelene lomakhelwane wakhe.
11 But now I [will] not do to the remnant of this people according to the former days, saith the Lord Almighty.
Kodwa khathesi kangiyikuba kunsali yalababantu njengensukwini zakuqala, itsho iNkosi yamabandla.
12 But I will shew peace: the vine shall yield her fruit, and the land shall yield her produce, and the heaven shall give its dew: and I will give as an inheritance all these things to the remnant of my people.
Ngoba inhlanyelo izaphumelela, ivini lithele izithelo zalo, lomhlabathi uphe isivuno sawo, lamazulu aphe amazolo awo; njalo ngizakwenza insali yalababantu ukuthi idle ilifa lazo zonke lezizinto.
13 And it shall come to pass, as ye were a curse among the nations, O house of Juda, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: be of good courage, and strengthen your hands.
Kuzakuthi-ke njengoba laliyisiqalekiso phakathi kwabezizwe, wena ndlu kaJuda, lawe ndlu kaIsrayeli, ngokunjalo ngizalisindisa, libe yisibusiso. Lingesabi, izandla zenu kaziqine.
14 For thus saith the Lord Almighty; As I took counsel to afflict you when your fathers provoked me, saith the Lord Almighty, and I repented not:
Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla: Njengoba nganginakane ukwenza okubi kini, lapho oyihlo bengithukuthelisa, itsho iNkosi yamabandla, njalo kangizisolanga;
15 so have I prepared and taken counsel in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Juda: be ye of good courage.
ngokunjalo ngibuye ngacabanga kulezinsuku ukwenza okuhle kuyo iJerusalema lakuyo indlu kaJuda; lingesabi.
16 These [are] the things which ye shall do; speak truth every one with his neighbour; judge truth and peaceable judgment in your gates:
Lezi yizinto elizazenza: Khulumani iqiniso, ngulowo lalowo kumakhelwane wakhe; yehlulelani iqiniso lesahlulelo sokuthula emasangweni enu.
17 and let none of you devise evil in his heart against his neighbour; and love not a false oath: for all these things I hate, saith the Lord Almighty.
Lingacabangi ububi enhliziyweni yenu ngulowo lalowo emelene lomakhelwane; lingathandi isifungo samanga; ngoba zonke lezizinto yilezo engizizondayo, itsho iNkosi.
18 And the word of the Lord Almighty came to me, saying,
Ilizwi leNkosi yamabandla laselifika kimi, lisithi:
19 Thus saith the Lord Almighty, The fourth fast, and the fifth fast, and the seventh fast, and the tenth fast, shall be to the house of Juda for joy and gladness, and for good feasts; and ye shall rejoice; and love ye the truth and peace.
Itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla: Ukuzila ukudla kwenyanga yesine, lokuzila ukudla kweyesihlanu, lokuzila ukudla kweyesikhombisa, lokuzila ukudla kweyetshumi, kuzakuba yintokozo, lokuthaba, lezikhathi ezimisiweyo zezinjabulo kuyo indlu yakoJuda. Ngakho thandani iqiniso lokuthula.
20 Thus saith the Lord Almighty; Yet shall many peoples come, and the inhabitants of many cities;
Itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla: Kusezakwenzeka ukuthi kufike abantu labahlali bemizi eminengi.
21 and the inhabitants of five cities shall come together to one city, saying, Let us go to make supplication to the Lord, and to seek the face of the Lord Almighty; I will go also.
Labahlali bomunye umuzi bazakuya komunye, besithi: Kasihambeni ngokuphangisa ukuyancenga phambi kweNkosi, lokudinga iNkosi yamabandla; lami ngizahamba.
22 And many peoples and many nations shall come to seek earnestly the face of the Lord Almighty in Jerusalem, and to obtain favour of the Lord.
Yebo, kuzakuza abantu abanengi lezizwe ezilamandla ukuzadinga iNkosi yamabandla eJerusalema, lokuncenga phambi kweNkosi.
23 Thus saith the Lord Almighty; In those days [my word shall be fulfilled] if ten men of all the languages of the nations should take hold—even take hold of the hem of a Jew, saying, We will go with thee; for we have heard that God is with you.
Itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla: Ngalezonsuku kuzakuthi abambe amadoda alitshumi ezindimini zonke zezizwe, yebo abambe umphetho wesembatho somuntu ongumJuda, athi: Sizahamba lani; ngoba sizwile ukuthi uNkulunkulu ulani.
