< UZekhariya 11 >

1 Vula iminyango yakho, wena Lebhanoni, ukuze umlilo uqhunqise imisedari yakho!
Open, O Lebanon, thy doors, And fire doth devour among thy cedars.
2 Lila, wena sihlahla sephayini, ngoba imisedari isiwile; ngoba izihlahla zobukhosi ziqhunqile! Lilani, mi-okhi yaseBhashani; igusu elivitshileyo selicakazelwe phansi!
Howl, O fir, for fallen hath the cedar, For their honourable ones were destroyed, Howl, ye oaks of Bashan, For come down hath the fenced forest,
3 Lalela ukulila kwabelusi; amadlelo abo amahle asetshabalalisiwe! Lalela ukubhonga kwezilwane; ihlathi elihle leJodani liqhunqile!
A voice of the howling of the shepherds! For destroyed was their robe of honour, A voice of the roaring of young lions! For destroyed was the excellency of Jordan.
4 Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo uNkulunkulu wami, uthi: “Sana emadlelweni umhlambi wezimvu zokuhlatshwa.
Thus said Jehovah my God: 'Feed the flock of the slaughter,
5 Abathengi bazo bayazihlaba bangajeziswa. Labo abazithengisayo bathi, ‘Makadunyiswe uThixo, senginothile!’ Abelusi bazo ngokwabo labo kabaziyekeli.
Whose buyers slay them, and are not guilty, And their sellers say, Blessed [is] Jehovah, And I am rich, And their shepherds have no pity on them.
6 Ngoba kangisayikuba lozwelo ebantwini belizwe,” kutsho uThixo. “Ngulowo lalowo ngizamnikela kumakhelwane wakhe lenkosini yakhe. Bazalincindezela ilizwe, kodwa kangiyikubalamulela ezandleni zabo.”
For I have pity no more on inhabitants of the land, An affirmation of Jehovah, And lo, I am causing man to come forth, Each into the hand of his neighbour, And into the hand of his king, And they have beaten down the land, And I do not deliver out of their hand.'
7 Ngakho ngizafaka emadlelweni izimvu ezasezikhethelwe ukuya esilaheni, ikakhulu lezo ezaziphathwa kabuhlungu. Ngasengithatha ingwegwe ezimbili ngabiza enye ngokuthi nguThandeka kwathi enye ngathi nguNhlanganiso, ngasengizelusa izimvu.
And I feed the flock of slaughter, even you, ye afflicted of the flock; and I take to me two staves, the one I have called Pleasantness, and the other I have called Bands, and I feed the flock.
8 Ngenyanga eyodwa ngaxotsha abelusi abathathu. Izimvu zanengeka ngami, lami zangidina
And I cut off the three shepherds in one month, and my soul is grieved with them, and also their soul hath abhorred me.
9 ngathi, “Kangisayikuba ngumelusi wenu. Yekela efayo ife, lebhubhayo ibhubhe. Yekela lezo eziseleyo zidlane inyama yazo.”
And I say, 'I do not feed you, the dying, let die; and the cut off, let be cut off; and the remaining ones, let each eat the flesh of its neighbour.'
10 Ngasengithatha ingwegwe yami ethiwa nguThandeka ngayephula, ngidiliza isivumelwano engangisenzile lezizwe zonke.
And I take My staff Pleasantness, and cut it asunder, to make void My covenant that I had made with all the peoples:
11 Sadilizwa ngalelolanga, yikho abadubekayo emhlambini ababengikhangele bakwazi ukuthi lokho kwakulilizwi likaThixo.
and it is broken in that day, and know well do the afflicted of the flock who are observing me, that it [is] a word of Jehovah.
12 Ngabatshela ngathi, “Nxa libona kufanele, ngiphani iholo lami; nxa njalo kungenjalo, yekelani.” Yikho basebengiholisa inhlamvu zesiliva ezingamatshumi amathathu.
And I say unto them: 'If good in your eyes, give my hire, and if not, forbear;' and they weigh out my hire — thirty silverlings.
13 UThixo wasesithi kimi, “Iphosele kumbumbi,” imali engaka ababengilinganisele yona! Ngasengizithatha lezonhlamvu zesiliva ezingamatshumi amathathu ngaziphosela kumbumbi wembiza endlini kaThixo.
And Jehovah saith unto me, 'Cast it unto the potter;' the goodly price that I have been prized at by them, and I take the thirty silverlings, and cast them [to] the house of Jehovah, unto the potter.
14 Ngasengiqamula ingwegwe yami yesibili ethiwa nguNhlanganiso, ngiqamula ubuzalwane phakathi kukaJuda lo-Israyeli.
And I cut asunder my second staff, Bands, to break the unity between Judah and Israel.
15 UThixo wasesithi kimi, “Thatha futhi izikhali zomelusi oyisithutha.
And Jehovah saith unto me, 'Again take to thee the instrument of a foolish shepherd.
16 Ngoba ngizamisa umelusi welizwe leli ongezukunanza ngezilahlekileyo, angawadingi amazinyane, angawelaphi alimeleyo, angawaphi ukudla aphilayo, kodwa adle inyama yezinonileyo, adlithize lamangqina azo.
For lo, I am raising up a shepherd in the land, The cut off he doth not inspect, The shaken off he doth not seek, And the broken he doth not heal, The standing he doth not sustain, And the flesh of the fat he doth eat, And their hoofs he doth break off.
17 Maye kumelusi oyisithutha, ohlamukela izifuyo! Sengathi angadliwa yinkemba igalele engalweni lelihlweni lakhe lakwesokunene! Sengathi ingalo yakhe ingahle yome qha, ilihlo lakhe langakwesokunene lihle life kokuphela!”
Woe [to] the worthless shepherd, forsaking the flock, A sword [is] on his arm, and on his right eye, His arm is utterly dried up, And his right eye is very dim!'

< UZekhariya 11 >