U-Isaya 16
1 Thumelani iwundlu kumbusi welizwe lilisusa eSela lisiya enkangala, entabeni yendodakazi yeZiyoni.
[The rulers of Moab will say to each other, ] “We must send some [lambs] from Sela [city] as a gift to the ruler of Judah [to persuade him to not allow his army to attack us any more]. We should send them through the desert to the king.
2 Ngoba kuzakuthi, njengenyoni ezulazulayo exotshwe esidlekeni, azakuba njalo amadodakazi akoMowabi emazibukweni eArinoni.
The women of Moab will be left alone at the (fords of/places where people can walk across) the Arnon [River]; they will be like [SIM] birds that have been pushed out of their nests.
3 Lethani iseluleko, lenze isinqumo; wenze isithunzi sakho sibe njengobusuku phakathi kwemini, ufihle abaxotshiweyo, ungavezi obalekayo.
They will cry out, ‘Help us! Tell us what we should do! Protect us completely [MET], we who are running away [from our enemies], and do not (betray us/tell our enemies where we are).
4 Abaxotshiweyo bami kabahlale njengabezizwe phakathi kwakho, Mowabi; ube yisiphephelo kibo ebusweni bomchithi; ngoba umcindezeli usekucineni, ukuchitheka sekunyamalele, lonyathezela phansi usephelile elizweni.
Allow [those of us] who are fleeing from Moab to stay with you; hide/protect us from [our enemies who want to] destroy us!’ [Some day] there will be no one to oppress us, and our enemies will stop destroying [our land].
5 Njalo kuzamiswa isihlalo sobukhosi ngomusa, njalo ahlale kiso ngobuqotho ethenteni likaDavida, esahlulela, lodinga isahlulelo, lophangisisa ukulunga.
Then [Yahweh] will appoint someone to be king who will be [a descendant of King] David. As he rules [MTY], he will be merciful and truthful. He will always do what is fair/just and quickly do what is righteous.”
6 Sizwile ngokuziphakamisa kukaMowabi, uyazigqaja kakhulu; ukuzikhukhumeza kwakhe, lokuziqhenya kwakhe, lolaka lwakhe, ukuwumana kwakhe kakunjalo.
We [people of Judah] have heard about [the people of] Moab; we have heard that they are very proud and conceited [DOU]; they are insolent, but what they proudly say about themselves is not true.
7 Ngakho uMowabi uzaqhinqela uMowabi isililo, bonke baqhinqe isililo; libubulele izisekelo zeKiri-Haresethi; isibili batshayiwe.
[Some day all the people in] Moab will weep. They will all mourn, because [there will be no more] raisin cakes in Kir-Hareseth [city].
8 Ngoba amasimu eHeshiboni ayabuna, ivini leSibima; amakhosi ezizwe atshayele phansi amahlukuzo evini awo; afinyelele eJazeri, azulazule enkangala, ingatsha zawo zeluliwe, zachapha ulwandle.
The [crops in] the fields at Heshbon [city] will wither, and the vineyards at Sibmah [town] will wither also. The armies of [other] nations will destroy Moab, which is [like] [MET] a beautiful grapevine whose branches spread [north] to Jazer [town] and [east] to the desert. Its branches spread very far [west], to the west side of the [Dead] Sea.
9 Ngenxa yalokho ngizakhala inyembezi ngokukhala kweJazeri ngevini leSibima; ngikuthambise ngezinyembezi zami, Heshiboni, lawe Eleyale; ngoba ukujabulela izithelo zakho zehlobo lesivuno sakho sekuwile.
So I will weep for Jazer and for the grapevines of Sibmah. I will shed tears for all of you. I will cry because people will no longer shout joyfully, like they usually do when they gather the fruit that ripens in the (summer/hot season) and the other crops that they harvest.
10 Intokozo lenjabulo sekususiwe ensimini ethelayo, lezivinini kakuhlatshelwa ngoma; kakulakumemeza; kakulamnyatheli onyathela iwayini ezikhamelweni zewayini; ngimisile ukumemeza kwenjabulo.
People will no longer be glad at harvest time. No one will sing in the vineyards, no one will shout joyfully. No one will tread on grapes [to get grape juice for wine]; there will be nothing to shout about [joyfully].
11 Ngenxa yalokho imibilini yami iyakhala njengechacho ngoMowabi, lengaphakathi yami ngeKiri-Haresi.
I cry inwardly for Moab; my groaning is like [SIM] [a sad song played on] a harp. I am sad about Kir-Hareseth.
12 Kuzakuthi sekubonakele ukuthi uMowabi uzidinisile endaweni ephakemeyo, khona ezangena endlini yakhe engcwele ukukhuleka, kodwa kayikuphumelela.
[The people of] Moab will go and pray at their sacred shrines, but that will not help them. They will cry out to their gods in their temples, [but] none of them will be able to rescue the people.
13 Leli yilizwi iNkosi elikhulume ngoMowabi kusukela kulesosikhathi.
Yahweh has already spoken those things about Moab.
14 Kodwa khathesi iNkosi ikhuluma isithi: Phakathi kweminyaka emithathu, njengeminyaka yoqhatshiweyo, udumo lukaMowabi luzadelelwa, elaleloxuku lonke elikhulu; lensali izakuba nlutshwana, incane, ingelamandla.
But now he says that exactly three years from now, he will destroy all the things that [the people of] Moab have been proud of. Even though they have a huge number of people in Moab now, only a few people will remain alive, and they will be weak/helpless.
