U-Isaya 7

1 Kwasekusithi ensukwini zikaAhazi indodana kaJothamu, indodana kaUziya inkosi yakoJuda, uRezini inkosi yeSiriya kanye loPheka indodana kaRemaliya inkosi yakoIsrayeli wenyukela eJerusalema ukuya empini emelene layo, kodwa kabangalakho ukulwa layo ngokuphumelelayo.

And it happened in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, the king of Judah, that Rezin, the king of Syria, and Pekah, the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, ascended to Jerusalem to battle against it. But they were not able to defeat it.

2 Kwasekubikwa endlini kaDavida ukuthi iSiriya ihlangene loEfrayimi; inhliziyo yakhe lenhliziyo yabantu bakhe zasezinyikinyeka njengezihlahla zegusu zinyikinywa ngumoya.

And they reported to the house of David, saying: “Syria has withdrawn to Ephraim.” And his heart was shaken, with the heart of his people, just as the trees of the forest are moved by the face of the wind.

3 INkosi yasisithi kuIsaya: Ake uphume uyehlangabeza uAhazi, wena loSheyari-Yashubi indodana yakho, ekucineni komfolo wechibi elingaphezulu, emgwaqweni omkhulu wensimu yomwatshi,

And the Lord said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz, you and your son, Jashub, who was left behind, to the end of the aqueduct, at the upper pool, on the road to the fuller’s field.

4 uthi kuye: Nanzelela, uthule, ungesabi, lenhliziyo yakho ingabi buthakathaka ngenxa yemisila emibili yalezizikhuni ezithunqayo, ngenxa yokuvutha kolaka lukaRezini leSiriya, lendodana kaRemaliya.

And you shall say to him: “See to it that you are silent. Do not be afraid. And have no dread in your heart over the two tails of these firebrands, nearly extinguished, which are the wrath of the fury of Rezin, king of Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.”

5 Ngenxa yokuthi iSiriya, uEfrayimi, lendodana kaRemaliya, bacebise okubi ngawe, besithi:

For Syria has undertaken a plan against you, with the evil of Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, saying:

6 Asenyukele koJuda, simesabise, sizifohlelele kuye, sibeke inkosi phakathi kwakhe, indodana kaTabeyeli.

“Let us ascend to Judah, and stir it up, and tear it away for ourselves, and appoint the son of Tabeel as a king in its midst.”

7 Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Kakuyikuma, njalo kakuyikwenzeka.

Thus says the Lord God: This shall not stand, and this shall not be.

8 Ngoba inhloko yeSiriya yiDamaseko, lenhloko yeDamaseko nguRezini; laphakathi kuseleminyaka engamatshumi ayisithupha lanhlanu uEfrayimi uzakwephulwa, angabi yisizwe.

For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within sixty-five years from now, Ephraim will cease to be a people.

9 Njalo inhloko kaEfrayimi yiSamariya, lenhloko yeSamariya yindodana kaRemaliya. Uba lingakholwa, isibili kaliyikuqiniswa.

For the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you will not believe, you will not continue.

10 INkosi yasiqhubeka ikhuluma kuAhazi isithi:

And the Lord spoke further to Ahaz, saying:

11 Zicelele isibonakaliso eNkosini uNkulunkulu wakho; cela ekujuleni loba ekuphakameni phezulu. (Sheol h7585)

Ask for a sign for yourself from the Lord your God, from the depths below, even to the heights above. (Sheol h7585)

12 Kodwa uAhazi wathi: Kangiyikucela, kangiyikulinga iNkosi.

And Ahaz said, “I will not ask, for I will not tempt the Lord.”

13 Wasesithi: Zwana-ke, ndlu kaDavida; kuyinto encinyane kakhulu kuwe yini ukuthi udinise abantu, ukuthi udinise loNkulunkulu wami?

And he said: “Then listen, O house of David. Is it such a small thing for you to trouble men, that you must also trouble my God?

14 Ngakho iNkosi uqobo izalinika isibonakaliso: Khangela, intombi emsulwa izathatha isisu, ibelethe indodana, ibize ibizo layo ngokuthi nguEmanuweli.

For this reason, the Lord himself will grant to you a sign. Behold, a virgin will conceive, and she will give birth to a son, and his name will be called Immanuel.

15 Uzakudla amasi loluju, aze azi ukwala okubi lokukhetha okuhle.

He will eat butter and honey, so that he may know to reject evil and to choose good.

16 Ngoba umntwana engakakwazi ukwala okubi lokukhetha okuhle, ilizwe onengwa yilo lizatshiywa ngamakhosi alo amabili.

But even before the boy knows to refuse evil and to choose good, the land that you detest will be abandoned by the face of her two kings.

17 INkosi izaletha phezu kwakho laphezu kwabantu bakho laphezu kwendlu kayihlo insuku ezingezanga kusukela osukwini uEfrayimi asuka ngalo koJuda; yinkosi yeAsiriya.

The Lord will lead over you, and over your people, and over the house of your father, such days as have not occurred since the days of the separation of Ephraim from Judah by the king of the Assyrians.

18 Kuzakuthi-ke ngalolosuku iNkosi itshaye ikhwelo empukaneni esephethelweni lwemifula yeGibhithe, lenyosini eselizweni leAsiriya.

And this shall be in that day: the Lord will call for the fly, which is in the most distant parts of the rivers of Egypt, and for the swarm, which is in the land of Assur.

19 Zizakuza-ke, ziphumule zonke ezigodini zamawa, lezingoxweni zamadwala, lezihlahleni zonke zameva, lemadlelweni wonke.

And they will arrive, and they all will rest in the torrents of the valleys, and in the caverns of the rocks, and in every thicket, and in every opening.

20 Ngalolosuku iNkosi izaphuca ngensingo eyebolekwe, phetsheya komfula, ngenkosi yeAsiriya, ikhanda loboya bezinyawo, futhi ihluthune lendevu.

In that day, the Lord will shave with a razor the ones hired by those who are across the river, by the king of the Assyrians, from the head to the hairs of the feet, with the entire beard.

21 Kuzakuthi-ke ngalolosuku umuntu uzagcina kuphila ithokazi lezimvu ezimbili;

And this shall be in that day: a man will raise a cow among oxen, and two sheep,

22 kuzakuthi-ke ngenxa yobunengi bochago ezilwehlisayo adle amasi; yebo, wonke oseleyo phakathi kwelizwe uzakudla amasi loluju.

and, instead of an abundance of milk, he will eat butter. For all who are left behind in the midst of the land will eat butter and honey.

23 Kuzakuthi-ke ngalolosuku, yonke indawo lapho okwakukhona amavini ayinkulungwane ngenhlamvu zesiliva eziyinkulungwane, kube ngokwameva lokhula oluhlabayo.

And this shall be in that day: every place, where there were a thousand grapevines worth a thousand pieces of silver, will become thorns and briers.

24 Bazakuya khona ngemitshoko langedandili, ngoba ilizwe lonke lizakuba ngameva lokhula oluhlabayo.

They will enter such places with arrows and bows. For briers and thorns will be throughout the entire land.

25 Lazo zonke izintaba ezazilinywa ngekhuba kabayikuya kuzo ngokwesaba ameva lokhula oluhlabayo; kodwa kuzakuba ngokokungenisa inkabi lokokunyathelwa yizimvu.

But as for all the mountains, which will be dug with a hoe, the terror of thorns and briers will not approach those places. And there will be pasture land for oxen, and a range for cattle.”