Isaya 1
1 Maono kuhusu Yuda na Yerusalemu ambayo Isaya mwana wa Amozi aliyaona wakati wa utawala wa Uzia, Yothamu, Ahazi na Hezekia, wafalme wa Yuda.
The vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, which he saw about Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
2 Sikieni, enyi mbingu! Sikilizeni, enyi dunia! Kwa maana Bwana amesema: “Nimewalisha watoto na kuwalea, lakini wameniasi mimi.
Give ear, O heavens, and you, O earth, to the word which the Lord has said: I have taken care of my children till they became men, but their hearts have been turned away from me.
3 Ngʼombe anamjua bwana wake, naye punda anajua hori la mmiliki wake, lakini Israeli hajui, watu wangu hawaelewi.”
Even the ox has knowledge of its owner, and the ass of the place where its master puts its food: but Israel has no knowledge, my people give no thought to me.
4 Lo! Taifa lenye dhambi, watu waliolemewa na uovu, uzao wa watenda mabaya, watoto waliozoelea upotovu! Wamemwacha Bwana, Wamemkataa kwa dharau yeye Aliye Mtakatifu wa Israeli na kumgeuzia kisogo.
O nation full of sin, a people weighted down with crime, a generation of evil-doers, false-hearted children: they have gone away from the Lord, they have no respect for the Holy One of Israel, their hearts are turned back from him.
5 Kwa nini mzidi kupigwa? Kwa nini kudumu katika uasi? Kichwa chako chote kimejeruhiwa, moyo wako wote ni mgonjwa.
Why will you have more and more punishment? why keep on in your evil ways? Every head is tired and every heart is feeble.
6 Kutoka wayo wako wa mguu hadi kwenye utosi wa kichwa chako hakuna uzima: ni majeraha matupu na makovu na vidonda vitokavyo damu, havikusafishwa au kufungwa wala kulainishwa kwa mafuta.
The body, from head to foot, is all diseased; it is a mass of open wounds, marks of blows, and broken flesh: the flow of blood has not been stopped, and no oil has been put on the wounds.
7 Nchi yenu imekuwa ukiwa, miji yenu imeteketezwa kwa moto; nchi yenu imeachwa tupu na wageni mbele ya macho yenu, imeharibiwa kama vile imepinduliwa na wageni.
Your country has become waste; your towns are burned with fire; as for your land, it is overturned before your eyes, made waste and overcome by men from strange lands.
8 Binti Sayuni ameachwa kama kipenu katika shamba la mizabibu, kama kibanda katika shamba la matikitimaji, kama mji uliohusuriwa.
And the daughter of Zion has become like a tent in a vine-garden, like a watchman's house in a field of fruit, like a town shut in by armies.
9 Kama Bwana Mungu Mwenye Nguvu Zote asingelituachia walionusurika, tungelikuwa kama Sodoma, tungelifanana na Gomora.
If the Lord of armies had not kept some at least of us safe, we would have been like Sodom, and the fate of Gomorrah would have been ours.
10 Sikieni neno la Bwana, ninyi watawala wa Sodoma; sikilizeni sheria ya Mungu wetu, enyi watu wa Gomora!
Give ear to the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; let your hearts be turned to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah.
11 Bwana anasema, “Wingi wa sadaka zenu, ni kitu gani kwangu? Ninazo sadaka za kuteketezwa nyingi kupita kiasi, za kondoo dume na mafuta ya wanyama walionona. Sipendezwi na damu za mafahali wala za wana-kondoo na mbuzi.
What use to me is the number of the offerings which you give me? says the Lord; your burned offerings of sheep, and the best parts of fat cattle, are a weariness to me; I take no pleasure in the blood of oxen, or of lambs, or of he-goats.
12 Mnapokuja kujihudhurisha mbele zangu, ni nani aliyewataka ninyi mfanye hivyo, huku kuzikanyaga nyua zangu?
At whose request do you come before me, making my house unclean with your feet?
13 Acheni kuniletea sadaka zisizokuwa na maana! Uvumba wenu ni chukizo kwangu. Miandamo ya Mwezi, Sabato na makusanyiko ya ibada: siwezi kuvumilia makusanyiko yenu maovu.
Give me no more false offerings; the smoke of burning flesh is disgusting to me, so are your new moons and Sabbaths and your holy meetings.
14 Sikukuu zenu za Miandamo ya Mwezi, na sikukuu zenu zilizoamriwa: moyo wangu unazichukia. Zimekuwa mzigo kwangu, nimechoka kuzivumilia.
Your new moons and your regular feasts are a grief to my soul: they are a weight in my spirit; I am crushed under them.
15 Mnaponyoosha mikono yenu katika maombi, nitaficha macho yangu nisiwaone; hata mkiomba maombi mengi sitasikiliza. Mikono yenu imejaa damu;
And when your hands are stretched out to me, my eyes will be turned away from you: even though you go on making prayers, I will not give ear: your hands are full of blood.
16 jiosheni na mkajitakase. Yaondoeni matendo yenu maovu mbele zangu! Acheni kutenda mabaya,
Be washed, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes; let there be an end of sinning;
17 jifunzeni kutenda mema! Tafuteni haki, watieni moyo walioonewa. Teteeni shauri la yatima, wateteeni wajane.
Take pleasure in well-doing; let your ways be upright, keep down the cruel, give a right decision for the child who has no father, see to the cause of the widow.
18 “Njooni basi tuhojiane,” asema Bwana. “Ingawa dhambi zenu ni kama rangi nyekundu, zitakuwa nyeupe kama theluji; ingawa ni nyekundu sana kama damu, zitakuwa nyeupe kama sufu.
Come now, and let us have an argument together, says the Lord: how may your sins which are red like blood be white as snow? how may their dark purple seem like wool?
19 Kama mkikubali na kutii, mtakula mema ya nchi,
If you will give ear to my word and do it, the good things of the land will be yours;
20 lakini kama mkikataa na kuasi, mtaangamizwa kwa upanga.” Kwa kuwa kinywa cha Bwana kimenena.
But if your hearts are turned against me, I will send destruction on you by the sword; so the Lord has said.
21 Tazama jinsi mji uliokuwa mwaminifu umekuwa kahaba! Mwanzoni ulikuwa umejaa unyofu, haki ilikuwa inakaa ndani yake, lakini sasa ni wauaji!
The upright town has become untrue; there was a time when her judges gave right decisions, when righteousness had a resting-place in her, but now she is full of those who take men's lives.
22 Fedha yenu imekuwa takataka, divai yenu nzuri imechanganywa na maji.
Your silver is no longer true metal, your wine is mixed with water.
23 Watawala wenu ni waasi, rafiki wa wevi, wote wanapenda rushwa na kukimbilia hongo. Hawatetei yatima, shauri la mjane haliletwi mbele yao lisikilizwe.
Your chiefs have gone against the Lord, they have become friends of thieves; every one of them is looking for profit and going after rewards; they do not give right decisions for the child who has no father, and they do not let the cause of the widow come before them.
24 Kwa hiyo Bwana, Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote, Mwenye Nguvu wa Israeli, asema hivi: “Lo, nitapata faraja kutoka kwa adui zangu na kujilipizia kisasi juu ya watesi wangu.
For this reason the Lord, the Lord of armies, the Strong One of Israel, has said, I will put an end to my haters, and send punishment on those who are against me;
25 Nitauelekeza mkono wangu dhidi yenu, nitawasafisha takataka zenu zote na kuwaondolea unajisi wenu wote.
And my hand will again be on you, washing away what is unclean as with soap, and taking away all your false metal;
26 Nitawarudishia waamuzi wenu kama ilivyokuwa siku za zamani, nao washauri wenu kama ilivyokuwa mwanzoni. Baadaye utaitwa, Mji wa Haki, Mji Mwaminifu.”
And I will give you judges again as at the first, and wise guides as in the past; then you will be named, The Town of Righteousness, the true town.
27 Sayuni itakombolewa kwa haki, wale waliomo ndani yake waliotubu kwa uaminifu.
Upright acts will be the price of Zion's forgiveness, and by righteousness will men be living there.
28 Lakini waasi na wenye dhambi wote wataangamizwa, nao wanaomwacha Bwana wataangamia.
But a common destruction will overtake sinners and evil-doers together, and those who have gone away from the Lord will be cut off.
29 “Mtaaibika kwa sababu ya hiyo mialoni ambayo mlifurahia, mtafadhaika kwa sababu ya bustani mlizozichagua.
For you will be put to shame because of the trees of your desire, and because of the gardens of your pleasure.
30 Mtakuwa kama mwaloni wenye majani yanayonyauka, kama bustani isiyokuwa na maji.
For you will be like a tree whose leaves have become dry, and like a garden without water.
31 Mtu mwenye nguvu atatoweka kama majani makavu yawakayo moto, na kazi yake kama cheche ya moto; vyote vitaungua pamoja, wala hakuna wa kuuzima huo moto.”
And the strong will be as food for the fire, and his work as a flame; and they will be burned together, with no one to put out the fire.
