Lamentations 1
1 How desolate sits the city of Jerusalem, once filled with people! She has become like a widow, she who was once great among the nations. The queen of all the world has become a slave-laborer.
Yeka ukuhlala kodwa komuzi owawugcwele abantu! Usunjengomfelokazi owawumkhulu phakathi kwezizwe, owawuyinkosikazi phakathi kwezabelo usuyisibhalwa!
2 She cries bitterly through the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Despite all her many lovers, no one comes to comfort her. Betrayed by all her friends, they are now her enemies.
Uyakhala lokukhala inyembezi ebusuku, lezinyembezi zawo zisezihlathini zawo. Kawulamduduzi phakathi kwazo zonke izithandwa zawo. Bonke abangane bawo bawuphethe ngenkohliso, sebeyizitha zawo.
3 Judah has been dragged off into captivity, suffering miserably under brutal slavery; she lives among the nations but has no place of her own where she can rest. Those chasing her have brought her down and she cannot escape.
UJuda useye ekuthunjweni ngenxa yokuhlupheka langenxa yobukhulu bobugqili; yena uhlala phakathi kwabezizwe, katholi ukuphumula; bonke abamzingelayo bamfica ephakathi kwezimbandezelo.
4 Even the roads to Zion are in mourning because no one travels on them to go to the religious festivals. All her gates are empty. Her priests groan in sadness. Her girls are suffering. She herself is in bitter distress.
Indlela zeZiyoni ziyalila, ngoba kungekho ozayo emkhosini omisiweyo; wonke amasango ayo angamanxiwa; abapristi bayo bayabubula, izintombi zayo ezimsulwa zidabukile, layo isekubabeni.
5 Those who hated her now control her; her enemies enjoy life, because the Lord has made her suffer due to all her sins of rebellion. Her children have been taken away as prisoners of the enemy.
Abamelani bayo sebeyinhloko, izitha zayo zonwabile; ngoba iNkosi iyidabulile ngenxa yobunengi beziphambeko zayo; abantwana bayo sebeye ekuthunjweni phambi kwesitha.
6 All the glory has left the Daughter of Zion. Her leaders are like deer that can't find any grass to eat. They don't even have the strength to run away when the hunter comes after them!
Labo bonke ubuhle bayo busukile kundodakazi yeZiyoni. Iziphathamandla zayo zinjengezindluzele ezingatholi idlelo, njalo ziyahamba zingelamandla phambi komzingeli.
7 As she wanders around in her misery, Jerusalem thinks back to all the wonderful things she once had in the old days. When her enemies conquered her people, she didn't receive any help. Her enemies gloated over her, and laughed at her downfall.
Ezinsukwini zenhlupheko yayo lokuzulazula kwayo iJerusalema yakhumbula zonke izinto zayo eziloyisekayo okwakukhona kusukela ezinsukwini zasendulo, lapho abantu bayo bawela esandleni sesitha, njalo ingelamsizi; izitha zayibona, zahleka usulu amasabatha ayo.
8 Jerusalem sinned terribly which is why she is now treated as someone unclean. Everyone who used to honor her now despise her, because they've seen her naked and ashamed. She herself groans as she turns away.
IJerusalema yonile kakhulu, ngakho-ke isingcolile; bonke ababeyihlonipha bayidelela, ngoba sebebonile ubuze bayo; yona isibubula, ibuyele emuva.
9 Her uncleanness contaminates her skirts. She didn't think about what would happen. Her fall was a shock, and no one was there to comfort her. “Please, Lord, see how much I'm suffering, because the enemy has won!” she says.
Ukungcola kwayo kwakusemiphethweni yezigqoko zayo; kayikhumbulanga ukucina kwayo; ngakho yehla ngokumangalisayo, yayingelamduduzi. Nkosi, bona inhlupheko yami, ngoba isitha sizikhulisile.
10 The invader has stolen all her treasures. She even had to watch as heathen nations went into her sanctuary, people you had forbidden to enter.
Isitha selule isandla saso phezu kwazo zonke izinto zayo eziloyisekayo; ngoba ibonile izizwe zingena endaweni yayo engcwele, owazilaya ukuthi zingangeni phakathi kwebandla lakho.
11 All her people groan, looking for bread. They have spent what they value the most to buy food so they can stay alive. “Please, Lord, look and see what's happening to me,” she says. “It's as if I'm worthless!
Bonke abantu bayo bayabubula, bedinga isinkwa; banike izinto zabo eziloyisekayo ngokudla ukuthi bavuselele umphefumulo. Bona, Nkosi, ukhangele, ngoba ngiyadelelwa.
12 Don't you care anything about it, all you people passing by? Take a look and see! Is there any suffering as bad as mine, punished by the Lord when he became angry?
Kakusilutho kini yini lonke elidlulayo ngendlela? Khangelani libone uba kukhona yini usizi njengosizi lwami, olwenziwe kimi, iNkosi engidabule ngalo osukwini lokuvutha kolaka lwayo.
13 He sent down fire from heaven that destroyed my bones. He spread out a net to catch my feet, tripping me over. He abandoned me, leaving me sick all day long.
Iphezulu, ithumele umlilo emathanjeni ami, wawehlula; ithiyele unyawo lwami imbule, ingibuyisele emuva; ingenze ngaba lunxiwa, ngaphela amandla usuku lonke.
14 He took my rebellious sins and twisted them together into a yoke that he tied to my neck. He took away all my strength, and handed me over defenseless to my enemies.
Ijokwe leziphambeko zami libotshwe ngesandla sayo; zelukiwe, zenyukele entanyeni yami, iwisile amandla ami; iNkosi inginikele ezandleni zabo, ngingelakho ukuvuka.
15 The Lord brushed aside all my strong soldiers defending me. He called up an army to attack me, to crush my young men. The Lord has trampled down the virgin Daughter of Judah like grapes in a winepress.
INkosi yeyisile wonke amaqhawe ami phakathi kwami; yabiza umhlangano omelene lami ukuchoboza amajaha ami; iNkosi inyathelele intombi emsulwa, indodakazi yakoJuda, isikhamelo sewayini.
16 This is why I'm weeping, tears flowing from my eyes, because there's is no one here to comfort me, no one to make me feel better. There's nothing left for my children because the enemy has conquered us.”
Ngenxa yalezizinto ngiyakhala inyembezi; ilihlo lami, ilihlo lami lehlisa amanzi, ngoba umduduzi obengavuselela umphefumulo wami ukhatshana lami; abantwana bami bachithakele ngoba isitha sinqobile.
17 Zion holds out her hands in distress, but there's no one to comfort her. The Lord issued orders against Jacob, and his neighbors became his enemies. Jerusalem is to them something disgusting.
IZiyoni iyelula izandla zayo, kakho oyiduduzayo. INkosi ilayile ngoJakobe ukuthi abamzingelezeleyo babe yizitha zakhe. IJerusalema injengowesifazana ongcolileyo phakathi kwabo.
18 “The Lord has done what's right, because I rebelled against his instructions. Listen, everyone everywhere; look at what I'm suffering. My young women and young men have been taken off into captivity.
INkosi ilungile, ngoba ngivukele umlomo wayo. Ake lizwe, bantu lonke, libone usizi lwami. Intombi zami ezimsulwa lamajaha ami baye ekuthunjweni.
19 I called out for help to my lovers, but they betrayed me. My priests and elders starved to death in the city as they tried to find food to keep themselves alive.
Ngabiza izithandwa zami, kodwa zona zangikhohlisa. Abapristi bami labadala bami baphefumula okokucina emzini, besazidingela ukudla ukuze bavuselele umphefumulo wabo.
20 Can't you see, Lord, how upset I am? inside I am in turmoil; my heart is breaking because I've been so rebellious. Outside, the sword kills those I love; inside, it's like I'm living in the house of death.
Bona, Nkosi, ngoba ngilusizi; imibilini yami idungekile, inhliziyo yami iphendukile phakathi kwami, ngoba ngaba lenkani kakhulu. Ngaphandle inkemba iyemuka abantwana, endlini kunjengokufa.
21 People hear me groaning, but no one comes to comfort me. All my enemies have heard about the bad things that have happened to me, and they're delighted that it was you who did it. Please bring about the day of judgment that you promised so they can end up like me.
Bezwile ukuthi mina ngiyabubula; kangilamduduzi; zonke izitha zami zizwile ngobubi bami; ziyathokoza ngoba wena ukwenzile. Uzalufikisa usuku osulumemezile, khona zizakuba njengami.
22 May you see all the evil things they've done! Treat them the same way as you've treated me as a result of all my rebellious sins, for I'm groaning all the time, and I'm sick at heart.”
Kabufike bonke ububi bazo phambi kwakho, wenze kizo njengalokhu wenzile kimi ngenxa yazo zonke iziphambeko zami; ngoba ukububula kwami kunengi, lenhliziyo yami iphela amandla.
