Isaiah 33
1 Terrible things will happen to you [people of Assyria]! You have destroyed [others], [but] you have not been destroyed [yet]. You have betrayed/deceived [others], [but] you have not been betrayed/deceived [yet]. When you stop destroying [others], others will destroy you. When you stop betraying/deceiving others, [others] betray you.
Maye kuwe, wena mchithi, wena ongachithwanga! Maye kuwe, wena mthengisi, wena ongacetshwanga! Lapho uyekela ukuthengisa, lawe uzacetshwa.
2 Yahweh, be kind to us, because we have patiently waited for you [to help us]. Enable us to be strong every day, and rescue us when we have troubles.
Awu Thixo, woba lomusa kithi; siyakulangazelela. Woba ngamandla ethu ekuseni konke, ube yinsindiso yethu esikhathini sosizi.
3 Our enemies run away when they hear your voice. When you stand up and show that you are powerful [IDM], the people of all nations flee.
Ekukhwazeni kwelizwi lakho, izizwe ziyabaleka; lapho uphakama izizwe ziyahlakazeka.
4 [And after our enemies have been defeated], we, your people, will take away all our enemies’ possessions like [SIM] caterpillars and locusts strip off all the leaves of plants.
Elakuthumbayo, lina zizwe, kubuthwa sengangathi kuqoqwa yisikhongwane, abantu beqela kukho njengomtshitshi wentethe.
5 Yahweh is greater than anyone else, and he lives in heaven, and he will rule justly and righteously in Jerusalem.
UThixo uphakeme ngoba uhlala phezulu, uzagcwalisa iZiyoni ngokufaneleyo langokulunga.
6 [When that happens], he will enable you to live securely/safely; he will fully protect your possessions, he will enable you to be wise and to know [all that you need to know]; and revering Yahweh will be [like] [MET] a valuable treasure for you.
Uzakuba yisisekelo esithembekileyo sesikhathi senu, isiphala esigcwele usindiso, ukuhlakanipha lokwazi; ukumesaba uThixo kuyisiqokoqela sokuzuza ingcebo le.
7 [But now], look, our brave men are crying out in the streets; our ambassadors [have gone to other countries to make peace treaties], [but they will] cry bitterly [because they will not succeed].
Khangelani, amaqhawe akibo ahlaba umkhosi emigwaqweni! Izithunywa zokuthula ziyakhala kakhulu.
8 No one travels on our roads [DOU]. [The leaders of Assyria] have broken/disregarded their peace treaty [with us]; they despise the people who made those treaties, and they do not respect anyone.
Imigwaqo emikhulu ibetha umoya, akulazihambi kuyo. Isivumelwano sephulwe, ofakazi baso beyisiwe, kakho ohlonitshwayo.
9 The land [of Judah] is dry and barren. The [cedar trees in] Lebanon are drying up and decaying. The Sharon [Plain along the coast] is now a desert. There are no more leaves on the trees in the Bashan and Carmel [areas].
Ilizwe liyalila njalo liyachitheka. ILebhanoni iyangekile njalo iyabuna; iSharoni injengenkangala, iBhashani leKhameli akhithizwa amahlamvu awo.
10 Yahweh says, “Now I will begin to show that I am very powerful [DOU].
UThixo uthi, “Khathesi sengizavuka, khathesi sengizadunyiswa, khathesi sengizaphakanyiswa.
11 You [people of Assyria] make plans that are [as useless as] [MET] chaff and straw. Your breath will become a fire that will burn you up.
Liqukethe ngamakhoba, lizale izibi; umoya wenu eliwuphefumulayo ungumlilo oliqedayo.
12 [Your] people will be burned until only ashes remain [MET] like [SIM] thornbushes are cut down and burned up in a fire.
Abantu bazatshiswa bafane lekalaga; bazathungelwa ngomlilo njengamahlahla ameva aganyuliweyo.”
13 You people who live far away and you people who live nearby, pay attention to what I have done and realize that I am [very] powerful.”
Lina elikhatshana, zwanini engikwenzileyo; lina abaseduze, vumani amandla ami!
14 The sinners in Jerusalem will tremble because of being very afraid; godless people will be terrified. [They say], “None of us can [RHQ] remain alive because this fire is burning everything; it is like the fire on Yahweh’s altar that will burn forever!”
Izoni zaseZiyoni ziyathuthumela; abangamesabiyo uNkulunkulu bayaqhaqhazela: “Ngubani owakithi ongahlala lomlilo oqothulayo na? Ngubani owakithi ongahlala lokutshisa okungapheliyo na?”
15 Those who act honestly and say what is right, those who do not try to become rich by (extortion/forcing people to give them money), those who do not try to get bribes, those who refuse to listen to people who are planning to murder someone, those who do not join others who urge them to do what is wrong,
Ngulowo owenza okulungileyo, ekhuluma okuqotho oyalayo inzuzo yokuncindezelwa, ale ukwamukela isivalamlomo, owalayo ukulalela amaqhinga okubulala, avale amehlo akhe ukuze angaboni okubi,
16 they are the people who will live safely [MTY]; they will find places to be safe in the caves in the mountains. They will have plenty of food and water.
lo nguye umuntu ozahlala ekuphakameni, osiphephelo sakhe sizakuba yinqaba yasentabeni. Uzalethelwa isinkwa sakhe, lamanzi kayikuwaswela.
17 You [SYN] [people of Judah] will see the king wearing all his beautiful [robes], and you will see that he rules a land that extends far away.
Amehlo enu azayibona inkosi ebuhleni bayo, abuke lelizwe elibanzi.
18 When you see that, you will think about when you were previously terrified, [and you will say], “[The officers of Assyria] who counted the tax money that we were forced to pay to them [have disappeared] [RHQ]! Those men who counted our towers [are gone] [RHQ]!
Ezingqondweni zenu lizakhumbula ukwesaba kwakuqala lithi: “Ingaphi induna yezikhulu leyana? Ungaphi owayethatha imali yemithelo? Singaphi isikhulu esigcina imiphotshongo na?”
19 Those arrogant people who spoke a language that we could not understand are no longer here!”
Abantu labayana abaklolodayo kalisayikubabona futhi, abantu labayana abolimi olungazwakaliyo, abolimi olungaziwayo, olungaqondakaliyo.
20 [At that time], you will see Zion Hill, the place where we celebrate our festivals; you will see that Jerusalem has become a place that is calm and safe. It will be [secure], [like] [SIM] a tent [that cannot be moved because] its ropes are tight and its stakes are firmly in the ground.
Khangelani iZiyoni, idolobho lemikhosi yethu; amehlo enu azabona iJerusalema indawo yokuhlala elokuthula, ithente elingeke lisuswe; izikhonkwane zalo kaziyikusitshunwa lezintambo zalo kaziyikuqamuka.
21 Yahweh will be our mighty God; he will be [like] [SIM] a mighty river that will protect us because [our enemies] will not be able to cross it; no one will be able to row across it and no ships will be able to sail across it.
Khonapho uThixo uzakuba ngolaMandla wethu. Kuzafana lendawo elemifula ebanzi kanye lezifula. Akukho mkhumbi wempi ozagwedlwa khona, akukho mkhumbi olamandla ozahamba khona.
22 Yahweh is our judge; he is the one who gives us laws, and he is our king. He will rescue us.
Ngoba uThixo ungumahluleli wethu, uThixo usinika imithetho, uThixo yinkosi yethu; nguye ozasikhulula.
23 The ropes on our enemies’ boats will hang loose, their masts will not be fastened firmly, and their sails will not be spread out. The treasures that they have seized will be divided [among us, God’s people], and even lame [people among us] will get some.
Izintambo zakho zeseyili ziyaxega. Insika kayiqiniswanga; iseyili kayivulekanga. Lapho-ke impango enengi izakwabiwa kuthi labaqhulayo labo bazazuza impango.
24 And the people in Jerusalem will no [longer] say, “We are sick,” [because Yahweh] will forgive the sins that have been committed by the people who live there.
Akulamuntu ohlala eZiyoni ozakuthi, “Mina ngiyagula”; labantu abahlala khona bazathethelelwa izono zabo.
