The Return from Exile
1 The Lord will once again be merciful to his people Israel and choose them as his own. He will let them live in their own land again, and foreigners will come and live there with them. 2 Many nations will help the people of Israel return to the land which the Lord gave them, and there the nations will serve Israel as slaves. Those who once captured Israel will now be captured by Israel, and the people of Israel will rule over those who once oppressed them.
The King of Babylon in the World of the Dead
3 The Lord will give the people of Israel relief from their pain and suffering and from the hard work they were forced to do. 4 When he does this, they are to mock the king of Babylon and say:
“The cruel king has fallen! He will never oppress anyone again! 5 The Lord has ended the power of the evil rulers 6 who angrily oppressed the peoples and never stopped persecuting the nations they had conquered. 7 Now at last the whole world enjoys rest and peace, and everyone sings for joy. 8 The cypress trees and the cedars of Lebanon rejoice over the fallen king, because there is no one to cut them down, now that he is gone!
9 “The world of the dead is getting ready to welcome the king of Babylon. The ghosts of those who were powerful on earth are stirring about. The ghosts of kings are rising from their thrones. 10 They all call out to him, ‘Now you are as weak as we are! You are one of us! 11 You used to be honored with the music of harps, but now here you are in the world of the dead. You lie on a bed of maggots and are covered with a blanket of worms.’”
12 King of Babylon, bright morning star, you have fallen from heaven! In the past you conquered nations, but now you have been thrown to the ground. 13 You were determined to climb up to heaven and to place your throne above the highest stars. You thought you would sit like a king on that mountain in the north where the gods assemble. 14 You said you would climb to the tops of the clouds and be like the Almighty. 15 But instead, you have been brought down to the deepest part of the world of the dead.
16 The dead will stare and gape at you. They will ask, “Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble? 17 Is this the man who destroyed cities and turned the world into a desert? Is this the man who never freed his prisoners or let them go home?”
18 All the kings of the earth lie in their magnificent tombs, 19 but you have no tomb, and your corpse is thrown out to rot. It is covered by the bodies of soldiers killed in battle, thrown with them into a rocky pit, and trampled down. 20 Because you ruined your country and killed your own people, you will not be buried like other kings. None of your evil family will survive. 21 Let the slaughter begin! The sons of this king will die because of their ancestors' sins. None of them will ever rule the earth or cover it with cities.
God Will Destroy Babylon
22 The Lord Almighty says, “I will attack Babylon and bring it to ruin. I will leave nothing—no children, no survivors at all. I, the Lord, have spoken. 23 I will turn Babylon into a marsh, and owls will live there. I will sweep Babylon with a broom that will sweep everything away. I, the Lord Almighty, have spoken.”
God Will Destroy the Assyrians
24 The Lord Almighty has sworn an oath: “What I have planned will happen. What I have determined to do will be done. 25 I will destroy the Assyrians in my land of Israel and trample them on my mountains. I will free my people from the Assyrian yoke and from the burdens they have had to bear. 26 This is my plan for the world, and my arm is stretched out to punish the nations.” 27 The Lord Almighty is determined to do this; he has stretched out his arm to punish, and no one can stop him.
God Will Destroy the Philistines
28 This is a message that was proclaimed in the year that King Ahaz died.
29 People of Philistia, the rod that beat you is broken, but you have no reason to be glad. When one snake dies, a worse one comes in its place. A snake's egg hatches a flying dragon. 30 The Lord will be a shepherd to the poor of his people and will let them live in safety. But he will send a terrible famine on you Philistines, and it will not leave any of you alive.
31 Howl and cry for help, all you Philistine cities! Be terrified, all of you! A cloud of dust is coming from the north—it is an army with no cowards in its ranks.
32 How shall we answer the messengers that come to us from Philistia? We will tell them that the Lord has established Zion and that his suffering people will find safety there.
Kubuya kutapiwa kwe Juda
1 Yahwe banowohwila ngoni Jakubo, ndizo wali banowoshalula Baiziraela kakale ngono bakabagadza mu shango yabo, bazhi banowozwishanganya nabo bakabhatana ne ng'umba ya Jakubo. 2 Zwitjaba zowobatola zwikabayisa ku magalo abo, ngono Baiziraela banowobathuwa mu shango ya Yahwe, banowobe balandalume ne balandakadzi babo. Banowotapa ibabo bakatongo batapa, bakabusa ibabo bakatongo batshambilidza.
Kuwa kwa mambo we Bhabhiloni
3 Kowoti mu zhuba Yahwe labamunyalulusa mu kudziyila kwenyu ne mu phipiti ne kushinga kunolema kwamakashingisiwa, 4 ipapo mowokuwelela mambo we Bhabhiloni sahwoku:
“Ntshambilidzi waswika mu bhelelo lile!
Bushongola guna bukomba gwapela!
5 Yahwe bavuna lukombo gwe mbiimbi,
ludozo gwe bushe gwe babusi,
6 igo gwabakaloba bathu ndigo bakagwadzamoyo
beloba nge kusingame,
igo gwakabusa njudzi nge bushongola
nge kudziidza kusina ngoni.
7 Shango yose yakanyaluluka yakatebama,
bathu banomilidza bemba.
8 Miti ye misipurasi inoshongozhela ngekwenyu,
misidara ye Lebanoni yakashatha inoti,
‘Tjinga kwawakalala pasi
akuna ntemi unozha kuhwotitema.’ ”
9 Bugalo gwe bafi pasi gozunguzika
kukushanganidza ha uzha,
gomusa mitutshi kukulebesa,
bose bakabe bali batungamili be shango,
tjobamilidza mu zwigalo zwe bumambo,
bose bakabe bali bomambo be njudzi.
10 Bose banowolebeleka
ngono banowoti ku kuli:
“Nawe auzotjasimabo saswi!
Wafanana koga naswi!”
11 Kuzwikudza kuko kwayisiwa pasi ku bugalo gwe bafi
ne misindo ye zwilidzo zwizo,
wonye dzabe bulalo kusi kuko,
ne wonyana dzabe ngubo iyo.
12 “Sekwawakawa ndiko kudwa kudzimu,
iwe nyenyedzi ye kuyedza, iwe nkololo we mazhokuyedza!
Sekwawathubugwa ukalashigwa pasi,
iwe wakatongo ladza zwitjaba pasi!
13 Wakati ukati mu moyo uwo,
‘Ndowotathila kudzimu,
zhuzhugwi kwe nyenyedzi dze Ndzimu,
ndowogadza tjigalo tjangu tje bumambo zhuzhugwi,
ndowogala mu dombo le nshangano
kule ku bunandzwa.
14 Ndowotathila pezhugwizhugwi kwe makole,
ndowozwithama anga Upezhugwizhugwi.’ ”
15 Koga wayisiwa pasi ku bugalo gwe bafi,
mu phelelo dze gomba.
16 Banowokubona banowokukaabalila,
bakakumbula nge kuko beti:
“Apa ndiye nlume wakathama shango ikatetema iwoyu,
ndiye kene wakazunguza mibuso?
17 Apa ndiye wakathama shango ikanga tjilambanyika,
kakolomodza mizi yayo mikulu kene?
Ndiye wakabe asingaletje batapiwa babe bakayenda kanyi kene?”
18 Bomambo bose be njudzi balele mu gudzo,
mmwe ne mmwe wabo mu ikumbu tjitje,
19 koga iwe walashigwa kuzhe kwe ikumbu tjitjo
se lutabi kusingashakike,
wakafukidziwa ne bafi bakabhayiwa ne thumo,
ibabo banodelukila ku mabgwe e gomba,
se itumbu tjinotshambiwa nge makumbo.
20 Awutowobiganyiwa kang'ompela nabo,
ngoti wakakolomodza shango iyo,
wakabulaya bathu babo.
“Bana be babiibi
akutjowolebgwa nge kwabo kakale.
21 Lulwamisilani kulilita bakololo babe
ngekwe nlandu wa botate babo,
basitongodwa bemilika betola shango,
bebe bedwa bezhadza shango nge mizi mikulu.”
22 Yahwe Masimbawose bakati, “Ndowomilika abhayana nabo.
Ndowolobesa zina le Bhabhiloni ne malimbelimbe,
bana nenge ludzi, Kolebeleka Yahwe.
23 Ngono ndowouthama magalo e shoni,
ne madziba e vula,
ndowoulonga ntshwailo we golomodzo, kolebeleka Yahwe Masimbawose.”
24 Yahwe Masimbawose bakatuna bakati:
“Sekwandakalongolosa
ndiko kunowoshingikala,
ne tjandakazwimisila
nditjo tjinowobe itjo.
25 Ndowolobesa N'asiriya mu shango yangu,
ngono ndowontshamba nge makumbo pezhugwi kwe matombo angu,
jokwi lile lowobhuda mu bali
ne ntolo uwe unowodusiwa mu mathudzi abo.”
26 Awa ndiwo mazwimisilo azwimisigwe
ngekwe shango yose,
ikoku tjiazha tjakatambunudzigwa
njudzi dzose.
27 Ngoti Yahwe Masimbawose bazwimisila kuthama ikoku,
ngono ndiyani kene ungabamisa?
Luboko gwabo gwakatambunuka,
ndiyani ngono ungagubuza?
28 Mu gole lakafa Mambo Ahazi kwakazha ndaidzo eyi:
29 “Musishathe imwi mose Bafilisitiya,
ngoti ikombo tjakamurutha tjavunika,
ngoti kudwa mu ndzi we nyoka kobhuda itumbimilidzo,
mu mabumbulu atjo kube kubhuda bhophoma linowuluka.
30 Mbano ye nshayi inowowana zojiwa,
ne unosheta unowolala akabakililika,
koga uwo ndzi ndowoubulaya nge bhamba,
ne malimbelimbe awo ndowoabulaya.
31 Amba, iwe nkoba, iwe nzi nkulu lila,
pelegwani nge simba imwi mose Bafilisitiya!
Ngoti busi wogu godwa ku bunandzwa,
ngono akuna umile ega mu babhayani babe.”
32 Dabilo ndiipi ingapiwa thumwa dze ludzi igogu kene?
“Yahwe ndibo bakabamba Ziyoni,
ndizo muuli bathu bawo badziidziwa banowowana dizhilo.”