God Calls Isaiah to Be a Prophet
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on his throne, high and exalted, and his robe filled the whole Temple. 2 Around him flaming creatures were standing, each of which had six wings. Each creature covered its face with two wings, and its body with two, and used the other two for flying. 3 They were calling out to each other:
“Holy, holy, holy!
The Lord Almighty is holy!
His glory fills the world.”
4 The sound of their voices made the foundation of the Temple shake, and the Temple itself became filled with smoke.
5 I said, “There is no hope for me! I am doomed because every word that passes my lips is sinful, and I live among a people whose every word is sinful. And yet, with my own eyes I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
6 Then one of the creatures flew down to me, carrying a burning coal that he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with the burning coal and said, “This has touched your lips, and now your guilt is gone, and your sins are forgiven.”
8 Then I heard the Lord say, “Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?”
I answered, “I will go! Send me!”
9 So he told me to go and give the people this message: “No matter how much you listen, you will not understand. No matter how much you look, you will not know what is happening.” 10 Then he said to me, “Make the minds of these people dull, their ears deaf, and their eyes blind, so that they cannot see or hear or understand. If they did, they might turn to me and be healed.”
11 I asked, “How long will it be like this, Lord?”
He answered, “Until the cities are ruined and empty—until the houses are uninhabited—until the land itself is a desolate wasteland. 12 I will send the people far away and make the whole land desolate. 13 Even if one person out of ten remains in the land, he too will be destroyed; he will be like the stump of an oak tree that has been cut down.”
(The stump represents a new beginning for God's people.)
Isaya edanigwa bulebesambeli
1 Mu gole lakafa Mambo Uziya, ndakabona She bali gele pa tjigalo tje bumambo, tjilefu tjakamilidzika, ndzibo we hazu yabo uli zhele mu Ng'umba ye Ndzimu. 2 Pezhugwi kwabo kwakabe kuna zwibumbiwa zwe kudzimu zwinoyi Serafu. Mmwe ne mmwe wabo ana mapapilo ali kutathatu. Mapapilo mabili ali aanozwimba buso nawo, mabili ezwimba makumbo nawo, mabili ewuluka ndiwo. 3 Ngono bakabe belebesana beti:
“Bakayengemala, bakayengemala, bakayengemala, Yahwe Masimbawose
Shango yose izhele tjedza tjabo.”
4 Nsindo we hwi le walebeleka likazunguza makwasayile e mikoba, ng'umba ye Ndzimu ikazhala busi.
5 Ngono alebeleka nditi, “Yee mme wee! Imi ndapela ngoti ndi nthu una milomo isingalebe tjibuyanana, ndogala pakati kwe bathu basina milomo inoleba tjibuyanana ngono mesho angu abona Mambo, Yahwe Masimbawose.”
6 Ipapo mmwe we dziserafu kawulukila kundili akabhata simbe le moto linopisa laakadusa mu moto umu tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo. 7 Kakutha milomo yangu ndilo ngono kabe eti, “Bona, simbe ileli lakutha milomo iyo, nlandu uwo wadusiwa ngono wazwiibhatigwa zwibi zwizo.”
8 Ipapo ahwa hwi la She beti, “Ndiyani wandinowotuma? Ndiyani unowotiyendila kene?” Ngono ashandula nditi, “Ndipano. Munditume!”
9 She bakabe beti, Yenda unodwa bathu ibaba uti:
Kene mukahwilila kungapani, amungahwisise.
Kene mukalingisisa kungapani, amungapedzisise.
10 “Kukutadza moyo ye bathu ibaba,
uthame zebe dzabo dzisihwisise,
upofupadze mesho abo.
Bangadwa bebona nge mesho abo,
behwa nge zebe dzabo,
behwisisa nge moyo yabo
bebe beshanduka bepodziwa.”
11 Ipapo abhuzwa nditi, “She, kowotola tjibaka tjingapani kwakajali?” Ngono bakadabila beti,
“Kuswikila mizi mikulu yakolomodziwa
isitjina bagali,
kuswikila ng'umba dzasiyiwa dzisitjina bagali,
ne minda yathukudziwa yashakadziwa.
12 Yahwe banowopaladzila mmwe ne mmwe kulekule
shango ikasala yakadongola isina tjimwe.
13 Kene kungasala bung'ompela muna bali gumi muuli
naigo gowopisiwa gwe bubili,
kowofanana ne tjitsha tje nti unoyi nterebinti kene oko
tjinosala tjili mile
iwo watemiwa,
ndizo mbewu yakayengemala inowobe tjitsha mu shango.”