Kuwa kwe Bhabhiloni
1 Shule kwa ikoku ndakabona mmwe ntumwa we kudzimu edeluka edwa kudzimu ana masimba makulu, ngono tjedza tjitje tjakapenyesa shango yose. 2 Kalebeleka nge hwi lina masimba eti, “Wawa, wawa nzi nkulu Bhabhiloni! Wabe bugalo gwe meya mibi, yabe makotokelo e meya mmwe ne mmwe wakabipa. Nyuni dzose mbiimbi dzinoshimika dzokotokela muuli. 3 Ngoti zwitjaba zose zwakang'wa nkumbi we shambgwa ye bufukula gugwe. Bomambo be shango bakathama bupombgwe naye, balume banoshaba be shango bakafumiswa nge nyota iye ye kube ne tjimwe ne tjimwe isingalaugwe.”
4 Ipapo ahwa limwe hwi lidwa kudzimu liti,
“Bhudani munli bathu bangu,
musitongo dwa mushanganyila zwibi naye,
mungadwa mushanganyila shamu naye.
5 Ngoti zwibi zwizwe zwakabutitikwa kunoswika kudzimu,
ndizo Ndzimu auzokangang'wa matjinyo awe.
6 Munthamile koga sekwa akamuthamila.
Munlipe kabili muna kose kwaakathama.
Muzhadze tjing'wilo tjitje nge tjing'o
tjakabila kabili kupinda tjing'o tjaakamuthamila.
7 Munhwise zogwadza ne buyendasi gunolizana
kuzwikudza kukwe nenge kuja eng'wa fumwa yaakazwipa.
Se ezwidwa mu moyo uwe eti,
‘Ndigele ipapa ndili mambokadzi!
Ate ndili tjilikadzi,
tjililo andingatjibone.’
8 Ndizo shamu dzidze dzowozha mu zhuba ling'ompela,
bugwele ne tjililo ne bhamba.
Ngono unowopisiwa nge moto,
ngoti She Ndzimu una masimba unowonsumikilisa.”
9 Bomambo be shango bakashinga bupombgwe naye beshanganyila kuja ne kung'wa, banowolila bakakuwa nge kukwe ha bebona busi gwe kutshwa kukwe. 10 Banowomila kule kule, betjisiwa nge kuhwisiwa zogwadza kukwe, ngono banowoti, “Yee mme wee! Yee mme wee! Wapalala iwe nzi nkulu, usinshoma Bhabhiloni! Wasumikilisiwa mu awara i nng'ompela.”
11 Batengesi be thundu be shango banowonlilila ngobe akutjina unowotenga thundu dzabo kakale. 12 Thundu ye golide ne siliva ne maseka akanaka ne mabgwe ne ndalama ne matyila akanaka ne jila le mbala we bushaba gwakabondelela ne jila linotedzemuka ne jila shaba le themba ipezhugwi ne zwizholo ne zwinonuhwisa zwinozipa milenje lenje ye hwuni dze themba ipezhugwi ne nyanga dze zhowu ne phangula ne butale ne mabgwe matjena anopenya; 13 ne sinamoni ne motsha ne mafuta anonuhwa zwinozipa ne nkumbi ne mafuta e ntjelo we ntoba, bgwisa gwe tjiwunga, mbewu, ng'ombe, pkhwizi, mbizi, koloyi, balanda kunoti ku bathu. 14 Zwithu zose zwakalulwama zwawakabe uyemula kube nazo zwakulashikila, ngono nenge fumwa iyo yose ne bubuya gugo kwayenda, ngono autowofa wazwibona kakale. 15 Batengesi bakawana fumwa ngotengesa mu nli banowomila kule kule, ngoti banotja kuhwisiwa zogwadza kukwe. Banowolila bekuwila pezhugwi. 16 Ngono banoti “Yee mme wee! Yee mme wee! Wapalala nzi iwoyu nkulu wakabe wakaambala ntjeka wakanaka ne jila le mbala we bushaba gwakabondelela ne jila shaba le themba ipezhugwi, ngono ezwinakisa nge golide ne mabgwe anopenya ne ndalama! 17 Ngono walashikigwa nge fumwa iye yose mu awara i nng'ompela koga.”
Bayendisi bose be zwikepe ne balauli babo ne batengesi banoyenda nge zwikepe, na ibabo banoseyenya nge zwikepe mu gungwa bakamila kule kule, 18 ngono bakalila ha bebona busi gwe kutshwa kukwe beti, “Ndiupi nzi nkulu wakatongonga iwoyu nzi nkulu kene?” 19 Bakadila hwuluba mu misholo yabo, bakalila, bakangina mu buyendasi beti, “Yee mme wee! Yee mme wee! Wapalala nzi nkulu! Iwo wakati bose bana zwikepe zwinotendeleka mu gungwa bakazwifumisa nge fumwa yawo. Mu awara i nng'ompela walashikigwa nge tjimwe ne tjimwe.”
20 Shathani nge kwawo ba kudzimu. Shathani bayengemali ne batumwa* ba Jesu ne balebesambeli, ngoti Ndzimu wamusumikilisila iye.
21 Ngono shule ntumwa we kudzimu, una masimba kanunga bgwe linonga gwiyo gulu, ngono kaliposela mu gungwa eti, “Eyi ndiyo zila inowoti nzi nkulu una masimba Bhabhiloni, ukaposegwa pasi nge masimba, ngono autowofa wabong'wa kakale. 22 Zwitinkani ne kumba kwe bathu ne balidzi be nyele ne lunyanga, akutjowobuya kukahwika mukuli kakale, akuna nshingi upi kene upi utjowofa abong'wa mukuli kakale, ngono ne zhoba ye gwiyo aitjowopapha ikahwika kakale. 23 Akutjowobuya kukaboneka kakale tjedza tje luvone mukati kuko. Akutjowobuya kukahwika kakale mahwi e balongo ne e baloboli mukuli. Batengesi babo be thundu bakabe bali ibo bakulu mu shango yose, ngono nge butjenjedu gwenyu gwe malipa, makatjebela zwitjaba zose zwe shango.”
24 Mu Bhabhiloni kwakawanika malopa e balebesambeli ne e bayengemali ne e bathu bose bakabulawa mu shango.
The Fall of Babylon
1 I saw another angel come from heaven. This one had great power, and the earth was bright because of his glory. 2 The angel shouted,
“Fallen! Powerful Babylon
has fallen
and is now the home
of demons.
It is the den
of every filthy spirit
and of all unclean birds,
and every dirty
and hated animal.
3 Babylon's evil and immoral wine
has made all nations drunk.
Every king on earth
has slept with her,
and every merchant on earth
is rich because of
her evil desires.”
4 Then I heard another voice
from heaven shout,
“My people, you must escape
from Babylon.
Don't take part in her sins
and share her punishment.
5 Her sins are piled
as high as heaven.
God has remembered the evil
she has done.
6 Treat her as she
has treated others.
Make her pay double
for what she has done.
Make her drink twice as much
of what she mixed
for others.
7 That woman honored herself
with a life of luxury.
Reward her now
with suffering and pain.
“Deep in her heart
Babylon said,
‘I am the queen!
Never will I be a widow
or know what it means
to be sad.’
8 And so, in a single day
she will suffer the pain
of sorrow, hunger, and death.
Fire will destroy
her dead body,
because her judge
is the powerful Lord God.”
9 Every king on earth who slept with her and shared in her luxury will mourn. They will weep, when they see the smoke from that fire. 10 Her sufferings will frighten them, and they will stand at a distance and say,
“Pity that great
and powerful city!
Pity Babylon!
In a single hour
her judgment has come.”
11 Every merchant on earth will mourn, because there is no one to buy their goods. 12 There won't be anyone to buy their gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, sweet-smelling wood, fancy carvings of ivory and wood, as well as things made of bronze, iron, or marble. 13 No one will buy their cinnamon, spices, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, chariots, slaves, and other humans.
14 Babylon, the things
your heart desired
have all escaped
from you.
Every luxury
and all your glory
will be lost forever.
You will never
get them back.
15 The merchants had become rich because of her. But when they saw her sufferings, they were terrified. They stood at a distance, crying and mourning. 16 Then they shouted,
“Pity the great city
of Babylon!
She dressed in fine linen
and wore purple
and scarlet cloth.
She had jewelry
made of gold
and precious stones
and pearls.
17 Yet in a single hour
her riches disappeared.”
Every ship captain and passenger and sailor stood at a distance, together with everyone who does business by traveling on the sea. 18 When they saw the smoke from her fire, they shouted, “This was the greatest city ever!”
19 They cried loudly, and in their sorrow they threw dust on their heads, as they said,
“Pity the great city
of Babylon!
Everyone who sailed the seas
became rich
from her treasures.
But in a single hour
the city was destroyed.
20 The heavens should be happy
with God's people
and apostles and prophets.
God has punished her
for them.”
21 A powerful angel then picked up a huge stone and threw it into the sea. The angel said,
“This is how the great city
of Babylon
will be thrown down,
never to rise again.
22 The music of harps and singers
and of flutes and trumpets
will no longer be heard.
No workers will ever
set up shop in that city,
and the sound
of grinding grain
will be silenced forever.
23 Lamps will no longer shine
anywhere in Babylon,
and couples will never again
say wedding vows there.
Her merchants ruled
the earth,
and by her witchcraft
she fooled all nations.
24 On the streets of Babylon
is found the blood
of God's people
and of his prophets,
and everyone else.”