Mwana tanzwaligwa
1 Akungabe ne zhalima muna ibabo bakabe bali mu buyendasi. Mu tjibaka tjakapinda wakayisa pasi shango ye Zebhuloni ne shango ye Nafutali, koga mu misi imbeli unowolumbidza Galili shango ye zwitjaba imu tjekelo dze gungwa seli kwe Jorodani,
2 Bathu bakayenda mu zhalima,
bakabona tjedza tjikulu,
ibabo bakatjila mu shango ye mitutshi ye lufu,
tjedza tjakabapenyela.
3 Makawatsha itjaba,
mukapaphidza kushatha kwatjo,
banoshatha mbeli kwenyu,
se bathu beshatha ha bevuna zwidzwalo mu minda,
se balume beshatha ha bekobana thundu yabatapa.
4 Ngoti makavuna jokwi linobalemela,
ne ikombo tjinobaloba mathudzi,
shamu ye kubatshambilidza,
makakuthama sekwa makathama mu nsi we Midiya.
5 Ngoti shangu dze babhayani dzakashingisiwa mu ngwa,
ne zwiambalo zwakabumbuludziwa mu malopa,
zowolashigwa mu moto zwikathutidza moto.
6 Ngoti mwana tanzwaligwa,
mwana we tjilisana tampiwa,
mbuso unowobe mu mathudzi awe.
Unowodang'wa Nkumbuludzi Unotjenamisa,
Ndzimu Wakasima,
Tate nge kusingapele, Mambo we Kunyalala.
7 Mbuso uwe ne kunyalala,
zotalabudzika nge kusingapele.
Unowobusa mu tjigalo tja Dafite
ebaka mbuso uwe unowuthumbidza nge lebeswa nenge
ndulamo kudwila mu tjibaka itjetjo kuyenda kusingapele.
Kupisika kwa Yahwe Masimbawose kokuthama ikoku.
8 She badusa dama linobhayana na Jakubo,
ngono lawila Iziraela.
9 Bathu bose bakakuziba ikoku,
Ifureimi ne bagali be Samariya,
ibo banozwida, bezwikudza mu mimoyo yabo beti,
10 “Zwitina zwakakolomoka,
koga iswi towomusa nge mabgwe akabezhiwa,
mipaya yakatemegwa pasi,
koga iswi towoyimisa nge misida.”
11 Ndizo Yahwe banowobamusila zwita,
banowokuswanyidza zwita.
12 Baaramu ku bhezhuba ne Bafilisitiya ku golombedzo
bakamidza Iziraela nge nlomo wakaashama.
Kose ikoku akuzoshandula bushongola gwabo,
luboko gwabo gutjakamilikila kuloba.
13 Koga bathu abazoshandukila ku bali ibo bakabaloba,
kene kuli kushaka Yahwe Masimbawose.
14 Ndizo Yahwe banowothubula Iziraela nsholo ne mwise,
ne lutabi gwe nlala ne lushanga mu zhuba ling'ompela.
15 Sholotjena ne bana mamo ndibo nsholo, balebesambeli banodiya manyepkhwa ndibo mwise.
16 Ibabo banotungamila bathu ibaba bakabatungamilila ntome,
ibabo bakatungamigwa bakasala bakawumana.
17 Ndizo wali She abatoshathila bazhuzha babo
kene kuli kuhwila zogwadza siyang'wa ne tjilikadzi dzabo,
ngoti mmwe ne mmwe aana bundzimu, babiibi,
nlomo mmwe ne mmwe unoleba zwakabipa.
Nenguba kwakajalo kugwadzamoyo kwabo akuzopela,
luboko gwabo gutjakamilikila kuloba.
18 Mbipo inopisa se moto
unopisa kungubo ne mihwa,
unothuta ukapisa matjokotjoko e ishakana
tjikamilikila mu phepo tjili bhulubusi.
19 Shango inopisiwa
nge kugwadzamoyo kwa Yahwe Masimbawose,
ngono bathu ndibo banowobe hwuni dze moto,
akuna unowotjidza mmwe naye.
20 Banoja ku luji koga bakasala bana zhala zwabo,
bakaja ku lumeshwe koga bakasigutshike zwabo.
Mmwe ne mmwe unowoshanduka kaja mwana uwe.
21 Manase unowogwa na Ifureimi, Ifureimi kagwa na Manase,
bubili gwabo banowonginilila Juda.
Nenguba kwakajalo kugwadzamoyo kwabo akutowoshanduka,
luboko gwabo gutjakamilikila kuloba.
1 There will be no way for them to escape from this time of trouble.
The Future King
The land of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali was once disgraced, but the future will bring honor to this region, from the Mediterranean eastward to the land on the other side of the Jordan, and even to Galilee itself, where the foreigners live.
2 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light.
They lived in a land of shadows,
but now light is shining on them.
3 You have given them great joy, Lord;
you have made them happy.
They rejoice in what you have done,
as people rejoice when they harvest grain
or when they divide captured wealth.
4 For you have broken the yoke that burdened them
and the rod that beat their shoulders.
You have defeated the nation
that oppressed and exploited your people,
just as you defeated the army of Midian long ago.
5 The boots of the invading army
and all their bloodstained clothing
will be destroyed by fire.
6 A child is born to us!
A son is given to us!
And he will be our ruler.
He will be called, “Wonderful Counselor,”
“Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,”
“Prince of Peace.”
7 His royal power will continue to grow;
his kingdom will always be at peace.
He will rule as King David's successor,
basing his power on right and justice,
from now until the end of time.
The Lord Almighty is determined to do all this.
The Lord Will Punish Israel
8 The Lord has pronounced judgment on the kingdom of Israel, on the descendants of Jacob. 9 All the people of Israel, everyone who lives in the city of Samaria, will know that he has done this. Now they are proud and arrogant. They say, 10 “The brick buildings have fallen down, but we will replace them with stone buildings. The beams of sycamore wood have been cut down, but we will replace them with the finest cedar.”
11 The Lord has stirred up their enemies to attack them. 12 Syria on the east and Philistia on the west have opened their mouths to devour Israel. Yet even so the Lord's anger is not ended; his hand is still stretched out to punish.
13 The people of Israel have not repented; even though the Lord Almighty has punished them, they have not returned to him. 14 In a single day the Lord will punish Israel's leaders and its people; he will cut them off, head and tail. 15 The old and honorable men are the head—and the tail is the prophets whose teachings are lies! 16 Those who lead these people have misled them and totally confused them. 17 And so the Lord will not let any of the young men escape, and he will not show pity on any of the widows and orphans, because all the people are godless and wicked and everything they say is evil. Yet even so the Lord's anger will not be ended, but his hand will still be stretched out to punish.
18 The wickedness of the people burns like a fire that destroys thorn bushes and thistles. It burns like a forest fire that sends up columns of smoke. 19 Because the Lord Almighty is angry, his punishment burns like a fire throughout the land and destroys the people, and it is each of us for ourselves. 20 Everywhere in the country people snatch and eat any bit of food they can find, but their hunger is never satisfied. They even eat their own children! 21 The people of Manasseh and the people of Ephraim attack each other, and together they attack Judah. Yet even so the Lord's anger is not ended; his hand is still stretched out to punish.