1 Yee mme wee! Wapalala iwe nzi nkulu uzhele kutebula malopa,
uzhele manyepkhwa
usingapedze kutapila.
2 Kuphutuka kwe zwimi
ne zhoba ye makumbgwana,
kumatha kwe mbizi
ne kugongorodza kwe koloyi dze ngwa!
3 Bataswi be mbizi banonginilila ngwa
makanu anonga lupenyo ne mathumo anopenya,
migwi ne migwi ye bafi,
zwitumbu zwikatiliyana,
bafi basina mbalo,
bathu betatha bekuthiwa nge zwitumbu.
4 Ngoti nge bufukula gwe fukula
ikwekweredza, ili nyambi ye buloyi,
inothama njudzi balanda nge bufukula gwayo
bathu bose ibathama balanda nge buloyi gwayo.
5 Yahwe Masimbawose bakati,
“Ndobhayana nawe, ndowomilidza thako iyo akukwididza ndiyo.
Ndowolakidza njudzi mbujo iyo,
mibuso ndowoyilakidza shoni dzidzo.
6 Nasha nge shambgwa,
ndowokulengudza
akuthama tjiyeye.
7 Bose banowokubona banowokutizha bebe beti,
‘Ninive yabe matongo, ndiyani unowoyililila?
Ndingayi kwandingawana mmwe ungayinyaladza?’ ”
8 Apa unoyita pana Thebesi
yakabakwa mu Naili
yakapotelekwa nge vula kene?
Gwizi gwakabe guli igo n'gwili wayo
vula ili iyo guma layo.
9 Khushi yakabe ili simba layo,
Egipiti naiyo bo nge buzhalo,
Puti ne Libhiya naidzo dzakabe dzili babhatshi bayo.
10 Nenguba kwakajalo yakatapiwa
ikayenda kubutapiwa.
Ngawana dzayo dzakapkhwanyigwa pasi
mu mapelelo e zila imwe ne imwe,
Hakata dzikakandila batungamili babo,
ngono bose bayo be mamo bakasungwa nge ketani.
11 Nawebo unowolaladza,
unowotizha ukanobgwata
ukashaka matizhilo mu zwita.
12 Mbako dzidzo dzose dze matizhilo dzowonga mipaya
ina phaya dzayo dze kutanga kubidwa,
ha izunguziwa
phaya dzowila mu nlomo we n'ji.
13 Linga babhayani babo,
bose mukati kuko bakadzi!
Mikoba ye shango iyo
yakazhukila zwita zwizo,
moto wakapisa phanda dzayo.
14 Tjela vula ngoti mowokombiwa nge ngwa,
simisa matizhilo awo!
Ngina mu vu,
sinyanga vu,
bhata foromu uyishingise!
15 Moto unowomuja ikoko,
bukanu gowomutemela pasi
ngono gowomupedzisa se phashu.
Wandani se phashu,
muwande se phashu!
16 Wakawatsha baseenyi babo
kuswikila bepinda nyenyedzi nge bunji.
Koga banonga phashu dzinokukula shango
dzibe dziwuluka dziyenda zwadzo.
17 Balindi babo banonga phashu,
makulukota awo anonga mibunga ye phashu
yagala mu bhakasa zhuba linopota,
koga zhuba alibhaya dzowuluka dziyenda,
ngono kube kusina unoziba kwadzayenda.
18 Iwe mambo we Asiriya, balisi babo bakayizela,
makulukota awo anotshumwayila.
Bathu babo bakapalalila mu matombo
kusina iye ungabakubunganya.
19 Atjipo tjingapodza mbonje iyo,
kukubala kuko nge kunoyisa ku lufu.
Mmwe ne mmwe unohwa thawu nge kuko
unolobela phande kuwa kuko,
ngoti ndiani kene usakatongo hwisiwa zogwadza
nge bukukutu gwe moyo uwo gusingapele.
1 Doomed is the lying, murderous city,
full of wealth to be looted and plundered!
2 Listen! The crack of the whip,
the rattle of wheels,
the gallop of horses,
the jolting of chariots!
3 Cavalry troops charge,
swords flash, spears gleam!
Corpses are piled high,
dead bodies without number—
men stumble over them!
4 Nineveh the whore is being punished.
Attractive and full of deadly charms,
she enchanted nations and enslaved them.
5 The Lord Almighty says,
“I will punish you, Nineveh!
I will strip you naked
and let the nations see you,
see you in all your shame.
6 I will treat you with contempt
and cover you with filth.
People will stare at you in horror.
7 All who see you will shrink back.
They will say, ‘Nineveh lies in ruins!
Who has any sympathy for her?
Who will want to comfort her?’”
8 Nineveh, are you any better than Thebes, the capital of Egypt? She too had a river to protect her like a wall—the Nile was her defense. 9 She ruled Ethiopia and Egypt, there was no limit to her power; Libya was her ally. 10 Yet the people of Thebes were carried off into exile. At every street corner their children were beaten to death. Their leading men were carried off in chains and divided among their captors.
11 Nineveh, you too will fall into a drunken stupor! You too will try to escape from your enemies. 12 All your fortresses will be like fig trees with ripe figs: shake the trees, and the fruit falls right into your mouth! 13 Your soldiers are helpless, and your country stands defenseless before your enemies. Fire will destroy the bars across your gates. 14 Draw water to prepare for a siege, and strengthen your fortresses! Trample the clay to make bricks, and get the brick molds ready! 15 No matter what you do, you will still be burned to death or killed in battle. You will be wiped out like crops eaten up by locusts.
You multiplied like locusts! 16 You produced more merchants than there are stars in the sky! But now they are gone, like locusts that spread their wings and fly away. 17 Your officials are like a swarm of locusts that stay in the walls on a cold day. But when the sun comes out, they fly away, and no one knows where they have gone!
18 Emperor of Assyria, your governors are dead, and your noblemen are asleep forever! Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to bring them home again. 19 There is no remedy for your injuries, and your wounds cannot be healed. All those who hear the news of your destruction clap their hands for joy. Did anyone escape your endless cruelty?