1 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine! 2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand. 3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet: 4 And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.
5 ¶ In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people, 6 And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.
7 ¶ But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. 8 For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean .
9 ¶ Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: 11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. 12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. 13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
14 ¶ Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. 15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 ¶ Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone , a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. 17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 ¶ And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. 19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report. 20 For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it . 21 For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act. 22 Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.
23 ¶ Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech. 24 Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground? 25 When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place? 26 For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him. 27 For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod. 28 Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen. 29 This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.
Kolomodziwa kwe Ifureimu
1 Yee mme wee tjapalala tjiala tje bushe tjinozwida, tje zwilaladzi zwe Ifureimi,
ne luba linotimbama le naka kukwe kunopenyelela,
liku misholo ye nkuku una mavu akakola wa ibabo banokuligwa nge nkumbi we zhambi!
2 Bonani, she banaye iye wakasima una masimba,
kufanana ne dutu lina tjivulamabgwe linokolomodza,
kufanana ne vula ye nkubila,
unowobaposela kutjena nge simba.
3 Tjiala tje mazwikudzo tje zwilaladzi zwe Ifureimi
tjowokanyangiwa nge makumbo
4 ne luba linotimbama le naka kukwe kunopenyelela,
liku misholo ye nkuku una mavu akakola
lowofanana ne phaya ya bidwa kutangila tjilimo.
Wayibona unoija tjinyolotjo koga edwa pa itjela.
5 Mu zhuba ilelo Yahwe Masimbawose banowobe tjiala tje gudzo
ne ngala dze kunaka ku malimbelimbe e bathu babo.
6 Banowobe meya ye kutambunuka
kuna unosumikilisa,
ne kube simba kuna unodziba ngwa pa nkoba.
Isaya ne balaladzi be balebesambeli be Juda
7 Aba naibo banodzungugwa nge nkumbi we zhambi,
be tshatsharikisiwa nge nkumbi wakabila.
Bapirisiti ne balebesambeli banodzembeledziwa nge nkumbi wakabila,
bakahwumanyiwa nge nkumbi,
banotshatsharikisiwa nge nkumbi wakabila,
bebe beleyanya mu mbono,
bebe beleyanya mu kusumikilisa.
8 Tafuli dzose dzizhele matho ne shambgwa,
akuna pabuyanana.
9 Ndiani wabangadiya kabe ne zibo,
ndiani wabangatjenesela ndayidzo kene?
Ndiibabo baletjedzisiwa kuthwisiwa zhamu,
ibabo bathwisiwa zhamu?
10 Ngoti ndayo inotobela ndayo, ndayo itobela ndayo,
tjilizanyo tjotobela tjilizanyo, tjilizanyo tjitobela tjilizanyo,
kutukununu pano, kutukununu apaje.
11 Banowolebeleka nge milomo inokakang'wa nge lulimi gupoga.
Ndzimu unowolebeleka ne bathu ibaba,
12 ibo wabakadwa ukati,
“Ogu ndigo bugalo gwe kunyaluluka,
nyalulusani bakanyala.”
Kunyaluluka ndiko ikoko,
ngono bakalamba kuteedza.
13 Ndizo dama la Yahwe lowozha ku bali
nge ndayo itobela ndayo, ndayo itobela ndayo,
tjilizanyo tjitobela tjilizanyo,
kutukununu pano, kutukununu apaje,
kuti bayende ngono bawile shule bavunikane,
babhatshigwe babhakhwe.
Thiwa ye Ziyoni
14 Ndizo wali, ihwani dama la Yahwe imwi badadi,
imwi munobusa bathu ibaba bamu Jerusalema.
15 Ngoti imwi makati, “Iswi takathama tjidumano ne lufu
ne ikumbu, iswi timu tjidumano.
Kowoti shamu yakabangalala itipalama,
aitowoti kutha
ngoti takathama manyepkhwa dizhilo ledu,
takabgwata kusi kwe manyepkhwa.”
16 Ndizo wali She Yahwe bakati,
“Bonani, ndobiga bgwe le thiwa mu Ziyoni,
bgwe lakalikwa lakanaka,
thiwa ye malebeswa ku ndzibo,
‘Iye unogalabgwe unobigamoyo.’
17 Thambunuko inowobe nsungo unotambunudza,
ndulamo ikabe nsungo unolizanyidza,
ngono tjivulamabgwe tjowokuba dizhilo le manyepkhwa,
ngono vula inowokulila mabgwatilo awo.”
18 Tjidumano tjenyu ne lufu tjowotshumugwa
ne kudumana kwenyu ne ikumbu akungabhatilile,
shamu yakabangalala inowoti ipinda
inomuloba.
19 Tjibaka tjayapinda koga inowomuloba,
inowopinda mangwanana ne mangwanana,
siku ne sikati.
Kuhwisisa ndayidzo iyeyi kowozhisa kutja.
20 Ngoti bulawo gufutshwanisa nthu aangatandabale mu guli,
ngubo naiyo ithetjanisa nthu aangazwifukidze ndiyo.
21 Ngoti Yahwe banowomilika sekwa bakamilika pezhugwi kwe Dombo le Perazimu,
banogwadza moyo semu nkuku we Gibiyoni
kuthama nshingo wabo, nshingo wabo unotjenamisa,
banowothama kuti kushingikale n'ja wabo, n'ja wabo unotjenamisa.
22 Ndizo ngwenu musidade,
misungo yenyu idwa isimisiwa,
ngoti ndahwa nge kwe kulobeswa kudwa kuna She Yahwe Masimbawose,
naiko kuli kulobeswa kwe shango yose.
23 Teyani zebe muhwe hwi langu,
hwililani muhwe ndebeleko yangu.
24 Apa nlimi unolima edzwala, unolima zhuba lose kene?
Apa unodwilila elima epkhwanya magwada kene?
25 Apa ha alizalizanya paanolima
aatodzwala mbewu ye dili, ebe edzwala ye kumini kene?
Ebe edzwala koroni nge dzizilana
ebe edzwala bhali pakailingisana
ne riye pakailingisana kene?
26 Wakadiyiwa zubuyanana,
Ndzimu uwe unon'diya.
27 Dili ayitoshokogwa nge tjileyi tje kushokola,
kene gundzwana le koloyi alinga kunguludziwe pezhugwi kwe kumini,
koga dili inopugwa nge lukondzwana,
kumini iyo inopugwa nge lukombo.
28 Mathunde e tjiwunga anogayiwa kuthama tjiwunga,
ndizo nthu aatoapulila tjose.
Nenguba epitsha makundzwana e koloyi iye pezhugwi kwayo,
mbizi dzidze adzitoakwiya.
29 Ikoku naikobo kodwa muna Yahwe Masimbawose,
ibo banotjenamisa mu butjenjedu gwabo,
butjenjedu gwabo aguna tjilizanyo.