Woe to Ephraim

¹Wo kuwo umqhele wokuziphakamisa wezidakwa zakwa-Efrayimi, nakuyo imbali ebunayo yobuhle bakhe obukhazimulayo, esenhloko yesigodi esivundileyo sabanqotshwe yiwayini.

²Bheka, iNkosi inaye oqinileyo nonamandla; uyakuwisa phansi ngamandla njengesivunguvungu esinesichotho, nesiphepho esichithayo, nesiphihli samanzi esinamandla esikhukhulayo.

³Umqhele wokuziphakamisa wezidakwa zakwa-Efrayimi uyakunyathelwa ngezinyawo,

⁴imbali ebunayo yobuhle bakhe obukhazimulayo, esenhloko yesigodi esivundileyo, ibe njengekhiwane elivuthiwe kungakafiki ukuvuna; olibonayo uyalibuka, aligwinye, lise sesandleni sakhe.

⁵Ngalolo suku uJehova Sebawoti uyakuba ngumqhele wobukhosi, nesicoco esihle kuyo insali yabantu bakhe,

⁶nomoya wokwahlulela kohlezi ekwahluleleni, namandla kubo ababuyisa impi esangweni.

⁷Nalabo baduka ngewayini; ngophuzo olunamandla bayatengezela; abapristi nabaprofethi bayaduka ngophuzo olunamandla, bayatengezela ngophuzo olunamandla; bayaduka ekuboneni, bakhubeka ekwahluleleni.

⁸Yebo, onke amatafula agcwele ubuhlanzo nokungcola, kungabe kusabakho ndawo.

⁹“Ngubani ayakumfundisa ukwazi, aqondise bani umbiko, na? Yibo abalunyuliweyo obisini, basuswa emabeleni, na?

¹⁰Ngokuba kuyisiyalezelo phezu kwesiyalezelo, isiyalezelo phezu kwesiyalezelo, umthetho phezu komthetho, umthetho phezu komthetho, lapha ingcosana, nalapho ingcosana.”

¹¹Yebo, ngezindebe ezingingizayo nangolunye ulimi uyakukhuluma kulaba bantu

¹²akade esho kubo ukuthi: “Lokhu kungukuphumula; phumuzani abayethileyo; lokhu kungukuhlunyelelwa,” kepha abathandanga ukuzwa.

¹³Ngalokho izwi likaJehova liyakuba kubona isiyalezelo phezu kwesiyalezelo, isiyalezelo phezu kwesiyalezelo, umthetho phezu komthetho, umthetho phezu komthetho, lapha ingcosana, nalapho ingcosana, ukuze bahambe, bawe nyovane, baphuke, bacushwe, babanjwe.

¹⁴Ngalokho yizwani izwi likaJehova nina bantu abadelelayo, enibusa laba bantu baseJerusalema.

¹⁵Ngokuba nithe: “Senzile isivumelwano nokufa, sivumelene nendawo yabafileyo; lapho isiswebhu esikhukhulayo sidlula, asiyikusehlela thina, ngokuba senzile amanga abe yisiphephelo sethu, sicashile phansi kwenkohliso.”

¹⁶Ngalokho ithi iNkosi uJehova: “Bheka, ngibeka eSiyoni itshe lesisekelo, itshe elivivinyekileyo, itshe legumbi elinqabileyo lesisekelo esiyiso; okholwayo kayikubaleka.

¹⁷Ngiyakwenza ukwahlulela kube ngumucu wokulinganisa, nokulunga kube ngumthofu wokumisa, isichotho sihlwithe isiphephelo samanga, amanzi akhukhule indawo yokucasha.

¹⁸Futhi isivumelwano senu nokufa siyakuchithwa, nokuvumelana kwenu nendawo yabafileyo akuyikuma; lapho isiswebhu esikhukhulayo sidlula, niyakunyathelwa phansi yiso.

¹⁹Njalo lapho sidabula, siyakunibamba, ngokuba siyakudabula ukusa ngokusa imini nobusuku,” kube ngukwesaba kuphela, lapho umbiko uqondwa.

²⁰Ngokuba umbhede uyakuba mfushane kunokuba umuntu enabe kuwo, nengubo ibe ncane kunokuba umuntu azisonge ngayo.

²¹Ngokuba uJehova uyakusukuma njengasentabeni yasePherasimi, athukuthele njengasesigodini saseGibeyoni, ukuze enze umsebenzi wakhe, umsebenzi wakhe ongavamile, afeze isenzo sakhe, isenzo sakhe esimangalisayo.

²²Ngalokho ningadeleli, funa izibopho zenu ziqiniswe, ngokuba ngizwile eNkosini uJehova Sebawoti ukuthi ukuphela kunqunyiwe phezu kwawo wonke umhlaba.

²³Bekani indlebe, nizwe izwi lami; lalelani, nizwe ukukhuluma kwami.

²⁴Umlimi, eyakutshala, ulima lonke usuku na? Uyaduba abhuqe umhlabathi wakhe njalo na?

²⁵Lapho esehlelembile ubuso bawo, angithi uhlwanyela amafitshizi, asakaze ikumini, atshale ukolweni ngezinhla, nebhali ezindaweni zalo, nokolweni ocolekileyo eceleni, na?

²⁶UNkulunkulu wakhe uyamhlakahlisa ngendlela eyiyo, amfundise.

²⁷Ngokuba amafitshizi awabhulwa ngesibhulo esibukhali, nesondo lengqukumbane kaliphendulwa phezu kwekumini, kepha amafitshizi ayavuthuzwa ngenduku nekumini ngothi.

²⁸Amabele esinkwa ayacolwa na? Cha, ngokuba awabhulwa nokubhulwa njalo; nakuba eqhuba isondo lengqukumbane namahhashi alo phezu kwawo, awacolisiswa.

²⁹Nalokho kuvela kuJehova Sebawoti oyisimangaliso ekululekeni nomkhulu emaswini.