Fall of Babylon

¹“Yehla, uhlale othulini wena ntombi, ndodakazi yaseBabele, uhlale emhlabathini, kungekho sihlalo sobukhosi, wena ndodakazi yamaKaledi, ngokuba awusayikubizwa ngokuthi uthambile nokuthi uyatetema.

²Thatha amatshe okugaya, ugaye impuphu, uyisuse imvakazi yakho, uwukhumule umhushuzo wakho, wambule umlenze, uwele imifula.

³Ubuze bakho buyakwambulwa, yebo, ubunqunu bakho buyakubonakala; ngiyakuphindisa, ngingayeki muntu.

⁴Igama loMhlengi wethu linguJehova Sebawoti, oNgcwele ka-Israyeli.

⁵“Hlala uzithulele, ungene ebumnyameni, wena ndodakazi yamaKaledi, ngokuba awusayikubizwa ngokuthi iNkosikazi Yemibuso.

⁶Ngabathukuthelela abantu bami, ngalingcolisa ifa lami, ngalinikela esandleni sakho; awubahawukelanga, walenza ijoka lakho ukuba lisinde kakhulu phezu kwabadala.

⁷Wathi wena: ‘Ngiyakuba yinkosikazi njalonjalo.’ Ngalokho awubekanga lezi zinto enhliziyweni yakho, awukhumbulanga ukugcina kwazo.

⁸“Manje yizwa lokhu wena ozijabulisayo, ohlala ulondekile, othi enhliziweni yakho: Yimi, akakho omunye; angiyikuhlalisa okomfelokazi, nokufelwa abantwana angiyikukwazi.

⁹Kodwa lokhu kokubili kuyakufika kuwe ngokuphazima kweso ngalusuku lunye, ukufelwa, kwabantwana nobufelokazi kufike phezu kwakho ngokugcweleyo phakathi kobuningi bamalumbo akho, nobuningi beziphonso zakho.

¹⁰Wethembile ebubini bakho, wathi: ‘Akakho ongibonayo.’ Ukuhlakanipha kwakho nokwazi kwakho kukudukisile; wathi enhliziyweni yakho: ‘Yimi, akakho omunye.’

¹¹Kepha ububi buyakukwehlela, awuyikwazi lapho buvela khona; nengozi iyakuwela phezu kwakho, awuyikuba namandla okuyichezukisa, incithakalo ifike phezu kwakho ngokuzumayo, ungazi.

¹²“Yima manje neziphonso zakho nobuningi bamalumbo akho okhandlekile kukho kwasebusheni bakho; mhlawumbe uyakusizakala, mhlawumbe uyakubanga uvalo.

¹³Ukhathele ngobuningi bamacebo akho; mabasukume, bakusindise abadabula izulu, nababheka izinkanyezi, nabazisa ngezinyanga ezintsha ukuthi kuphi lapho kuzakuvela khona lokhu okuzakukwehlela.

¹⁴Bheka, bayakuba njengamabibi ashiswa ngumlilo, abayikuzophula emandleni elangabi; akusilo ilahle lokotha, akusiwo umlilo wokuba kuhlalwe phambi kwawo.

¹⁵Ziyakuba njalo kuwe izinto okhandleke kuzo, zihambisene nawe kwasebusheni bakho; seziyakuzulazula, kube yileyo naleyo ngendlela yayo, ekusindisayo ingabikho.