Woe to David’s City
1Woe to you, Ariel, Ariel,
the city where David settled!
Add year to year
and let your cycle of festivals go on.
2Yet I will besiege Ariel;
she will mourn and lament,
she will be to me like an altar hearth.29:2 The Hebrew for altar hearth sounds like the Hebrew for Ariel.
3I will encamp against you on all sides;
I will encircle you with towers
and set up my siege works against you.
4Brought low, you will speak from the ground;
your speech will mumble out of the dust.
Your voice will come ghostlike from the earth;
out of the dust your speech will whisper.
5But your many enemies will become like fine dust,
the ruthless hordes like blown chaff.
Suddenly, in an instant,
6the Lord Almighty will come
with thunder and earthquake and great noise,
with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire.
7Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Ariel,
that attack her and her fortress and besiege her,
will be as it is with a dream,
with a vision in the night—
8as when a hungry person dreams of eating,
but awakens hungry still;
as when a thirsty person dreams of drinking,
but awakens faint and thirsty still.
So will it be with the hordes of all the nations
that fight against Mount Zion.
9Be stunned and amazed,
blind yourselves and be sightless;
be drunk, but not from wine,
stagger, but not from beer.
10The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep:
He has sealed your eyes (the prophets);
he has covered your heads (the seers).
11For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I can’t; it is sealed.” 12Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I don’t know how to read.”
13The Lord says:
“These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is based on merely human rules they have been taught.29:13 Hebrew; Septuagint They worship me in vain; / their teachings are merely human rules
14Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder;
the wisdom of the wise will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”
15Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us? Who will know?”
16You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,
“You did not make me”?
Can the pot say to the potter,
“You know nothing”?
17In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field
and the fertile field seem like a forest?
18In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll,
and out of gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind will see.
19Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord;
the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20The ruthless will vanish,
the mockers will disappear,
and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down—
21those who with a word make someone out to be guilty,
who ensnare the defender in court
and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice.
22Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the descendants of Jacob:
“No longer will Jacob be ashamed;
no longer will their faces grow pale.
23When they see among them their children,
the work of my hands,
they will keep my name holy;
they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob,
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding;
those who complain will accept instruction.”
Ole Wa Mji Wa Daudi
129:1 Isa 22:12-13; 1:14; 2Sam 5:7; Isa 28:1Ole wako, wewe Arieli, Arieli,
mji alimokaa Daudi!
Ongezeni mwaka kwa mwaka,
na mzunguko wa sikukuu zenu uendelee.
229:2 Mao 2:5; Isa 3:26; Eze 43:15Hata hivyo nitauzunguka Arieli kwa jeshi,
utalia na kuomboleza,
utakuwa kwangu kama mahali
pa kuwashia moto madhabahuni.
329:3 Lk 19:43-44; 2Fal 25:1Nitapiga kambi pande zote dhidi yako,
nitakuzunguka kwa minara
na kupanga mazingirwa yangu dhidi yako.
429:4 Isa 8:19; 47:1; 52:2; 26:16; Law 19:31Utakaposhushwa, utanena kutoka ardhini,
utamumunya maneno yako kutoka mavumbini.
Sauti yako itatoka katika nchi kama vile ya mzimu,
utanongʼona maneno yako toka mavumbini.
529:5 Isa 17:13; 1The 5:3; Za 55:15; Kum 9:21; Za 78:39; Isa 51:12; Za 103:15Lakini adui zako wengi watakuwa kama vumbi laini,
kundi la wakatili watakuwa
kama makapi yapeperushwayo.
Naam, ghafula, mara moja,
629:6 Mk 13:8; Ufu 6:12; Isa 26:21; Zek 14:1-5; Kut 19:16; Mt 24:7; Za 83:13-15Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote atakuja
na ngurumo, tetemeko la ardhi, na kwa sauti kuu,
atakuja na dhoruba, tufani na miali ya moto iteketezayo.
729:7 Mik 4:11-12; Zek 12:9; Ay 20:8Kisha makundi ya mataifa yote yale yapiganayo dhidi ya Arieli,
yale yanayomshambulia yeye na ngome zake, na kumzunguka kwa jeshi,
watakuwa kama ilivyo ndoto,
kama maono wakati wa usiku:
829:8 Za 73:20; Yer 30:16; Isa 17:12-14; Zek 12:3; Isa 54:17kama vile mtu aliye na njaa aotavyo kuwa anakula,
lakini huamka, bado njaa yake ingalipo,
kama vile mtu mwenye kiu aotavyo kuwa anakunywa maji,
lakini huamka akiwa anazimia, akiwa bado angali ana kiu.
Hivyo ndivyo itakavyokuwa kwa makundi yote ya mataifa
yanayopigana dhidi ya Mlima Sayuni.
929:9 Yer 13:13; Isa 63:9; Law 10:9; Yer 4:9; Isa 6:10; 63:6; Za 60:3; Yer 13:13; Isa 51:22Duwaeni na kushangaa,
jifanyeni vipofu wenyewe na msione,
leweni, lakini si kwa mvinyo,
pepesukeni lakini si kwa kileo.
1029:10 2The 2:9-11; Za 69:23; Mik 3:6; Amu 4:21; Isa 44:18; 6:9-10; Rum 11:8Bwana amewaleteeni usingizi mzito:
Ameziba macho yenu (ninyi manabii);
amefunika vichwa vyenu (ninyi waonaji).
1129:11 Dan 8:26; Mt 13:11; Isa 28:7; Ufu 5:1-2; Isa 8:16; Dan 12:9Kwa maana kwenu ninyi, maono haya yote si kitu ila maneno yaliyotiwa lakiri katika kitabu. Kama mkimpa mtu yeyote awezaye kusoma kitabu hiki, nanyi mkamwambia, “Tafadhali kisome,” yeye atajibu, “Mimi siwezi, kwa kuwa kimetiwa lakiri.” 12Au kama mkimpa mtu yeyote kitabu hiki asiyeweza kusoma na kumwambia, “Tafadhali kisome,” atajibu, “Mimi sijui kusoma.”
1329:13 Yer 12:2; Kol 2:22; Eze 33:31; Mt 15:8-9; Mk 7:6-7; Isa 58:2; Za 119:70; Yer 14:11Bwana anasema:
“Watu hawa hunikaribia kwa vinywa vyao
na kuniheshimu kwa midomo yao,
lakini mioyo yao iko mbali nami.
Ibada yao kwangu inatokana na maagizo
waliyofundishwa na wanadamu.
1429:14 Yer 49:7; Ay 10:16; 5:13; Isa 6:9-10; 1Kor 1:19; Yer 8:9; Isa 6:9-10Kwa hiyo mara nyingine tena nitawashangaza watu hawa,
kwa ajabu juu ya ajabu.
Hekima ya wenye hekima itapotea,
nayo akili ya wenye akili itatoweka.”
1529:15 Ay 22:13-14; Eze 8:12; 2Fal 21:16; Ay 22:13; Isa 28:15; Ay 8:3; Za 10:11-13Ole kwa wale wanaokwenda kwenye vilindi virefu
kumficha Bwana mipango yao,
wafanyao kazi zao gizani na kufikiri,
“Ni nani anayetuona? Ni nani atakayejua?”
1629:16 Yer 18:6; Rum 9:20-21; Za 94:9; Ay 10:9; Isa 10:15; 45:9; Ay 9:12; Yer 18:6; Mwa 2:7Mnapindua mambo juu chini,
kana kwamba mfinyanzi aweza kufikiriwa kuwa kama udongo wa mfinyanzi!
Je, kile kilichofinyangwa chaweza kumwambia yule aliyekifinyanga,
“Wewe hukunifinyanga mimi?”
Je, chungu kinaweza kumwambia mfinyanzi,
“Wewe hujui chochote?”
1729:17 Za 84:6; Isa 32:15; 10:25; 2:13; Za 107:33Kwa muda mfupi sana, je, Lebanoni haitageuzwa kuwa shamba lenye rutuba,
na shamba lenye rutuba liwe kama msitu?
1829:18 Mk 7:37; Za 146:8; Mt 11:5; Lk 7:22; Isa 32:3; Za 107:14Katika siku ile viziwi watasikia maneno ya kitabu,
na katika utusitusi na giza
macho ya kipofu yataona.
1929:19 Za 72:4; 25:9; Isa 5:19; 12:6; 3:15; Yak 2:5; Mt 5:5; 11:29; Mwa 42:26Mara nyingine tena wanyenyekevu watafurahi katika Bwana,
wahitaji watafurahi katika yeye Aliye Mtakatifu wa Israeli.
2029:20 2Nya 36:16; Isa 28:22; Eze 11:2; Isa 13:11; 59:4; Ay 15:35; Za 7:14Wakatili watatoweka na wenye kudhihaki watatokomea,
nao wote wenye jicho la uovu watakatiliwa mbali,
2129:21 Amo 5:10-15; Isa 5:23; Hab 1:4; Mit 21:28wale ambao kwa neno humfanya mtu kuwa mwenye hatia,
wamtegeao mtego mtetezi katika mahakama,
na kwa ushuhuda wa uongo humnyima haki
yeye asiye na hatia.
2229:22 Mwa 11:16; Yoe 2:26; Yos 24:3; Sef 3:11; Kut 6:6; Mwa 17:16; Isa 41:8; 51:2Kwa hiyo hili ndilo Bwana, aliyemkomboa Abrahamu, analosema kwa nyumba ya Yakobo:
“Yakobo hataaibishwa tena,
wala nyuso zao hazitabadilika sura tena.
2329:23 Isa 53:10; 54:1-4; 19:25; 49:20-26; 5:19; Mt 6:9Wakati watakapoona watoto wao miongoni mwao,
kazi ya mikono yangu,
watalitakasa Jina langu takatifu;
wataukubali utakatifu wa yeye Aliye Mtakatifu wa Yakobo,
nao watamcha Mungu wa Israeli.
2429:24 Mit 12:8; Ebr 5:2; Isa 60:16; 42:16; Za 95:10; Isa 28:7; 32:4Wale wanaopotoka rohoni watapata ufahamu,
nao wale wanaolalamika watayakubali mafundisho.”
