Lamentations 4
1 Hawu, laze lafiphala igolide, igolide elihle seligqwalile! Amatshe endlu engcwele, asesakazeke kuwo wonke amakhona emigwaqo.
2 Amadodana aseZiyoni akhethekileyo ayefana negolide elicolekileyo, kodwa manje asefana nezitsha zebumba, ezingumsebenzi wezandla zombumbi!
3 Ngisho nezimpungushe ziyawancelisa amazinyane azo, kodwa abesifazane babantu bami, ababanaki abantwana babo, banonya njengezintshe zasendle.
4 Ulimi lomntwana oncelayo lunamathela olwangeni ngenxa yokoma. Izingane zicela isinkwa, kodwa akekho ozihlephulelayo.
5 Labo abebekade bedla okumnandi, sebeyimizulane emigwaqweni. Labo ababekhuliswe ngokububende, manje sebelala ezaleni.
6 Ukona kwendodakazi yabantu bami, kungaphezu kwesono seSodoma elachithwa ngokuphazima kweso, kungengazandla zamuntu.
7 Amanaziri akithi ayemhlophe kunongqoqwane, emhlophe ukwedlula ubisi. Imizimba yawo yondlekile, isimo sawo sikhazimula njengesafire.
8 Manje asemnyama ukwedlula ilahle, ngeke usawakhomba ngisho emigwaqweni. Isikhumba sawo sesishwabene sanamathela emathanjeni awo, sesome safana nokhuni.
9 Bangcono abafe ngenkemba kunalabo ababulewe yindlala, babhuqwabhuqwa yinkemane, ngenxa yokweswela ukudla okuvela emasimini.
10 Ngesikhathi sokuvinjezelwa nokuchithwa kwabantu bami, izandla zabesifazane ababekade benozwelo, zapheka izingane zabo, zaba ngukudla.
11 USimakade uyikhombise ngokugcwele intukuthelo yakhe; wathulula ukuvutha kolaka lwakhe, wathungela umlilo eZiyoni, oqothule izisekelo zalo.
12 Amakhosi omhlaba, nazo zonke izakhamuzi zawo, azikholwanga ngukuthi izitha nabamelene neJerusalema babengangena emasangweni alo.
13 Lokho kwenzeka ngenxa yezono zabaphrofethi, nobubi babaphristi bakhona, ababechitha igazi labalungile kulo.
14 Babephuphutheka, bezulazula emigwaqweni, bengcoliswe yigazi ngangokuthi akekho owayengathinta izingubo zabo.
15 Abantu babebahebeza, bethi: “Sukani lapha, ningcolile! Sukani, sukani, ningasithinti!” Ngakho-ke baphenduka abafokazi nemizulane; abantu phakathi kwezizwe bathi: “Anisoze nagogobala lapha!”
16 NguSimakade luqobo obahlakazile, akasayukubanakekela. Ababahloniphanga abaphristi, ababanga namusa kubanumzane.
17 Amehlo ethu aze akhathala, silokhu silindele usizo oluyize, simi emibhoshongweni yethu, silinde isizwe esingenakusisindisa.
18 Izitha zethu zasizingela nomaphi lapho sibalekela khona, sasingasakwazi ukuhamba emigwaqweni yakithi. Isiphetho sethu sase sisondele, nezinsuku zethu sezibaliwe, nokuphela kwethu kwase kufikile.
19 Abasixoshayo babenejubane ukwedlula izinkozi zezulu; besixosha naphezu kwezintaba, besilalele unyendle ehlane.
20 Ogcotshiweyo kaSimakade, ongukuphila nomphefumulo wethu, wakhalakathela emigodini yabo, esathi ngaye: “Uyoba ngumthunzi wethu wokukhosela phakathi kwezizwe.”
21 Jabula, uthokoze wena ndodakazi, yakwa-Edomi, wena ohlala e-Uzi, kodwa le ndebe izokwedlulela nakuwe, uzodakwa, uzihlubule, ube nqunu.
22 Isigwebo sakho nesikhathi sokuthunjwa kwakho sekuphelile, ndodakazi, yaseZiyoni. Kodwa wena, ndodakazi, yakwa-Edomi, uzojeziswa, Yena uzozambula izono zakho, ngenxa yobubi bakho.