1
Ole wake mji wa damu! Umejaa mambo ya uongo na unyang'anyi; mateka hayaondoki.
Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without prey.
2
Kelele za mjeledi, kelele za magurudumu yafanyayo kishindo; na farasi wenye kupara-para, na magari ya vita yenye kuruka-ruka;
The crack of the whip, the rumble of the wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot!
3
mpanda farasi akipanda, na upanga ukimeta-meta, na mkuki ukimemetuka; na wingi wa waliouawa, na chungu kubwa ya mizoga; mizoga haina mwisho; wanajikwaa juu ya mizoga yao.
Charging horseman, flashing sword, shining spear; heaps of slain, mounds of corpses, dead bodies without end—they stumble over their dead—
4
Kwa sababu ya wingi wa ukahaba wa yule kahaba mzuri, yule bibi wa mambo ya uchawi, auzaye mataifa kwa ukahaba wake, na jamaa za watu kwa uchawi wake.
because of the many harlotries of the harlot, the seductive mistress of sorcery, who betrays nations by her prostitution and clans by her witchcraft.
5
Tazama, mimi ni juu yako, asema Bwana wa majeshi; nami nitafunua marinda yako mbele ya uso wako; nami nitawaonyesha mataifa uchi wako, na falme aibu yako.
“Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show your nakedness to the nations and your shame to the kingdoms.
6
Nami nitatupa uchafu uchukizao juu yako, kukufanya uwe mchafu, nami nitakufanya kuwa kitu cha kutazamwa kwa dharau.
I will pelt you with filth and treat you with contempt; I will make a spectacle of you.
7
Hata itakuwa, wote wakutazamao watakukimbia, wakisema, Ninawi umeharibika; ni nani atakayeuhurumia? Nikutafutie wapi wafariji?
Then all who see you will recoil from you and say, ‘Nineveh is devastated; who will grieve for her?’ Where can I find comforters for you?”
8
Je! Wewe u mwema kuliko No-amoni, uliowekwa kati ya mito, uliozungukwa na maji; ambao boma lake lilikuwa bahari, na bahari ilikuwa ukuta wake.
Are you better than Thebes, stationed by the Nile with water around her, whose rampart was the sea, whose wall was the water?
9
Kushi na Misri walikuwa nguvu zake, nazo zilikuwa hazina mpaka; Putu na Walibia walikuwa wasaidizi wake.
Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength; Put and Libya were her allies.
10
Hata hivyo alichukuliwa mbali, alikwenda utumwani; watoto wake wachanga walisetwa kwenye maachano ya njia kuu zote; watu wake wenye heshima wakapigiwa kura, na wakuu wake wote wakafungwa kwa minyororo.
Yet she became an exile; she went into captivity. Her infants were dashed to pieces at the head of every street. They cast lots for her dignitaries, and all her nobles were bound in chains.
11
Tena utalewa, utafichwa; tena utatafuta ngome kwa sababu ya adui.
You too will become drunk; you will go into hiding and seek refuge from the enemy.
12
Ngome zako zote zitakuwa kama mitini yenye tini zilizoiva kwanza; ikitikisika zaanguka katika kinywa chake alaye.
All your fortresses are fig trees with the first ripe figs; when shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater!
13
Tazama, watu wako walio ndani yako ni wanawake; malango ya nchi yako yamekuwa wazi kabisa mbele ya adui zako; moto umeteketeza mapingo yako.
Look at your troops—they are like your women! The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire consumes their bars.
14
Teka maji yawe tayari kwa kuzingirwa kwako; Zitie nguvu ngome zako; Ingia katika udongo, yakanyage matope, Itie nguvu tanuru ya kuokea matofali.
Draw your water for the siege; strengthen your fortresses. Work the clay and tread the mortar; repair the brick kiln!
15
Huko moto utakuteketeza; Upanga utakukatilia mbali; Utakumeza kama tunutu alavyo; Jifanye kuwa wengi kama tunutu! Jifanye kuwa wengi kama nzige!
There the fire will devour you; the sword will cut you down and consume you like a young locust. Make yourself many like the young locust; make yourself many like the swarming locust!
16
Umeongeza wafanya biashara wako kuwa wengi kuliko nyota za mbinguni; tunutu huharibu; kisha huruka juu na kwenda zake.
You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of the sky. The young locust strips the land and flies away.
17
Watu wako waliotiwa taji ni kama nzige, na majemadari wako ni kama makundi ya mapanzi, watuao katika vitalu siku ya baridi, lakini jua lipandapo huruka juu na kwenda zao, na mahali pao walipo hapajulikani.
Your guards are like the swarming locust, and your scribes like clouds of locusts that settle on the walls on a cold day. When the sun rises, they fly away, and no one knows where.
18
Wachungaji wako wanalala usingizi, Ee mfalme wa Ashuru; watu wako wenye heshima wamepumzika; watu wako wametawanyika juu ya milima, wala hapana mtu wa kuwakusanya.
O king of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; your officers sleep. Your people are scattered on the mountains with no one to gather them.
19
Jeraha yako haipunguziki; jeraha yako ni nzito sana; wote wasikiao habari zako wapiga makofi juu yako; kwa maana ni nani ambaye uovu wako haukupita juu yake daima?
There is no healing for your injury; your wound is severe. All who hear the news of you applaud your downfall, for who has not experienced your constant cruelty?