Ezekiel 3
1 “Son of man,” He said to me, “eat what you find here. Eat this scroll, then go and speak to the house of Israel.”
Wasesithi kimi, “Ndodana yomuntu, dlana okuphambi kwakho, dlana umqulu lo; ube ususiyakhuluma kuyo indlu ka-Israyeli.”
2 So I opened my mouth, and He fed me the scroll.
Ngakho ngavula umlomo wami, wasengipha umqulu ukuba ngiwudle.
3 “Son of man,” He said to me, “eat and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you.” So I ate, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.
Wasesithi kimi, “Ndodana yomuntu, dlana umqulu lo engikunika wona ugcwalise isisu sakho ngawo.” Ngakho ngawudla, njalo emlonyeni wami wawuzwakala umnandi njengoluju.
4 Then He said to me, “Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak My words to them.
Wasesithi kimi, “Ndodana yomuntu, hamba khathesi nje endlini ka-Israyeli ukhulume amazwi ami kubo.
5 For you are not being sent to a people of unfamiliar speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel—
Kawuthunywa ebantwini abalolimi olungaziwayo lolunzima, kodwa endlini ka-Israyeli,
6 not to the many peoples of unfamiliar speech and difficult language whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.
hatshi ebantwini abanengi abolimi olungaziwayo lolunzima, ongeke uzwe abakutshoyo. Ngeqiniso aluba kade ngikuthume kubo kade bezakulalela.
7 But the house of Israel will be unwilling to listen to you, since they are unwilling to listen to Me. For the whole house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted.
Kodwa indlu ka-Israyeli kayifuni ukukulalela ngoba kabafuni kungilalela, ngoba yonke indlu ka-Israyeli ilukhuni njalo ilenkani.
8 Behold, I will make your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads.
Kodwa lawe ngizakwenza ube lenkani lobulukhuni njengabo.
9 I will make your forehead like a diamond, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or dismayed at their presence, even though they are a rebellious house.”
Ngizakwenza ubuso bakho bube njengelitshe elilukhuni kulawo wonke, elilukhuni kulelitshe lomlilo. Ungabesabi kumbe bakuthuthumelise, lanxa beyindlu ehlamukayo.”
10 “Son of man,” He added, “listen carefully to all the words I speak to you, and take them to heart.
Njalo wathi kimi, “Ndodana yomuntu, lalela kakuhle njalo uwabeke enhliziyweni wonke amazwi engiwatsho kuwe.
11 Go to your people, the exiles; speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,’ whether they listen or refuse to listen.”
Hamba khathesi nje ebantwini belizwe lakini abasekuthunjweni ukhulume labo. Uthi kubo, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi,’ loba bezalalela kumbe bangalaleli.”
12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me: ‘Blessed be the glory of the LORD in His dwelling place!’
Lapho-ke uMoya wangiphakamisa, kwathi ngemva kwami ngezwa umdumo ondindizelayo sengathi yinkazimulo kaThixo eyaphakama endaweni eyayime kuyo!
13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against one another and the sound of the wheels beside them, a great rumbling sound.
Umdumo wezimpiko zezidalwa eziphilayo zigudlana lomdumo wamavili eceleni kwazo, umdumo wokundindizela okukhulu.
14 So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me.
UMoya wasungiphakamisela phezulu ungisusa, njalo ngahamba ngomoya otshisekayo lokuthukuthela komoya wami lesandla esilamandla sikaThixo siphezu kwami.
15 I came to the exiles at Tel-abib who dwelt by the River Kebar. And for seven days I sat where they sat and remained there among them, overwhelmed.
Ngafika kwababethunjiwe ababehlala eTheli Abhibhi phansi koMfula uKhebhari. Khonapho-ke, lapho ababehlala khona, ngahlala labo insuku eziyisikhombisa ngiphelelwe ngamandla.
16 At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ekupheleni kwensuku eziyisikhombisa ilizwi likaThixo lafika kimi lisithi,
17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me.
“Ndodana yomuntu, sengikwenze umlindi wendlu ka-Israyeli; ngakho zwana ilizwi engilikhulumayo ubanike isixwayiso esivela kimi.
18 If I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him or speak out to warn him from his wicked way to save his life, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, and I will hold you responsible for his blood.
Nxa ngisithi emuntwini omubi, ‘Wena uzakufa impela,’ wena ungamxwayisi kumbe ukhulume ukuba umyekelise izindlela zakhe ezimbi ukuze asindise ukuphila kwakhe, lowomuntu omubi uzafela izono zakhe, kuthi wena ngikubeke icala legazi lakhe.
19 But if you warn a wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness and his wicked way, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved yourself.
Kodwa nxa umuntu omubi umxwayisa yena angaphenduki ebubini bakhe kumbe ezindleleni zakhe ezimbi, uzafela izono zakhe, kodwa wena uyabe uziphephisile.
20 Now if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. If you did not warn him, he will die in his sin, and the righteous acts he did will not be remembered. And I will hold you responsible for his blood.
Njalo nxa umuntu olungileyo eguquka ekulungeni kwakhe enze okubi, mina ngibeke isikhubekiso phambi kwakhe, uzakufa. Njengoba nxa wena ungamxwayisanga, uzafela izono zakhe. Izinto ezilungileyo azenzayo kaziyikukhunjulwa, njalo wena ngizakubeka icala legazi lakhe.
21 But if you warn the righteous man not to sin, and he does not sin, he will indeed live because he heeded your warning, and you will have saved yourself.”
Kodwa nxa uxwayisa umuntu olungileyo ukuba angoni lakanye uyabe uziphephisile.”
22 And there the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He said to me, “Get up, go out to the plain, and there I will speak with you.”
Isandla sikaThixo sasiphezu kwami lapho, njalo wathi kimi, “Sukuma uye egcekeni ngizakhuluma lawe khona.”
23 So I got up and went out to the plain, and behold, the glory of the LORD was present there, like the glory I had seen by the River Kebar, and I fell facedown.
Ngakho ngasukuma ngaya egcekeni. Inkazimulo kaThixo yayimi lapho, injengenkazimulo engangiyibone phansi koMfula uKhebhari, ngathi mbo phansi ngobuso.
24 Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet. He spoke with me and said, “Go, shut yourself inside your house.
Lapho-ke uMoya wangena kimi wangimisa ngezinyawo zami. Wakhuluma wathi kimi, “Hamba uyezivalela endlini yakho.
25 And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes, and you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people.
Njalo, wena ndodana yomuntu, bazakubopha ngemichilo; uzabotshwa ukuze ungayi phandle ebantwini.
26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, and you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house.
Ngizakwenza ulimi lwakho lunamathele elwangeni lomlomo wakho ukuze uthule unganelisi ukubakhuza lanxa beyindlu ehlamukayo.
27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you are to tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’ Whoever listens, let him listen; and whoever refuses, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.
Kodwa nxa sengikhuluma lawe ngizavula umlomo wakho, njalo uzakuthi kubo, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi.’ Loba ngubani ozalalela myekele alalele, njalo loba ngubani ozakwala myekele ale; ngoba bayindlu ehlamukayo.”
