< Ezekiel 21 >

1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi lisithi:
2 Son of man, let your face be turned to Jerusalem, let your words be dropped in the direction of her holy place, and be a prophet against the land of Israel;
Ndodana yomuntu, misa ubuso bakho ngaseJerusalema, utshumayele ngasezindaweni ezingcwele, uprofethe umelane lelizwe lakoIsrayeli;
3 And say to the land of Israel, These are the words of the Lord: See, I am against you, and I will take my sword out of its cover, cutting off from you the upright and the evil.
uthi elizweni lakoIsrayeli: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Khangela, ngimelene lawe, njalo ngizahwatsha inkemba yami esikhwameni sayo, ngiqume ngisuse kuwe olungileyo lomubi.
4 Because I am going to have the upright and the evil cut off from you, for this cause my sword will go out from its cover against all flesh from the south to the north:
Ngenxa yokuthi ngizaquma ngisuse kuwe olungileyo lomubi, ngakho inkemba yami izaphuma esikhwameni sayo iye kuyo yonke inyama, kusukela eningizimu kuze kube senyakatho;
5 And all flesh will see that I the Lord have taken my sword out of its cover: and it will never go back.
ukuthi yonke inyama ikwazi ukuthi mina Nkosi ngiyihwatshile inkemba yami esikhwameni sayo; kayisayikubuyela futhi.
6 Make sounds of grief, son of man; with body bent and a bitter heart make sounds of grief before their eyes.
Wena-ke, ndodana yomuntu, bubula ngokudabuka kokhalo, langokubaba ububule phambi kwamehlo abo.
7 And when they say to you, Why are you making sounds of grief? then say, Because of the news, for it is coming: and every heart will become soft, and all hands will be feeble, and every spirit will be burning low, and all knees will be turned to water: see, it is coming and it will be done, says the Lord.
Kuzakuthi-ke nxa besithi kuwe: Wena ububulelani? uzaphendula: Ngenxa yombiko; ngoba uyeza; layo yonke inhliziyo izancibilika, lazo zonke izandla zizakuba buthakathaka, lawo wonke umoya udangale, lawo wonke amadolo ageleze njengamanzi. Khangela kuyeza, kuzakwenzeka, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
8 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi lisithi:
9 Son of man, say as a prophet, These are the words of the Lord: Say, A sword, a sword which has been made sharp and polished:
Ndodana yomuntu, profetha uthi: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Wothi: Inkemba, inkemba iloliwe, futhi ilolongiwe.
10 It has been made sharp to give death; it is polished so that it may be like a thunder-flame: ...
Ilolelwe ukuthi ibulale lokubulala, yalolongelwa ukuthi ibe lokuphazima; sizathokoza yini? Iyintonga yendodana yami, idelela sonke isigodo.
11 And I have given it to the polisher so that it may be taken in the hand: he has made the sword sharp, he has had it polished, to put it into the hand of him who gives death.
Njalo uyinikele ukuthi ilolongwe ukuze iphathwe ngesandla; le inkemba iyalolwa njalo yona ilolongelwe ukuyinikela esandleni sombulali.
12 Give loud cries and make sounds of grief, O son of man: for it has come on my people, it has come on all the rulers of Israel: fear of the sword has come on my people: for this cause give signs of grief.
Khala, uqhinqe isililo, ndodana yomuntu, ngoba yona izakuba phezu kwabantu bami, izakuba phezu kwazo zonke iziphathamandla zakoIsrayeli; zizaphoselwa enkembeni kanye labantu bami; ngakho, tshaya ethangazini lakho.
Ngoba kuyikuhlolwa, pho, kuzakuba njani nxa intonga idelela? Kakuyikuba khona, kutsho iNkosi uJehova.
14 So then, son of man, be a prophet, and put your hands together with a loud sound, and give two blows with the sword, and even three; it is the sword of those who are wounded, even the sword of the wounded; the great sword which goes round about them.
Ngakho wena, ndodana yomuntu, profetha, utshaye isandla esandleni, lenkemba kayiphindwe okwesithathu; yinkemba yababuleweyo, yinkemba yabakhulu ababuleweyo, ebahanqayo.
15 In order that hearts may become soft, and the number of those who are falling may be increased, I have sent death by the sword against all their doors: you are made like a flame, you are polished for death.
Ngimise umcijo wenkemba umelene lamasango abo wonke, ukuze inhliziyo incibilike lezikhubekiso zande. Hawu! Yenziwe ukuthi iphazime, ilolongwe ukuthi ibulale.
16 Be pointed to the right, to the left, wherever your edge is ordered.
Hamba ngendlela enye kumbe ngenye, ngakwesokunene, umise ngakwesokhohlo, lapho ubuso bakho obumiswe khona.
17 And I will put my hands together with a loud sound, and I will let my wrath have rest: I the Lord have said it.
Lami-ke ngizatshaya isandla sami esandleni sami, ngiphumuze intukuthelo yami. Mina Nkosi ngikhulumile.
18 And the word of the Lord came to me again, saying,
Ilizwi leNkosi lafika kimi futhi lisithi:
19 And you, son of man, have two ways marked out, so that the sword of the king of Babylon may come; let the two of them come out of one land: and let there be a pillar at the top of the road:
Wena-ke, ndodana yomuntu, zimisele izindlela ezimbili, ukuze inkemba yenkosi yeBhabhiloni ibuye; elizweni linye zizaphuma zombili; njalo khetha indawo, uyikhethe enhlokweni yendlela yomuzi.
20 Put a pillar at the top of the road for the sword to come to Rabbah in the land of the children of Ammon, and to Judah and to Jerusalem in the middle of her.
Misa indlela, ukuze inkemba ize eRabathi yabantwana bakoAmoni, lakoJuda eJerusalema ebiyelweyo.
21 For the king of Babylon took his place at the parting of the ways, at the top of the two roads, to make use of secret arts: shaking the arrows this way and that, he put questions to the images of his gods, he took note of the inner parts of dead beasts.
Ngoba inkosi yeBhabhiloni yema kunina wendlela, enhlokweni yezindlela ezimbili, ukuze ivumise ukuvumisa; ikhuhluze imitshoko, ibuze izithombe, ikhangele esibindini.
22 At his right hand was the fate of Jerusalem, to give orders for destruction, to send up the war-cry, to put engines of war against the doors, lifting up earthworks, building walls.
Esandleni sakhe sokunene kwakulokuvumisa ngeJerusalema, ukumisa izinqama zokudiliza, ukuvula umlomo ekubulaleni, ukuphakamisa ilizwi ngokumemeza, ukumisa izinqama zokudiliza imelene lamasango, ukubuthelela idundulu, ukwakha umduli wokuvimbezela.
23 And this answer given by secret arts will seem false to those who have given their oaths and have let them be broken: but he will keep the memory of evil-doing so that they may be taken.
Njalo kuzakuba kubo njengokuvumisa kwamanga emehlweni abo, kubo abafunge izifungo; kodwa izakhumbula isiphambeko, ukuze babanjwe.
24 For this cause the Lord has said: Because you have made your evil-doing come to mind by the uncovering of your wrongdoing, causing your sins to be seen in all your evil-doings; because you have come to mind, you will be taken in them.
Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Ngoba lenze ububi benu bukhunjulwe, ngokwembulwa kweziphambeko zenu, kuze kuthi izono zenu zibonakale kuzo zonke izenzo zenu, ngoba likhunjulwe, lizabanjwa ngesandla.
25 And you, O evil one, wounded to death, O ruler of Israel, whose day has come in the time of the last punishment;
Wena-ke, siphathamandla esingcolileyo esikhohlakeleyo sakoIsrayeli, osuku lwaso selufikile, ngesikhathi sobubi bokucina,
26 This is what the Lord has said: Take away the holy head-dress, take off the crown: this will not be again: let that which is low be lifted up, and that which is high be made low.
itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Susa iqhiye, wethule umqhele; lokhu kakuyikuba yikho; phakamisa ophansi, wehlisele phansi ophakemeyo.
27 I will let it be overturned, overturned, overturned: this will not be again till he comes whose right it is; and I will give it to him.
Ngizakwenza kube lunxiwa, unxiwa, unxiwa; lokhu kungabi kusaba khona, kuze kufike lowo olelungelo, ngimnike khona.
28 And you, son of man, say as a prophet, This is what the Lord has said about the children of Ammon and about their shame: Say, A sword, even a sword let loose, polished for death, to make it shining so that it may be like a flame:
Wena-ke, ndodana yomuntu, profetha uthi: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova ngabantwana bakoAmoni, lamayelana lehlazo labo; wothi: Inkemba, inkemba ihwatshiwe, ilolongelwe ukubulala, ukuze iqede, ukuze iphazime.
29 Your vision is to no purpose, your use of secret arts gives a false answer, to put it on the necks of evil-doers who are wounded to death, whose day has come, in the time of the last punishment.
Besakubonela okuyize, besakuvumisela amanga, ukuthi bakubeke ezintanyeni zababuleweyo babakhohlakeleyo, abasuku lwabo selufikile ngesikhathi sesiphambeko sokucina.
30 Go back into your cover. In the place where you were made, in the land from which you were taken, I will be your judge.
Buyisela inkemba esikhwameni sayo. Ngizakwahlulela endaweni owadalelwa kuyo, elizweni lomdabuko wakho.
31 And I will let loose my burning passion on you, breathing out on you the fire of my wrath: and I will give you up into the hands of men like beasts, trained to destruction.
Njalo ngizathululela intukuthelo yami phezu kwakho; ngivuthele ngimelene lawe ngomlilo wolaka lwami; ngikunikele esandleni sabantu abalolunya, abayizingcwethi zokuchitha.
32 You will be food for the fire; your blood will be drained out in the land; there will be no more memory of you: for I the Lord have said it.
Uzakuba yikudla komlilo; igazi lakho libe phakathi kwelizwe; kawuyikukhunjulwa; ngoba mina Nkosi ngikhulumile.

< Ezekiel 21 >