Ezekiel 37
1 The hand of the Lord was set upon me, and he led me away in the Spirit of the Lord, and he released me in the midst of a plain which was full of bones.
Isandla sikaThixo sasiphezu kwami, njalo wangikhuphela phandle ngoMoya kaThixo wangibeka phakathi kwesigodi; sasigcwele amathambo.
2 And he led me around, through them, on every side. Now they were very many upon the face of the plain, and they were exceedingly dry.
Wangisa emuva laphambili phakathi kwawo, njalo ngabona amathambo amanengi kakhulu phansi esigodini, amathambo ome kakhulu.
3 And he said to me, “Son of man, do you think that these bones will live?” And I said, “O Lord God, you know.”
Wangibuza wathi, “Ndodana yomuntu, kambe amathambo la angaphila na?” Mina ngathi, “Awu Thixo Wobukhosi, wena kuphela nguwe owaziyo.”
4 And he said to me, “Prophesy about these bones. And you shall say to them: Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord!
Wasesithi kimi, “Phrofetha emathanjeni la uthi kuwo, ‘Mathambo omileyo, zwanini ilizwi likaThixo!
5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will send spirit into you, and you shall live.
Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi emathanjeni la: Ngizakwenza umoya ungene phakathi kwenu, njalo lizakuba lokuphila.
6 And I will set sinews upon you, and I will cause flesh to grow over you, and I will extend skin over you. And I will give you spirit, and you shall live. And you shall know that I am the Lord.”
Ngizaxhuma imisipha kini ngenze inyama ihlume phezu kwenu njalo ngibeke ijwabu phezu kwenu; ngizafaka umoya phakathi kwenu, njalo lizakuba lokuphila. Lapho-ke lizakwazi ukuthi mina nginguThixo.’”
7 And I prophesied, just as he had instructed me. But a noise occurred, as I was prophesying, and behold: a commotion. And the bones joined together, each one at its joint.
Ngakho ngaphrofitha njengokulaywa kwami. Kwathi ngisaphrofitha, kwaba lomsindo, umsindo okhehlezelayo, njalo amathambo aqoqana ndawonye, ithambo ethanjeni.
8 And I saw, and behold: sinews and flesh rose up over them; and skin was extended over them. But they had no spirit within them.
Ngakhangela, imisipha lenyama kwavela phezu kwawo kwathi ijwabu lawembesa, kodwa kwakungelamoya phakathi kwawo.
9 And he said to me: “Prophesy to the spirit! Prophesy, O son of man, and you shall say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord God: Approach, O spirit, from the four winds, and blow across these ones who were slain, and revive them.”
Wasesithi kimi, “Phrofetha emoyeni, phrofetha, ndodana yomuntu, uthi kuwo, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Woza, wena moya, uvela ezindaweni zonke, uphefumulele kubo ababulawayo, ukuba baphile.’”
10 And I prophesied, just as he had instructed me. And spirit entered into them, and they lived. And they stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Ngakho ngaphrofitha njengokungilaya kwakhe, umoya wasungena kuwo; aba lokuphila njalo ema ngenyawo zawo, kulixuku elikhulukazi.
11 And he said to me: “Son of man: All these bones are the house of Israel. They say: ‘Our bones are dried out, and our hope has perished, and we have been cut off.’
Wasesithi kimi: “Ndodana yomuntu, amathambo la ayiyo yonke indlu ka-Israyeli. Bona bathi, ‘Amathambo ethu omile njalo ithemba lethu selitshabalele; sesihunundiwe.’
12 Because of this, prophesy, and you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your tombs, and I will lead you away from your sepulchers, O my people. And I will lead you into the land of Israel.
Ngakho phrofetha uthi kubo: ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Awu bantu bami, ngizavula amangcwaba enu ngilivuse kuwo; ngizalibuyisela elizweni lako-Israyeli.
13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I will have opened your sepulchers, and when I will have led you away from your tombs, O my people.
Lapho-ke, lina bantu bami, lizakwazi ukuthi mina nginguThixo, lapho sengivula amangcwaba enu ngilivusa kuwo.
14 And I will place my Spirit within you, and you shall live. And I will cause you to rest upon your own soil. And you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and acted, says the Lord God.”
Ngizafaka uMoya wami phakathi kwenu njalo lizaphila, futhi ngizalihlalisa elizweni lenu. Lapho-ke lizakwazi ukuthi mina Thixo sengikhulumile, njalo sengikwenzile lokho, kutsho uThixo.’”
15 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
Ilizwi likaThixo lafika kimi lisithi:
16 “And as for you, son of man, take up a piece of wood for yourself, and write upon it: ‘For Judah, and for the sons of Israel, his companions.’ And take up another piece of wood, and write upon it: ‘For Joseph, the wood of Ephraim, and for the entire house of Israel, and for his companions.’
“Ndodana yomuntu, thatha uluthi lwesigodo, ulobe kulo ukuthi, ‘NgolukaJuda labako-Israyeli amanyane laye.’ Emva kwalokho thatha olunye njalo uluthi lwesigodo, ulobe kulo ukuthi, ‘Uluthi luka-Efrayimi, olukaJosefa kanye lendlu yonke ka-Israyeli emanyene laye.’
17 And join these, one to the other, for yourself, as one piece of wood. And they will be united in your hand.
Zihlanganise ndawonye zibe yiluthi olulodwa ukuze zibe luthilunye esandleni sakho.
18 Then, when the sons of your people will speak to you, saying: ‘Will you not tell us what you intend by this?’
Lapho abantu bakini bekubuza besithi, ‘Kawuyikusitshela na ukuthi utshoni ngalokhu?’
19 you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take up the wood of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, which are joined to him, and I will put them together with the wood of Judah, and I will make them one piece of wood. And they will be one in his hand.
uthi kubo, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Ngizathatha uluthi lukaJosefa olusesandleni sika-Efrayimi lolwezizwana zako-Israyeli ezimanyene laye, ngiluhlanganise loluthi lukaJuda, ngizenze zibe yiluthi lunye lwesigodo, njalo zizakuba ngolulodwa esandleni sami.’
20 Then the pieces of wood, on which you have written, will be in your hand, before their eyes.
Izinti olobe kuzo ziphathe phambi kwamehlo abo
21 And you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take up the sons of Israel, from the midst of the nations to which they have gone, and I will gather them together on every side, and I will lead them onto their own soil.
uthi kubo, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Ngizakhupha ama-Israyeli ezizweni aya kuzo. Ngizawaqoqa ezindaweni zonke ngiwabuyisele elizweni lawo.
22 And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will be ruler over all. And they will no longer be two nations, nor will they be divided any more into two kingdoms.
Ngizawenza abe yisizwe sinye elizweni, phezu kwezintaba zako-Israyeli. Kuzakuba lenkosi eyodwa phezu kwabo bonke njalo akuyikuba lezizwe ezimbili futhi kumbe behlukaniswe ukuba yimibuso emibili.
23 And they will no longer be defiled by their idols, and by their abominations, and by all their iniquities. And I will save them, out of all the settlements in which they have sinned, and I will cleanse them. And they will be my people, and I will be their God.
Kabasayikuzingcolisa ngezithombe zabo langezifanekiso zabo ezenyanyekayo loba ngezinye zeziphambeko zabo, ngoba ngizabasindisa kukho konke ukuhlehlela kwabo emuva esonweni, njalo ngizabahlambulula. Bazakuba ngabantu bami, mina ngizakuba nguNkulunkulu wabo.
24 And my servant David shall be the king over them, and they shall have one shepherd. They shall walk in my judgments, and they shall keep my commandments, and they shall do them.
Inceku yami uDavida uzakuba yinkosi yabo, njalo bonke bazakuba lomelusi munye. Bazalandela imithetho yami njalo bananzelele ukugcina izimiso zami.
25 And they shall live upon the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, in which your fathers lived. And they shall live upon it, they and their sons, and the sons of their sons, even for all time. And David, my servant, shall be their leader, in perpetuity.
Bazahlala elizweni engalinika inceku yami uJakhobe, ilizwe lapho oyihlo ababehlala khona. Bona labantwana babo kanye labantwana babantwana babo bazahlala khona kokuphela, njalo uDavida inceku yami uzakuba yinkosana yabo kokuphela.
26 And I will strike a covenant of peace with them. This will be an everlasting covenant for them. And I will establish them, and multiply them. And I will set my sanctuary in their midst, unceasingly.
Ngizakwenza isivumelwano sokuthula labo; sizakuba yisivumelwano esingayikuphela.
27 And my tabernacle shall be among them. And I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Indawo yami yokuhlala izakuba kubo; ngizakuba nguNkulunkulu wabo, njalo bona bazakuba ngabantu bami.
28 And the Gentiles shall know that I am the Lord, the Sanctifier of Israel, when my sanctuary will be in their midst, forever.”
Lapho-ke izizwe zizakwazi ukuthi mina Thixo ngenza u-Israyeli abengcwele, nxa indlu yami engcwele iphakathi kwabo nini lanini.’”
