Ezekiel 21
1 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
Ilizwi likaThixo lafika kimi lisithi:
2 Son of man, set thy face against Jerusalem, and drop [words] against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel,
“Ndodana yomuntu, khangelisa ubuso bakho eJerusalema utshumayele okubi ngendawo engcwele. Phrofetha okubi ngelizwe lako-Israyeli
3 and say to the land of Israel, Thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, and I will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.
uthi kulo: ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Ngixabane lani. Ngizahwatsha inkemba yami emxhakeni wayo ngisuse kuwe abalungileyo lababi.
4 Seeing that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh, from the south to the north;
Ngoba ngizasusa abalungileyo lababi, inkemba yami izahwatshelwa ukumelana labo bonke abavela eningizimu kanye lasenyakatho.
5 and all flesh shall know that I Jehovah have drawn forth my sword out of its sheath: it shall not return any more.
Lapho-ke abantu bonke bazakwazi ukuthi mina nginguThixo sengihwatshe inkemba yami emxhakeni wayo, kayiyikubuyela futhi.’
6 Sigh then, thou son of man; with breaking of the loins, and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.
Ngakho-ke bubula ndodana yomuntu! Bubula phambi kwabo ngenhliziyo edabukileyo kanye losizi olukhulu.
7 And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore dost thou sigh? that thou shalt say, Because of the tidings, for it cometh; and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall languish, and all knees shall melt into water: behold, it cometh; it is here, saith the Lord Jehovah.
Nxa bekubuza besithi, ‘Kungani na ububula?’ uzakuthi, ‘Ngenxa yezindaba ezifikayo. Zonke inhliziyo zizenyela lezandla zonke zibe buthakathaka, imimoya yonke izaphela amandla lamadolo wonke abe buthakathaka njengamanzi.’ Kuyeza! Ngempela kuzakwenzakala, kutsho uThixo Wobukhosi.”
8 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
Ilizwi likaThixo lafika kimi lisithi:
9 Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith Jehovah: Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished.
“Ndodana yomuntu, phrofetha uthi, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo: Umhedla, umhedla, ilolwe njalo yalolongwa,
10 It is sharpened for sore slaughter, it is furbished that it may glitter. Shall we then make mirth, [saying, ] The sceptre of my son contemneth all wood?
Ilolelwe ukubulala, ilolongelwe ukuphazima njengombane. Kambe sizathokoza na ngentonga yobukhosi yendodana yami uJuda? Inkemba iyazeyisa zonke izigodo ezinjalo.
11 And he hath given it to be furbished that it may be handled. The sword, — it is sharpened, and it is furbished to give it into the hand of the slayer.
Inkemba ibekelwe ukuba ilolongwe, ukuba iphathwe ngesandla; iyalolwa ilolongwe, yenziwe ilungele isandla sombulali.
12 Cry and howl, son of man; for it shall be against my people, it shall be against all the princes of Israel: they are given up to the sword along with my people: smite therefore upon the thigh.
Hlaba umkhosi ulile, ndodana yomuntu, ngoba imelane labantu bami; imelane lamakhosana wonke ako-Israyeli. Aphoselwa kuyo inkemba ndawonye labantu bami. Ngakho-ke bamba isihlathi sakho.
13 For the trial [is made]; and what if even the contemning sceptre shall be no [more]? saith the Lord Jehovah.
Ukuhlolwa kuyeza impela. Njalo kuzakuba njani nxa intonga kaJuda yobukhosi, edelelwa yinkemba, ingasaqhubeki? kutsho uThixo Wobukhosi.’
14 And thou, son of man, prophesy, and smite thy hands together; for [the strokes of] the sword shall be doubled the third time: it is the sword of the slain, the sword that hath slain the great one, which encompasseth them privily.
Ngakho-ke, ndodana yomuntu, phrofetha uqakeze izandla zakho. Inkemba kayigadle kabili, lanxa kungaba kathathu. Yinkemba yokubulala, inkemba yokubulala kakhulu, ebahanqayo ivela macele wonke.
15 In order that the heart may melt, and the stumbling-blocks be multiplied, I have set the threatening sword against all their gates: ah! it is made glittering, it is whetted for the slaughter.
Ukuze inhliziyo zibe buthakathaka labawileyo babebanengi, sengibeke inkemba yokubulala kuwo wonke amasango abo. Bheka! Yenzelwe ukuphazima njengombane, iphathelwe ukubulala.
16 Gather up [strength], go to the right hand, turn thee, go to the left, whithersoever thy face is appointed.
Wena nkemba, geca kwesokudla, uphinde kwesenxele, loba kungaphi ubukhali bakho obuphendukela khona.
17 And I myself will smite my hands together, and I will satisfy my fury: I Jehovah have spoken [it].
Lami futhi ngizaqakeza izandla zami, njalo ulaka lwami luzadeda. Mina Thixo sengikhulumile.”
18 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
Ilizwi likaThixo lafika kimi lisithi:
19 And thou, son of man, set thee two ways, by which the sword of the king of Babylon may come — out of one land shall they both come — and make thee a signpost, make it at the head of the way to the city.
“Ndodana yomuntu, canda imigwaqo emibili yenkemba yenkosi yaseBhabhiloni ukuba ihambe kuyo, yomibili iqalise elizweni linye. Yenza insika yesiqondiso lapho okuphambuka khona umgwaqo oya edolobheni.
20 Appoint a way for the coming of the sword to Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and to Judah at the fenced [city] of Jerusalem.
Canda omunye umgwaqo wenkemba ukuba izemelana leRabha yama-Amoni, lomunye ukumelana loJuda kanye leJerusalema elivikelweyo.
21 For the king of Babylon standeth at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he shaketh [his] arrows, he inquireth of the teraphim, he looketh in the liver.
Ngoba inkosi yaseBhabhiloni izakuma lapho imigwaqo eyehlukana khona, lapho okuhlangana khona imigwaqo emibili, ukuba ifune ibika: Izaphosa inkatho ngemitshoko, izabuza izithombe zayo, izahlola isibindi.
22 In his right hand is the lot of Jerusalem to appoint battering-rams, to open the mouth for bloodshed, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint battering-rams against the gates, to cast mounds, to build siege-towers.
Esandleni sayo sokudla kuzakuza inkatho yeJerusalema, lapho ezamisa khona imigqala yokudiliza, lokunika umlayo wokubulala, lokuhlaba umkhosi wempi, lokumisa imigqala yokudiliza amasango, lokwakha amadundulu kanye lokumisa izindawo zokuvimbezela.
23 And this shall be a false divination in their sight, for them that have sworn oaths; but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.
Kuzakhanya angathi libika amanga kulabo asebefungele ukuthobeka kuyo, kodwa yona izabakhumbuza icala labo ibathumbe.
24 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because ye make your iniquity to be remembered in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins appear; because ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand.
Ngakho nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: ‘Njengoba lina bantu lingikhumbuze icala lenu ngokuhlamuka kwenu okusobala, libonakalisa izono zenu kukho konke elikwenzayo njengoba lenze lokhu, lizathunjwa.
25 And thou, profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, at the time of the iniquity of the end,
Wena nkosana yako-Israyeli exhwalileyo njalo embi, usuku lwakho selufikile, lesikhathi sokujeziswa kwakho sesifike emaphethelweni,
26 — thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Remove the mitre and take off the crown; what is shall be no [more]. Exalt that which is low, and abase that which is high.
nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Khupha iqhiye, yethula umqhele. Akuyikuba njengoba kwakunjalo: Abaphansi bazaphakanyiswa kuthi abaphakemeyo behliselwe phansi.
27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn it! This also shall be no [more], until he come whose right it is; and I will give it [to him].
Unxiwa! Unxiwa! Ngizawenza ube lunxiwa! Kawuyikubuyiselwa kuze kufike lowo ongowakhe ngokuqondileyo, onguye engizamnika wona.’
28 And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus speaketh the Lord Jehovah concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and thou shalt say, A sword, a sword is drawn; for the slaughter is it furbished, that it may consume, that it may glitter:
Njalo wena, ndodana yomuntu, phrofetha uthi, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi ngama-Amoni kanye lezithuko zawo: Inkemba, inkemba, ihwatshelwe ukubulala, ilolongelwe ukuqothula lokuphazima njengombane!
29 whilst they see vanity for thee, whilst they divine a lie unto thee, to lay thee upon the necks of the wicked that are slain, whose day is come at the time of the iniquity of the end.
Langaphezu kwemibono yamanga ngawe, lokuhlahlula okungamanga ngawe, izabekwa entanyeni zababi okumele babulawe, abasuku lwabo selufikile, abasikhathi sokujeziswa kwabo sesifike emaphethelweni aso.
30 Restore [it] to its sheath. I will judge thee in the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy birth.
Buyisela inkemba emxhakeni wayo. Endaweni owadalelwa kuyo, elizweni labokhokho bakho, ngizakwahlulela khona.
31 And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow upon thee the fire of my wrath, and give thee into the hand of brutish men, skilful to destroy.
Ngizathululela ulaka lwami phezu kwakho ngiphefumlele lentukuthelo yami etshisayo kuwe; ngizakunikela ebantwini abalesihluku, abantu abakwaziyo ukuqothula.
32 Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt not be remembered: for I Jehovah have spoken.
Uzakuba zinkuni zomlilo, igazi lakho lizachithelwa elizweni lakini, kawuyikukhunjulwa futhi; ngoba mina Thixo sengikhulumile.’”
