Ezekiel 37
1 One day Yahweh gave me another vision. In the vision I felt the power [MTY] of God on me, and by his Spirit he took me to the middle of a valley. It was full of bones [of people who had been killed].
Isandla sikaThixo sasiphezu kwami, njalo wangikhuphela phandle ngoMoya kaThixo wangibeka phakathi kwesigodi; sasigcwele amathambo.
2 He led me to walk back and forth among those bones. I saw that there were very many bones there, bones that were very dry.
Wangisa emuva laphambili phakathi kwawo, njalo ngabona amathambo amanengi kakhulu phansi esigodini, amathambo ome kakhulu.
3 He asked me, “You human, [do you think that] these bones can become living [people again]?” I replied, “Yahweh my Lord, only you know [if that can happen].”
Wangibuza wathi, “Ndodana yomuntu, kambe amathambo la angaphila na?” Mina ngathi, “Awu Thixo Wobukhosi, wena kuphela nguwe owaziyo.”
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones. Say to them, ‘You dry bones, listen to what Yahweh says.
Wasesithi kimi, “Phrofetha emathanjeni la uthi kuwo, ‘Mathambo omileyo, zwanini ilizwi likaThixo!
5 This is what Yahweh the Lord says to you bones: I will put my breath into each of you, and you will become alive again.
Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi emathanjeni la: Ngizakwenza umoya ungene phakathi kwenu, njalo lizakuba lokuphila.
6 I will fasten tendons to your bones, and cause your bones to be covered with flesh. I will cover the flesh with skin. Then I will breathe into you, and you will become alive. When that happens, you will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].’”
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 So I spoke to the bones what Yahweh commanded me to speak. As I was speaking, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bones joining to each other.
Ngakho ngaphrofitha njengokulaywa kwami. Kwathi ngisaphrofitha, kwaba lomsindo, umsindo okhehlezelayo, njalo amathambo aqoqana ndawonye, ithambo ethanjeni.
8 While I was looking, I saw tendons fastening to them and flesh covering them, and then skin covered the flesh, but they did not breathe.
Ngakhangela, imisipha lenyama kwavela phezu kwawo kwathi ijwabu lawembesa, kodwa kwakungelamoya phakathi kwawo.
9 Then he said to me, “You human, prophesy to the wind. Say to the wind, ‘Wind [APO], Yahweh says to you, blow from all four directions. Breathe into these people who have been killed, in order that they can become alive again!’”
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 So I said what he commanded me to say, and then breath entered them. They became alive and stood up, like a huge army.
Ngakho ngaphrofitha njengokungilaya kwakhe, umoya wasungena kuwo; aba lokuphila njalo ema ngenyawo zawo, kulixuku elikhulukazi.
11 Then he said to me, “You human, these bones represent all the Israeli people [MTY]. The people say, ‘[It is as though] our bones are dried up; there are no more good things that we can (hope for/confidently expect to happen to us); our nation is destroyed/finished.’
Wasesithi kimi: “Ndodana yomuntu, amathambo la ayiyo yonke indlu ka-Israyeli. Bona bathi, ‘Amathambo ethu omile njalo ithemba lethu selitshabalele; sesihunundiwe.’
12 So prophesy and say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: My people, [it will be as though] I will open your graves and cause your corpses to become alive again. I will bring you back to Israel.
Ngakho phrofetha uthi kubo: ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Awu bantu bami, ngizavula amangcwaba enu ngilivuse kuwo; ngizalibuyisela elizweni lako-Israyeli.
13 Then, what that happens, you my people will know that I, Yahweh the Lord, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].
Lapho-ke, lina bantu bami, lizakwazi ukuthi mina nginguThixo, lapho sengivula amangcwaba enu ngilivusa kuwo.
14 I will put my Spirit in you, and [it will be as though] you will become alive again, and I will enable you to live in your own land again. Then you will know that it is I, Yahweh, who said [that it would happen] and who has caused it to happen. That is what I, Yahweh, declare.’”
Ngizafaka uMoya wami phakathi kwenu njalo lizaphila, futhi ngizalihlalisa elizweni lenu. Lapho-ke lizakwazi ukuthi mina Thixo sengikhulumile, njalo sengikwenzile lokho, kutsho uThixo.’”
15 Yahweh gave me [another] message. He said,
Ilizwi likaThixo lafika kimi lisithi:
16 “You human, take a piece of wood and write on it, ‘This represents Judah and all the tribes of Judah.’ Then take another piece of wood and write on it, ‘This represents Israel and all the tribes of Israel.’
“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 Then join them together to become [as though they were] one piece of wood in your hand.
Zihlanganise ndawonye zibe yiluthi olulodwa ukuze zibe luthilunye esandleni sakho.
18 When your fellow Israelis ask you, ‘What does (this action/what you just did) mean?’,
Lapho abantu bakini bekubuza besithi, ‘Kawuyikusitshela na ukuthi utshoni ngalokhu?’
19 tell them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: One of the pieces of wood in my hand represents Israel and all the tribes of Israel. I am joining it to the piece of wood that represents Judah, to form one piece of wood 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, [you human], hold up the pieces of wood that you have written on, in order that the people can see them.
Izinti olobe kuzo ziphathe phambi kwamehlo abo
21 Say to the people, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: I will take you Israeli people out of the countries to which you have been forced to go. I will gather you from all those nations and bring you back to your own land.
uthi kubo, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Ngizakhupha ama-Israyeli ezizweni aya kuzo. Ngizawaqoqa ezindaweni zonke ngiwabuyisele elizweni lawo.
22 And I will cause you to again be one nation in that land, on the mountains in Israel. And there will be one king to rule over all of you. Never again will you be two nations or divided 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 No longer will you (defile yourselves/make yourselves unacceptable to me) by [worshiping] idols and disgusting statues [of your gods], because I will enable you to quit your sinful behavior and to stop rejecting me. You will be my people, and I will be your 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 [Someone who will be like] [MET] [King] David who served [me well] will be the king [of your descendants], and [it will be as though] [MET] he will be their shepherd. They will carefully obey all my laws [DOU].
Inceku yami uDavida uzakuba yinkosi yabo, njalo bonke bazakuba lomelusi munye. Bazalandela imithetho yami njalo bananzelele ukugcina izimiso zami.
25 They will live in the land that I gave to Jacob, who also served [me well]; they will live in the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their grandchildren will live there forever, and [the one who will be like] [MET] [King] David will be their king forever.
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 I will make a peace agreement with them; it will be an agreement that will endure forever. I will again give them that land and cause their population to increase. And I will put my temple among them forever.
Ngizakwenza isivumelwano sokuthula labo; sizakuba yisivumelwano esingayikuphela.
27 The place where I will live will be among them; 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 Then, when my temple is forever there among them, the people of other nations will know that I, Yahweh, have caused the Israeli people to be set apart [to belong to me].’”
Lapho-ke izizwe zizakwazi ukuthi mina Thixo ngenza u-Israyeli abengcwele, nxa indlu yami engcwele iphakathi kwabo nini lanini.’”
