UHezekheli 22
1 Ilizwi likaThixo lafika kimi lisithi:
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2 “Ndodana yomuntu, uzalahlulela na? Uzalahlulela na lelidolobho lokuchithwa kwegazi? Ngakho melana lalo kanye lezono zalo ezenyanyekayo
“As for you, son of man, will you judge her? Will you pass judgment on the city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her abominations
3 uthi: Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Wena dolobho elizilethela ukutshabalala ngokuchitha igazi phakathi kwakho njalo uzingcolisa ngokwenza izithombe,
and tell her that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘O city who brings her own doom by shedding blood within her walls and making idols to defile herself,
4 usube lecala ngenxa yegazi olichithileyo njalo usungcoliswe yizithombe ozenzileyo. Usulethe insuku zakho ekupheleni, lesiphetho seminyaka yakho sesifikile. Ngakho ngizakwenza ube yinto yokuklolodelwa ezizweni lenhlekisa emazweni wonke.
you are guilty of the blood you have shed, and you are defiled by the idols you have made. You have brought your days to a close and have come to the end of your years. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations and a mockery to all the lands.
5 Labo abaseduze kanye lalabo abakhatshana bazakuhoza, wena dolobho elidumazekileyo, eligcwele ukuxokozela.
Those near and far will mock you, O infamous city, full of turmoil.
6 ‘Khangela ubone ukuthi yileyo laleyo inkosana yako-Israyeli ephakathi kwakho isebenzisa amandla ayo ekuchitheni igazi.
See how every prince of Israel within you has used his power to shed blood.
7 Phakathi kwakho iphathe uyise lonina ngokweyisa; phakathi kwakho incindezele abezizweni, njalo yaphatha kubi izintandane labafelokazi.
Father and mother are treated with contempt. Within your walls the foreign resident is exploited, the fatherless and the widow are oppressed.
8 Uzeyisile izinto zami ezingcwele watshaphaza lamaSabatha ami.
You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths.
9 Phakathi kwakho kulabantu abahlebayo, abahlose ukuchitha igazi; phakathi kwakho kulalabo abadlela ezindaweni zokukhonzela entabeni benze lezenzo zesigweba.
Among you are slanderous men bent on bloodshed; within you are those who eat on the mountain shrines and commit acts of indecency.
10 Phakathi kwakho kulalabo abangcolisa imibheda yaboyise; phakathi kwakho kulalabo abadlwengula abesifazane besesikhathini sabo, lapho bengahlanzekanga ngokomkhuba.
In you they have uncovered the nakedness of their fathers; in you they violate women during their menstrual impurity.
11 Phakathi kwakho indoda yenza ukona okwenyanyekayo lomfazi kamakhelwane wayo, enye ingcolise umalukazana wayo ngendlela ehlazisayo; enye njalo idlwengula udadewabo, indodakazi kayise uqobo.
One man commits an abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another wickedly defiles his daughter-in-law; and yet another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter.
12 Phakathi kwakho abantu bayavuma ukuthengwa ukuba bachithe igazi; uthatha inzuzo lomvuzo odlulisileyo emalini ebolekisiweyo, uthole inzuzo engafanelanga kumakhelwane wakho umbamba ngamandla. Njalo usungikhohliwe, kutsho uThixo Wobukhosi.
In you they take bribes to shed blood. You engage in usury, take excess interest, and extort your neighbors. But Me you have forgotten, declares the Lord GOD.
13 Ngeqiniso ngizatshaya izandla zami ngibabaza inzuzo engafanelanga osuyenzile kanye legazi osulichithe phakathi kwakho.
Now look, I strike My hands together against your unjust gain and against the blood you have shed in your midst.
14 Isibindi sakho sizaqinisela yini loba izandla zakho ziqine ngosuku ngiqondana lawe na? Mina Thixo sengikhulumile, njalo ngizakwenza lokho.
Will your courage endure or your hands be strong in the day I deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will act.
15 Ngizakuhlakazela phakathi kwezizwe ngikuchithachithele emazweni; lokungcola kwakho ngizakuqeda.
I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you throughout the lands; I will purge your uncleanness.
16 Lapho usungcolisiwe phambi kwezizwe, uzakwazi ukuthi mina nginguThixo.’”
And when you have defiled yourself in the eyes of the nations, then you will know that I am the LORD.’”
17 Ilizwi likaThixo laselifika kimi lisithi:
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
18 “Ndodana yomuntu, indlu ka-Israyeli isibe ngamanyala kimi. Bonke balithusi, lomnuso, lensimbi kanye lomthofi okusele phakathi kwemvutho. Kungamanyele esiliva.
“Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me. All of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace; they are but the dross of silver.
19 Ngakho nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: ‘Ngoba lonke selibe ngamanyele, ngizaliqoqela eJerusalema.
Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because all of you have become dross, behold, I will gather you into Jerusalem.
20 Njengabantu beqoqela isiliva, lethusi, lensimbi, lomthofi kanye lomnuso emvuthweni ukuba kuncibilikiswe ngomfutho womlilo, ngizaliqoqa kanjalo ngokuthukuthela kwami langolaka lwami ngilibeke phakathi kwedolobho ngilincibilikise.
Just as one gathers silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace to melt with a fiery blast, so I will gather you in My anger and wrath, leave you there, and melt you.
21 Ngizaliqoqa njalo ngizalivuthela ngolaka lwami oluvuthayo, njalo lizancibilikiswa phakathi kwalo.
Yes, I will gather you together and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you will be melted within the city.
22 Njengesiliva sincibilikiselwa phakathi kwemvutho, kanjalo lani lizancibilikiselwa phakathi kwalo, njalo lizakwazi ukuthi mina Thixo sengithululele ulaka lwami phezu kwenu.’”
As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted within the city. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have poured out My wrath upon you.’”
23 Ilizwi likaThixo lafika futhi kimi lisithi:
And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
24 “Ndodana yomuntu, tshono elizweni uthi, ‘Uyilizwe elingazange libe lezulu kumbe imikhizo ngosuku lwentukuthelo.’
“Son of man, say to her, ‘In the day of indignation, you are a land that has not been cleansed, upon which no rain has fallen.’
25 Kulokucetshwa kwamacebo amabi ngamakhosana alo phakathi kwalo njengesilwane esibhongayo sidlithiza esikubuleleyo; adla abantu, athathe inotho kanye lezinto eziligugu, andise labafelokazi phakathi kwalo.
The conspiracy of the princes in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing its prey. They devour the people, seize the treasures and precious things, and multiply the widows within her.
26 Abaphristi balo bephula umthetho wami njalo bahlambaza lezinto zami ezingcwele; kabehlukanisi phakathi kokungcwele okujayelekileyo; bafundisa besithi akulamehluko phakathi kokungcolileyo lokungangcolanga; njalo bavala amehlo abo ekugcineni amaSabatha ami, okwenza ngithukwe phakathi kwabo.
Her priests do violence to My law and profane My holy things. They make no distinction between the holy and the common, and they fail to distinguish between the clean and the unclean. They disregard My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.
27 Izikhulu zalo phakathi kwalo zinjengezimpisi zidlithiza ezikubuleleyo; zichitha igazi zibulale labantu ukuba zithole inzuzo engafanelanga.
Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives for dishonest gain.
28 Abaphrofethi balo bacomba izenzo zazo ngemibono yamanga lokuhlahlula okungamanga. Bathi, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi’ kodwa uThixo engakhulumanga.
Her prophets whitewash these deeds by false visions and lying divinations, saying, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,’ when the LORD has not spoken.
29 Abantu belizwe benza imisebenzi yokuqilibezela lokuphanga abanye; bancindezela abayanga labaswelayo, baphathe kubi labezizweni, babenqabele ukulunga.
The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy and have exploited the foreign resident without justice.
30 Ngadinga umuntu phakathi kwabo owayengakha umduli ame phambi kwami esikhaleni emele ilizwe ukuze ngingalitshabalalisi, kodwa ngamswela.
I searched for a man among them to repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, so that I should not destroy it. But I found no one.
31 Ngakho ngizathululela ukuthukuthela kwami phezu kwabo ngibaqede ngolaka lwami oluvuthayo, ngikwehlisele phezu kwamakhanda abo bonke abakwenzayo, kutsho uThixo Wobukhosi.”
So I have poured out My indignation upon them and consumed them with the fire of My fury. I have brought their ways down upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD.”
