UHezekheli 29
1 Ngomnyaka wetshumi, ngenyanga yetshumi ngosuku lwetshumi lambili, ilizwi likaThixo lafika kimi lisithi:
On the twelfth day of the tenth month of the tenth year, a message from the Lord came to me, saying,
2 “Ndodana yomuntu, khangelisa ubuso bakho kuFaro inkosi yaseGibhithe uphrofithe okubi ngaye langelizwe lonke laseGibhithe.
“Son of man, face towards Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and the whole of Egypt.
3 Khuluma laye uthi: ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Ngimelane lawe, Faro nkosi yaseGibhithe, wena silo esikhulu esilele phakathi kwezifula zaso. Uthi, “INayili ngeyakho; wazenzela yona.”
Tell him that this is what the Lord God says: Watch out, because I'm condemning you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, you great monster lying in your rivers, who says, ‘The Nile belongs to me; I made it myself.’
4 Kodwa ngizafaka iwuka emihlathini yakho nginamathisele inhlanzi zezifula zakho, emaxolweni akho. Ngizakukhuphela ngaphandle kwezifula zakho, lenhlanzi zonke zinamathele emaxolweni akho.
I'm going to put hooks in your jaws and make the fish in your river stick to your scales. I will pull you up out of your river, and all the fish will stick to your scales.
5 Ngizakutshiya enkangala, wena kanye lenhlanzi zonke zasezifuleni zakho. Uzawela egcekeni egangeni njalo ungabuthwa loba udojwe. Ngizakunikela njengokudla ezinyamazaneni zomhlaba lezinyoni zasemoyeni.
I will throw you and the fish away, leaving you in the desert. Your body will fall on the ground and be left in the open. It won't be collected or taken to be buried. I'll leave you as food for wild animals and birds of prey.
6 Lapho-ke bonke abahlala eGibhithe bazakwazi ukuthi mina nginguThixo. Ube uludondolo lomhlanga lwendlu ka-Israyeli.
Then everyone in Egypt will know that I am the Lord. When you had to deal with the people of Israel you were like a flimsy walking stick made from a reed.
7 Kwathi bekubamba ngezandla zabo, wacezuka waqhaqha amahlombe abo; kwathi lapho beseyama kuwe wephuka lamaqolo abo aqhuzuka.
When Israel grabbed hold of you, you split apart, damaging their shoulder. When they leaned on you, you broke, putting their backs out.
8 Ngakho-ke nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Ngizaletha inkemba imelane lawe ngibulale abantu bakho kanye lezifuyo zabo.
So this is what the Lord God says: I will attack you with a sword and kill both people and animals.
9 IGibhithe izakuba yinkangala echithekileyo. Lapho-ke bazakwazi ukuthi mina nginguThixo. Ngoba wathi, “INayili ngeyakho; nguwe owayenzayo,”
Egypt will become an empty wasteland. Then they will know that I am the Lord. Because you said, ‘The Nile belongs to me; I made it,’
10 ngakho ngimelana lawe kanye lezifula zakho, njalo ngizakwenza ilizwe laseGibhithe libe lunxiwa logwadule oluphundlekileyo kusukela eMigidoli kusiya e-Asiwani, kuze kuyefika emngceleni weKhushi.
that's why I'm condemning you and your river. I will ruin Egypt, making it into an empty wasteland all the way from Migdol in the north to Syene in the south, and up to the border with Cush.
11 Akulanyawo lomuntu loba olwenyamazana oluzadabula phakathi kwalo; akulamuntu ozahlala khona okweminyaka engamatshumi amane.
No one, human or animal, will travel that way or live there for forty years.
12 Ngizakwenza ilizwe laseGibhithe libe ngeliphundlekileyo phakathi kwamazwe achithekileyo, njalo amadolobho alo azaphundleka okweminyaka engamatshumi amane phakathi kwamadolobho angamanxiwa. AmaGibhithe ngizawachithela phakathi kwezizwe ngiwahlakazele emazweni.
I will make Egypt more of a wasteland than any other country, and its towns will lie in ruins for forty years among all the other ruined towns. I will scatter the Egyptians among the different nations and countries.
13 Kodwa nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Ekupheleni kweminyaka engamatshumi amane ngizaqoqa amaGibhithe ezizweni ayehlakazelwe kuzo.
However, this is what the Lord God says: After forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the different countries where they were scattered.
14 Ngizawabuyisela evela ekuthunjweni yiGibhithe, ePhathrosi, ilizwe labokhokho babo. Lapho bazakuba ngumbuso omncane.
I will bring Egypt out of captivity and take them back to the land of Pathros, where they originally came from. Their kingdom will be insignificant.
15 Uzakuba ngumbuso omncane kakhulu emibusweni njalo kawuyikuziphakamisela phezulu kwezinye izizwe futhi. Ngizawenza ungabi lamandla ukuze ungabusi izizwe futhi.
Egypt will be the lowest of kingdoms and won't ever be more important than other nations again. I will bring Egypt down so that it won't ever be able to rule over the nations again.
16 IGibhithe kaliyikuba ngumthombo wethemba futhi wabantu bako-Israyeli kodwa lizakuba yisikhumbuzo sesono sabo sokuyafuna usizo kulo. Lapho-ke bazakwazi ukuthi mina nginguThixo Wobukhosi.’”
The people of Israel won't ever trust in Egypt again; instead they will be reminded them of their sin when they turned to the Egyptians for help. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.”
17 Ngomnyaka wamatshumi amabili lesikhombisa, ngenyanga yakuqala ngelanga lakuqala, ilizwi likaThixo lafika kimi lisithi:
On the first day of the first month of the twenty-seventh year, a message from the Lord came to me, saying,
18 “Ndodana yomuntu, uNebhukhadineza inkosi yaseBhabhiloni waqhuba ibutho lakhe ukuyakulwa impi enzima leThire, amakhanda wonke aphuculwa aphuceka, lamahlombe wonke aba buhlungu. Ikanti yena lebutho lakhe kabatholanga mvuzo empini ayikhokhela ekuhlaseleni iThire.
“Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army work really hard in the siege against Tyre. The soldiers had their hair worn off their heads, and their shoulders rubbed raw. However, he and his army didn't gain any benefit from Tyre for all the work they did in attacking it.
19 Ngakho nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: IGibhithe ngizalinikela kuNebhukhadineza inkosi yaseBhabhiloni, njalo uzathumba inotho yalo. Uzaliphundla aliphange ilizwe njengeholo lebutho lakhe.
So this is what the Lord God says: I'm going to give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon who will seize everything valuable. He will loot the country, robbing it to pay his army.
20 Ngimnike iGibhithe njengomvuzo wemizamo yakhe ngoba yena lebutho lakhe lokho bakwenzela mina, kutsho uThixo Wobukhosi.
I'm rewarding him for all his work by giving him Egypt because the work they did was for me, declares the Lord God.
21 Ngalolosuku ngizakwenza uphondo lukhulele indlu ka-Israyeli, njalo ngizavula umlomo wakho phakathi kwabo. Lapho-ke bazakwazi ukuthi mina nginguThixo.”
At that time I will give power back to the people of Israel and I will help you speak to them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
