< UHezekheli 31 >
1 Ngomnyaka wetshumi lanye, ngenyanga yesithathu ngosuku lwakuqala, ilizwi likaThixo lafika kimi lisithi:
And it comes to pass, in the eleventh year, in the third [month], on the first of the month, a word of YHWH has been to me, saying,
2 “Ndodana yomuntu, tshono kuFaro inkosi yaseGibhithe lakumaxuku akhe uthi: ‘Ngubani ongalinganiswa lawe ngobucwazicwazi?
“Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude: To whom have you been like in your greatness?
3 Cabanga i-Asiriya, eyake yaba ngumsedari eLebhanoni, olamagatsha amahle embese ihlathi ngomthunzi; wawumude uphezulu le, isihloko sawo singaphezu kwamahlamvu avitshileyo.
Behold, Asshur, a cedar in Lebanon, Beautiful in branch, and shading bough, and high in stature, And its foliage has been between thickets.
4 Amanzi awondla, imithombo etshonayo yawenza wakhula waba mude; izifudlana zayo zageleza emaceleni esidindi sawo sonke, imisele yazo ayafika kuzozonke izihlahla zeganga.
Waters have made it great, The deep has exalted him with its flowings, Going around its planting, And it has sent forth its conduits to all trees of the field.
5 Wawuphakeme kanjalo umude kulazo zonke izihlahla zeganga; ingatsha zawo zanda, ingatsha zawo zakhula zaba zinde zendlalekile ngenxa yobunengi bamanzi.
Therefore his stature has been higher than all trees of the field, And his boughs are multiplied, and his branches are long, Because of many waters in his shooting forth.
6 Zonke izinyoni zasemoyeni zakhela izidleke zazo ezingatsheni zawo, zonke izinyamazana zeganga zazalela ngaphansi kwezingatsha zawo; zonke izizwe ezinkulu zahlala emthunzini wawo.
Every bird of the heavens has made a nest in his boughs, And every beast of the field has brought forth under his branches, And all great nations dwell in his shade.
7 Wawunkanyazela ngobuhle bawo, ngezingatsha zawo ezendlalekileyo, ngoba impande zawo zazitshona phansi emanzini amanengi.
And he is beautiful in his greatness, In the length of his thin shoots, For his root has been by great waters.
8 Imisedari esivandeni sikaNkulunkulu yayingeke ilingane lawo, kumbe izihlahla zemiphayini zibe lezingatsha ezingafana lezawo, akukho sihlahla esivandeni sikaNkulunkulu esasingaba sihle njengawo.
Cedars have not hid him in the garden of God, Firs have not been like to his boughs, And plane-trees have not been as his branches, No tree in the garden of God has been like to him in his beauty,
9 Ngawenza waba muhle ngezingatsha ezinengi, wahawukelwa yizihlahla zonke zase-Edeni esivandeni sikaNkulunkulu.
I have made him beautiful in the multitude of his thin shoots, And all trees of Eden that [are] in the garden of God envy him.
10 Ngakho-ke nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Ngoba wawumude uphezulu le, isihloko sawo siphakamele ngaphezu kwezingatsha ezivitshileyo, njalo ngenxa yokuthi wawuziqhenya ngobude bawo,
Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: Because that you have been high in stature, And he yields his foliage between thickets, And his heart is high in his haughtiness,
11 ngawunikela kumbusi wezizwe ukuba awuphathe ngokufanele ububi bawo. Ngawulahlela eceleni,
I give him into the hand of a god of nations, He deals severely with him, In his wickedness I have cast him out.
12 njalo isizwe sasezizweni esilesihluku kulazo zonke sawucakazela phansi sawutshiya. Ingatsha zawo zawela phezu kwezintaba lasezigodini zonke, amagatsha awo ephukela ezindongeni zonke zelizwe. Zonke izizwe zasemhlabeni zasuka emthunzini wawo zawutshiya.
And strangers cut him off, The terrible of nations, and they leave him, His thin shoots have fallen on the mountains and in all valleys, And his boughs are broken at all streams of the land, And all peoples of the land go down from his shade, and they leave him.
13 Zonke izinyoni zasemoyeni zahlala phezu kwesihlahla esiwileyo, lezinyamazana zonke zeganga zaziphakathi kwezingatsha zaso.
Every bird of the heavens dwells on his ruin, And all beasts of the field have been on his boughs,
14 Ngakho kazikho ezinye izihlahla ngasemanzini ezizaphakama ngokuziqhenya phezulu le, zifikise izihloko zazo ngaphezu kwezingatsha. Kazikho ezinye izihlahla ezizuza amanzi kuhle kanjalo ezizake zifike phezulu kangako; zonke zimiselwe ukufa, emhlabeni ongaphansi, phakathi kwabantu abafayo, kanye lalabo abehlela egodini.
In order that none of the trees of the waters May become haughty because of their stature, Nor give their foliage between thickets, Nor any drinking waters stand up to them in their haughtiness, For all of them are given up to death, To the lower earth, In the midst of the sons of men, To those going down to the pit.
15 Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Ngosuku owehliselwa ngalo engcwabeni, ngavala imithombo etshonayo ngokulilelwa kwawo, ngamisa izifudlana zawo, lamanzi awo amanengi avinjelwa. Ngenxa yawo ngembesa iLebhanoni ngomnyama, njalo zonke izihlahla zeganga zabuna. (Sheol )
Thus said Lord YHWH: I have caused mourning in the day of his going down to Sheol, I have covered the deep over him, and diminish its flowings, And many waters are restrained, And I make Lebanon black for him, And all trees of the field [have been] a covering for him. (Sheol )
16 Ngenza izizwe zathuthunyeliswa ngumdumo wokuwa kwawo lapha ngawehlisela phansi engcwabeni kanye lalabo abehlela phansi egodini. Lapho-ke zonke izihlahla zase-Edeni, ezikhethekileyo lezinhle kakhulu zaseLebhanoni, zonke izihlahla ezazithola amanzi kuhle, zaduduzeka ngaphansi komhlaba. (Sheol )
I have caused nations to shake at the sound of his fall, In My causing him to go down to Sheol, With those going down to the pit, And all trees of Eden are comforted in the lower earth, The choice and good of Lebanon—All drinking waters. (Sheol )
17 Labo ababehlala emthunzini wawo, ababevumelana lawo phakathi kwezizwe, basebehlele phansi engcwabeni kanye lawo, bahlangana lalabo ababulawa ngenkemba. (Sheol )
Those with him have also gone down to Sheol, To the pierced of the sword, And—his arm—they dwelt in his shade in the midst of nations. (Sheol )
18 Yisiphi sezihlahla zase-Edeni esingafaniswa lawe ngobuhle langobucwazicwazi na? Ikanti lawe futhi uzakwehliselwa phansi ngaphansi komhlaba kanye lezihlahla zase-Edeni; uzalala phakathi kwabangasokanga, lalabo ababulawa ngenkemba. Lo nguFaro kanye lamaxuku akhe wonke, kutsho uThixo Wobukhosi.’”
To whom have you been thus like, In glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? And you have been brought down with the trees of Eden, To the lower earth, You lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, With the pierced of the sword. This [is] Pharaoh, and all his multitude, A declaration of Lord YHWH!”