UHezekheli 33
1 Ilizwi likaThixo lafika kimi lisithi:
And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,
2 “Ndodana yomuntu, khuluma labantu bakini uthi kubo, ‘Lapho ngiletha inkemba ukumelana lelizwe, abantu balelolizwe bakhethe omunye wamadoda akibo bamenze abe ngumlindi,
“Son of man, speak to the sons of your people, and you have said to them: When I bring a sword on a land, And the people of the land have taken one man out of their borders, And made him their watchman,
3 abone inkemba isizamelana lelizwe abesetshaya icilongo exwayisa abantu,
And he has seen the sword coming against the land, And has blown with a horn, and has warned the people,
4 lapho-ke nxa loba ngubani ozwa icilongo kodwa angasinaki isixwayiso njalo inkemba ifike imbulale, igazi lakhe lizakuba phezu kwekhanda lakhe.
And the hearer has heard the voice of the horn, and he has not taken warning, And the sword comes in, and takes him away, His blood is on his [own] head.
5 Njengoba ukukhala kwecilongo ekuzwile kodwa kaze asinaka isixwayiso, igazi lakhe lizakuba phezu kwekhanda lakhe. Aluba ubesinakile isixwayiso, ubezazisindisa.
The voice of the horn he heard, And he has not taken warning, his blood is on him, And he who took warning has delivered his soul.
6 Kodwa nxa umlindi ebona inkemba isiza angatshayi icilongo axwayise abantu, njalo inkemba ifike ibulale omunye wabo, lowomuntu uzasuswa ngenxa yesono sakhe, kodwa mina ngizabeka umlandu wegazi lakhe kumlindi.’
And the watchman, when he sees the sword coming in, And he has not blown with a horn, And the people have not been warned, And a sword comes in, And takes away a soul from them, He is taken away in his iniquity, And I require his blood from the hand of the watchman.
7 Ndodana yomuntu, sengikwenze umlindi wendlu ka-Israyeli; ngakho zwana ilizwi engilikhulumayo ubanike isixwayiso esivela kimi.
And you, son of man, I gave you [as] a watchman for the house of Israel, And you have heard a word from My mouth, And you have warned them from Me.
8 Lapho ngisithi komubi, ‘Wena muntu omubi, uzakufa impela,’ njalo wena ungabe usakhuluma ukuba umyekelise izindlela zakhe, lowomuntu omubi uzafela izono zakhe, njalo mina ngikubeka umlandu wegazi lakhe.
In My saying to the wicked, O wicked one—you surely die, And you have not spoken to warn the wicked from his way, He—the wicked—dies in his iniquity, And I require his blood from your hand.
9 Kodwa nxa umxwayisa umuntu omubi ukuba aphenduke ezindleleni zakhe kodwa angenzi njalo, uzafela izono zakhe, kodwa wena uzakuba uzisindisile.
And you, when you have warned the wicked of his way, to turn back from it, And he has not turned back from his way, He dies in his iniquity, And you have delivered your soul.
10 Ndodana yomuntu, tshono kuyo indlu ka-Israyeli uthi, ‘Nanku elikutshoyo ukuthi, “Iziphambeko zethu lezono ziyasisinda, njalo siyacikizeka ngenxa yazo. Pho singaphila njani na?”’
And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel: You have spoken correctly, saying, Surely our transgressions and our sins [are] on us, And we are wasting away in them, How, then, do we live?
11 Tshono kubo uthi, ‘Ngeqiniso elinjengoba ngikhona, kutsho uThixo Wobukhosi, kangithokozi ngokufa kwababi, kodwa ukuba baphenduke ezindleleni zabo baphile. Phendukani! Phendukani ezindleleni zenu ezimbi! Kungani umele ufe, wena ndlu ka-Israyeli?’
Say to them, [As] I live—a declaration of Lord YHWH, I do not delight in the death of the wicked, But in the turning of the wicked from his way, and he has lived. Turn back, turn back, from your evil ways! Indeed, why do you die, O house of Israel?
12 Ngakho-ke, ndodana yomuntu, tshono ebantwini bakini uthi, ‘Ukulunga komuntu olungileyo kakuyikumsindisa lapho engalaleli, njalo lobubi bomuntu omubi kabuyikumwisa lapho ephenduka kubo. Umuntu olungileyo, lapho esona, kasoke avunyelwe ukuphila ngenxa yokulunga kwakhe kwakuqala.’
And you, son of man, say to the sons of your people: The righteousness of the righteous does not deliver him in the day of his transgression, And the wickedness of the wicked, He does not stumble for it in the day of his turning from his wickedness, And the righteous is not able to live in it in the day of his sinning.
13 Nxa ngitshela umuntu olungileyo ukuthi impela uzaphila, kodwa abe esethemba ukulunga kwakhe enze okubi, akukho okwezinto ezilungileyo azenzayo okuzakhunjulwa; uzafela okubi asekwenzile.
In My saying of the righteous: He surely lives, And—he has trusted on his righteousness, And he has done perversity, All his righteous acts are not remembered, And for his perversity that he has done, He dies for it.
14 Njalo nxa ngisithi emuntwini omubi, ‘Impela uzakufa,’ kodwa aphenduke ezonweni zakhe enze okufaneleyo lokulungileyo,
And in My saying to the wicked: You surely die, And—he has turned back from his sin, And has done judgment and righteousness,
15 lapho ebuyisela lokho akuthatha kuyisibambiso salokho akwebolekisayo, abuyisele akwebayo, alandele izimiso ezinika ukuphila, angenzi okubi, uzaphila impela; kasoze afe.
(The wicked restores a pledge, he repays [for] plunder), He has walked in the statutes of life, So as not to do perversity, He surely lives—he does not die.
16 Akukho lasinye sezono azenzayo esizakhunjulwa ngaye. Usenze okufaneleyo lokulungileyo; uzaphila impela.
All his sin—his sins that he has sinned—are not remembered against him, He has done judgment and righteousness, He surely lives.
17 Ikanti abantu bakini bathi, ‘Indlela kaThixo kayilunganga.’ Kodwa ngeyabo indlela engalunganga.
And the sons of your people have said: The way of the Lord is not pondered, As for them—their way is not pondered.
18 Nxa umuntu olungileyo eguquka ekulungeni kwakhe enze okubi, uzakufela lokho.
In the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, And he has done perversity—he dies for it.
19 Njalo nxa umuntu omubi ephenduka ebubini bakhe enze okufaneleyo lokulungileyo, uzaphila ngenxa yokwenzanjalo.
And in the turning back of the wicked from his wickedness, And he has done judgment and righteousness—he lives by them.
20 Ikanti, wena ndlu ka-Israyeli, uthi, ‘Indlela kaThixo kayilunganga.’ Kodwa mina ngizakwahlulela lowo lalowo wenu ngokufanele izindlela zakhe.”
And you have said, The way of the Lord is not pondered; I judge each of you according to his ways, O house of Israel.”
21 Ngomnyaka wetshumi lambili wokuthunjwa kwethu, ngenyanga yetshumi ngosuku lwesihlanu, umuntu owayebalekele eJerusalema wafika kimi wathi, “Idolobho selinqotshiwe!”
And it comes to pass, in the twelfth year—in the tenth [month], in the fifth of the month—of our removal, one who is escaped from Jerusalem comes to me, saying, “The city has been struck.”
22 Kusihlwa umuntu lowo engakafiki, isandla sikaThixo sasiphezu kwami, njalo wavula umlomo wami umuntu lowo engakafiki ekuseni. Ngakho umlomo wami wawusuvuliwe njalo ngangingasathulanga.
And the hand of YHWH has been to me in the evening, before the coming in of the escaped one, and He opens my mouth until [his] coming to me in the morning, and my mouth is opened, and I have not been silent again.
23 Ilizwi likaThixo laselifika kimi lisithi:
And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,
24 “Ndodana yomuntu, abantu abahlala emanxiweni lawana elizweni lako-Israyeli bathi, ‘U-Abhrahama wayengumuntu oyedwa nje kuphela, ikanti ilizwe lalingelakhe. Kodwa thina sibanengi; impela ilizwe siliphiwe njengelifa lethu.’
“Son of man, the inhabitants of these ruins on the ground of Israel are speaking, saying, Abraham has been alone—and he possesses the land, and we [are] many—the land has been given to us for a possession.
25 Ngakho tshono kubo uthi, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Njengoba lisidla inyama ilokhu ilegazi lithembe izithombe zenu njalo lichithe legazi, kambe lingaba ngabanikazi belizwe na?
Therefore say to them, Thus said Lord YHWH: You eat with the blood, And you lift up your eyes to your idols, And you shed blood, Should you then inherit the land?
26 Lithembe inkemba yenu, lenza izinto ezenyanyekayo, njalo omunye lomunye wenu ungcolisa umfazi kamakhelwane wakhe. Kambe lingaba ngabanikazi belizwe na?’
You have stood on your sword, You have done abomination, You have each defiled the wife of his neighbor, Should you then possess the land?
27 Tshono lokhu kubo uthi: ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Ngeqiniso elinjengoba ngikhona, labo abaseleyo emanxiweni bazabulawa ngenkemba, labo abangaphandle egangeni ngizabanikela ezinyamazaneni zeganga ukuba badliwe, njalo labo abasezinqabeni lasezimbalwini bazabulawa yisifo.
Thus you say to them, Thus said Lord YHWH: [As] I live—do they who [are] in the ruins not fall by the sword? And they who [are] on the face of the field, I have given for food to the beast, And they who are in strongholds and in caves die by pestilence.
28 Ngizakwenza ilizwe libe lugwadule oluphundlekileyo, njalo ukuziqhenya kwamandla alo kuzaphela, lezintaba zako-Israyeli zizachitheka kuze kungabikhona odlula kuzo.
And I have made the land a desolation and an astonishment, And the excellence of its strength has ceased, And mountains of Israel have been desolated, Without anyone passing through.
29 Lapho-ke bazakwazi ukuthi mina nginguThixo, nxa sengenze ilizwe laba lugwadule oluphundlekileyo ngenxa yezinto ezenyanyekayo abazenzileyo.’
And they have known that I [am] YHWH, In My making the land a desolation and an astonishment, For all their abominations that they have done.
30 Okunjengawe, ndodana yomuntu, abantu bakini bakhulumisana ngawe emidulini laseminyango yezindlu besithi, omunye komunye, ‘Woza uzekuzwa ilizwi eselifike livela kuThixo.’
And you, son of man, The sons of your people who are speaking about you, By the walls, and in openings of the houses, Have spoken with one another, each with his brother, Saying, Please come in, And hear what the word [is] that comes out from YHWH.
31 Abantu bami bayafika kuwe, njengabajayele ukukwenza, bahlale phambi kwakho ukuba bezwe amazwi akho, kodwa akutshoyo kabakwenzi. Ngemilomo yabo batsho ukuzinikela, kodwa inhliziyo zabo zihawukela inzuzo engafanelanga.
And they come in to you as the coming in of a people, And they sit before you—My people, And have heard your words, and they do not do them, For they are making unhealthy loves with their mouth, Their heart is going after their dishonest gain.
32 Ngempela, kubo wena kawusilutho olungedlula umuntu ohlabela izingoma zothando ngelizwi elihle njalo esitshaya kuhle isiginci, ngoba amazwi akho bayawezwa, kodwa akutshoyo kabakwenzi.
And behold, you [are] as a singer of unhealthy loves to them, A beautiful voice, and playing well on an instrument, And they have heard your words, and they are not doing them.
33 Nxa konke lokhu sekugcwalisekile njalo impela kuzakwenzakala, lapho-ke bazakwazi ukuthi umphrofethi ubekhona phakathi kwabantu.”
And in its coming in—behold, it has come, And they have known that a prophet has been in their midst!”
