UHezekheli 33
1 Ilizwi likaThixo lafika kimi lisithi:
The LORD’s word came 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 children of your people, and tell them, ‘When I bring the sword on a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman,
3 abone inkemba isizamelana lelizwe abesetshaya icilongo exwayisa abantu,
if, when he sees the sword come on the land, he blows the shofar and warns the people,
4 lapho-ke nxa loba ngubani ozwa icilongo kodwa angasinaki isixwayiso njalo inkemba ifike imbulale, igazi lakhe lizakuba phezu kwekhanda lakhe.
then whoever hears the sound of the shofar and doesn’t heed the warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head.
5 Njengoba ukukhala kwecilongo ekuzwile kodwa kaze asinaka isixwayiso, igazi lakhe lizakuba phezu kwekhanda lakhe. Aluba ubesinakile isixwayiso, ubezazisindisa.
He heard the sound of the shofar and didn’t take warning. His blood will be on him; whereas if he had heeded the warning, he would have 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.’
But if the watchman sees the sword come and doesn’t blow the shofar, and the people aren’t warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’
7 Ndodana yomuntu, sengikwenze umlindi wendlu ka-Israyeli; ngakho zwana ilizwi engilikhulumayo ubanike isixwayiso esivela kimi.
“So you, son of man, I have set you a watchman to the house of Israel. Therefore hear the word from my mouth, and give them warnings 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.
When I tell the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you don’t speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at your hand.
9 Kodwa nxa umxwayisa umuntu omubi ukuba aphenduke ezindleleni zakhe kodwa angenzi njalo, uzafela izono zakhe, kodwa wena uzakuba uzisindisile.
Nevertheless, if you warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, and he doesn’t turn from his way; he will die in his iniquity, but 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?”’
“You, son of man, tell the house of Israel: ‘You say this, “Our transgressions and our sins are on us, and we pine away in them. How then can 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?’
Tell them, ‘“As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why will you die, 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.’
“You, son of man, tell the children of your people, ‘The righteousness of the righteous will not deliver him in the day of his disobedience. And as for the wickedness of the wicked, he will not fall by it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; neither will he who is righteous be able to live by it in the day that he sins.
13 Nxa ngitshela umuntu olungileyo ukuthi impela uzaphila, kodwa abe esethemba ukulunga kwakhe enze okubi, akukho okwezinto ezilungileyo azenzayo okuzakhunjulwa; uzafela okubi asekwenzile.
When I tell the righteous that he will surely live, if he trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but he will die in his iniquity that he has committed.
14 Njalo nxa ngisithi emuntwini omubi, ‘Impela uzakufa,’ kodwa aphenduke ezonweni zakhe enze okufaneleyo lokulungileyo,
Again, when I say to the wicked, “You will surely die,” if he turns from his sin and does that which is lawful and right,
15 lapho ebuyisela lokho akuthatha kuyisibambiso salokho akwebolekisayo, abuyisele akwebayo, alandele izimiso ezinika ukuphila, angenzi okubi, uzaphila impela; kasoze afe.
if the wicked restore the pledge, give again that which he had taken by robbery, walk in the statutes of life, committing no iniquity, he will surely live. He will not die.
16 Akukho lasinye sezono azenzayo esizakhunjulwa ngaye. Usenze okufaneleyo lokulungileyo; uzaphila impela.
None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has done that which is lawful and right. He will surely live.
17 Ikanti abantu bakini bathi, ‘Indlela kaThixo kayilunganga.’ Kodwa ngeyabo indlela engalunganga.
“‘Yet the children of your people say, “The way of the Lord is not fair;” but as for them, their way is not fair.
18 Nxa umuntu olungileyo eguquka ekulungeni kwakhe enze okubi, uzakufela lokho.
When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he will even die therein.
19 Njalo nxa umuntu omubi ephenduka ebubini bakhe enze okufaneleyo lokulungileyo, uzaphila ngenxa yokwenzanjalo.
When the wicked turns from his wickedness and does that which is lawful and right, he will live by it.
20 Ikanti, wena ndlu ka-Israyeli, uthi, ‘Indlela kaThixo kayilunganga.’ Kodwa mina ngizakwahlulela lowo lalowo wenu ngokufanele izindlela zakhe.”
Yet you say, “The way of the Lord is not fair.” House of Israel, I will judge every one of you after his ways.’”
21 Ngomnyaka wetshumi lambili wokuthunjwa kwethu, ngenyanga yetshumi ngosuku lwesihlanu, umuntu owayebalekele eJerusalema wafika kimi wathi, “Idolobho selinqotshiwe!”
In the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, one who had escaped out of Jerusalem came to me, saying, “The city has been defeated!”
22 Kusihlwa umuntu lowo engakafiki, isandla sikaThixo sasiphezu kwami, njalo wavula umlomo wami umuntu lowo engakafiki ekuseni. Ngakho umlomo wami wawusuvuliwe njalo ngangingasathulanga.
Now the LORD’s hand had been on me in the evening, before he who had escaped came; and he had opened my mouth until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no longer mute.
23 Ilizwi likaThixo laselifika kimi lisithi:
The LORD’s word came 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, those who inhabit the waste places in Eretz-Israel speak, saying, ‘Abraham was one, and he inherited the land; but we are many. The land is given us for inheritance.’
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 tell them, ‘The Lord GOD says: “You eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood. So should you possess the land?
26 Lithembe inkemba yenu, lenza izinto ezenyanyekayo, njalo omunye lomunye wenu ungcolisa umfazi kamakhelwane wakhe. Kambe lingaba ngabanikazi belizwe na?’
You stand on your sword, you work abomination, and every one of you defiles his neighbor’s wife. So should you 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.
“You shall tell them, ‘The Lord GOD says: “As I live, surely those who are in the waste places will fall by the sword. I will give whoever is in the open field to the animals to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and in the caves will die of the pestilence.
28 Ngizakwenza ilizwe libe lugwadule oluphundlekileyo, njalo ukuziqhenya kwamandla alo kuzaphela, lezintaba zako-Israyeli zizachitheka kuze kungabikhona odlula kuzo.
I will make the land a desolation and an astonishment. The pride of her power will cease. The mountains of Israel will be desolate, so that no one will pass through.
29 Lapho-ke bazakwazi ukuthi mina nginguThixo, nxa sengenze ilizwe laba lugwadule oluphundlekileyo ngenxa yezinto ezenyanyekayo abazenzileyo.’
Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land a desolation and an astonishment because of all their abominations which they have committed.”’
30 Okunjengawe, ndodana yomuntu, abantu bakini bakhulumisana ngawe emidulini laseminyango yezindlu besithi, omunye komunye, ‘Woza uzekuzwa ilizwi eselifike livela kuThixo.’
“As for you, son of man, the children of your people talk about you by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak to one another, everyone to his brother, saying, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes out from the LORD.’
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.
They come to you as the people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but don’t do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goes after their gain.
32 Ngempela, kubo wena kawusilutho olungedlula umuntu ohlabela izingoma zothando ngelizwi elihle njalo esitshaya kuhle isiginci, ngoba amazwi akho bayawezwa, kodwa akutshoyo kabakwenzi.
Behold, you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they don’t do them.
33 Nxa konke lokhu sekugcwalisekile njalo impela kuzakwenzakala, lapho-ke bazakwazi ukuthi umphrofethi ubekhona phakathi kwabantu.”
“When this comes to pass—behold, it comes—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
