UHezekheli 37
1 Isandla sikaThixo sasiphezu kwami, njalo wangikhuphela phandle ngoMoya kaThixo wangibeka phakathi kwesigodi; sasigcwele amathambo.
The hand of the Lord was upon me, and brought me forth in the spirit of the Lord: and set me down in the midst of a plain that was full of bones.
2 Wangisa emuva laphambili phakathi kwawo, njalo ngabona amathambo amanengi kakhulu phansi esigodini, amathambo ome kakhulu.
And he led me about through them on every side: now they were very many upon the face of the plain, and they were exceeding dry.
3 Wangibuza wathi, “Ndodana yomuntu, kambe amathambo la angaphila na?” Mina ngathi, “Awu Thixo Wobukhosi, wena kuphela nguwe owaziyo.”
And he said to me: Son of man, dost thou think these bones shall live? And I answered: O Lord God, thou knowest.
4 Wasesithi kimi, “Phrofetha emathanjeni la uthi kuwo, ‘Mathambo omileyo, zwanini ilizwi likaThixo!
And he said to me: Prophesy concerning these bones; and say to them: Ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
5 Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi emathanjeni la: Ngizakwenza umoya ungene phakathi kwenu, njalo lizakuba lokuphila.
Thus saith the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will send spirit into you, and you shall live.
6 Ngizaxhuma imisipha kini ngenze inyama ihlume phezu kwenu njalo ngibeke ijwabu phezu kwenu; ngizafaka umoya phakathi kwenu, njalo lizakuba lokuphila. Lapho-ke lizakwazi ukuthi mina nginguThixo.’”
And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to grow over you, and will cover you with skin: and I will give you spirit and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
7 Ngakho ngaphrofitha njengokulaywa kwami. Kwathi ngisaphrofitha, kwaba lomsindo, umsindo okhehlezelayo, njalo amathambo aqoqana ndawonye, ithambo ethanjeni.
And I prophesied as he had commanded me: and as I prophesied there was a noise, and behold a commotion: and the bones came together, each one to its joint.
8 Ngakhangela, imisipha lenyama kwavela phezu kwawo kwathi ijwabu lawembesa, kodwa kwakungelamoya phakathi kwawo.
And I saw, and behold the sinews, and the flesh came up upon them: and the skin was stretched out over them, but there was no spirit in them.
9 Wasesithi kimi, “Phrofetha emoyeni, phrofetha, ndodana yomuntu, uthi kuwo, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Woza, wena moya, uvela ezindaweni zonke, uphefumulele kubo ababulawayo, ukuba baphile.’”
And he said to me: Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, O son of man, and say to the spirit: Thus saith the Lord God: Come, spirit, from the four winds, and blow upon these slain, and let them live again.
10 Ngakho ngaphrofitha njengokungilaya kwakhe, umoya wasungena kuwo; aba lokuphila njalo ema ngenyawo zawo, kulixuku elikhulukazi.
And I prophesied as he had commanded me: and the spirit came into them, and they lived: and they stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
11 Wasesithi kimi: “Ndodana yomuntu, amathambo la ayiyo yonke indlu ka-Israyeli. Bona bathi, ‘Amathambo ethu omile njalo ithemba lethu selitshabalele; sesihunundiwe.’
And he said to me: Son of man: All these bones are the house of Israel: they say: Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost, and we are cut off.
12 Ngakho phrofetha uthi kubo: ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Awu bantu bami, ngizavula amangcwaba enu ngilivuse kuwo; ngizalibuyisela elizweni lako-Israyeli.
Therefore prophesy, and say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will open your graves, and will bring you out of your sepulchres, O my people: and will bring you into the land of Israel.
13 Lapho-ke, lina bantu bami, lizakwazi ukuthi mina nginguThixo, lapho sengivula amangcwaba enu ngilivusa kuwo.
And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have opened your sepulchres, and shall have brought you out of your graves, O my people:
14 Ngizafaka uMoya wami phakathi kwenu njalo lizaphila, futhi ngizalihlalisa elizweni lenu. Lapho-ke lizakwazi ukuthi mina Thixo sengikhulumile, njalo sengikwenzile lokho, kutsho uThixo.’”
And shall have put my spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall make you rest upon your own land: and you shall know that I the Lord have spoken, and done it, saith the Lord God:
15 Ilizwi likaThixo lafika kimi lisithi:
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
16 “Ndodana yomuntu, thatha uluthi lwesigodo, ulobe kulo ukuthi, ‘NgolukaJuda labako-Israyeli amanyane laye.’ Emva kwalokho thatha olunye njalo uluthi lwesigodo, ulobe kulo ukuthi, ‘Uluthi luka-Efrayimi, olukaJosefa kanye lendlu yonke ka-Israyeli emanyene laye.’
And thou son of man, take thee a stick: and write upon it: Of Juda, and of the children of Israel his associates: and take another stick and write upon it: For Joseph the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, and of his associates.
17 Zihlanganise ndawonye zibe yiluthi olulodwa ukuze zibe luthilunye esandleni sakho.
And join them one to the other into one stick, and they shall become one in thy hand.
18 Lapho abantu bakini bekubuza besithi, ‘Kawuyikusitshela na ukuthi utshoni ngalokhu?’
And when the children of thy people shall speak to thee, saying: Wilt thou not tell us what thou meanest by this?
19 uthi kubo, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Ngizathatha uluthi lukaJosefa olusesandleni sika-Efrayimi lolwezizwana zako-Israyeli ezimanyene laye, ngiluhlanganise loluthi lukaJuda, ngizenze zibe yiluthi lunye lwesigodo, njalo zizakuba ngolulodwa esandleni sami.’
Say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel that are associated with him, and I will put them together with the stick of Juda, and will make them one stick: and they shall be one in his hand.
20 Izinti olobe kuzo ziphathe phambi kwamehlo abo
And the sticks whereon thou hast written, shall be in thy hand, before their eyes.
21 uthi kubo, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Ngizakhupha ama-Israyeli ezizweni aya kuzo. Ngizawaqoqa ezindaweni zonke ngiwabuyisele elizweni lawo.
And thou shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from the midst of the nations whither they are gone: and I will gather them on every side, and will bring them to their own land.
22 Ngizawenza abe yisizwe sinye elizweni, phezu kwezintaba zako-Israyeli. Kuzakuba lenkosi eyodwa phezu kwabo bonke njalo akuyikuba lezizwe ezimbili futhi kumbe behlukaniswe ukuba yimibuso emibili.
And I will make them one nation in the land on the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king over them all: and they shall no more be two nations, neither shall they be divided any more into two kingdoms.
23 Kabasayikuzingcolisa ngezithombe zabo langezifanekiso zabo ezenyanyekayo loba ngezinye zeziphambeko zabo, ngoba ngizabasindisa kukho konke ukuhlehlela kwabo emuva esonweni, njalo ngizabahlambulula. Bazakuba ngabantu bami, mina ngizakuba nguNkulunkulu wabo.
Nor shall they be defiled any more with their idols, nor with their abominations, nor with all their iniquities: and I will save them out of all the places in which they have sinned, and I will cleanse them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
24 Inceku yami uDavida uzakuba yinkosi yabo, njalo bonke bazakuba lomelusi munye. Bazalandela imithetho yami njalo bananzelele ukugcina izimiso zami.
And my servant David shall be king over them, and they shall have one shepherd: they shall walk in my judgments, and shall keep my commandments, and shall do them.
25 Bazahlala elizweni engalinika inceku yami uJakhobe, ilizwe lapho oyihlo ababehlala khona. Bona labantwana babo kanye labantwana babantwana babo bazahlala khona kokuphela, njalo uDavida inceku yami uzakuba yinkosana yabo kokuphela.
And they shall dwell in the land which I gave to my servant Jacob, wherein your fathers dwelt, and they shall dwell in it, they and their children, and their children’s children, for ever: and David my servant shall be their prince for ever.
26 Ngizakwenza isivumelwano sokuthula labo; sizakuba yisivumelwano esingayikuphela.
And I will make a covenant of peace with them, it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will establish them, and will multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for ever.
27 Indawo yami yokuhlala izakuba kubo; ngizakuba nguNkulunkulu wabo, njalo bona bazakuba ngabantu bami.
And my tabernacle shall be with them: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
28 Lapho-ke izizwe zizakwazi ukuthi mina Thixo ngenza u-Israyeli abengcwele, nxa indlu yami engcwele iphakathi kwabo nini lanini.’”
And the nations shall know that I am the Lord the sanctifier of Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for ever.
