UHezekheli 44

1 Emva kwalokho umuntu lowo wangibuyisela esangweni langaphandle lendlu engcwele, leli elikhangele empumalanga, njalo lalivaliwe.

And he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary which looked toward the east: and it was locked.

2 UThixo wasesithi kimi, “Isango leli kumele lihlale livaliwe. Akumelanga livulwe; akulamuntu ongangena ngalo. Kumele lihlale livaliwe ngoba uThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, ungene ngalo.

Then said the Lord unto me, This gate shall remain locked, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore shall it remain locked.

3 Inkosana yona ngokwayo yiyo kuphela engahlala phakathi kwesango ukuba idle phambi kukaThixo. Kuzamele ingene ngendlela yengenelo lesango njalo iphume ngayonaleyo indlela.”

As for the prince, being the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the Lord: by the way of the porch of that gate shall he enter, and by the way of the same shall he go out.

4 Indoda leyo yangisa phambi kwethempeli ngendlela yesango lasenyakatho. Ngakhangela ngabona inkazimulo kaThixo igcwele ethempelini likaThixo, ngathi mbo phansi ngobuso.

Then brought he me by the way of the north gate before the house; and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord: and I fell upon my face.

5 UThixo wasesithi kimi, “Ndodana yomuntu, khangela ngokunanzelela, ulalelisise njalo uqaphele konke engikutshela khona mayelana lemithetho yonke eqondane lethempeli likaThixo. Qaphela intuba lethempeli layo yonke iminyango yokuphuma yendlu engcwele.

And the Lord said unto me, Son of man, direct thy mind, and see with thy eyes, and hear with thy ears all that I am speaking with thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the Lord, and of all its laws; and direct thy mind to the entrance of the house, with every place of egress of the sanctuary.

6 Tshono kuyo indlu ehlamukayo ka-Israyeli uthi, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Wena ndlu ka-Israyeli, kaziphele izenzo zakho ezinengayo!

And thou shalt say to the rebellious, to the house of Israel, Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Ye have done enough with all your abominations, O house of Israel!

7 Phezu kwazo zonke ezinye izenzo zakho ezinengayo ungenise abezizweni abangasokanga enhliziyweni lasenyameni endlini yami engcwele, ungcolisa ithempeli lami lapho unginika ukudla, amafutha legazi, njalo wephula isivumelwano sami.

In your having brought the sons of the stranger, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, while you were offering my food, the fat and the blood: so that they broke my covenant because of all your abominations.

8 Ekubeni wenze okumele ukwenze mayelana lezinto zami ezingcwele, wena wabeka abanye ukuba baphathe indlu yami engcwele.

And [because] ye have not kept the charge of my holy things; but ye have set [those unworthy ones] as keepers of my charge in my sanctuary at your own pleasure.

9 Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Akulamuntu wezizweni ongasokanga enhliziyweni lasenyameni ozangena endlini yami engcwele ngitsho labezizweni abahlala phakathi kwama-Israyeli.

Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, No son of the stranger, uncircumcised in heart, or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of all the sons of the stranger that are in the midst of the children of Israel.

10 AbaLevi abaya khatshana lami lapho u-Israyeli wayeduhile njalo sebehlanhlathekele ezithombeni zabo besuka kimi, kumele bathwale umvuzo wesono sabo.

But as respecteth the Levites that were gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, who went astray away from me, after their idols, they shall surely bear their iniquity;

11 Bangakhonza endlini yami engcwele, bephethe amasango ethempeli njalo bekhonza phakathi kwalo; bangahlabela abantu iminikelo leminikelo yokutshiswa njalo bame phambi kwabantu babasebenzele.

And they shall be in my sanctuary, servants, appointed to watch at the gates of the house, and to be servants for the house: these are they that shall slay the burnt-offerings and the sacrifices for the people, and they shall stand before them to do the service for them.

12 Kodwa ngenxa yokuthi babasebenzela phambi kwezithombe zabo benza indlu ka-Israyeli yawela esonweni, ngakho sengifunge ngesandla siphakanyisiwe ukuthi kumele bathwale umvuzo wesono sabo, kutsho uThixo Wobukhosi.

Because that they used to serve them before their idols, and have been unto the house of Israel as a stumbling-block of iniquity; therefore have I lifted up my hand against them, saith the Lord Eternal, and they shall bear their iniquity;

13 Akumelanga basondele eduze ukuba bangikhonze njengabaphristi loba basondele eduze kwaloba yiphi yezinto zami ezingcwele loba iminikelo yami engcwele kakhulu; kumele bathwale ihlazo lezenzo zabo ezinengayo.

And they shall not come near unto me, to officiate as priests unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, to the most holy things; but they shall bear their shame, yea, for their abominations which they have committed.

14 Ikanti ngizabenza baphathe imisebenzi yasethempelini kanye lemisebenzi yonke okumele yenziwe phakathi kwalo.

And I will appoint them to be keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.

15 Kodwa abaphristi, abangabaLevi njalo beyinzalo kaZadokhi abasebenza ngokuthembeka imisebenzi yasendlini yami engcwele lapho ama-Israyeli ayengihlamukele, kumele basondele eduze ukuba bakhonze phambi kwami; kumele bame phambi kwami ukuba banikele umhlatshelo wamafutha legazi, kutsho uThixo Wobukhosi.

But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, —these are they that shall come near unto me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord Eternal:

16 Bona kuphela kumele bangene endlini yami engcwele; bona kuphela kumele basondele phansi kwetafula lami ukuba bakhonze phambi kwami benze umsebenzi wami.

These are they that shall enter into my sanctuary, and these shall come near to my table, to minister unto me; and they shall keep my charge.

17 Lapho bengena emasangweni eguma langaphakathi kumele bagqoke izigqoko zelineni; akumelanga bagqoke isigqoko sewulu lapho bekhonza emasangweni eguma kumbe phakathi kwethempeli.

And it shall come to pass, that, when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall clothe themselves with linen garments; and there shall no wool come upon them, when they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within the house.

18 Kumele bagqoke amaqhiye elineni emakhanda abo lezigqoko zangaphansi zelineni ezinkalweni zabo. Akumelanga bagqoke into ezabaginqisa.

Linen bonnets shall be upon their heads, and linen breeches shall be upon their loins: they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat.

19 Lapho besiya phandle egumeni langaphandle lapho okulabantu khona, kumele bakhuphe izigqoko ababekhonza bezigqokile njalo kumele bazitshiye ezindlini ezingcwele, bagqoke ezinye izigqoko, ukuze bangangcwelisi abantu ngezembatho zabo.

And when they go forth into the outer court, into the outer court to the people: then shall they put off their garments wherein they have ministered, and they shall lay them down in the holy chambers; and they shall put on other garments, and they shall not mingle among the people with their garments.

20 Akumelanga baphuce amakhanda abo kumbe bayekele inwele zabo zikhula zisiba zinde; kodwa kumele bagcine inwele zabo zigundiwe.

And their heads shall they not shave close, nor suffer their hair to grow long: they shall only crop [the hair of] their heads.

21 Akulamphristi ozanatha iwayini lapho engena iguma langaphakathi.

And wine shall none of the priests drink when they enter into the inner court.

22 Akumelanga bathathe abafelokazi loba abesifazane abehlukana labomkabo; kumele bathathe izintombi ezimsulwa kuphela ezenzalo yako-Israyeli loba abafelokazi babaphristi.

And a widow, or one that is divorced from her husband shall they not take to themselves as wives; but only virgins of the seed of the house of Israel; but whatever widow it may be, the [common] priests may take.

23 Kumele bafundise abantu bami umahluko phakathi kokungcwele lokwabantu bonke babatshengise indlela yokwehlukanisa phakathi kokungcolileyo lokuhlanzekileyo.

And my people shall they teach the difference between the holy and profane, and that between the unclean and the clean shall they make known unto them.

24 Lapho kulombango abaphristi bazasebenza njengabahluleli baqume mayelana lezimiso zami. Kumele bagcine imithetho yami lezimemezelo zami kuyo yonke imikhosi yami emisiweyo, njalo kumele bagcine amaSabatha ami engcwele.

And in a controversy shall they stand up to judge, according to my ordinances shall they decide it: and my laws and my statutes at all my festivals shall they observe, and my sabbaths shall they sanctify.

25 Umphristi akumelanga azingcolise ngokuya phansi komuntu ofileyo; kodwa-ke nxa umuntu ofileyo ubenguyise loba unina, indodana yakhe kumbe indodakazi, umfowabo kumbe udadewabo ongendanga, lapho angazingcolisa.

And to a dead person shall they not come to defile themselves; but on father, or on mother, or on son, or on daughter, on brother, or on sister that hath had no husband, may they defile themselves.

26 Emva kokuba esehlanjululiwe, uzakuma insuku eziyisikhombisa.

And after he is become clean, —they shall reckon unto him seven days, —

27 Ngosuku azakuya ngalo egumeni langaphakathi lendlu engcwele ukuba enze inkonzo endlini engcwele, kumele azinikelele umnikelo wesono, kutsho uThixo Wobukhosi.

Then shall he on the day that he cometh into the sanctuary, into the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, offer his sin-offering, saith the Lord Eternal.

28 Mina ngizakuba yilona lifa kuphela abaphristi abalalo. Akukho lifa ozabapha lona ko-Israyeli; mina ngizakuba yilifa labo.

And it shall be unto them as an inheritance, I am their inheritance: and any possession shall you not give them in Israel, I am their possession.

29 Bazakudla iminikelo yamabele, iminikelo yesono leminikelo yecala; kanye lakho konke okuko-Israyeli okwahlukaniselwe uThixo kuzakuba ngokwabo.

The meat-offering, and the sin-offering, and the trespass-offering—these shall they eat; and every devoted thing in Israel shall belong to them.

30 Okuhle kakhulu kwazo zonke izithelo zakho zakuqala lokwezipho zenu ezikhethiweyo kuzakuba ngokwabaphristi. Kumele libaphe ingxenye yakuqala yempuphu yenu echoliweyo ukuze isibusiso sihlale endlini yenu.

And the first of all kinds of first-fruits of all, and every kind of heave-offering of every thing of all your heave-offerings, shall belong to the priests; and the first of your dough shall you give to the priest, to cause a blessing to rest on thy house.

31 Abaphristi akumelanga badle loba yini, inyoni kumbe inyamazana, etholakale ifile kumbe idlithizwe yizinyamazana zeganga.’”

Any thing that hath died of itself, or that is torn, whether it be fowl or beast, shall the priests not eat.