UHezekheli 44
1 Emva kwalokho umuntu lowo wangibuyisela esangweni langaphandle lendlu engcwele, leli elikhangele empumalanga, njalo lalivaliwe.
Then the man brought me back to the outer sanctuary gate that faced east; it was closed tightly.
2 UThixo wasesithi kimi, “Isango leli kumele lihlale livaliwe. Akumelanga livulwe; akulamuntu ongangena ngalo. Kumele lihlale livaliwe ngoba uThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, ungene ngalo.
Yahweh said to me, “This gate has been sealed shut; it will not be opened. No man will go through it, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, has come through it, so it has been closed tightly.
3 Inkosana yona ngokwayo yiyo kuphela engahlala phakathi kwesango ukuba idle phambi kukaThixo. Kuzamele ingene ngendlela yengenelo lesango njalo iphume ngayonaleyo indlela.”
The ruler of Israel will sit in it to eat food before Yahweh. He will enter by way of the gate's portico and go out the same way.”
4 Indoda leyo yangisa phambi kwethempeli ngendlela yesango lasenyakatho. Ngakhangela ngabona inkazimulo kaThixo igcwele ethempelini likaThixo, ngathi mbo phansi ngobuso.
Then he brought me by way of the northern gate to the front of the temple, and I looked, and behold, the glory of Yahweh filled the house of Yahweh, and I fell on 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.
Then Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, set your heart and look with your eyes and listen with your ears to all that I am declaring to you, to all the statutes of the house of Yahweh and all its regulations. Think about the house's entrance and exits.
6 Tshono kuyo indlu ehlamukayo ka-Israyeli uthi, ‘Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Wena ndlu ka-Israyeli, kaziphele izenzo zakho ezinengayo!
Then say to the rebellious ones, the house of Israel, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Let all of your disgusting actions be enough for you, 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.
that you brought foreigners with uncircumcised hearts and uncircumcised flesh to be in my sanctuary, profaning my house, while you were offering me food, fat and blood—you have broken my covenant by all your disgusting actions.
8 Ekubeni wenze okumele ukwenze mayelana lezinto zami ezingcwele, wena wabeka abanye ukuba baphathe indlu yami engcwele.
You have not carried out your duties regarding my holy things, but you appointed others to take up your duties, and you assigned them to care for my holy place.
9 Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo Wobukhosi: Akulamuntu wezizweni ongasokanga enhliziyweni lasenyameni ozangena endlini yami engcwele ngitsho labezizweni abahlala phakathi kwama-Israyeli.
The Lord Yahweh says this: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, from any of those who live among the people of Israel, may enter my holy place.
10 AbaLevi abaya khatshana lami lapho u-Israyeli wayeduhile njalo sebehlanhlathekele ezithombeni zabo besuka kimi, kumele bathwale umvuzo wesono sabo.
Yet the Levites went far from me—they wandered away from me, going after their idols—but they will pay for their sin.
11 Bangakhonza endlini yami engcwele, bephethe amasango ethempeli njalo bekhonza phakathi kwalo; bangahlabela abantu iminikelo leminikelo yokutshiswa njalo bame phambi kwabantu babasebenzele.
They are servants in my sanctuary, watching the gates of the house and serving in the house and they slaughter the burnt offerings and the people's sacrifices, and they will stand before the people and serve 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.
But because they performed the sacrifices before their idols, they became stumbling blocks for sin for the house of Israel. Therefore I will lift up my hand to swear an oath against them—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—they will bear their punishment.
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.
They will not come near me to act as my priests or to approach any of my holy things, the most holy things. Instead, they will bear their reproach and their guilt for the disgusting actions that they have done.
14 Ikanti ngizabenza baphathe imisebenzi yasethempelini kanye lemisebenzi yonke okumele yenziwe phakathi kwalo.
But I will place them as keepers of the work in the house, for all of its duties and everything that is done in it.
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.
Then the Levitical priests, those sons of Zadok who fulfilled the duties of my sanctuary when the people of Israel were wandering away from me—they will come near me to worship me. They will stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
16 Bona kuphela kumele bangene endlini yami engcwele; bona kuphela kumele basondele phansi kwetafula lami ukuba bakhonze phambi kwami benze umsebenzi wami.
They will come to my sanctuary; they will approach my table to worship me and to fulfill their duties to me.
17 Lapho bengena emasangweni eguma langaphakathi kumele bagqoke izigqoko zelineni; akumelanga bagqoke isigqoko sewulu lapho bekhonza emasangweni eguma kumbe phakathi kwethempeli.
So it will be that when they come to the gates of the inner courtyard, they will have to dress in linen clothes, for they must not come in wool inside the gates of the courtyard and its house.
18 Kumele bagqoke amaqhiye elineni emakhanda abo lezigqoko zangaphansi zelineni ezinkalweni zabo. Akumelanga bagqoke into ezabaginqisa.
There should be linen turbans on their heads and linen underclothes on their hips. They must not dress in clothes that make them 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.
When they go out to the outer courtyard, to the outer courtyard in order to go to the people, they must take off the clothes they wore when they served; they must take them off and lay them down in a holy room, so they do not make other people holy by contact with their special clothing.
20 Akumelanga baphuce amakhanda abo kumbe bayekele inwele zabo zikhula zisiba zinde; kodwa kumele bagcine inwele zabo zigundiwe.
Also they must neither shave their heads nor allow their hair to hang loosely, but they must trim the hair of their heads.
21 Akulamphristi ozanatha iwayini lapho engena iguma langaphakathi.
No priest may drink wine when he comes to the inner court,
22 Akumelanga bathathe abafelokazi loba abesifazane abehlukana labomkabo; kumele bathathe izintombi ezimsulwa kuphela ezenzalo yako-Israyeli loba abafelokazi babaphristi.
nor take a widow or a divorced woman as a wife for himself, but only a virgin from the line of the house of Israel or a widow who was previously married to a priest.
23 Kumele bafundise abantu bami umahluko phakathi kokungcwele lokwabantu bonke babatshengise indlela yokwehlukanisa phakathi kokungcolileyo lokuhlanzekileyo.
For they will teach my people the difference between the holy and the profane; they will make them know the unclean from the clean.
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.
In a dispute they will stand to judge with my decrees; they must be just. They will keep my law and my statutes in every feast, and they will celebrate my holy Sabbaths.
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.
They will not go to a dead person so as to become unclean, unless it is their father or mother, son or daughter, brother or a sister who has not slept with a man; otherwise, they will become unclean.
26 Emva kokuba esehlanjululiwe, uzakuma insuku eziyisikhombisa.
After a priest has become unclean, they will count off a period of seven days for him.
27 Ngosuku azakuya ngalo egumeni langaphakathi lendlu engcwele ukuba enze inkonzo endlini engcwele, kumele azinikelele umnikelo wesono, kutsho uThixo Wobukhosi.
On the day he enters the holy place, into the inner courtyard to serve in the holy place, he must bring a sin offering for himself—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
28 Mina ngizakuba yilona lifa kuphela abaphristi abalalo. Akukho lifa ozabapha lona ko-Israyeli; mina ngizakuba yilifa labo.
This will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance, and you must give them no property in Israel; I will be their property!
29 Bazakudla iminikelo yamabele, iminikelo yesono leminikelo yecala; kanye lakho konke okuko-Israyeli okwahlukaniselwe uThixo kuzakuba ngokwabo.
They will eat the food offerings, the sin offerings, the guilt offerings, and everything devoted to Yahweh in Israel, will be theirs.
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.
The best of the firstfruits of all things and every contribution, anything from all of your contributions will belong to the priests, and you will give the best of your meal offerings to the priests so that blessing may rest on your house.
31 Abaphristi akumelanga badle loba yini, inyoni kumbe inyamazana, etholakale ifile kumbe idlithizwe yizinyamazana zeganga.’”
The priests will not eat any carcass or animal torn by a beast, whether bird or beast.
