UHezekheli 15

1 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi lisithi:

A message from the Lord came to me, saying,

2 Ndodana yomuntu, isihlahla sevini siyini ngaphezu kwaso sonke isihlahla, kumbe ugatsha oluphakathi kwezihlahla zegusu?

“Son of man, is wood from a vine better than the wood from any other tree in the forest?

3 Kuzathathwa kiso isigodo yini ukwenza umsebenzi? Bangathatha kiso isikhonkwane yini ukuthi balengise lasiphi isitsha kiso?

Can you make anything useful from vine wood? Can you use it to make even just a peg to hang up pots and pans?

4 Khangela, siyanikelwa emlilweni sibe yikudla, umlilo uqede izihloko zaso zombili, lokuphakathi kwaso kutshiswe. Siselosizo kuwo umsebenzi yini?

No, you just throw it on the fire to keep the fire burning. Even then the fire burns both ends, but only chars the middle part. Can you use it for anything?

5 Khangela, lapho sisaphelele, asenziwanga sibe ngumsebenzi; kuncane kangakanani lapho umlilo ususiqedile sesitshile sisezakwenziwa sibe ngumsebenzi!

Even before you burned it you couldn't make it into anything useful. It's even less useful once the fire has burned and charred it!

6 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Njengesihlahla sevini phakathi kwezihlahla zegusu, engisinikele emlilweni sibe yikudla, ngokunjalo ngizanikela abahlali beJerusalema.

So this is what the Lord God says: In the same way that I have taken the wood of a vine from the forest and thrown it on the fire to be burned, so I'm going to throw away the people of Jerusalem.

7 Ngoba ngizamisa ubuso bami bumelane labo; bazaphuma komunye umlilo kuthi omunye umlilo ubaqede; njalo lizakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi, sengimise ubuso bami bamelana labo.

I will turn against them. While they might have escaped this fire, another fire is going to burn them up. When I turn against them, then you will know that I am the Lord.

8 Njalo ngizakwenza ilizwe libe lunxiwa, ngoba benze isiphambeko, itsho iNkosi uJehova.

I'm going to turn the country into a wasteland, because they were unfaithful to me, declares the Lord God.”