< UHezekheli 16 >

1 Ilizwi leNkosi lafika kimi futhi lisithi:
Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
2 Ndodana yomuntu, yenza iJerusalema yazi amanyala ayo,
“You human, cause the people of Jerusalem to think about their detestable behavior.
3 uthi: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova kuyo iJerusalema: Ukudabuka kwakho lokuzalwa kwakho kungokwelizwe lamaKhanani; uyihlo wayengumAmori lonyoko umHethi.
Say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says to you people of Jerusalem: [It is as though you are a woman who] [MET] was born in the country where the Canaan people-group lived. [It is as though] [MET] your father belonged to the Amor people-group and your mother belonged to the Heth people-group.
4 Mayelana lokuzalwa kwakho, ngosuku owazalwa ngalo inkaba yakho kayiqunywanga, njalo kawugeziswanga emanzini ukuthi uhlanjululwe, kawugcotshwanga ngetshwayi ngitsho, kawugoqelwanga ngamalembu ngitsho.
[It is as though] [MET] on the day that you were born, your umbilical cord was not cut, and your body was not washed in water, and it was not rubbed with salt or wrapped in strips of cloth, [like Israeli babies always are].
5 Kakulalihlo elakuhawukelayo, ukuthi lenze yiloba yikuphi kwalezizinto kuwe, ukuthi likuhawukele. Kodwa waphoselwa ebusweni bendle, ekunengekeni kobuntu bakho, ngosuku owazalwa ngalo.
No one pitied you or acted kindly toward you by doing those things for you. Instead, [it was as though] [MET] you were thrown into a field, because on the day that you were born, you were despised {everyone despised you}.
6 Kwathi ngisedlula kuwe ngikubona uqhatsha egazini lakho, ngathi kuwe usegazini lakho: Phila; yebo ngathi kuwe usegazini lakho: Phila.
Then [it was as though] [MET] I passed by and saw you lying in your own blood and kicking. And while you lay there kicking in your own blood, I said to you, “I want you to remain alive!”
7 Ngikwenzile waba linani elikhulu, waba njengehlumela leganga, wanda, wakhula, wafika emicecisweni emihle; amabele akho abumbekile, lenwele zakho zakhula; kanti wawunqunu uze.
[It was as though] I caused you to grow up, like plants in the field grow; you grew up and became tall and became like [MET] a very beautiful jewel. [It was as though] [MET] your breasts (formed/became large), and your hair became long, although you were still naked [DOU].
8 Kwathi ngisedlula kuwe ngakubona, khangela-ke, isikhathi sakho sasiyisikhathi sothando; ngasengisendlala umphetho wesembatho sami phezu kwakho, ngembesa ubunqunu bakho; yebo, ngafunga kuwe, ngangena esivumelwaneni lawe, itsho iNkosi uJehova, wasusiba ngowami.
When I saw you several years later, [it was as though] [MET] I saw that you were old enough to have sex [EUP]. So [it was as though] [MET] I spread the corner of my robe over [to symbolize that I would marry you], with the result that you were no longer naked. I solemnly promised [that I would marry you] and made a marriage agreement with you, and you became my wife. That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say.
9 Ngasengikugezisa ngamanzi, ngahlambulula igazi lakho elinengi kuwe, ngakugcoba ngamafutha.
[And then it was as though] [MET] I bathed you and washed the blood from you and put ointment on your body.
10 Ngakugqokisa ilembu elifekethisiweyo, ngakufaka amanyathela ezikhumba zikamantswane, ngakubhincisa ilembu elicolekileyo kakhulu, ngakwembesa ngesilika.
[It was as though] [MET] I put a fine linen robe on you and gave you other expensive clothes. I put an embroidered dress on you and put leather sandals on your feet.
11 Ngakucecisa ngeziceciso, ngafaka amasongo ezandleni zakho, leketane entanyeni yakho.
[It was as though] [MET] I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck. Those things all had nice jewels fastened to them.
12 Ngafaka isongo emakhaleni akho, lamacici ezindlebeni zakho, lomqhele omuhle ekhanda lakho.
I put a gold ring in your nose and fastened earrings to your ears and put a beautiful crown on your head.
13 Ngokunjalo waceciswa ngegolide lesiliva, lesembatho sakho sasingeselembu elicolekileyo kakhulu, lesilika, lelembu elifekethisiweyo; wadla impuphu ecolekileyo, loluju, lamafutha; waba muhle kakhulukazi, waphumelela waba ngumbuso.
So [it was as though] you wore gold and silver ornaments. You had clothes made from fine (linen/white cloth) and other expensive embroidered material/cloth. You ate [bread made from] fine flour, honey, and olive oil. You became very beautiful, like [MET] a queen.
14 Lodumo lwakho lwaphumela ezizweni ngobuhle bakho, ngoba babuphelele ngenkazimulo yami, engayibeka phezu kwakho, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
You were very beautiful, with the result that people in other nations heard about you, because they knew that I, Yahweh the Lord, am the one who had caused you to become very beautiful.
15 Kodwa wathembela ebuhleni bakho, wawula ngenxa yebizo lakho, wathululela ukuwula kwakho kuye wonke odlulayo, kwaba ngokwakhe.
But [it was as though] [MET] you realized that because people knew that you were very beautiful, you could [earn a lot of money by] becoming a prostitute. [It was as though] you had sex with [EUP] every man who came along, and they all enjoyed your beauty.
16 Wathatha ezembathweni zakho, wazenzela indawo eziphakemeyo ngemibala, wawulela phezu kwazo; izinto ezinje kaziyikuza, njalo kakuyikwenzeka.
[It was as though] you took some of your clothes to make beautifully decorated shrines, and that is where you had sex with those men. Those things should certainly never occur!
17 Wathatha futhi izitsha zakho ezinhle egolideni lami lesiliveni sami engangikunike khona, wazenzela izithombe zabesilisa, wawula lazo.
You took the fine gold and silver jewelry that I gave you, and you made male idols for yourself, in order to have sex with them.
18 Wathatha izembatho zakho ezifekethisiweyo, wazisibekela; wabeka amafutha ami lempepha yami phambi kwazo.
You took some of your embroidered clothes to put on those idols, and you burned oil and incense in front of them [to honor them].
19 Lokudla kwami engakunika khona, impuphu ecolekileyo lamafutha loluju engangikondla ngakho, wakubeka phambi kwazo kwaba liphunga elimnandi; kwaba njalo, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
And the [bread that was made from] fine flour and the olive oil and honey that I gave to you to eat, you offered to be a fragrant sacrifice to those idols. I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that is what happened.
20 Wasuthatha amadodana akho lamadodakazi akho, owawungizalele wona, wawahlabela zona ukuze adliwe. Ukuphinga kwakho kwakukuncinyane yini,
And you even took your sons and daughters who were [as though they were] [MET] my children, and sacrificed them to be food for the idols. That was much worse [RHQ] than your becoming a prostitute.
21 ukuze ubulale abantwana bami, ubanikela ukuba ubadabuliseemlilweni kuzo?
You slaughtered [those who were like] [MET] my children, and offered them to be sacrifices to the gods!
22 Lakuwo wonke amanyala akho lokuwula kwakho kawukhumbulanga insuku zobutsha bakho, lapho wawunqunu uze, uqhatsha egazini lakho.
All during the time when you were acting like a prostitute and doing other detestable things, you did not think about the time when [it was as though] you were very young, naked [DOU], lying in your own blood and kicking.
23 Kwasekusithi emva kwayo yonke inkohlakalo yakho (maye, maye kuwe! itsho iNkosi uJehova),
So I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that terrible things will happen to you. In addition to all the other wicked things that you did,
24 wazakhela idundulu, wazenzela indawo ephakemeyo kuso sonke isitalada.
you built a shrine to worship idols in every [city] square/plaza.
25 Kuyo yonke inhloko yendlela wakhile indawo yakho ephakemeyo, wenza ubuhle bakho banengeka, wavulela bonke abedlulayo izinyawo zakho, wandisa ukuwula kwakho.
At the beginning of every street you built a shrine, and showed people your beautiful body, offering it to have sex with every man who walked by, becoming a better known prostitute every day.
26 Njalo waphinga labantwana bamaGibhithe, omakhelwane bakho, abakhulu ngenyama, wandisa ukuwula kwakho, ukuze ungithukuthelise.
[It was as though] [MET] you had sex with men from Egypt who were eager to have sex with you, men who lived near to Israel. You caused me to become very angry because you became more eager to have sex with more and more of them.
27 Ngakho, khangela, ngelulele isandla sami phezu kwakho, nganciphisa isabelo sakho esimisiweyo, ngakunikela entandweni yabakuzondayo, amadodakazi amaFilisti, alenhloni ngendlela yakho embi.
So I punished [IDM] you and caused your enemies to capture some of your country. I enabled your greedy enemies from Philistia to defeat you; and even they were shocked because of your disgraceful behavior.
28 Uwulile futhi labantwana bamaAsiriya ngoba ungasuthiseki; yebo, uwulile lawo, kube kanti kawusuthisekanga.
[It was as though] you had sex with soldiers from Assyria, too, because you always wanted more sex. And after that, you still were not satisfied.
29 Wandisa futhi ukuwula kwakho elizweni leKanani kuze kube seKhaladiya; kodwa langalokhu kawusuthisekanga.
So you also had sex [with soldiers from] Babylonia, a country full of merchants/businessmen, but even that did not satisfy you.
30 Ibuthakathaka kangakanani inhliziyo yakho, itsho iNkosi uJehova, ekwenzeni kwakho zonke lezizinto, umsebenzi wowesifazana ophingayo, obusayo,
I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that when you did all those things, acting like [MET] a bold prostitute, you were showing that you were ready to do anything that you wanted to [IDM].
31 ekwakheni kwakho idundulu lakho enhlokweni yayo yonke indlela, wenza indawo yakho ephakemeyo kuso sonke isitalada, kanti kawubanga njengewule ngoba wadelela iholo lewule.
When you built shrines to worship idols on every street corner and in every city square/plaza, you were not like a prostitute: Prostitutes charge money, but you refused to take money for what you did.
32 Umfazi ofebayo, endaweni yendoda yakhe uthatha abemzini!
You are like [MET] a woman who commits adultery: You prefer to [have sex with] strangers rather than with your husband.
33 Bapha isipho kuwo wonke amawule. Kodwa wena unika isipho sakho kuzo zonke izithandwa zakho, uzithenga ukuze zize kuwe enhlangothini zonke ngokuwula kwakho.
Prostitutes are paid, but [it is as though] you give gifts to all your lovers; you bribe them to come to you from everywhere to have sex with you.
34 Ngakho kuwe kulokuphambene labesifazana ekuwuleni kwakho, ngoba kakho olandela wena ukuyawula; lekunikeni kwakho iholo lewule, njalo unganikwanga iholo lewule, ngakho usube ngophambeneyo.
So although you act like [MET] a prostitute, you are not like other prostitutes: No one needs to request you to have sex [EUP] with them. You are the opposite of other prostitutes; instead of them giving any money to you, you give men money to have sex with you.
35 Ngakho, wena wule, zwana ilizwi leNkosi.
Therefore, [you people of] Jerusalem, who are like a prostitute [MET], listen to what I, Yahweh the Lord, am saying about you!
36 Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Ngoba ukuwula kwakho kuthululiwe, lobunqunu bakho bembulwa ngokuwula kwakho lezithandwa zakho, langazo zonke izithombe zezinengiso zakho, langegazi labantwana bakho owazinika bona.
I say that [what you have done is as though] [MET] you took off your clothes and acted like a prostitute and had sex with men who are not your husband. [What I mean is that you have been worshiping] detestable idols, and you have murdered [MTY] your own children to be sacrifices to them.
37 Ngakho, khangela, ngizaqoqa zonke izithandwa zakho obuthokoza lazo, lazo zonke obuzithanda kanye lazo zonke obuzizonda; ngiziqoqe zimelane lawe zivela enhlangothini zonke, ngembule ubunqunu bakho kuzo ukuze zibone bonke ubunqunu bakho.
So [what I am going to do is as though] I will gather those who you think have loved you and those whom you hated. I will gather them around you [to attack you], and [what I will do is as though] I will strip your clothes off you, and they will see you when you are completely naked.
38 Njalo ngizakugweba ngezahlulelo zabesifazana abafebayo labachithi begazi, ngikuphe igazi lentukuthelo lobukhwele.
I will punish you like women who commit adultery and who murder people [MTY] are punished. I will get revenge on you and get rid of you because I am extremely angry with you.
39 Ngizakunikela futhi esandleni sazo, ziwisele phansi idundulu lakho, zidilize indawo zakho eziphakemeyo, zikuhlubule izigqoko zakho, zithathe izinto zakho ezinhle, zikutshiye unqunu uze.
I will allow [your enemies who you thought] loved you [IRO] to defeat you, and they will tear down your shrines. [It will be as though] they will strip off your fancy clothes and take away your fine jewelry and cause you to be completely naked [DOU].
40 Zikwenyuselele ixuku, zikukhande ngamatshe, zikugwaze ngezinkemba zazo.
They will bring a mob to attack you, and that mob will throw stones at you and cut you to pieces with their swords.
41 Zitshise izindlu zakho ngomlilo, zenze izahlulelo phezu kwakho phambi kwamehlo abesifazana abanengi. Njalo ngizakwenza uyekele ekubeni liwule, njalo kawusayikupha iholo lewule futhi.
They will burn down your houses and punish you while many women are watching. I will cause your acting like a prostitute and paying your lovers to have sex with you to end.
42 Ngokunjalo ngizakwenza ukukuthukuthelela kwami kuphumule, lobukhwele bami busuke kuwe; njalo ngizathula, ngingabe ngisathukuthela.
Then I will no longer be angry [DOU] with you. I will stop being jealous [because of your worshiping gods other than me only].
43 Ngenxa yokuthi ungakhumbulanga insuku zobutsha bakho, kodwa ungithukuthelisile ngazo zonke lezizinto, khangela, mina-ke ngizakwehlisela futhi indlela yakho phezu kwekhanda lakho, itsho iNkosi uJehova. Njalo kawuyikwenza lobububi phezu kwazo zonke izinengiso zakho.
You have forgotten [the wonderful things that I did for you] in previous years [MET]. You have caused me to become extremely angry because of all the [evil things] that you have done. In addition to all the other detestable things that you did, you committed many sexual sins. So I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that I will punish you [IDM] for doing those things.
44 Khangela, wonke osebenzisa izaga uzasebenzisa isaga ngawe esithi: Njengonina injalo indodakazi yakhe.
People who [like to] quote proverbs will quote this proverb about you: “[behave] like their mothers [behave].”
45 Wena uyindodakazi kanyoko, owayesenyanya indoda yakhe labantwana bakhe; lawe ungudade wabodadewenu, ababesenyanya amadoda abo labantwana babo; unyoko wayengumHethi loyihlo umAmori.
You are like your mother; [it was as though] she detested her husband and her children. You are like your sisters, who also despised their husbands and their children. [It was as though] [MET] your father belonged to the Amor people-group and your mother belonged to the Heth people-group.
46 Lodadewenu omdala yiSamariya, yena lamadodakazi akhe abahlala ngakwesokhohlo sakho; lodadewenu omncane kuwe, ohlala ngakwesokunene sakho, yiSodoma lamadodakazi ayo.
And [it was as though] [MET] your older sister was Samaria, and she and her daughters lived to the north of you, and [it was as though] your younger sister was Sodom, and she and her daughters lived to the south of you.
47 Kanti kawuhambanga ngezindlela zabo, wenze njengokwezinengiso zabo; kwakunjengento encinyane enengekayo; kodwa wonakala kulabo kuzo zonke izindlela zakho.
You not only imitated all [DOU] their detestable behavior, but you quickly became more sinful than they were.
48 Kuphila kwami, itsho iNkosi uJehova, isibili iSodoma udadewenu kayenzanga, yona lamadodakazi ayo, njengokwenza kwakho, wena lamadodakazi akho.
I, Yahweh the Lord, solemnly declare that as surely as I am alive, [the people who lived in] [MTY] Sodom and other nearby cities never did the detestable things that you [people in Jerusalem and other places in Judah] have done.
49 Khangela, lesi sasiyisiphambeko seSodoma udadewenu: Ukuzigqaja, ukusutha isinkwa, lokuchelesa okulokuthula kwakukuyo lakumadodana ayo, kodwa kaqinisanga isandla sabayanga labaswelayo.
These are the sins [the people who lived in] Sodom, who were like your sister [MET]: The people who lived there and in nearby cities were arrogant. In spite of having more food to eat than they needed, they refused to help the poor and needy [DOU] people among them.
50 Babeziphakamisa, benza isinengiso phambi kwami; ngakho ngabasusa njengokubona kwami.
The people of Sodom and nearby cities [MET] were proud and did detestable things in my presence, so I got rid of them when I saw what they had been doing.
51 Futhi iSamariya kayonanga ngengxenye yezono zakho; kodwa wena wandisile izinengiso zakho kulabo, walungisisa odadewenu ngezinengiso zakho zonke ozenzileyo.
Also, [the people of] Samaria did not commit half as many sins as you have committed. You have done more disgusting things than they have done. You cause the people of Samaria to appear to be good, compared to you.
52 Lawe, thwala ihlazo lakho, wena owahlulele odadewenu, ngezono zakho ozenzileyo ngokunengeka okwedlula bona; balungile kulawe. Ngakho lawe woba lenhloni, uthwale ihlazo lakho, ngoba ubalungisisile odadewenu.
Your sins are worse than their sins, so they seem to be less wicked than you are. So I will punish you more than I punished them. As a result, you will be ashamed and disgraced [DOU].
53 Lapho ngizabuyisa abathunjiweyo babo, abathunjwa beSodoma lamadodakazi ayo, labathunjwa beSamariya lamadodakazi ayo, khona ngizabuyisa ukuthunjwa kwabathunjwa bakho phakathi kwabo.
However, [some day] I will [the people of] Sodom and Samaria and the cities near to them [MET] to prosper again. And I will cause you to prosper again, too.
54 Ukuze uthwale ihlazo lakho, ube lenhloni ngakho konke okwenzileyo ekubaduduzeni kwakho.
You will be very ashamed [DOU] of the wicked things that you have done, and that will cause the people of those cities to be encouraged.
55 Lapho odadewenu iSodoma lamadodakazi ayo bezabuyela esimeni sabo sakuqala, leSamariya lamadodakazi ayo babuyele esimeni sabo sakuqala, lawe lamadodakazi akho lizabuyela esimeni senu sakuqala.
[The people of] Sodom and Samaria will prosper again, and you and the people in nearby cities will prosper also.
56 Ngoba iSodoma udadewenu kayibanga semlonyeni wakho njengombiko ngosuku lokuzigqaja kwakho,
You (sneered at/despised) [the people of] Sodom when you were proud,
57 bungakembulwa ububi bakho, ngesikhathi sehlazo lamadodakazi eSiriya, labo bonke abayizingelezeleyo, amadodakazi amaFilisti, abakweyisayo inhlangothi zonke.
before it was revealed that you were very wicked. And now [the people of] Edom and [the people of] Philistia all insult you and despise you.
58 Wena uthwele amacebo akho amabi lezinengiso zakho, itsho iNkosi.
And you are being punished for all your immoral behavior and other detestable things that you do.
59 Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Ngizakwenza lakuwe njengokwenza kwakho, odelela isifungo ngokwephula isivumelwano.
This is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: I will continue to punish you like you deserve to be punished, because by rejecting the agreement that I made with you, you have despised that solemn agreement that you promised to obey.
60 Kube kanti mina ngizakhumbula isivumelwano sami lawe ensukwini zobutsha bakho, ngimise lawe isivumelwano esilaphakade.
But I will not forget the agreement that I made with you long ago [MET], and I will make an agreement with you that will endure forever.
61 Khona uzakhumbula izindlela zakho, ube lenhloni, lapho usemukela odadewenu, omdala kuwe lomncinyane kuwe; ngoba ngizakunika bona babe ngamadodakazi, kodwa kungabi ngesivumelwano sakho.
Then you will think about what you have done, and you will be ashamed about those things when you welcome [the people of] Sodom and Samaria, cities which are like [MET] older and younger sisters to you people of Jerusalem. I will [put them under your control by] causing them to become like [MET] your daughters, but they will not have the same agreement that I will make with you.
62 Njalo mina ngizamisa isivumelwano sami lawe, uzakwazi-ke ukuthi ngiyiNkosi.
I will establish my agreement with you, and you will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].
63 Ukuze ukhumbule, ube lenhloni, ungabe usavula umlomo wakho ngenxa yehlazo lakho, lapho sengikwenzele inhlawulo yokuthula ngakho konke okwenzileyo, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
Then when I have forgiven you for all your sins, you will think about all the sins that you committed and you will be ashamed, and you will never again [boast about them], because you will be humiliated.’”

< UHezekheli 16 >