UHezekheli 17
1 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi lisithi:
And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:
2 Ndodana yomuntu, yenza ilibho, ukhulume ngomfanekiso kuyo indlu yakoIsrayeli,
'Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel,
3 uthi: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Ukhozi olukhulu, olukhulu ngempiko, olude ngezimpaphe, olugcwele insiba, olulemibalabala, lweza eLebhanoni, lwathatha isihloko somsedari,
and say: Thus saith the Lord GOD: A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar;
4 lwaqunta isihloko sezingatshana zawo ezintsha, lwasisa elizweni lokuthengiselana, lwasibeka emzini wabathengisi.
He cropped off the topmost of the young twigs thereof, and carried it into a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants.
5 Lwaseluthatha okwenhlanyelo yalelolizwe, lwayifaka ensimini yenhlanyelo, lwayibeka ngasemanzini amanengi, lwayibeka njengomyezane.
He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful soil; he placed it beside many waters, he set it as a slip.
6 Yasihluma, yaba livini elinabayo, elifitshane ngesithombo, ongatsha zalo zaphendukela kulo, lempande zalo zaba ngaphansi kwalo. Ngokunjalo laba livini, laveza ingatsha, lakhupha amahlumela.
And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose tendrils might turn toward him, and the roots thereof be under him; so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.
7 Kwasekusiba khona olunye ukhozi olukhulu, olukhulu ngempiko, lwande ngensiba. Khangela-ke, lelivini latshekisela impande zalo ngakulo, lakhuphela ingatsha zalo ngakulo, ukuze lulithelele ngemigelo yendawo yalo ehlanyelweyo.
There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers; and, behold, this vine did bend its roots toward him, and shot forth its branches toward him, from the beds of its plantation, that he might water it.
8 Lalihlanyelwe ensimini enhle ngasemanzini amanengi ukuthi liveze ingatsha, lokuthi lithele isithelo, libe livini elihlekazi.
It was planted in a good soil by many waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a stately vine.
9 Wothi: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Lizaphumelela yini? Kaluyikusiphuna yini impande zalo, luqume izithelo zalo, libune? Lizabuna kuwo wonke amahlamvu alo amatsha okumila kwalo, kungengengalo enkulu labantu abanengi, ukulisiphuna ngempande zalo.
Say thou: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither, yea, wither in all its sprouting leaves? neither shall great power or much people be at hand when it is plucked up by the roots thereof.
10 Yebo, khangela, selihlanyelwe lizaphumelela yini? Kaliyikubuna ngokupheleleyo yini nxa umoya wempumalanga ulitshaya? Lizabunela ensimini yokumila kwalo.
Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? Shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? In the beds where it grew it shall wither.'
11 Laselifika ilizwi leNkosi kimi lisithi:
Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:
12 Tshono khathesi kuyo indlu evukelayo: Kalazi yini ukuthi lezizinto ziyini? Uthi: Khangela, inkosi yeBhabhiloni yafika eJerusalema, yathatha inkosi yayo leziphathamandla zayo, yabaletha ngakuyo eBhabhiloni.
'Say now to the rebellious house: Know ye not what these things mean? tell them: Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and brought them to him to Babylon;
13 Yathatha owenzalo yesikhosini, yenza isivumelwano laye, yamngenisa phansi kwesifungo; yathatha abalamandla belizwe;
and he took of the seed royal, and made a covenant with him, and brought him under an oath, and the mighty of the land he took away;
14 ukuze umbuso ube phansi, ungaziphakamisi, ukuthi ngokulondoloza isivumelwano sakhe ume.
that his might be a lowly kingdom, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.
15 Kodwa wayivukela ngokuthuma izithunywa zakhe eGibhithe, ukuze bamnike amabhiza labantu abanengi. Uzaphumelela yini? Owenza lezizinto uzaphepha yini? Kumbe angasephula isivumelwano aphephe yini?
But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? shall he break the covenant, and yet escape?
16 Kuphila kwami, itsho iNkosi uJehova, isibili endaweni yenkosi, embeka ukuthi abe yinkosi, osifungo sayo wasidelela, losivumelwano sayo wasephula, uzakufa layo phakathi kweBhabhiloni.
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.
17 Njalo uFaro, lebutho elilamandla lexuku elikhulu, kayikumsiza empini ngokubuthelela idundulu langokwakha inqaba, ukuquma abantu abanengi.
Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company succour him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many souls;
18 Ngoba edelele isifungo ngokwephula isivumelwano, lapho, khangela, esenikele isandla sakhe, wazenza zonke lezizinto, kayikuphunyuka.
seeing he hath despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.
19 Ngakho, itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Kuphila kwami, isibili, isifungo sami asideleleyo, lesivumelwano sami asephulileyo, ngizakwehlisela phezu kwekhanda lakhe.
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD: As I live, surely Mine oath that he hath despised, and My covenant that he hath broken, I will even bring it upon his own head.
20 Ngizakwendlala imbule lami phezu kwakhe, ukuthi abanjwe emjibileni wami, ngimlethe eBhabhiloni, ngimahlulele khonangesiphambeko sakhe aphambeke ngaso kimi.
And I will spread My net upon him, and he shall be taken in My snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his treachery that he hath committed against Me.
21 Labo bonke ababalekayo bakhe kanye lawo wonke amaviyo akhe bazakuwa ngenkemba, labaseleyo bazahlakazekela kuwo wonke umoya. Lizakwazi-ke ukuthi mina iNkosi ngikhulumile.
And all his mighty men in all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward every wind; and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it.
22 Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Lami ngizathatha esihlokweni somsedari omude, ngikumise. Ngizaqunta kuso isihloko sengatshana zawo ezintsha olubuthakathaka, mina ngiluhlanyele phezu kwentaba ende lephakemeyo.
Thus saith the Lord GOD: Moreover I will take, even I, of the lofty top of the cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it upon a high mountain and eminent;
23 Entabeni yengqonga yakoIsrayeli ngizaluhlanyela; njalo luzakhupha ingatsha, luthele isithelo, lube ngumsedari omhlekazi; langaphansi kwawo kuzahlala yonke inyoni yophiko lonke; emthunzini wengatsha zawo zizahlala.
in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it; and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a stately cedar; and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing, in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.
24 Ngokunjalo zonke izihlahla zeganga zizakwazi ukuthi mina iNkosi ngithobisile isihlahla eside, ngaphakamisa isihlahla esifitshane, ngomisa isihlahla esiluhlaza, ngenza isihlahla esomileyo sihlume. Mina Nkosi ngikhulumile, ngakwenza.
And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish; I the LORD have spoken and have done it.'
