UHezekheli 19
1 Wena-ke, phakamisa isililo ngezikhulu zakoIsrayeli,
And thou, take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,
2 uthi: Uyini unyoko? Isilwanekazi; salala phakathi kwezilwane, sakhulisa imidlwane yaso phakathi kwezilwane ezintsha.
and say, What was thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps in the midst of the young lions.
3 Sakhulisa omunye wemidlwane yaso, waba libhongo, wafunda ukudabula impango, wadla abantu.
And she brought up one of her whelps; it became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.
4 Izizwe zasezisizwa ngawo, wabanjwa emgodini wazo, zawusa elizweni leGibhithe ngamaketane.
And the nations heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with nose-rings into the land of Egypt.
5 Kwathi sibona ukuthi sesilindile, lokuthi ithemba laso selibhubhile, sathatha omunye wemidlwane yaso, sawenza waba libhongo.
And when she saw that she had waited [and] her hope was lost, she took another of her whelps, [and] made him a young lion.
6 Wahamba waya le lale phakathi kwezilwane, waba libhongo, wafunda ukudabula impango, wadla abantu.
And he went up and down among the lions; he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.
7 Wazazi inqaba zabo, wachitha imizi yabo; ilizwe laselisiba yinkangala, lokugcwala kwalo, ngomsindo wokubhonga kwawo.
And he knew their [desolate] palaces, and he laid waste their cities, so that the land was desolate, and all it contained, by the noise of his roaring.
8 Izizwe zasezisima zimelene lawo inhlangothi zonke zivela ezabelweni, zendlala imbule lazo phezu kwawo; wabanjwa emgodini wazo.
Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him; he was taken in their pit.
9 Zawufaka ekhejini ngamaketane, zawusa enkosini yeBhabhiloni, zawuletha ezinqabeni, ukuze ilizwi lawo lingabe lisezwakala phezu kwezintaba zakoIsrayeli.
And they put him in a cage with nose-rings, and brought him to the king of Babylon; they brought him into strongholds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.
10 Unyoko unjengevini egazini lakho, elihlanyelwe ngasemanzini; laba lezithelo ligcwele izingatsha ngenxa yamanzi amanengi.
Thy mother was as a vine, in thy rest, planted by the waters: it was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.
11 Lalilezinti eziqinileyo ezaba zintonga zababusayo, njalo ubude balo babuphakeme phakathi kwengatsha eziqatha, libonakala ngobude balo ngokwanda kwengatsha zalo.
And it had strong rods for sceptres of them that bear rule, and its stature was exalted between the thick boughs; and it was conspicuous by its height with the multitude of its branches.
12 Kodwa lasitshunwa ngokuthukuthela, laphoselwa emhlabathini, lomoya wempumalanga womisa isithelo salo; izinti zalo eziqinileyo zephuka zoma; umlilo waziqeda.
But it was plucked up in fury, it was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit; its strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them.
13 Khathesi selihlanyelwe enkangala, emhlabathini otshileyo lowomileyo.
And now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground:
14 Umlilo usuphume oluthini lwezingatsha zalo, waqeda isithelo salo, ukuze lingabi loluthi oluqinileyo lube yintonga yokubusa. Lesi yisililo, njalo sizakuba yisililo.
and a fire is gone out of a rod of its branches, [which] hath devoured its fruit; so that it hath no strong rod to be a sceptre for ruling. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.
