UHezekheli 22
1 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi lisithi:
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
2 Wena-ke, ndodana yomuntu, uzakwehlulela yini, wahlulele umuzi wegazi? Yebo uzawazisa zonke izinengiso zawo.
“And you, son of man, should you not judge, should you not judge the city of blood?
3 Ubususithi: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Umuzi ochitha igazi phakathi kwawo, ukuze isikhathi sawo sifike, wenze izithombe ezimelene lawo, ukuze uzingcolise.
And you shall reveal to her all her abominations. And you shall say: Thus says the Lord God: This is the city which sheds blood in her midst, so that her time may come, and which has made idols against herself, so that she may be defiled.
4 Wena usulecala ngegazi olichithileyo, wazingcolisa ngezithombe zakho ozenzileyo, wasondeza insuku zakho, usufikile eminyakeni yakho. Ngalokho ngikwenzile waba lihlazo ezizweni lenhlekisa kuwo wonke amazwe.
You have offended by your blood, which you shed from yourself. And you have been defiled by your idols which you yourself made. And you have caused your days to approach, and you have brought on the time of your years. Because of this, I have made you a disgrace to the Gentiles, and a derision to all the lands.
5 Abaseduze labakhatshana lawe bazakuhleka usulu, wena ongcolileyo ngebizo, ogcwele isiphithiphithi.
Those that are near and those that are far from you will triumph over you. You are filthy, infamous, great in destruction.
6 Khangela, iziphathamandla zakoIsrayeli zaziphakathi kwakho, yileso laleso ngengalo yaso, ukuthi sichithe igazi.
Behold, the leaders of Israel have each used his arm to shed blood within you.
7 Baphathe uyihlo lonyoko ngokweyisa kuwe; benze ngocindezelo kowemzini phakathi kwakho; bacindezele izintandane lomfelokazi kuwe.
They have abused father and mother within you. The new arrival has been oppressed in your midst. They have grieved the orphan and the widow among you.
8 Uzidelele izinto zami ezingcwele, wangcolisa amasabatha ami.
You have spurned my sanctuaries, and you have defiled my Sabbaths.
9 Abantu abahlebayo babekuwe ukuze bachithe igazi; badla kuwe phezu kwezintaba; benza amanyala phakathi kwakho.
Maligning men were within you, in order to shed blood, and they have eaten upon the mountains within you. They have worked wickedness in your midst.
10 Bembule ubunqunu baboyise phakathi kwakho; bathobise kuwe owesifazana ongcoliswe yikuba semfuleni.
They have uncovered the nakedness of their father within you. They have debased the uncleanness of the menstruous woman within you.
11 Futhi omunye wenze amanyala lomfazi kamakhelwane wakhe, lomunye wangcolisa umalokazana wakhe ngokuhlazisayo, lomunye uthobise udadewabo phakathi kwakho, indodakazi kayise.
And each one has committed abomination with the wife of his neighbor. And the father-in-law has heinously defiled his daughter-in-law. The brother has oppressed his sister, the daughter of his father, within you.
12 Phakathi kwakho bemukele izipho ukuze bachithe igazi; uyemukela inzalo lokwengezelelweyo, uphangile umakhelwane wakho ngocindezelo, wangikhohlwa, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
They have accepted bribes among you to shed blood. You have received usury and superabundance, and in avarice you have oppressed your neighbors. And you have forgotten me, says the Lord God.
13 Khangela-ke ngitshayile isandla sami ngenzuzo yakho embi oyenzileyo, langegazi lakho ebeliphakathi kwakho.
Behold, I have clapped my hands over your avarice, which you have worked, and over the blood that has been shed in your midst.
14 Inhliziyo yakho izakuma yini, kumbe izandla zakho ziqine, ensukwini engizaphathana lawe kizo? Mina Nkosi ngikhulumile, njalo ngizakwenza.
How can your heart endure, or your hands prevail, in the days that I will bring upon you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will act.
15 Ngikuhlakaze phakathi kwezizwe, ngikusabalalise phakathi kwamazwe, ngiqede ukungcola kwakho kuwe.
And I will disperse you among the nations, and I will scatter you among the lands, and I will cause your uncleanness to fade away from you.
16 Njalo uzangcoliswa phakathi kwakho emehlweni abezizwe; ubususazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi.
And I will possess you in the sight of the Gentiles. And you shall know that I am the Lord.”
17 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi lisithi:
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
18 Ndodana yomuntu, indlu kaIsrayeli isibengamanyele kimi; bonke balithusi, lezenge, lensimbi, lomnuso, phakathi kwesithando; bangamanyele esiliva.
“Son of man, the house of Israel has become like dross to me. All these are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead in the midst of the furnace; they have become like the dross of silver.
19 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Ngoba lonke selibengamanyele, ngakho khangelani, ngizalibuthelela phakathi kweJerusalema.
Because of this, thus says the Lord God: Since you have all turned into dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you together in the midst of Jerusalem,
20 Njengoba bebuthelela isiliva lethusi lensimbi lomnuso lezenge phakathi kwesithando, ukuze bafuthe umlilo phezu kwakho ukukuncibilikisa; ngokunjalo ngizalibuthelela ekuthukutheleni kwami lelakeni lwami, ngilitshiye, ngilincibilikise.
just as they gather silver, and brass, and tin, and iron, and lead in the midst of the furnace, so that I may kindle in it a fire to melt it. So will I gather you together in my fury and in my wrath, and I will be quieted, and I will melt you down.
21 Yebo, ngizalibuthelela, ngivuthele phezu kwenu emlilweni wentukuthelo yami, beselincibilikiswa phakathi kwawo.
And I will gather you together, and I will burn you in the fire of my fury, and you will be melted in its midst.
22 Njengesiliva sincibilikiswa phakathi kwesithando, ngokunjalo lizancibilikiswa phakathi kwaso; njalo lizakwazi ukuthi mina Nkosi ngithulule ulaka lwami phezu kwenu.
Just as silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so will you be in its midst. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I will have poured out my indignation upon you.”
23 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi lisithi:
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
24 Ndodana yomuntu, wothi kiyo: Wena uyilizwe elingahlanjululwanga, lelinganethwanga ngosuku lwentukuthelo.
“Son of man, say to her: You are a land unclean and not rained upon, in the day of fury.
25 Ugobe lwabaprofethi bayo phakathi kwayo lunjengesilwane esibhongayo esidlithiza impango; bayidlile imiphefumulo, bathatha inotho lezinto eziligugu, benza abafelokazi baba banengi phakathi kwayo.
There is a conspiracy of prophets in her midst. Like a lion, roaring and seizing the prey, they have devoured souls. They have taken riches and a price. They have multiplied widows in her midst.
26 Abapristi bayo baphathe umlayo wami ngodlakela, bangcolisa izinto zami ezingcwele; kabenzanga mehluko phakathi kokungcwele lokungcolileyo; kabazisanga umehluko phakathi kokungcolileyo lokuhlambulukileyo; bafihla amehlo abo kumasabatha ami; ngakho ngangcoliswa phakathi kwabo.
Her priests have despised my law, and they have defiled my sanctuaries. They have held no distinction between holy and profane. And they have not understood the difference between defiled and clean. And they have averted their eyes from my Sabbaths. And I was profaned in their midst.
27 Iziphathamandla zayo phakathi kwayo zinjengezimpisi ezidlithiza impango, ukuthi zichithe igazi, zibhubhise imiphefumulo, ukuze zizuze inzuzo embi.
Her leaders in her midst are like wolves seizing the prey: to shed blood, and to perish souls, and to continually pursue profit with avarice.
28 Labaprofethi bayo babacombe ngekalaga, bebona okuyize, bebavumisa amanga, besithi: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova; kanti iNkosi ingakhulumanga.
And her prophets have covered them without tempering the mortar, seeing emptiness, and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord has not spoken.
29 Abantu belizwe bacindezele ngocindezelo, baphanga impango, bacindezela umyanga loswelayo, bacindezela owezizwe kungelakulunga.
The people of the land have oppressed with slander and have seized with violence. They have afflicted the needy and the poor, and they have oppressed the new arrival by accusations without judgment.
30 Njalo ngadinga umuntu phakathi kwabo ongabiya uthango, ame esikhexeni phambi kwami emele ilizwe ukuze ngingalichithi, kodwa kangimtholanga.
And I sought among them for a man who might set up a hedge, and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land, so that I might not destroy it; and I found no one.
31 Ngakho ngithululele intukuthelo yami phezu kwabo, ngibaqede ngomlilo wolaka lwami; ngehlisele indlela yabo phezu kwekhanda labo, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
And so I poured out my indignation upon them; in the fire of my wrath I consumed them. I have rendered their own way upon their head, says the Lord God.”
