UHezekheli 22
1 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi lisithi:
A message from the Lord came to me, saying,
2 Wena-ke, ndodana yomuntu, uzakwehlulela yini, wahlulele umuzi wegazi? Yebo uzawazisa zonke izinengiso zawo.
“So, son of man, are you ready to judge them? Are you ready to judge the people of this city that have caused so much bloodshed? Make them face all the disgusting things they've done,
3 Ubususithi: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Umuzi ochitha igazi phakathi kwawo, ukuze isikhathi sawo sifike, wenze izithombe ezimelene lawo, ukuze uzingcolise.
and tell them that this is what the Lord God says: You are a city who has caused your own doom by murdering people within your walls, and by making idols to worship that made you unclean.
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 are guilty of murder, and you have made yourself unclean by the idols you've made. You have shortened your lives—your time is up! That's why other people taunt you—everyone mocks you.
5 Abaseduze labakhatshana lawe bazakuhleka usulu, wena ongcolileyo ngebizo, ogcwele isiphithiphithi.
People far and near will laugh at you, you corrupt city full of confusion!
6 Khangela, iziphathamandla zakoIsrayeli zaziphakathi kwakho, yileso laleso ngengalo yaso, ukuthi sichithe igazi.
Look at how all of your leaders in Israel use their power to murder.
7 Baphathe uyihlo lonyoko ngokweyisa kuwe; benze ngocindezelo kowemzini phakathi kwakho; bacindezele izintandane lomfelokazi kuwe.
You despise your parents. You exploit the foreigners who live with you, and you mistreat orphans and widows.
8 Uzidelele izinto zami ezingcwele, wangcolisa amasabatha ami.
You detest my holy things and violate my Sabbaths.
9 Abantu abahlebayo babekuwe ukuze bachithe igazi; badla kuwe phezu kwezintaba; benza amanyala phakathi kwakho.
Living among you are people who falsely accuse others in order to put them to death. You also have those who eat religious meals at pagan shrines in the mountains, and commit immoral acts within the city.
10 Bembule ubunqunu baboyise phakathi kwakho; bathobise kuwe owesifazana ongcoliswe yikuba semfuleni.
Some of those living in the city have sex with their father's wives or with women during their period.
11 Futhi omunye wenze amanyala lomfazi kamakhelwane wakhe, lomunye wangcolisa umalokazana wakhe ngokuhlazisayo, lomunye uthobise udadewabo phakathi kwakho, indodakazi kayise.
You're home to evil men. One does disgusting things with someone else's wife. Another seduces his daughter-in-law, while another rapes his sister, the daughter of his own father.
12 Phakathi kwakho bemukele izipho ukuze bachithe igazi; uyemukela inzalo lokwengezelelweyo, uphangile umakhelwane wakho ngocindezelo, wangikhohlwa, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
Your people take money to murder others. You charge interest and make a profit on loans, and use extortion to get money from your neighbors. You have forgotten all about me, declares the Lord God.
13 Khangela-ke ngitshayile isandla sami ngenzuzo yakho embi oyenzileyo, langegazi lakho ebeliphakathi kwakho.
So watch out! I clap my hands in condemnation at your dishonest profiteering and at all your murders.
14 Inhliziyo yakho izakuma yini, kumbe izandla zakho ziqine, ensukwini engizaphathana lawe kizo? Mina Nkosi ngikhulumile, njalo ngizakwenza.
Are you going to be so brave, and will you be strong enough to defend yourselves when it comes time for me to deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and I'm going to act.
15 Ngikuhlakaze phakathi kwezizwe, ngikusabalalise phakathi kwamazwe, ngiqede ukungcola kwakho kuwe.
I'm going to scatter you among the nations and the different countries. I will put a stop to your unclean acts.
16 Njalo uzangcoliswa phakathi kwakho emehlweni abezizwe; ubususazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi.
For when everyone else sees how you've made yourselves unclean, then you will acknowledge that I am the Lord.”
17 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi lisithi:
A message from 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 people of Israel have ended up like the impurities left over from refining metal. They're all like copper, tin, iron, and lead in the furnace—they are just the impurities left from refining silver.
19 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Ngoba lonke selibengamanyele, ngakho khangelani, ngizalibuthelela phakathi kweJerusalema.
So this is what the Lord God says: Because all of you have ended up like impurities, watch as I collect you together in 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.
In the same way a refiner collects silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin and puts them in the blast furnace to melt them with fire, I'm going to collect you in my burning anger, and keep you there until I melt you.
21 Yebo, ngizalibuthelela, ngivuthele phezu kwenu emlilweni wentukuthelo yami, beselincibilikiswa phakathi kwawo.
I'm going to collect you all together and blast you with the fire of my anger, and you'll be melted there in the city.
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 a furnace, so you'll be melted in the city. Then you will realize that I, the Lord, have made you experience my anger.”
23 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi lisithi:
Another message from the Lord came to me, saying,
24 Ndodana yomuntu, wothi kiyo: Wena uyilizwe elingahlanjululwanga, lelinganethwanga ngosuku lwentukuthelo.
“Son of man, tell the city of Jerusalem, at the time of punishment, you are a country that has not been made clean, a place where no rain has fallen,
25 Ugobe lwabaprofethi bayo phakathi kwayo lunjengesilwane esibhongayo esidlithiza impango; bayidlile imiphefumulo, bathatha inotho lezinto eziligugu, benza abafelokazi baba banengi phakathi kwayo.
Her leaders conspire together and it's like watching a roaring lion ripping up its prey. They destroy the people, grab everything that's valuable, and make many more widows in the city.
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 pervert my law and make my holy things unclean. They don't distinguish between what is holy and what is ordinary, and they don't separate the clean from the unclean. They forget about my Sabbaths, and they lead people to treat me with no respect.
27 Iziphathamandla zayo phakathi kwayo zinjengezimpisi ezidlithiza impango, ukuthi zichithe igazi, zibhubhise imiphefumulo, ukuze zizuze inzuzo embi.
Her city officials are like wolves ripping up their prey, killing people, destroying lives so they can profit through fraud.
28 Labaprofethi bayo babacombe ngekalaga, bebona okuyize, bebavumisa amanga, besithi: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova; kanti iNkosi ingakhulumanga.
Her prophets cover up what they do, using false visions as whitewash and prophecies that are lies, saying, ‘This is what the Lord God says,’ when the Lord hasn't said anything.
29 Abantu belizwe bacindezele ngocindezelo, baphanga impango, bacindezela umyanga loswelayo, bacindezela owezizwe kungelakulunga.
The people of this country are extortioners and robbers. They mistreat the poor and those in need and exploit the foreigners, treating them totally unfairly.
30 Njalo ngadinga umuntu phakathi kwabo ongabiya uthango, ame esikhexeni phambi kwami emele ilizwe ukuze ngingalichithi, kodwa kangimtholanga.
I tried to find one of them repair the wall and defend the gap so when I came I wouldn't destroy it—but I couldn't find anyone.
31 Ngakho ngithululele intukuthelo yami phezu kwabo, ngibaqede ngomlilo wolaka lwami; ngehlisele indlela yabo phezu kwekhanda labo, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
So I have let them experience my hostility, burning them up with the fire of my anger. I have made sure they suffer the consequences of what they've done, declares the Lord God.”
