UHezekheli 22
1 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi lisithi:
Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
2 Wena-ke, ndodana yomuntu, uzakwehlulela yini, wahlulele umuzi wegazi? Yebo uzawazisa zonke izinengiso zawo.
“You human, are you ready to condemn the people of Jerusalem? It is [RHQ] a city full of murderers [MTY]. Remind them of all the detestable things that they have done.
3 Ubususithi: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Umuzi ochitha igazi phakathi kwawo, ukuze isikhathi sawo sifike, wenze izithombe ezimelene lawo, ukuze uzingcolise.
[Then] say, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: By your murdering people and by (defiling yourselves/making yourselves unacceptable to God) by making idols, you people of this city [APO] have brought to yourselves the time when you [will be destroyed].
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 become guilty by doing both of those things [DOU]. You have brought to an end your time [to remain alive] [DOU]. Therefore I will cause you to become a group whom the [people of other] nations will scorn; they will all laugh at you [DOU].
5 Abaseduze labakhatshana lawe bazakuhleka usulu, wena ongcolileyo ngebizo, ogcwele isiphithiphithi.
People in countries that are near you and people who live far from you will make fun of you, because your city is full of lawless people and full of confusion.
6 Khangela, iziphathamandla zakoIsrayeli zaziphakathi kwakho, yileso laleso ngengalo yaso, ukuthi sichithe igazi.
Think about how each of your Israeli kings have used their power to cause people to be murdered [MTY].
7 Baphathe uyihlo lonyoko ngokweyisa kuwe; benze ngocindezelo kowemzini phakathi kwakho; bacindezele izintandane lomfelokazi kuwe.
Your people do not respect/honor their parents; they have oppressed foreigners; they mistreat orphans and widows.
8 Uzidelele izinto zami ezingcwele, wangcolisa amasabatha ami.
You despise my sacred places and (dishonor/do not respect) the Sabbath days.
9 Abantu abahlebayo babekuwe ukuze bachithe igazi; badla kuwe phezu kwezintaba; benza amanyala phakathi kwakho.
Among you are men who tell lies in order to cause others to be executed [MTY]. There are those who [food offered to idols] at the hilltop [shrines], and they perform disgusting sexual acts.
10 Bembule ubunqunu baboyise phakathi kwakho; bathobise kuwe owesifazana ongcoliswe yikuba semfuleni.
There are men who have sex with their father’s wives [EUP], and men who have sex with women during their monthly menstrual periods.
11 Futhi omunye wenze amanyala lomfazi kamakhelwane wakhe, lomunye wangcolisa umalokazana wakhe ngokuhlazisayo, lomunye uthobise udadewabo phakathi kwakho, indodakazi kayise.
There are men who have sex with someone else’s wife. Some men have sex with their daughters-in-law or with their sisters or half-sisters.
12 Phakathi kwakho bemukele izipho ukuze bachithe igazi; uyemukela inzalo lokwengezelelweyo, uphangile umakhelwane wakho ngocindezelo, wangikhohlwa, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
There are among you men who accept bribes in order to cause someone to be executed [MTY]. You charge high interest when you lend people money. You become rich by forcing people to give you money. [the worst thing is that] you have forgotten me, Yahweh the Lord.
13 Khangela-ke ngitshayile isandla sami ngenzuzo yakho embi oyenzileyo, langegazi lakho ebeliphakathi kwakho.
So I will shake my fists at you to show that I am angry with you because of your stealing money from people and murdering [MTY] people who live among you.
14 Inhliziyo yakho izakuma yini, kumbe izandla zakho ziqine, ensukwini engizaphathana lawe kizo? Mina Nkosi ngikhulumile, njalo ngizakwenza.
When I [punishing] you, you will no longer [RHQ] be courageous/brave [DOU]. I, Yahweh, have said [what I will do to you], and I will do it.
15 Ngikuhlakaze phakathi kwezizwe, ngikusabalalise phakathi kwamazwe, ngiqede ukungcola kwakho kuwe.
I will cause you to be scattered among many nations [DOU], and I will cause you to stop your sinful behavior.
16 Njalo uzangcoliswa phakathi kwakho emehlweni abezizwe; ubususazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi.
When [the people of other] nations see that you have been humiliated, you will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].’”
17 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi lisithi:
Yahweh [also] said to me,
18 Ndodana yomuntu, indlu kaIsrayeli isibengamanyele kimi; bonke balithusi, lezenge, lensimbi, lomnuso, phakathi kwesithando; bangamanyele esiliva.
“You human, your Israeli people [MTY] have [useless] to me. They are [like] [MET] dross/slag to me. They are like [SIM] [worthless] copper, tin, iron, and lead that remains after silver is melted in [very hot] furnace.
19 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Ngoba lonke selibengamanyele, ngakho khangelani, ngizalibuthelela phakathi kweJerusalema.
Therefore, this is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, say: Because you have all become [like] dross/slag, I will gather you 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.
People [ore containing] silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin in a [very hot] furnace and melt them in a blazing [to burn up the impurities]. Similarly [SIM], I will gather you [inside Jerusalem], and because I am very angry with you, [what I will do will be as though] I am melting you.
21 Yebo, ngizalibuthelela, ngivuthele phezu kwenu emlilweni wentukuthelo yami, beselincibilikiswa phakathi kwawo.
[It will be as though] I will blow on you with a hot breath that shows that I am very angry, [it will be as though] you will be melted,
22 Njengesiliva sincibilikiswa phakathi kwesithando, ngokunjalo lizancibilikiswa phakathi kwaso; njalo lizakwazi ukuthi mina Nkosi ngithulule ulaka lwami phezu kwenu.
as though you will be melted like [SIM] silver is melted in a furnace, and then you will know that I, Yahweh, have poured out my punishment [MTY] on you.”
23 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi lisithi:
Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
24 Ndodana yomuntu, wothi kiyo: Wena uyilizwe elingahlanjululwanga, lelinganethwanga ngosuku lwentukuthelo.
“You human, say to the Israeli people, ‘[Yahweh] is angry with you, there has been no rain or showers in your country.’
25 Ugobe lwabaprofethi bayo phakathi kwayo lunjengesilwane esibhongayo esidlithiza impango; bayidlile imiphefumulo, bathatha inotho lezinto eziligugu, benza abafelokazi baba banengi phakathi kwayo.
Your leaders are like [SIM] lions that tear apart the animals that they have killed. Your leaders destroy their people. They steal treasures and [other] valuable things from people, and they cause many women to become [by murdering their husbands].
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.
Their priests disobey my laws and disrespect my sacred things by saying that there is no difference between things that are sacred and those that are not sacred, and by ignoring my laws about honoring the Sabbath days. As a result, they no [longer] honor me.
27 Iziphathamandla zayo phakathi kwayo zinjengezimpisi ezidlithiza impango, ukuthi zichithe igazi, zibhubhise imiphefumulo, ukuze zizuze inzuzo embi.
Their officials are like [SIM] wolves that tear apart the animals that they have killed: They murder people [DOU] in order to get their money.
28 Labaprofethi bayo babacombe ngekalaga, bebona okuyize, bebavumisa amanga, besithi: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova; kanti iNkosi ingakhulumanga.
Their prophets, by falsely saying they have received [from God], and by giving false messages, try to (cover up [MET]/say that it is all right to commit) those sins. They say, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says,’ when I have said nothing to them.
29 Abantu belizwe bacindezele ngocindezelo, baphanga impango, bacindezela umyanga loswelayo, bacindezela owezizwe kungelakulunga.
The Israeli people force others to give them money, and they rob people. They oppress poor [DOU] people, and they mistreat foreigners among them by not treating them [in the courts].
30 Njalo ngadinga umuntu phakathi kwabo ongabiya uthango, ame esikhexeni phambi kwami emele ilizwe ukuze ngingalichithi, kodwa kangimtholanga.
I looked among them to find a man who would cause the people of the city to repent [MET] so that I would not need to get rid of them. But I did not find anyone.
31 Ngakho ngithululele intukuthelo yami phezu kwabo, ngibaqede ngomlilo wolaka lwami; ngehlisele indlela yabo phezu kwekhanda labo, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
So because I am very angry with them, I will severely punish them [MTY] for [all] the wicked things that they have done. [That will surely happen because I], Yahweh the Lord, have said it.”
