UHezekheli 22
1 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi lisithi:
Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
2 Wena-ke, ndodana yomuntu, uzakwehlulela yini, wahlulele umuzi wegazi? Yebo uzawazisa zonke izinengiso zawo.
“Now you, son of man, will you judge? Will you judge the city of blood? Make her know all her abominations.
3 Ubususithi: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Umuzi ochitha igazi phakathi kwawo, ukuze isikhathi sawo sifike, wenze izithombe ezimelene lawo, ukuze uzingcolise.
You must say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: This is a city that pours out blood in her midst so that her time may come; a city that makes idols to make herself 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 have become guilty by the blood that you have poured out, and you have become unclean by the idols that you have made. You have drawn your days to a close, and the end of your years has come. Therefore I will make you a reproach to the nations and a laughingstock to all the lands.
5 Abaseduze labakhatshana lawe bazakuhleka usulu, wena ongcolileyo ngebizo, ogcwele isiphithiphithi.
Both those who are near and those who are far away from you will mock you—you unclean city—with the reputation known everywhere as being full of confusion.
6 Khangela, iziphathamandla zakoIsrayeli zaziphakathi kwakho, yileso laleso ngengalo yaso, ukuthi sichithe igazi.
Behold! The rulers of Israel, each one by his own power, have come to you to pour out blood.
7 Baphathe uyihlo lonyoko ngokweyisa kuwe; benze ngocindezelo kowemzini phakathi kwakho; bacindezele izintandane lomfelokazi kuwe.
They have dishonored fathers and mothers within you, and they have performed oppression on the foreigners in your midst. They have mistreated the orphans and the widows within you.
8 Uzidelele izinto zami ezingcwele, wangcolisa amasabatha ami.
You have despised my holy things and have profaned my Sabbaths.
9 Abantu abahlebayo babekuwe ukuze bachithe igazi; badla kuwe phezu kwezintaba; benza amanyala phakathi kwakho.
Slanderous men have come within you in order to pour out blood, and they eat on the mountains. They perform wickedness in your midst.
10 Bembule ubunqunu baboyise phakathi kwakho; bathobise kuwe owesifazana ongcoliswe yikuba semfuleni.
Within you men uncover the nakedness of their father. Within you they have violated unclean women during their menstrual period.
11 Futhi omunye wenze amanyala lomfazi kamakhelwane wakhe, lomunye wangcolisa umalokazana wakhe ngokuhlazisayo, lomunye uthobise udadewabo phakathi kwakho, indodakazi kayise.
Men who commit abominations with their neighbors' wives, and men who make their own daughters-in-law shamefully unclean; men who abuse their own sisters—daughters of their own fathers—all these are done within you.
12 Phakathi kwakho bemukele izipho ukuze bachithe igazi; uyemukela inzalo lokwengezelelweyo, uphangile umakhelwane wakho ngocindezelo, wangikhohlwa, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
These men take bribes within you in order to pour out blood and you have taken interest and gained too much profit, and you have damaged your neighbors through oppression, and you have forgotten me—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
13 Khangela-ke ngitshayile isandla sami ngenzuzo yakho embi oyenzileyo, langegazi lakho ebeliphakathi kwakho.
See! With my hand I have struck the dishonest gain that you have made, and the bloodshed that is done in the midst of you.
14 Inhliziyo yakho izakuma yini, kumbe izandla zakho ziqine, ensukwini engizaphathana lawe kizo? Mina Nkosi ngikhulumile, njalo ngizakwenza.
Will your heart stand, will your hands be strong on the days when I myself will deal with you? I, Yahweh, am declaring this, and I will do it.
15 Ngikuhlakaze phakathi kwezizwe, ngikusabalalise phakathi kwamazwe, ngiqede ukungcola kwakho kuwe.
So I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the lands. In this way, I will purge your uncleanness from you.
16 Njalo uzangcoliswa phakathi kwakho emehlweni abezizwe; ubususazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi.
So you will become unclean in the eyes of the nations. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.'”
17 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi lisithi:
Next the word of Yahweh 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 dross to me. All of them are the leftovers of bronze and tin, and iron and lead in the midst of you. They will be like the dross of silver in your furnace.
19 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Ngoba lonke selibengamanyele, ngakho khangelani, ngizalibuthelela phakathi kweJerusalema.
Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Because all of you have become like dross, therefore, behold! I am about to gather you into 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.
As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead and tin and put it inside a furnace to melt it, and they blow the fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in my anger and my wrath, and I will put you there and melt you.
21 Yebo, ngizalibuthelela, ngivuthele phezu kwenu emlilweni wentukuthelo yami, beselincibilikiswa phakathi kwawo.
I will gather you and blow on you the fire of my wrath, and you will be melted in the midst of it.
22 Njengesiliva sincibilikiswa phakathi kwesithando, ngokunjalo lizancibilikiswa phakathi kwaso; njalo lizakwazi ukuthi mina Nkosi ngithulule ulaka lwami phezu kwenu.
As silver is melted in a furnace, you will be melted in it, and you will know that I, Yahweh, have poured out my wrath on you!'”
23 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi lisithi:
The word of Yahweh 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 that has not been cleansed. There is no rain on the day of wrath!
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 her prophets in her midst, like a roaring lion tearing apart a victim. They consume life and take precious wealth; they make many widows within her!
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 do violence to my law, and they profane my holy things. They do not distinguish between holy things and profane things, and do not teach the difference between the unclean and the clean. They hide their eyes from my Sabbaths so that I am profaned in their midst.
27 Iziphathamandla zayo phakathi kwayo zinjengezimpisi ezidlithiza impango, ukuthi zichithe igazi, zibhubhise imiphefumulo, ukuze zizuze inzuzo embi.
Her princes within her are like wolves tearing apart their victims. They pour out blood and destroy life, to make a profit dishonestly.
28 Labaprofethi bayo babacombe ngekalaga, bebona okuyize, bebavumisa amanga, besithi: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova; kanti iNkosi ingakhulumanga.
Her prophets have painted them over with whitewash; they see false visions and predict falsehoods to them. They say “The Lord Yahweh says this” when Yahweh has not spoken.
29 Abantu belizwe bacindezele ngocindezelo, baphanga impango, bacindezela umyanga loswelayo, bacindezela owezizwe kungelakulunga.
The people of the land have oppressed through extortion and plundered through robbery, and they mistreat the poor and needy, and oppress the foreigner without justice.
30 Njalo ngadinga umuntu phakathi kwabo ongabiya uthango, ame esikhexeni phambi kwami emele ilizwe ukuze ngingalichithi, kodwa kangimtholanga.
So I searched for a man from them who would build up a wall and who would stand before me in its breach for the land so I would not destroy it, but I found no one.
31 Ngakho ngithululele intukuthelo yami phezu kwabo, ngibaqede ngomlilo wolaka lwami; ngehlisele indlela yabo phezu kwekhanda labo, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
So I will pour out my indignation upon them. I will finish them with the fire of my indignation and set their way on their own heads—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'”
