UHezekheli 29
1 Ngomnyaka wetshumi, ngenyanga yetshumi, ngolwetshumi lambili lwenyanga, ilizwi leNkosi lafika kimi, lisithi:
On the twelfth day of the tenth month of the tenth year, a message from the Lord came to me, saying,
2 Ndodana yomuntu, misa ubuso bakho bumelene loFaro inkosi yeGibhithe, uprofethe umelene laye, njalo umelene layo yonke iGibhithe.
“Son of man, face towards Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and the whole of Egypt.
3 Khuluma uthi: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Khangela, ngimelane lawe, Faro, nkosi yeGibhithe, umgobho omkhulu olele phakathi kwemifula yawo, othi: Umfula wami ngowami, ngazenzela wona.
Tell him that this is what the Lord God says: Watch out, because I'm condemning you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, you great monster lying in your rivers, who says, ‘The Nile belongs to me; I made it myself.’
4 Kodwa ngizafaka izingwegwe emihlathini yakho, ngenze inhlanzi zemifula yakho zinamathele emaxolweni akho, ngikukhuphule phakathi kwemifula yakho, lazo zonke inhlanzi zemifula yakho zizanamathela emaxolweni akho.
I'm going to put hooks in your jaws and make the fish in your river stick to your scales. I will pull you up out of your river, and all the fish will stick to your scales.
5 Njalo ngizakutshiya enkangala, wena lazo zonke inhlanzi zemifula yakho; uzawela ebusweni beganga; kawuyikuhlanganiswa, kawuyikubuthwa; ngizakunikela ube yikudla kuzo izilo zeganga lenyoni zamazulu.
I will throw you and the fish away, leaving you in the desert. Your body will fall on the ground and be left in the open. It won't be collected or taken to be buried. I'll leave you as food for wild animals and birds of prey.
6 Labo bonke abahlali beGibhithe bazakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi, ngoba bebeludondolo lomhlanga kuyo indlu kaIsrayeli.
Then everyone in Egypt will know that I am the Lord. When you had to deal with the people of Israel you were like a flimsy walking stick made from a reed.
7 Lapho bekubamba ngesandla, wephula wadabula lonke ihlombe labo; lalapho beseyama kuwe, wephuka, wenza zonke inkalo zabo zama.
When Israel grabbed hold of you, you split apart, damaging their shoulder. When they leaned on you, you broke, putting their backs out.
8 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Khangela, ngizaletha inkemba phezu kwakho, ngiqume kusuke kuwe umuntu lenyamazana.
So this is what the Lord God says: I will attack you with a sword and kill both people and animals.
9 Lelizwe leGibhithe lizakuba yincithakalo lenkangala. Khona bezakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi. Ngoba uthe: Umfula ngowami, mina-ke ngiwenzile.
Egypt will become an empty wasteland. Then they will know that I am the Lord. Because you said, ‘The Nile belongs to me; I made it,’
10 Ngakho, khangela, ngimelene lawe, ngimelene lemifula yakho; ngenze ilizwe leGibhithe libe yizincithakalo isibili lenkangala, kusukela emphotshongweni kusiya eSevene kuze kube semngceleni weEthiyophiya.
that's why I'm condemning you and your river. I will ruin Egypt, making it into an empty wasteland all the way from Migdol in the north to Syene in the south, and up to the border with Cush.
11 Kakulanyawo lomuntu oluzadlula kilo, kakulanyawo lwenyamazana oluzadlula kilo; futhi kaliyikuhlalwa okweminyaka engamatshumi amane.
No one, human or animal, will travel that way or live there for forty years.
12 Ngoba ngizakwenza ilizwe leGibhithe libe yincithakalo phakathi kwamazwe wonke achithekileyo; lemizi yalo phakathi kwemizi engamanxiwa izakuba yincithakalo okweminyaka engamatshumi amane; njalo ngizahlakaza amaGibhithe phakathi kwezizwe, ngiwasabalalise emazweni.
I will make Egypt more of a wasteland than any other country, and its towns will lie in ruins for forty years among all the other ruined towns. I will scatter the Egyptians among the different nations and countries.
13 Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Ekupheleni kweminyaka engamatshumi amane ngizabutha amaGibhithe ebantwini abahlakazekele khona.
However, this is what the Lord God says: After forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the different countries where they were scattered.
14 Njalo ngizabuyisela abathunjwa beGibhithe, ngibenze babuyele elizweni lePatrosi, elizweni lokuzalwa kwabo; lapho-ke bazakuba ngumbuso ophansi.
I will bring Egypt out of captivity and take them back to the land of Pathros, where they originally came from. Their kingdom will be insignificant.
15 Lizakuba phansi kulayo imibuso, futhi kalisayikuziphakamisa phezu kwezizwe; ngoba ngizabanciphisa ukuze bangabuyi babuse phezu kwezizwe.
Egypt will be the lowest of kingdoms and won't ever be more important than other nations again. I will bring Egypt down so that it won't ever be able to rule over the nations again.
16 Njalo kalisayikuba lithemba kuyo indlu kaIsrayeli, eletha ukukhunjulwa kwesiphambeko, lapho bephenduka ukulandela bona. Kodwa bazakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi uJehova.
The people of Israel won't ever trust in Egypt again; instead they will be reminded them of their sin when they turned to the Egyptians for help. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.”
17 Kwasekusithi ngomnyaka wamatshumi amabili lesikhombisa, ngenyanga yokuqala, ngolokuqala lwenyanga, ilizwi leNkosi lafika kimi, lisithi:
On the first day of the first month of the twenty-seventh year, a message from the Lord came to me, saying,
18 Ndodana yomuntu, uNebhukadirezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni wenza ibutho lakhe lakhonza inkonzo enkulu limelene leTire; lonke ikhanda laphucwa, lalo lonke ihlombe lasutshulwa; kanti yena kalamvuzo, lebutho lakhe, ngenxa yeTire, ngenxa yenkonzo ayikhonza emelene layo.
“Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army work really hard in the siege against Tyre. The soldiers had their hair worn off their heads, and their shoulders rubbed raw. However, he and his army didn't gain any benefit from Tyre for all the work they did in attacking it.
19 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Khangela, ngizanikela ilizwe leGibhithe kuNebhukadirezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni; njalo uzathatha ixuku layo, athumbe ukuthunjwa kwayo, aphange impango yayo; njalo kuzakuba liholo lebutho lakhe.
So this is what the Lord God says: I'm going to give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon who will seize everything valuable. He will loot the country, robbing it to pay his army.
20 Ngimnike ilizwe leGibhithe kube ngumvuzo akhonza ngawo kulo, ngoba bangisebenzela, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
I'm rewarding him for all his work by giving him Egypt because the work they did was for me, declares the Lord God.
21 Ngalolosuku ngizakwenza uphondo lwendlu kaIsrayeli lukhahlele, ngikunike ukukhamisa komlomo phakathi kwabo. Njalo bazakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi.
At that time I will give power back to the people of Israel and I will help you speak to them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
