< UHezekheli 29 >

1 Ngomnyaka wetshumi, ngenyanga yetshumi, ngolwetshumi lambili lwenyanga, ilizwi leNkosi lafika kimi, lisithi:
Almost ten [after we had been taken to Babylonia], on the twelfth day of the tenth [of that year], Yahweh gave me another message. [He said to me],
2 Ndodana yomuntu, misa ubuso bakho bumelene loFaro inkosi yeGibhithe, uprofethe umelene laye, njalo umelene layo yonke iGibhithe.
“You human, turn toward Egypt and proclaim the terrible things that will happen to the king of Egypt and all his people.
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.
Give the king this message from [me], Yahweh the Lord: ‘You king of Egypt, I am your enemy; [you are like] [MET] a great monster/crocodile that lies in the [along the Nile River]. You say, “The Nile [River] is mine; I made it [for 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.
But [it will be as though] I will put hooks in your jaws and drag you out [from the river] onto the land, with fish sticking 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 leave you and all those fish to die in the desert; you will fall onto the ground, and your [corpse] will not be picked up and buried, because I have declared that your flesh will be food for the wild animals and birds.
6 Labo bonke abahlali beGibhithe bazakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi, ngoba bebeludondolo lomhlanga kuyo indlu kaIsrayeli.
When that happens, all the people of Egypt will know that it is I, Yahweh, [who have the power to do what I say that I will do]. The Israeli people [trusted that you would help them]. But you have been [like] [MET] a reed pole in their hands.
7 Lapho bekubamba ngesandla, wephula wadabula lonke ihlombe labo; lalapho beseyama kuwe, wephuka, wenza zonke inkalo zabo zama.
And when they leaned on that pole, it splintered and tore open their shoulders. When they leaned on you, [it was as though] you were a pole that broke, and as a result you wrenched their backs.
8 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Khangela, ngizaletha inkemba phezu kwakho, ngiqume kusuke kuwe umuntu lenyamazana.
Therefore, this is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, say: “I will bring [your enemies to attack] you with their swords, and they will kill your people and your animals.
9 Lelizwe leGibhithe lizakuba yincithakalo lenkangala. Khona bezakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi. Ngoba uthe: Umfula ngowami, mina-ke ngiwenzile.
Egypt will become an empty desert. Then the people of Egypt will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].” You [proudly] said, “The Nile [River] is mine; 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.
Therefore I am opposed to you and your streams, and I will cause Egypt to be ruined, and cause it to be an empty desert, from Migdol [in the north] to Aswan [in the south], as far [south] as the border of Ethiopia.
11 Kakulanyawo lomuntu oluzadlula kilo, kakulanyawo lwenyamazana oluzadlula kilo; futhi kaliyikuhlalwa okweminyaka engamatshumi amane.
For 40 years no one will walk through that area, and no one will live there.
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.
Egypt will be barren/empty, and it will be surrounded by other desolate nations. The cities in Egypt will be empty and deserted for 40 years, surrounded by ruined cities in nearby nations. I will cause the people of Egypt to be scattered to countries [far away].
13 Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Ekupheleni kweminyaka engamatshumi amane ngizabutha amaGibhithe ebantwini abahlakazekele khona.
But this is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, [also] say: “At the end of 40 years, I will enable the people of Egypt to return home [again] from the nations to which they were scattered.
14 Njalo ngizabuyisela abathunjwa beGibhithe, ngibenze babuyele elizweni lePatrosi, elizweni lokuzalwa kwabo; lapho-ke bazakuba ngumbuso ophansi.
I will bring back the people of Egypt who had been captured, and I will enable them to live again in the Pathros area [in the south], where they lived previously. But Egypt will be a very unimportant [DOU] kingdom.
15 Lizakuba phansi kulayo imibuso, futhi kalisayikuziphakamisa phezu kwezizwe; ngoba ngizabanciphisa ukuze bangabuyi babuse phezu kwezizwe.
It will be the least important of [all] the nations; it will never again be greater than the nearby countries. I will cause Egypt to be very weak, with the result that it will never again rule over other nations.
16 Njalo kalisayikuba lithemba kuyo indlu kaIsrayeli, eletha ukukhunjulwa kwesiphambeko, lapho bephenduka ukulandela bona. Kodwa bazakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi uJehova.
[When that happens, the leaders of] Israel will no longer be tempted to ask Egypt to help them. Egypt will be punished, and that will cause the Israeli people to not forget that they previously sinned by trusting that Egypt could help them. And the people of Israel will know that I, Yahweh the Lord, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].” '”
17 Kwasekusithi ngomnyaka wamatshumi amabili lesikhombisa, ngenyanga yokuqala, ngolokuqala lwenyanga, ilizwi leNkosi lafika kimi, lisithi:
Almost twenty-seven years [after we had been taken to Babylonia], on the first day [of the new year], Yahweh gave me this message:
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.
“You human, the army of king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon fought very hard against Tyre, with the result that their heads were rubbed bare and their shoulders became (raw/full of blisters). But Nebuchadnezzar and his army did not get any valuable things from Tyre to reward them for their hard work [to destroy Tyre].
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.
Therefore, this is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, say: 'I will enable King Nebuchadnezzar’s army to conquer Egypt. They will carry away from there all the valuable things, in order that the king can give them to his soldiers.
20 Ngimnike ilizwe leGibhithe kube ngumvuzo akhonza ngawo kulo, ngoba bangisebenzela, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
I will enable them to conquer Egypt as a reward for what they did [to Tyre], because [I], Yahweh say that [it was as though] his army was working for me, [doing what I wanted them to do, when they destroyed Tyre].
21 Ngalolosuku ngizakwenza uphondo lwendlu kaIsrayeli lukhahlele, ngikunike ukukhamisa komlomo phakathi kwabo. Njalo bazakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi.
And some day Israel will become a glorious nation [MET] again. When that happens, I will cause the Israeli people to respect what you say [MTY]. And then they will know that [it has happened because] I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].'”

< UHezekheli 29 >