UHezekheli 29
1 Ngomnyaka wetshumi, ngenyanga yetshumi, ngolwetshumi lambili lwenyanga, ilizwi leNkosi lafika kimi, lisithi:
In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day of the month, the word of Yahweh 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, set your face against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt; prophesy against him and against all 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.
Declare and say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt. You, the great sea monster that lurks in the midst of the river, that says, “My river is my own. I have 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.
For I will place hooks in your jaw, and the fish of your Nile will cling to your scales; I will lift you up from the middle of your river along with all the fish of the river that cling 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 down into the wilderness, you and all the fish from your river. You will fall on the open field; you will not be gathered nor lifted up. I will give you as food to the living things of the earth and to the birds of the heavens.
6 Labo bonke abahlali beGibhithe bazakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi, ngoba bebeludondolo lomhlanga kuyo indlu kaIsrayeli.
Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am Yahweh, because they have been a reed stalk to the house of Israel.
7 Lapho bekubamba ngesandla, wephula wadabula lonke ihlombe labo; lalapho beseyama kuwe, wephuka, wenza zonke inkalo zabo zama.
When they took hold of you in their hand, you broke and tore open their shoulder; and when they leaned on you, you were broken, and you caused their legs to be unsteady.
8 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Khangela, ngizaletha inkemba phezu kwakho, ngiqume kusuke kuwe umuntu lenyamazana.
Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I will bring a sword against you. I will cut off both man and beast from you.
9 Lelizwe leGibhithe lizakuba yincithakalo lenkangala. Khona bezakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi. Ngoba uthe: Umfula ngowami, mina-ke ngiwenzile.
So the land of Egypt will become desolate and a ruin. Then they will know that I am Yahweh, because the sea monster had said, “The river is mine, for I have 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, behold! I am against you and against your river, so I will give the land of Egypt over to desolation and waste, and you will become a wasteland from the Migdol to Syene and the borders of Cush.
11 Kakulanyawo lomuntu oluzadlula kilo, kakulanyawo lwenyamazana oluzadlula kilo; futhi kaliyikuhlalwa okweminyaka engamatshumi amane.
No man's foot will pass through it, and no wild animal's foot will pass through it. It will not be inhabited 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.
For I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of uninhabited lands, and its cities in the midst of wasted cities will become a desolation for forty years; then I will scatter Egypt among the nations, and I will disperse them though the lands.
13 Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Ekupheleni kweminyaka engamatshumi amane ngizabutha amaGibhithe ebantwini abahlakazekele khona.
For the Lord Yahweh says this: At the end of forty years I will gather Egypt from the peoples among whom they were scattered.
14 Njalo ngizabuyisela abathunjwa beGibhithe, ngibenze babuyele elizweni lePatrosi, elizweni lokuzalwa kwabo; lapho-ke bazakuba ngumbuso ophansi.
I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the region of Pathros, to the land of their origin. Then they will be a lowly kingdom there.
15 Lizakuba phansi kulayo imibuso, futhi kalisayikuziphakamisa phezu kwezizwe; ngoba ngizabanciphisa ukuze bangabuyi babuse phezu kwezizwe.
It will be the lowliest of the kingdoms, and it will not be lifted up any more among the nations. I will diminish them so they will no longer rule over nations.
16 Njalo kalisayikuba lithemba kuyo indlu kaIsrayeli, eletha ukukhunjulwa kwesiphambeko, lapho bephenduka ukulandela bona. Kodwa bazakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi uJehova.
The Egyptians will no longer be a reason for confidence for the house of Israel. Instead, they will be a reminder of the iniquity that Israel committed when they turned to Egypt for help. Then they will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.'”
17 Kwasekusithi ngomnyaka wamatshumi amabili lesikhombisa, ngenyanga yokuqala, ngolokuqala lwenyanga, ilizwi leNkosi lafika kimi, lisithi:
Then it came about in the twenty-seventh year on the first of the first month, that the word of Yahweh 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 the king of Babylon stationed his army to do hard work against Tyre. Every head was rubbed until it was made bald, and every shoulder was made raw. Yet he and his army received no payment from Tyre for the hard work that he carried out against 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.
Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold! I am giving the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and he will take away its wealth, plunder its possessions, and carry off all he finds there; that will be his army's wages.
20 Ngimnike ilizwe leGibhithe kube ngumvuzo akhonza ngawo kulo, ngoba bangisebenzela, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
I have given him the land of Egypt as the wages for the work they did for me—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
21 Ngalolosuku ngizakwenza uphondo lwendlu kaIsrayeli lukhahlele, ngikunike ukukhamisa komlomo phakathi kwabo. Njalo bazakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi.
On that day I will make a horn sprout up for the house of Israel, and I make you speak in their midst, so that they will know that I am Yahweh.'”
