UHezekheli 30
1 Ilizwi leNkosi lafika kimi futhi, lisithi:
Yahweh gave me another message. [He said, ]
2 Ndodana yomuntu, profetha uthi: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Qhinqani isililo: Maye ngalolosuku!
“You human, prophesy [about what will happen to Egypt]. Say, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: “Weep and wail [DOU], because terrible things will happen some day.
3 Ngoba usuku luseduze, ngitsho usuku lweNkosi luseduze, usuku olulamayezi; kuzakuba yisikhathi sezizwe.
That day is near, the day when I, Yahweh, [will punish people]; it will be a day of [dark] clouds and disaster for [many] nations.
4 Lenkemba izafika eGibhithe, losizi luzakuba seEthiyophiya, lapho ababuleweyo bezakuwa eGibhithe; ngoba bazasusa ixuku layo, lezisekelo zayo zidilizelwe phansi.
[An enemy army] [PRS] will come to attack Egypt with their swords, and there will be great distress [among the people] in Ethiopia. [Many] people will be killed in Egypt; everything valuable will be taken away, and [even] the foundations [of the buildings] will be torn down.
5 IEthiyophiya, lePuti, leLudi, labo bonke abantu abahlanganisiweyo, leKhubi, labantwana belizwe lesivumelwano, bazakuwa ngenkemba kanye labo.
[Soldiers of] Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, and from all of Arabia, and [all the other] groups who are their allies, will be killed in the battles.”
6 Itsho njalo iNkosi: Yebo, abasekela iGibhithe bazakuwa, lokuzigqaja kwamandla ayo kuzakwehla; kusukela eMigidoli kuze kube seSevene bazakuwa kuyo ngenkemba, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
This is what [I], Yahweh say: “The allies of Egypt will be defeated, and the power that [the people of Egypt] are proud of will end. From Migdol [city in the north] to Aswan [city in the south], the soldiers of Egypt will be killed by their enemies’ swords”; [that is what I], Yahweh the Lord, declare.
7 Njalo bazachitheka phakathi kwamazwe achithekileyo; lemizi yayo izakuba phakathi kwemizi engamanxiwa.
Egypt will become the most deserted country in the world, and its cities will be ruined, surrounded by ruined cities [in nearby nations].
8 Khona bezakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi, sengibeke umlilo eGibhithe, lapho bonke abasizi bayo sebephuliwe.
Then, when I cause [everything in] Egypt to be burned in fires, and all their allies are defeated, people will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].
9 Ngalolosuku izithunywa zizaphuma phambi kwami ngemikhumbi ukuyakwethusa amaEthiyophiya onwabileyo, losizi luzakuba phakathi kwabo osukwini lweGibhithe, ngoba, khangela, luyeza.
At that time, I will send messengers to go [swiftly up the Nile River] in boats to cause the people of Ethiopia who (are complacent/confident/think that nothing terrible will happen to them) to become afraid. They will be terrified [PRS] when Egypt is destroyed; and it will soon be that time!”
10 Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Yebo, ngizaqeda ixuku leGibhithe ngesandla sikaNebhukadirezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni.
This is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, say: “By the power of [MTY] of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon I will get rid of very many people in Egypt.
11 Yena, labantu bakhe kanye laye, abesabekayo bezizwe, bazalethwa ukuzachitha ilizwe; njalo bazahwatsha izinkemba zabo bemelene leGibhithe, bagcwalise ilizwe ngababuleweyo.
Nebuchadnezzar and his army, whose soldiers are extremely ruthless, will come to destroy Egypt. They will pull out their swords and fill Egypt with [the corpses of] those whom they have killed.
12 Njalo ngizakwenza imifula itshe, ngithengise ilizwe esandleni sabakhohlakeleyo, ngilichithe ilizwe lokugcwala kwalo ngesandla sabezizwe; mina Nkosi ngikhulumile.
I will cause the Nile [River] to become dry, and I will sell the nation to evil men. By the power [MTY] of foreigners I will ruin the land and everything that is in it. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have predicted it.”
13 Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Ngizabhubhisa lezithombe, ngiqede izifanekiso eNofi; njalo kakusayikuba khona isiphathamandla esivela elizweni leGibhithe; njalo ngizaletha ukwesaba elizweni leGibhithe.
This is [also] what [I], Yahweh the Lord, say: “I will cause the idols and statues [of idols] [DOU] in Memphis [city] to be destroyed. No longer will there be a king in Egypt, and all over the land, people will be terrified. I will cause [the people of] Egypt to be very afraid.
14 Ngenze iPatrosi ibe lunxiwa, ngibeke umlilo eZowani, ngenze izahlulelo eNo.
I will cause the Pathros [area in southern Egypt] to be abandoned. I will start fires in Zoan [city in northeast Egypt] and punish [the people in] Thebes, [the capital of southern Egypt].
15 Ngithulule ulaka lwami phezu kweSini, amandla eGibhithe; ngiqume ixuku leNo.
I will pour out my punishment [MTY] on [the fortress in] Pelusium [at the eastern end of Egypt], and I will get rid of very many people in Thebes.
16 Ngibeke umlilo eGibhithe; iSini izakuba lobuhlungu obukhulu; leNo izadatshulwa phakathi; leNofi izakhathazeka nsuku zonke.
I will burn Egypt by fires; [the people in] Pelusium will suffer severe pain. [Enemies] will conquer Thebes, and [the people in] Memphis will constantly be terrified.
17 Amajaha eAvene lePhibhesethi azakuwa ngenkemba, lale imizi izakuya ekuthunjweni.
[Many] young men in Heliopolis and Bubastis [cities in northern Egypt] will be killed by [their enemies] swords, and the others [from those cities] will be captured and taken [to Babylon].
18 Njalo eThahaphanesi imini izakuba mnyama, lapho ngizakwephula khona amajogwe eGibhithe, lokuzikhukhumeza kwamandla ayo kuzaphela kiyo. Yona, iyezi lizayisibekela, lamadodakazi ayo azakuya ekuthunjweni.
It will be a dark day [of destruction] at Tahpenes [city in northeast Egypt] when I cause the power [MET] of Egypt to end; that country will no longer be proud of being strong. [It will be as though] a dark cloud will cover Egypt, because the people of its villages will be captured and forced to go [to Babylon].”
19 Ngokunjalo ngizakwenza izahlulelo eGibhithe. Khona bezakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi.
That is how I will punish Egypt, and people will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].’”
20 Kwasekusithi ngomnyaka wetshumi lanye, ngenyanga yokuqala, ngolwesikhombisa lwenyanga, ilizwi leNkosi lafika kimi, lisithi:
Almost eleven years [after we had been taken to Babylon], on the seventh day of the first month [of that year], Yahweh gave me another message. [He said, ]
21 Ndodana yomuntu, ngiyephule ingalo kaFaro inkosi yeGibhithe; khangela-ke kayibotshwanga ukuthi kunikwe ukuphola, ukuthi kufakwe uhlaka lokuyibopha, ukuyiqinisela ukubamba inkemba.
“You human, I [have enabled the army of Nebuchadnezzar to defeat the army of] the King of Egypt. [It is as though] I have broken one of the arms of the King of Egypt, and it has not been bandaged in order that it could be healed, and it has not been put in splints in order that [after it heals] the arm will be strong [enough] to hold a sword.
22 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Khangela, ngimelene loFaro inkosi yeGibhithe, njalo ngizakwephula ingalo zakhe, elamandla, laleyo eyephukileyo, ngenze inkemba iwe esandleni sakhe.
Therefore, this is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, say: ‘I am the enemy of the King of Egypt. [I will completely destroy the power of Egypt; it is as though] now I will break both of the king’s arms, the good/strong one and the broken one, and cause the sword to fall from his hand.
23 Ngihlakazele amaGibhithe phakathi kwezizwe, ngiwasabalalisele emazweni.
I will cause the people of Egypt to be scattered among the nations [DOU].
24 Ngiqinise ingalo zenkosi yeBhabhiloni, ngibeke inkemba yami esandleni sayo; kodwa ngizakwephula izingalo zikaFaro, abubule phambi kwayo ngokububula kogwaziweyo.
[It is as though] I will strengthen the arms of the King of Babylon and put a sword in his hand, and [as though] I will break the arms of the king of Egypt, and he will groan in front of the King of Babylon like [SIM] a soldier who is wounded and about to die.
25 Kodwa ngizaqinisa ingalo zenkosi yeBhabhiloni, lengalo zikaFaro zizawela phansi; njalo bazakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi, sengifake inkemba yami esandleni senkosi yeBhabhiloni, isiyelule phezu kwelizwe leGibhithe.
I will cause the power [MTY] of the King of Babylon to become greater, and the power of the king of Egypt will be useless [MET]. When that happens, when I give power to the army of the King of Babylon, they will use that power to attack Egypt.
26 Njalo ngizahlakaza amaGibhithe phakathi kwezizwe, ngiwasabalalisele emazweni. Njalo bazakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi.
I will cause the people of Egypt to be scattered among the nations [DOU]. And when that happens, the people [of Egypt] will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do] [DOU].’”
