UHezekheli 33
1 Ilizwi leNkosi lafika kimi futhi, lisithi:
Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2 Ndodana yomuntu, khuluma kubantwana babantu bakho, uthi kubo: Ilizwe, lapho ngiletha inkemba phezu kwalo, labantu belizwe bathathe umuntu emingceleni yakibo, bambeke abe ngumlindi wabo,
“Son of man, speak to your people and tell them: ‘Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land choose a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman,
3 lapho ebona inkemba isiza phezu kwelizwe, avuthele uphondo, axwayise abantu,
and he sees the sword coming against that land and blows the ram’s horn to warn the people.
4 kuzakuthi loba ngubani ozwa umsindo wophondo, kodwa angaxwayi, lapho inkemba ifika, imsuse, igazi lakhe lizakuba phezu kwekhanda lakhe.
Then if anyone hears the sound of the horn but fails to heed the warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head.
5 Uzwile ukukhala kophondo, kodwa angaxwayi; igazi lakhe lizakuba phezu kwakhe. Kodwa oxwayayo uzawophula umphefumulo wakhe.
Since he heard the sound of the horn but failed to heed the warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved his life.
6 Kodwa nxa umlindi ebona inkemba isiza, angavutheli uphondo, abantu bengaxwayiswa, aluba inkemba ifika, isuse umuntu phakathi kwabo, yena ususwa esesonweni sakhe, kodwa igazi lakhe ngizalibiza esandleni somlindi.
But if the watchman sees the sword coming and fails to blow the horn to warn the people, and the sword comes and takes away a life, then that one will be taken away in his iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’
7 Wena-ke, ndodana yomuntu, ngikubeke waba ngumlindi endlini kaIsrayeli; ngakho uzakuzwa ilizwi elivela emlonyeni wami, ubaxwayise ngokuvela kimi.
As for you, O son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word from My mouth and give them the warning from Me.
8 Uba ngisithi komubi: Mubi, uzakufa lokufa; uba wena ungakhulumi ukuxwayisa omubi atshiye indlela yakhe, lowo omubi uzafela esonweni sakhe, kodwa igazi lakhe ngizalibiza esandleni sakho.
If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ but you do not speak out to dissuade him from his way, then that wicked man will die in his iniquity, yet I will hold you accountable for his blood.
9 Kodwa wena uba umxwayisa omubi ngendlela yakhe ukuthi aphenduke kuyo; uba engaphenduki endleleni yakhe, yena uzafela ebubini bakhe, kodwa wena usuwophule umphefumulo wakho.
But if you warn the wicked man to turn from his way, and he does not turn from it, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.
10 Ngakho, wena ndodana yomuntu, tshono kuyo indlu kaIsrayeli: Likhuluma ngokunjalo lisithi: Ngoba iziphambeko zethu lezono zethu ziphezu kwethu, thina sicikizeke sikuzo, pho, sizaphila njani?
Now as for you, son of man, tell the house of Israel that this is what they have said: ‘Our transgressions and our sins are heavy upon us, and we are wasting away because of them! How can we live?’
11 Tshono kubo: Kuphila kwami, itsho iNkosi uJehova, isibili kangithokozi ngokufa komubi, kodwa ngokuthi omubi aphenduke endleleni yakhe aphile. Phendukani, phendukani ezindleleni zenu ezimbi; ngoba lizafelani, lina ndlu kaIsrayeli?
Say to them: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’
12 Wena-ke, ndodana yomuntu, tshono ebantwaneni babantu bakiniuthi: Ukulunga kolungileyo kakuyikumophula ngosuku lwesiphambeko sakhe; mayelana lenkohlakalo yokhohlakeleyo, kayikuwa ngayo ngosuku azaphenduka ngalo enkohlakalweni yakhe; lolungileyo kayikuba lakho ukuphila ngokulunga kwakhe ngosuku ona ngalo.
Therefore, son of man, say to your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked man cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. Nor will the righteous man be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins.’
13 Lapho ngizakutsho kolungileyo ukuthi uzaphila isibili; uba yena ethembela ekulungeni kwakhe, enze isiphambeko, konke ukulunga kwakhe kakuyikukhunjulwa; kodwa ngenxa yobubi bakhe abenzileyo, uzabufela.
If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but he then trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, then none of his righteous works will be remembered; he will die because of the iniquity he has committed.
14 Futhi uba ngisitsho kokhohlakeleyo ukuthi: Uzakufa lokufa; uba ephenduka esonweni sakhe, enze isahlulelo lokulungileyo,
But if I tell the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and he turns from his sin and does what is just and right—
15 okhohlakeleyo ebuyisela isibambiso, abhadale impango, ahambe ngezimiso zempilo, ukuthi angenzi isiphambeko, uzaphila isibili, kayikufa.
if he restores a pledge, makes restitution for what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without practicing iniquity—then he will surely live; he will not die.
16 Kakukho lasinye sezono zakhe azenzileyo esizakhunjulwa kuye; wenzile isahlulelo lokulungileyo; uzaphila isibili.
None of the sins he has committed will be held against him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live.
17 Kodwa abantwana babantu bakini bathi: Indlela yeNkosi kayilingani; kanti ngeyabo indlela engalinganiyo.
Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just.
18 Nxa olungileyo ephenduka ekulungeni kwakhe, enze isiphambeko, uzakufa ngenxa yaso.
If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he will die for it.
19 Kodwa uba okhohlakeleyo ephenduka kunkohlakalo yakhe, enze isahlulelo lokulungileyo, yena uzaphila ngakho.
But if a wicked man turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live because of this.
20 Kanti lithi: Indlela yeNkosi kayilingani. Wena ndlu kaIsrayeli, ngizalahlulela, ngulowo lalowo njengendlela zakhe.
Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to his ways, O house of Israel.”
21 Kwasekusithi ngomnyaka wetshumi lambili wokuthunjwa kwethu, ngenyanga yetshumi, ngolwesihlanu lwenyanga, owayephunyukile eJerusalema wafika kimi esithi: Umuzi usutshayiwe.
In the twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth day of the tenth month, a fugitive from Jerusalem came to me and reported, “The city has been taken!”
22 Kwathi isandla seNkosi saba phezu kwami kusihlwa, ophunyukileyo engakafiki, savula umlomo wami, waze wafika kimi ekuseni. Ngokunjalo umlomo wami wavuleka, kangabe ngisaba yisimungulu.
Now the evening before the fugitive arrived, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute.
23 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi, lisithi:
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
24 Ndodana yomuntu, abahlali balawomanxiwa elizwe lakoIsrayeli bakhuluma besithi: UAbrahama wayemunye, wadla ilifa lelizwe; kodwa thina sibanengi; ilizwe silinikiwe ukuba yilifa.
“Son of man, those living in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as a possession.’
25 Ngakho tshono kubo: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Lidla okulegazi, liphakamisele amehlo enu ezithombeni zenu, lichithe igazi; kambe lizakudla ilifa lelizwe yini?
Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘You eat meat with the blood in it, lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land?
26 Lima phezu kwenkemba yenu, lenze isinengiso, lingcolise, ngulowo lalowo umfazi kamakhelwane wakhe; kambe lizakudla ilifa lelizwe yini?
You have relied on your swords, you have committed detestable acts, and each of you has defiled his neighbor’s wife. Should you then possess the land?’
27 Tshono njalo kubo: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Kuphila kwami, isibili labo abasemanxiweni bazakuwa ngenkemba; lalowo osegcekeni ngizamnikela ezilweni ukuthi zimudle, lalabo abasezinqabeni labasezimbalwini bazakufa ngomatshayabhuqe wesifo.
Tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, those in the ruins will fall by the sword, those in the open field I will give to be devoured by wild animals, and those in the strongholds and caves will die by plague.
28 Ngoba ngizalenza ilizwe libe lunxiwa lencithakalo, lokuziqhenya kwamandla alo kuzaphela, lezintaba zakoIsrayeli zibe yinkangala, ukuze kungabi khona odlulayo.
I will make the land a desolate waste, and the pride of her strength will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will become desolate, so that no one will pass through.
29 Khona bazakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi, lapho sengenze ilizwe laba yinkangala lesesabiso ngenxa yawo wonke amanyala abo abawenzileyo.
Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all the abominations they have committed.’
30 Wena-ke, ndodana yomuntu, abantwana babantu bakini basakhuluma ngawe ngasemidulwini laseminyango yezindlu, njalo omunye ekhuluma komunye, ngulowo lalowo kumfowabo, besithi: Wozani, ngiyacela, lizwe ukuthi yilizwi bani eliphuma eNkosini.
As for you, son of man, your people are talking about you near the city walls and in the doorways of their houses. One speaks to another, each saying to his brother, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD!’
31 Njalo bayeza kuwe njengokuza kwabantu, bahlale phambi kwakho njengabantu bami, bezwe amazwi akho, kodwa bangawenzi; ngoba ngomlomo wabo babonakalisa uthando olukhulu, kodwa inhliziyo yabo ilandela inzuzo yabo embi.
So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain.
32 Khangela-ke, kubo unjengengoma ethandekayo, ilizwi elimnandi, lowazi kuhle ukutshaya ichacho; ngoba besizwa amazwi akho kodwa bengawenzi.
Indeed, you are to them like a singer of love songs with a beautiful voice, who skillfully plays an instrument. They hear your words but do not put them into practice.
33 Kodwa ekufikeni kwalokhu (khangela, kuzafika), khona bazakwazi ukuthi bekukhona umprofethi phakathi kwabo.
So when it comes to pass—and surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
