UHezekheli 33
1 Ilizwi leNkosi lafika kimi futhi, lisithi:
A message from 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, tell your people: If I brought an army to attack a country, the people there would choose one of them to be their watchman.
3 lapho ebona inkemba isiza phezu kwelizwe, avuthele uphondo, axwayise abantu,
When he saw the army advancing to attack the country, he would blow the trumpet to warn everyone.
4 kuzakuthi loba ngubani ozwa umsindo wophondo, kodwa angaxwayi, lapho inkemba ifika, imsuse, igazi lakhe lizakuba phezu kwekhanda lakhe.
So if you hear the trumpet but don't pay attention to the warning, and you're killed in the attack, you will be responsible for your own death.
5 Uzwile ukukhala kophondo, kodwa angaxwayi; igazi lakhe lizakuba phezu kwakhe. Kodwa oxwayayo uzawophula umphefumulo wakhe.
Since you heard the trumpet but didn't pay attention to the warning, then you will be responsible for your own death. If you had paid attention the warning, you could have saved your 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 saw the attack coming and didn't blow the trumpet to warn everyone, and someone is killed, then that person will die in their sins, but I will hold the watchman responsible for their death.
7 Wena-ke, ndodana yomuntu, ngikubeke waba ngumlindi endlini kaIsrayeli; ngakho uzakuzwa ilizwi elivela emlonyeni wami, ubaxwayise ngokuvela kimi.
Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the people of Israel. Listen to what I tell you and warn them for 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 tell the wicked ‘You're wicked; you're going to die’; but you don't warn them to change what they're doing, then they'll die in their sins and I will hold your responsible for their deaths.
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 to change what they're doing, and they don't, they will die in their sins, but you will save your own 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?
Son of man, tell the people of Israel that this is what they've been saying, ‘We recognize our sins and wrongs, and they weigh on us, wearing us out. How can we go on living?’
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?
Tell them: As I live, declares the Lord God, it brings me no pleasure when wicked people die. I wish they would stop sinning and live! Stop! Stop sinning! Why should you die, people 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.
So, son of man, tell your people: All the good things a good person has done won't save them when they sin; while the bad things a bad person has done won't be a problem for them if they stop sinning. But good people won't live if they start sinning.
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 a good person that they will live and then they rely on their goodness and start sinning, then none of the good things they did will be remembered; he will die because of the sins.
14 Futhi uba ngisitsho kokhohlakeleyo ukuthi: Uzakufa lokufa; uba ephenduka esonweni sakhe, enze isahlulelo lokulungileyo,
But if I tell a bad person, ‘You're going to die’ and they stop sinning and do what is good and right,
15 okhohlakeleyo ebuyisela isibambiso, abhadale impango, ahambe ngezimiso zempilo, ukuthi angenzi isiphambeko, uzaphila isibili, kayikufa.
if they return security given for a loan, pay back what they've stolen, and follows my laws about how to live, not doing wrong—then they will live; they won't die.
16 Kakukho lasinye sezono zakhe azenzileyo esizakhunjulwa kuye; wenzile isahlulelo lokulungileyo; uzaphila isibili.
None of their sins will be remembered; they have done what is good and right and so they will live.
17 Kodwa abantwana babantu bakini bathi: Indlela yeNkosi kayilingani; kanti ngeyabo indlela engalinganiyo.
However, your people are complaining, ‘What the Lord does isn't right.’ But it's what they're doing that isn't right.
18 Nxa olungileyo ephenduka ekulungeni kwakhe, enze isiphambeko, uzakufa ngenxa yaso.
If a good person stops doing good and sins, they will die because of it.
19 Kodwa uba okhohlakeleyo ephenduka kunkohlakalo yakhe, enze isahlulelo lokulungileyo, yena uzaphila ngakho.
On the other hand, if a bad person turns from their sins and they do what is good and right, they will live as a result.
20 Kanti lithi: Indlela yeNkosi kayilingani. Wena ndlu kaIsrayeli, ngizalahlulela, ngulowo lalowo njengendlela zakhe.
So how can you say, ‘What the Lord does isn't right’? Well, I'm going to judge each of you depending on what you've done, people of Israel.”
21 Kwasekusithi ngomnyaka wetshumi lambili wokuthunjwa kwethu, ngenyanga yetshumi, ngolwesihlanu lwenyanga, owayephunyukile eJerusalema wafika kimi esithi: Umuzi usutshayiwe.
On the fifth day of the tenth month of the twelfth year of our exile, a refugee who'd escaped from Jerusalem arrived and told me, “The city has been captured!”
22 Kwathi isandla seNkosi saba phezu kwami kusihlwa, ophunyukileyo engakafiki, savula umlomo wami, waze wafika kimi ekuseni. Ngokunjalo umlomo wami wavuleka, kangabe ngisaba yisimungulu.
The previous evening before the messenger arrived the Lord had touched me so I could speak again. This was before the man came to see me in the morning. I wasn't mute any longer—I could speak again.
23 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi, lisithi:
A message from 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, people living among the ruins in Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, but the country was given to him to own. There's plenty of us, so the country should belong to us.’
25 Ngakho tshono kubo: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Lidla okulegazi, liphakamisele amehlo enu ezithombeni zenu, lichithe igazi; kambe lizakudla ilifa lelizwe yini?
So tell them that this is what the Lord God says: You eat meat with the blood still in it. You go and worship your idols. You commit murder. Do you really think the country should belong to you?
26 Lima phezu kwenkemba yenu, lenze isinengiso, lingcolise, ngulowo lalowo umfazi kamakhelwane wakhe; kambe lizakudla ilifa lelizwe yini?
You rely on your swords to get your way. You have done some disgusting things. You're all having sex with each other's wives. Should the country belong to you?
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 I live, in the people living among the ruins will be killed by the sword. Those living in the countryside will be eaten by wild animals. Those living in the fortresses and caves will die from disease.
28 Ngoba ngizalenza ilizwe libe lunxiwa lencithakalo, lokuziqhenya kwamandla alo kuzaphela, lezintaba zakoIsrayeli zibe yinkangala, ukuze kungabi khona odlulayo.
I will turn the country into a wasteland, and power you are so proud of will be ended. The mountains of Israel will become wild places that no one will want to travel through.
29 Khona bazakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi, lapho sengenze ilizwe laba yinkangala lesesabiso ngenxa yawo wonke amanyala abo abawenzileyo.
Then the people will acknowledge that I am the Lord, when I have turned the country into a wasteland because of all the disgusting things they have done.
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.
Son of man, your people are talking about you out in the streets and in the doorways of their houses. They encourage one another, saying, ‘Come on! Let's go and hear a message 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 and visit you like they usually do. They sit and listen to the message you share, but they don't do anything about it. Even though they talk about love, all they're thinking about is how to cheat others.
32 Khangela-ke, kubo unjengengoma ethandekayo, ilizwi elimnandi, lowazi kuhle ukutshaya ichacho; ngoba besizwa amazwi akho kodwa bengawenzi.
In fact, to them you're just someone who sings love songs with a lovely voice and who is a fine musician. They listen to the message you share, but they don't do anything about it.
33 Kodwa ekufikeni kwalokhu (khangela, kuzafika), khona bazakwazi ukuthi bekukhona umprofethi phakathi kwabo.
So when what you say does happen (and it will), then they will realize that they did have a prophet among them.”
