UHezekheli 34
1 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi lisithi:
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
2 Ndodana yomuntu, profetha umelene labelusi bakoIsrayeli, profetha uthi kubo: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova kubelusi: Maye kubelusi bakoIsrayeli abazelusayo bona! Abelusi bebengayikuzelusa izimvu yini?
“Son of man, prophesy about the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and you shall say to the shepherds: Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the flocks be fed by the shepherds?
3 Lidla amanono, lizigqokise ngoboya, lihlabe ezinonileyo, umhlambi kaliwelusi.
You consumed the milk, and you covered yourselves with the wool, and you killed what was fattened. But my flock you did not feed.
4 Ezibuthakathaka kaliziqinisanga, lezigulayo kalizelaphanga, lezephukileyo kalizibophanga, lebezixotshiwe kalizibuyisanga, lebezilahlekile kalizidinganga; kodwa ngamandla langesihluku lizibusile.
What was weak, you have not strengthened, and what was sick, you have not healed. What was broken, you have not bound, and what was cast aside, you have not led back again, and what was lost, you have not sought. Instead, you ruled over them with severity and with power.
5 Ngokunjalo zahlakazeka ngoba kungelamelusi; zaba yikudla kuzo zonke izilo zeganga, lapho zihlakazekile.
And my sheep were scattered, because there was no shepherd. And they became devoured by all the wild beasts of the field, and they were dispersed.
6 Izimvu zami zazulazula kuzo zonke izintaba, laphezu kwalo lonke uqaqa oluphakemeyo; yebo umhlambi wami wawuhlakazeke phezu kobuso bonke bomhlaba, njalo kungekho ozidingayo, kungekho ozibhudulayo.
My sheep have wandered to every mountain and to every exalted hill. And my flocks have been scattered across the face of the earth. And there was no one who sought them; there was no one, I say, who sought them.
7 Ngakho, lina belusi, zwanini ilizwi leNkosi.
Because of this, O shepherds, listen to the word of the Lord:
8 Kuphila kwami, itsho iNkosi uJehova, isibili, ngoba umhlambi wami usube yimpango, lomhlambi wami usube yikudla kwaso sonke isilo seganga, ngoba kungelamelusi, labelusi bami bengazidinganga izimvu zami, kodwa abelusi bezelusile bona, bengazelusanga izimvu zami;
As I live, says the Lord God, since my flocks have become a prey, and my sheep have been devoured by all the wild beasts of the field, since there was no shepherd, for my shepherds did not seek my flock, but instead the shepherds fed themselves, and they did not feed my flocks:
9 ngakho, lina belusi, zwanini ilizwi leNkosi.
because of this, O shepherds, listen to the word of the Lord:
10 Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Khangela, ngimelane labelusi, ngizabiza umhlambi wami esandleni sabo, ngibenze bayekele ukwelusa umhlambi, ukuthi abelusi bangabuyi bazeluse bona; ngiwophule umhlambi wami emlonyeni wabo, ukuze ungabi yikudla kwabo.
Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I myself will be over the shepherds. I will require my flock at their hand, and I will cause them to cease, so that they no longer refrain from feeding the flock. Neither will the shepherds feed themselves any more. And I will deliver my flock from their mouth; and it will no longer be food for them.
11 Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Khangela, mina, ngitsho mina ngizafuna izimvu zami, ngizidinge.
For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I myself will seek my sheep, and I myself will visit them.
12 Njengomalusi edinga umhlambi wakhe ngosuku ephakathi kwezimvu zakhe ezihlakazekileyo, ngokunjalo ngizadinga izimvu zami, ngizophule kuzo zonke izindawo lapho ezihlakazekele khona ngosuku lweyezi lolomnyama.
Just as a shepherd visits his flock, in the day when he will be in the midst of his sheep that were scattered, so will I visit my sheep. And I will deliver them from all the places to which they had been scattered in the day of gloom and darkness.
13 Ngizazikhupha ebantwini, ngizibuthe emazweni, ngizise elizweni lazo, ngizeluse phezu kwezintaba zakoIsrayeli ngasemifuleni lakuzo zonke indawo zokuhlala zelizwe.
And I will lead them away from the peoples, and I will gather them from the lands, and I will bring them into their own land. And I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, by the rivers, and in all the settlements of the land.
14 Ngizazelusa edlelweni elivundileyo, lesibaya sazo sizakuba sezintabeni eziphakemeyo zakoIsrayeli. Zizalala lapho esibayeni esihle, zidle edlelweni elihle ezintabeni zakoIsrayeli.
I will feed them in very fertile pastures, and their pastures will be on the lofty mountains of Israel. There they will rest on the green grass, and they will be fed in the fat pastures, on the mountains of Israel.
15 Mina ngizawelusa umhlambi wami, mina ngiwulalise phansi, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
I will feed my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down, says the Lord God.
16 Ngizadinga ezilahlekileyo, ngibuyise ezixotshiweyo, ngibophe ezephukileyo, ngiqinise ezigulayo; kodwa ezinonileyo leziqinileyo ngizazibhubhisa, ngizeluse ngesahlulelo.
I will seek what had been lost. And I will lead back again what had been cast aside. And I will bind up what had been broken. And I will strengthen what had been infirm. And I will preserve what was fat and strong. And I will feed them on judgment.
17 Lina-ke, mhlambi wami, itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Khangela, ngizakwahlulela phakathi kwemvu lemvu, phakathi kwezinqama lezimpongo.
But as for you, O my flocks, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, among rams and among he-goats.
18 Kuyinto encane kini yini ukuthi lidle edlelweni elihle, linyathelele phansi ngenyawo zenu insali yamadlelo enu, lokuthi linathe amanzi acengekileyo, kodwa lidunge aseleyo ngenyawo zenu?
Was it not enough for you to feed upon good pastures? For you even trample with your feet upon the remainder of your pastures. And when you drank the purist water, you disturbed the remainder with your feet.
19 Kodwa umhlambi wami udla lokhu elikunyathele ngenyawo zenu, wanatha lokho elikudunge ngenyawo zenu.
And my sheep were pastured from what you had trampled with your feet, and they drank from what your feet had disturbed.
20 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova kuzo: Khangelani, mina, ngitsho mina ngizakwahlulela phakathi kwezimvu ezinonileyo lezimvu ezicakileyo.
Because of this, thus says the Lord God to you: Behold, I myself am judging between the fat cattle and the lean.
21 Ngoba lisunduza ngomhlubulo langehlombe, lihlabe zonke ezigulayo ngezimpondo zenu, lize lizihlakazele ngaphandle;
For you have pushed with your sides and shoulders, and you have threatened all the weak cattle with your horns, until they were scattered abroad.
22 ngakho ngizasindisa umhlambi wami, njalo kawusayikuba yimpango; ngahlulele phakathi kwemvu lemvu.
I will save my flock, and it will no longer be a prey, and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
23 Ngimise umelusi oyedwa phezu kwazo, azeluse, inceku yami uDavida; yena uzazelusa, yena abe ngumelusi wazo.
And I will raise up over them ONE SHEPHERD, who will feed them, my servant David. He himself will feed them, and he will be their shepherd.
24 Mina-ke Nkosi ngizakuba nguNkulunkulu wazo, lenceku yami uDavida ibe yisiphathamandla phakathi kwazo. Mina Nkosi ngikhulumile.
And I, the Lord, will be their God. And my servant David will be the leader in their midst. I, the Lord, have spoken.
25 Njalo ngizakwenza lazo isivumelwano sokuthula, ngenze izilo ezimbi ziphele elizweni; njalo zizahlala zivikelekile enkangala, zilale emahlathini.
And I will make a covenant of peace with them. And I will cause the very harmful beasts to cease from the land. And those who are living in the desert will sleep securely in the forests.
26 Futhi ngizakwenza zona lezindawo ezihanqe uqaqa lwami kube yisibusiso; ngenze umkhizo wehle ngesikhathi sawo, kuzakuba lemikhizo yesibusiso.
And I will make them a blessing all around my hill. And I will send the rain in due time; there will be showers of blessing.
27 Lesihlahla sasendle sizathela izithelo zaso, lomhlaba uveze isivuno sawo; njalo zizakuba ngezivikelekileyo elizweni lazo, zazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi, nxa sengephule izikeyi zejogwe lazo, ngizophule esandleni salabo abazisebenzisayo.
And the tree of the field will yield its fruit, and the land will yield its crop. And they will be in their own land without fear. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I will have crushed the chains of their yoke, and when I will have rescued them from the hand of those who rule over them.
28 Njalo kazisayikuba yimpango yabezizwe, njalo izilo zelizwe kazisayikuzidla; kodwa zizahlala zivikelekile, njalo kakukho okungazethusa.
And they will no longer be a prey to the Gentiles, nor will the wild beasts of the earth devour them. Instead, they will live in confidence without any terror.
29 Njalo ngizazivusela isilimo esilebizo njalo kazisayikususwa yindlala elizweni, kazisayikuthwala ihlazo labezizwe.
And I will raise up for them a renowned branch. And they will be no longer be diminished by famine in the land, nor will they carry any longer the reproach of the Gentiles.
30 Ngalokho zizakwazi ukuthi mina Nkosi, uNkulunkulu wazo, ngilazo, lokuthi zona, indlu kaIsrayeli, zingabantu bami, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
And they shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they are my people, the house of Israel, says the Lord God.
31 Lina-ke, mhlambi wami, mhlambi wedlelo lami, lingabantu; mina nginguNkulunkulu wenu, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
For you are my flocks; the flocks of my pasture are men. And I am the Lord your God, says the Lord God.”
