UHezekheli 36

1 Wena-ke ndodana yomuntu, profetha kuzo izintaba zakoIsrayeli, uthi: Lina zintaba zakoIsrayeli, zwanini ilizwi leNkosi.

“Now you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, 'Mountains of Israel, listen to the word of Yahweh.

2 Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Ngoba isitha sitshilo simelene lani: Aha, ngitsho izindawo zasendulo eziphakemeyo ziyilifa lethu;

The Lord Yahweh says this: The enemy has said about you, “Aha!” and “The ancient high places have become our possession.”'

3 ngakho profetha uthi: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Ngoba, yebo, ngoba bakwenze incithakalo, baliginya inhlangothi zonke, ukuze libe yilifa kuyo insali yabezizwe, liphakanyiswa endebeni zolimi, laba lunyeyo lwabantu;

Therefore prophesy and say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Because of your desolation and because of the attacks that came on you from all sides, you have become a possession of the other nations; you have been the subject of slanderous lips and tongues, and of people's stories.

4 ngakho, lina zintaba zakoIsrayeli, zwanini ilizwi leNkosi uJehova: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova ezintabeni, lemaqaqeni, emifuleni, lezihotsheni, lemanxiweni achithekileyo, lemizini etshiyiweyo, esibe yimpango lenhlekisa kunsali yezizwe ezizingelezeleyo.

Therefore, mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord Yahweh: The Lord Yahweh says this to the mountains and the high hills, to the streambeds and valleys, to the uninhabited desolations and the forsaken cities that have become plunder and a subject of mocking for the other nations that surround them—

5 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Isibili ngomlilo wobukhwele bami sengikhulume ngimelene lensali yabezizwe, ngimelene leEdoma yonke, abazinikele ilizwe lami ukuthi libe yilifa ngentokozo yenhliziyo yonke, ngengqondo yokudelela, ngenxa yokuliphosa libe yimpango.

therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: I have certainly spoken in the fire of my fury against the other nations, against Edom and all who took my land for themselves as a possession, against all those who had both joy in their heart and disdain in their spirit, as they seized my land that they might claim its pasturelands for themselves.'

6 Ngakho profetha ngelizwe lakoIsrayeli, uthi ezintabeni, lemaqaqeni, emifuleni, lezihotsheni: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Khangela, ngikhulumile ebukhweleni bami lelakeni lwami, ngoba lithwele ihlazo lezizwe.

Therefore, prophesy to the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the high hills, to the streambeds and to the valleys, 'the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! In my fury and in my anger I am declaring this because you have borne the insults of nations.

7 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Mina ngiphakamisile isandla sami. Isibili izizwe ezilihanqileyo, yizo ezizathwala ihlazo lazo.

Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: I myself will lift up my hand to swear that the nations that surround you will certainly carry their own shame.

8 Kodwa lina, zintaba zakoIsrayeli, lizaveza ingatsha zenu, lithele isithelo senu kubantu bami uIsrayeli, ngoba basondela ukubuya.

But you, mountains of Israel, you will grow branches and bear fruit for my people Israel, since they will soon come back to you.

9 Ngoba, khangelani, ngilani, ngiphendukele ngakini, njalo lizalinywa lihlanyelwe.

For behold, I am for you, and I treat you with favor; you will be plowed and sown with seed.

10 Njalo ngizakwandisa abantu phezu kwenu, yonke indlu kaIsrayeli, yona yonke; lemizi izahlalwa, lamanxiwa azakwakhiwa.

So I will multiply upon you the number of your people, even the whole house of Israel. The cities will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.

11 Njalo ngizakwandisa phezu kwenu umuntu lenyamazana, njalo kuzakwanda kuthele izithelo; ngilenze lihlale njengasezindaweni zenu zendulo, ngikwenze kube kuhle kulezikhathi zenu zokuqala. Khona lizakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi.

I will multiply man and beast on you mountains so that they will multiply and be fruitful. Then I will cause you to be inhabited as you previously were, and I will make you prosper more than you did in the past, for you will know that I am Yahweh.

12 Yebo ngizakwenza abantu bahambe phezu kwenu, abantu bami uIsrayeli; badle ilifa lakho, wena ube yilifa labo, kawusayikubenza bafelwe ngabantwana futhi.

I will bring men, my people Israel, to walk on you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance, and you will no longer cause their children to die.

13 Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Ngoba bathi kini: Wena ungumudli wabantu, wenze izizwe zakho zifelwe ngabantwana.

The Lord Yahweh says this: Because they are saying to you, “You devour men, bereaving your nation of children,”

14 Ngakho kawusayikudla abantu, kawusayikukhubekisa izizwe zakho, itsho iNkosi uJehova.

therefore you will not consume people any longer, and you will no longer make your nation mourn their deaths. This is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.

15 Njalo kangisayikuzwakalisa kuwe ihlazo lezizwe, kawusayikuthwala inhloni zabantu, kawusayikukhubekisa izizwe, itsho iNkosi uJehova.

Nor will I allow you to hear the insults of the nations any longer; you will no longer have to bear the shame of the peoples or cause your nation to fall—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'”

16 Ilizwi leNkosi lafika kimi futhi lisithi:

Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

17 Ndodana yomuntu, abendlu kaIsrayeli besahlala elizweni lakibo, balingcolisa ngendlela yabo langezenzo zabo; indlela yabo phambi kwami yayifanana lokungcola kowesifazana osemfuleni.

“Son of man, when the house of Israel inhabited their land, they defiled it with their ways and their deeds. Their ways were like the unclean menstruation of a woman before me.

18 Ngakho ngathululela ulaka lwami phezu kwabo ngenxa yegazi ababelichithe elizweni, langenxa yezithombe zabo ababelingcolise ngazo.

So I poured out my fury against them for the blood that they poured out on the land and for their pollution of it by their idols.

19 Ngasengibahlakaza phakathi kwezizwe, basabalaliswa phakathi kwamazwe; ngabahlulela njengokwendlela yabo lanjengokwezenzo zabo.

I scattered them among the nations; they were dispersed through the lands. I judged them according to their ways and their deeds.

20 Lapho befika kwabezizwe, lapho abaya khona, bangcolisa ibizo lami elingcwele, lapho kwathiwa ngabo: Laba ngabantu beNkosi, baphume elizweni layo.

Then they went to the nations, and wherever they went, they profaned my holy name when people said of them, 'Are these really the people of Yahweh? For they have been thrown out of his land.'

21 Kodwa ngalihawukela ibizo lami elingcwele, indlu kaIsrayeli eyayilingcolise phakathi kwezizwe, lapho abaya khona.

But I had compassion for my holy name that the house of Israel had defiled among the nations, when they went there.

22 Ngakho tshono kuyo indlu kaIsrayeli: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Kangikwenzi ngenxa yenu, lina ndlu kaIsrayeli, kodwa ngenxa yebizo lami elingcwele, elilingcolisileyo phakathi kwezizwe, lapho elaya khona.

Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: I am not doing this for your sake, house of Israel, but for my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations everywhere you have gone.

23 Njalo ngizangcwelisa ibizo lami elikhulu, elingcoliswe phakathi kwezizwe, elilingcolisileyo phakathi kwazo; lezizwe zizakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi, itsho iNkosi uJehova, lapho ngizangcweliswa kini emehlweni abo.

For I will make my great name holy, which you have profaned among the nations—in the midst of the nations, you profaned it. Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—when you see that I am holy.

24 Ngoba ngizalithatha ezizweni, ngilibuthe emazweni wonke, ngililethe elizweni lenu.

I will take you from the nations and gather you from every land, and I will bring you to your land.

25 Khona ngizafafaza amanzi ahlambulukileyo phezu kwenu, lihlambuluke; kukho konke ukungcola kwenu, lakuzo zonke izithombe zenu, ngizalihlambulula.

Then I will sprinkle pure water on you so you will be purified from all of your impurities, and I will purify you from all of your idols.

26 Ngilinike inhliziyo entsha, ngifake umoya omutsha phakathi kwenu, ngisuse inhliziyo yelitshe enyameni yenu, ngilinike inhliziyo yenyama.

I will give you a new heart and a new spirit in your innermost parts, and I will take away the heart of stone from your flesh. For I will give you a heart of flesh.

27 Ngifake uMoya wami phakathi kwenu, ngilenze ukuthi lihambe ngezimiso zami, ligcine izahlulelo zami lizenze.

I will set my Spirit in you and enable you to walk in my statutes and keep my decrees, so you will do them.

28 Lizahlala-ke elizweni engalinika oyihlo, libe ngabantu bami, lami ngibe nguNkulunkulu wenu.

Then you will inhabit the land that I gave to your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.

29 Njalo ngizalisindisa kukho konke ukungcola kwenu; ngibize amabele, ngiwandise, ngingabeki ndlala phezu kwenu.

For I will save you from all of your uncleanness. I will summon the grain and multiply it. I will no longer put famine upon you.

30 Ngandise isithelo sesihlahla, lesivuno sensimu, ukuze lingaphindi lemukele ihlazo lendlala phakathi kwezizwe.

I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field so that you will no longer bear the shame of famine among the nations.

31 Khona lizakhumbula izindlela zenu ezimbi lezenzo zenu ezingalunganga; linengeke ngani ngokwenu ngobubi benu langenxa yezinengiso zenu.

Then you will think of your wicked ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will show loathing on your faces because of your own sins and your disgusting deeds.

32 Kangikwenzi ngenxa yenu, itsho iNkosi uJehova; kakwaziwe kini. Banini lenhloni libe lehlazo ngenxa yezindlela zenu, lina ndlu kaIsrayeli.

I am not doing this for your sake—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—let this be known to you. So be ashamed and disgraced because of your ways, house of Israel.

33 Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Mhla ngilihlambulula kubo bonke ububi benu, ngizakwenza imizi ihlalwe, lamanxiwa akhiwe.

The Lord Yahweh says this: On the day that I purify you from all your iniquity, I will cause you to inhabit the cities and to rebuild the ruined places.

34 Lelizwe elichithekileyo lizalinywa, endaweni yokuthi beliyinkangala emehlweni abo bonke abadlulayo.

For you will plow the ruined land until it is no longer a ruin before the eyes of all who pass by.

35 Njalo bazakuthi: Lelilizwe ebeselichithekile selinjengesivande seEdeni; lemizi eyinkangala lengamanxiwa lediliziweyo isibiyelwe yahlalwa.

Then they will say, “This land was desolate, but it has become like the garden of Eden; the desolate cities and the uninhabited ruins that were torn down are now fortified and inhabited.”

36 Khona izizwe ezisele zilizingelezele zizakwazi ukuthi mina iNkosi ngakha indawo ezidiliziweyo, ngihlanyele ezichithekileyo. Mina Nkosi ngikhulumile, ngizakwenza.

Then the other nations around you will know that I am Yahweh, that I built up the ruins and replanted the abandoned places. I am Yahweh. I have declared it and I will do it.

37 Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Langalokhu ngizacelwa yindlu kaIsrayeli, ukuthi ngiyenzele khona; ngizabandisa ngabantu njengomhlambi.

The Lord Yahweh says this: Again I will be asked by the house of Israel to do this for them, to increase them like a flock of people.

38 Njengomhlambi ongcwele, njengomhlambi weJerusalema emikhosini yawo emisiweyo, ngokunjalo imizi echithekileyo izagcwala ngemihlambi yabantu. Khona bazakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi.

Like the flock is set apart for sacrifices, like the flock in Jerusalem at her appointed feasts, so will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people and they will know that I am Yahweh.'”