UHezekheli 37
1 Isandla seNkosi sasiphezu kwami, sangikhupha ngoMoya weNkosi, sangibeka phakathi kwesihotsha esasigcwele amathambo.
One day Yahweh gave me another vision. In the vision I felt the power [MTY] of God on me, and by his Spirit he took me to the middle of a valley. It was full of bones [of people who had been killed].
2 Yangidlulisa kuwo ngibhoda inhlangothi zonke; khangela-ke, ayemanengi kakhulu ebusweni besihotsha, njalo khangela, ayomile kakhulu.
He led me to walk back and forth among those bones. I saw that there were very many bones there, bones that were very dry.
3 Yasisithi kimi: Ndodana yomuntu, amathambo la angaphila yini? Ngasengisithi: Nkosi Jehova, nguwe owaziyo.
He asked me, “You human, [do you think that] these bones can become living [people again]?” I replied, “Yahweh my Lord, only you know [if that can happen].”
4 Yasisithi kimi: Profetha phezu kwalamathambo, uthi kiwo: Lina mathambo omileyo, zwanini ilizwi leNkosi.
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones. Say to them, ‘You dry bones, listen to what Yahweh says.
5 Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova kula amathambo: Khangelani, ngizakwenza umoya ungene kini, liphile.
This is what Yahweh the Lord says to you bones: I will put my breath into each of you, and you will become alive again.
6 Ngibeke imisipha phezu kwenu, ngivuselele inyama phezu kwenu, ngilembese ngesikhumba, ngifake umoya kini, liphile. Khona lizakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi.
I will fasten tendons to your bones, and cause your bones to be covered with flesh. I will cover the flesh with skin. Then I will breathe into you, and you will become alive. When that happens, you will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].’”
7 Ngasengiprofetha njengokulaywa kwami; kwasekusiba lomsindo ngisaprofetha, khangela-ke ukunyikinyeka, amathambo asesondelelana, ithambo kuthambo lalo.
So I spoke to the bones what Yahweh commanded me to speak. As I was speaking, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bones joining to each other.
8 Ngasengibona, khangela-ke, kwakulemisipha phezu kwawo, yavela inyama, lesikhumba sawasibekela ngaphezulu; kodwa kwakungelamoya kiwo.
While I was looking, I saw tendons fastening to them and flesh covering them, and then skin covered the flesh, but they did not breathe.
9 Yasisithi kimi: Profetha emoyeni, profetha ndodana yomuntu, uthi emoyeni: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Woza uvela emimoyeni emine, wena moya, uphefumulele kulaba ababuleweyo ukuze baphile.
Then he said to me, “You human, prophesy to the wind. Say to the wind, ‘Wind [APO], Yahweh says to you, blow from all four directions. Breathe into these people who have been killed, in order that they can become alive again!’”
10 Ngasengiprofetha njengalokho yayingilayile; umoya wasungena kiwo, aphila, ema ngenyawo zawo, ibutho elikhulu kakhulukazi.
So I said what he commanded me to say, and then breath entered them. They became alive and stood up, like a huge army.
11 Yasisithi kimi: Ndodana yomuntu, la amathambo ayindlu yonke kaIsrayeli. Khangela, bathi: Amathambo ethu omile, lethemba lethu libhubhile, siqunyiwe ngokwethu.
Then he said to me, “You human, these bones represent all the Israeli people [MTY]. The people say, ‘[It is as though] our bones are dried up; there are no more good things that we can (hope for/confidently expect to happen to us); our nation is destroyed/finished.’
12 Ngakho profetha uthi kubo: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Khangelani, ngizavula amangcwaba enu, ngilikhuphule emangcwabeni enu, lina bantu bami, ngilise elizweni lakoIsrayeli.
So prophesy and say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: My people, [it will be as though] I will open your graves and cause your corpses to become alive again. I will bring you back to Israel.
13 Khona lizakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi, lapho ngivula amangcwaba enu, ngilikhuphule emangcwabeni enu, lina bantu bami.
Then, what that happens, you my people will know that I, Yahweh the Lord, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].
14 Besengifaka umoya wami kini, liphile, besengilibeka elizweni lenu; khona lizakwazi ukuthi mina Nkosi ngikhulumile, ngakwenza, itsho iNkosi.
I will put my Spirit in you, and [it will be as though] you will become alive again, and I will enable you to live in your own land again. Then you will know that it is I, Yahweh, who said [that it would happen] and who has caused it to happen. That is what I, Yahweh, declare.’”
15 Ilizwi leNkosi lafika kimi futhi lisithi:
Yahweh gave me [another] message. He said,
16 Wena-ke ndodana yomuntu, zithathele intonga eyodwa, ubhale phezu kwayo uthi: EkaJuda, leyabantwana bakaIsrayeli abangane bakhe; ubusuthatha enye intonga, ubhale phezu kwayo uthi: EkaJosefa, intonga kaEfrayimi, layo yonke indlu kaIsrayeli abangane bakhe.
“You human, take a piece of wood and write on it, ‘This represents Judah and all the tribes of Judah.’ Then take another piece of wood and write on it, ‘This represents Israel and all the tribes of Israel.’
17 Ubusuzisondeza, enye kwenye kuwe, zibe yintonga eyodwa; njalo zizakuba ngeyodwa esandleni sakho.
Then join them together to become [as though they were] one piece of wood in your hand.
18 Lalapho abantwana babantu bakini bekhuluma kuwe besithi: Kawuyikusitshela yini ukuthi lezi ziyini kuwe?
When your fellow Israelis ask you, ‘What does (this action/what you just did) mean?’,
19 Tshono kubo: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Khangela, ngizathatha intonga kaJosefa, esesandleni sikaEfrayimi, lezizwe zakoIsrayeli abangane bakhe, ngizibeke kuyo, kuyo intonga kaJuda, ngizenze zibe yintonga eyodwa, zibe ngeyodwa esandleni sami.
tell them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: One of the pieces of wood in my hand represents Israel and all the tribes of Israel. I am joining it to the piece of wood that represents Judah, to form one piece of wood in his hand.’
20 Njalo izintonga obhale kizo zizakuba sesandleni sakho phambi kwamehlo abo.
Then, [you human], hold up the pieces of wood that you have written on, in order that the people can see them.
21 Ubususithi kubo: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Khangelani, ngizathatha abantwana bakoIsrayeli phakathi kwezizwe, abaye kizo, ngibabuthe inhlangothi zonke, ngibalethe elizweni labo;
Say to the people, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: I will take you Israeli people out of the countries to which you have been forced to go. I will gather you from all those nations and bring you back to your own land.
22 ngibenze babe yisizwe esisodwa elizweni phezu kwezintaba zakoIsrayeli; njalo inkosi eyodwa izakuba yinkosi yabo bonke; njalo kabasayikuba yizizwe ezimbili, kabasayikwehlukaniswa babe yimibuso emibili futhi.
And I will cause you to again be one nation in that land, on the mountains in Israel. And there will be one king to rule over all of you. Never again will you be two nations or divided into two kingdoms.
23 Kabasayikuzingcolisa ngezithombe zabo, langamanyala abo, langasiphi seziphambeko zabo; kodwa ngizabasindisa baphume kuzo zonke indawo zabo zokuhlala, abona kizo, ngibahlambulule. Ngalokho bazakuba ngabantu bami, lami ngibe nguNkulunkulu wabo.
No longer will you (defile yourselves/make yourselves unacceptable to me) by [worshiping] idols and disgusting statues [of your gods], because I will enable you to quit your sinful behavior and to stop rejecting me. You will be my people, and I will be your God.
24 Njalo inceku yami uDavida izakuba yinkosi phezu kwabo; labo bonke bazakuba lomalusi munye; futhi bazahamba kuzahlulelo zami, bagcine izimiso zami, bazenze.
[Someone who will be like] [MET] [King] David who served [me well] will be the king [of your descendants], and [it will be as though] [MET] he will be their shepherd. They will carefully obey all my laws [DOU].
25 Bahlale elizweni engalinika inceku yami uJakobe, ababehlala kulo oyihlo, yebo, bazahlala kulo, bona, labantwana babo, labantwana babantwana babo, kuze kube phakade. Futhi uDavida inceku yami uzakuba yisiphathamandla sabo kuze kube phakade.
They will live in the land that I gave to Jacob, who also served [me well]; they will live in the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their grandchildren will live there forever, and [the one who will be like] [MET] [King] David will be their king forever.
26 Futhi ngizakwenza isivumelwano sokuthula labo; sizakuba yisivumelwano esilaphakade labo; ngibamise, ngibandise, ngibeke indawo yami engcwele phakathi kwabo kuze kube phakade.
I will make a peace agreement with them; it will be an agreement that will endure forever. I will again give them that land and cause their population to increase. And I will put my temple among them forever.
27 Ithabhanekele lami lalo lizakuba kubo, njalo ngizakuba nguNkulunkulu wabo, labo bazakuba ngabantu bami.
The place where I will live will be among them; I will be their God and they will be my people.
28 Lezizwe zizakwazi ukuthi mina Nkosi ngenza uIsrayeli abe ngcwele, nxa indawo yami engcwele izakuba phakathi kwabo kuze kube phakade.
Then, when my temple is forever there among them, the people of other nations will know that I, Yahweh, have caused the Israeli people to be set apart [to belong to me].’”
