UHezekheli 44

1 Wasengibuyisela ngendlela yesango lendawo engcwele engaphandle, elikhangele ngasempumalanga, elalivalekile.

Then he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary that looks eastward; and it was shut.

2 INkosi yasisithi kimi: Lelisango lizahlala livaliwe, kaliyikuvulwa, kakulamuntu ozangena ngalo; ngoba iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, ingene ngalo, ngakho lizakuba livalekile.

And the Lord said to me, This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no one shall pass through it; for the Lord God of Israel shall enter by it, and it shall be shut.

3 Libe ngelesiphathamandla; isiphathamandla, sona sizahlala kilo, ukuthi sidle isinkwa phambi kweNkosi. Ngendlela yekhulusi lesango sizangena, langendlela yalo sizaphuma.

For the prince, he shall sit in it, to eat bread before the Lord; he shall go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go forth by the way of the same.

4 Wasengiletha ngendlela yesango lenyakatho ngaphambi kwendlu. Ngasengibona, khangela-ke, inkazimulo yeNkosi yagcwalisa indlu yeNkosi; ngasengisithi mbo ngobuso bami.

And he brought me in by the way of the gate that looks northward, in front of the house: and I looked, and, behold, the house was full of the glory of the Lord: and I fell upon my face.

5 INkosi yasisithi kimi: Ndodana yomuntu, beka inhliziyo yakho, ubone ngamehlo akho, uzwe ngendlebe zakho, konke engizakutshela khona mayelana lezimiso zonke zendlu yeNkosi, lemilayo yayo yonke; ubeke inhliziyo yakho kuyo indawo yokungena yendlu, lazo zonke izindawo zokuphuma zendawo engcwele.

And the Lord said to me, Son of man, attend with your heart, and see with [your] eyes, and hear with your ears all that I say to you, according to all the ordinances of the house of the Lord, and all the regulations thereof; and you shall attend well to the entrance of the house, according to all its outlets, in all the holy things.

6 Njalo uzakuthi kubo abavukelayo, kiyo indlu kaIsrayeli: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Sekwanele kini, ngenxa yazo zonke izinengiso zenu, lina ndlu kaIsrayeli.

And you shall say to the provoking house, [even] to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God; Let it suffice you [to have committed] all your iniquities, O house of Israel!

7 Ngoba lingenisile abezizwe, abangasokanga ngenhliziyo labangasokanga ngenyama, ukuthi babe sendaweni yami engcwele, ukuyingcolisa, ngitsho indlu yami, lapho linikela isinkwa sami, amafutha, legazi, futhi bephulile isivumelwano sami ngamanyala enu wonke.

that you have brought in aliens, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, and to profane it, when you offered bread, flesh, and blood; and you transgressed my covenant by all your iniquities;

8 Njalo kaligcinanga umlindo wezinto zami ezingcwele; kodwa lizimisele abagcini bomlindo wami endaweni yami engcwele.

and you appointed [others] to keep the charges in my sanctuary.

9 Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Kakulamuntu wezizwe, ongasokanga enhliziyweni, kumbe ongasokanga enyameni, ozangena endaweni yami engcwele, kuye wonke owezizwe ophakathi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli.

Therefore thus says the Lord God; No alien, uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of all the children of strangers that are in the midst of the house of Israel.

10 Kodwa amaLevi asuka aya khatshana lami, lapho uIsrayeli eduha, aduha esuka kimi elandela izithombe zawo, ngitsho azathwala isiphambeko sawo.

But as for the Levites who departed far from me when Israel went astray from me after their imaginations, they shall even bear their iniquity.

11 Kube kanti azakuba yizikhonzi endaweni yami engcwele, belobubonisi bamasango endlu, njalo ekhonza endlini; wona azahlaba umnikelo wokutshiswa lomhlatshelo owenzelwa abantu, wona ame phambi kwabo ukuze abakhonze.

yet they shall minister in my sanctuary, [being] porters at the gates of the house, and serving the house: they shall kill the victims and the whole burnt offerings for the people, and they shall stand before the people to minister to them.

12 Ngenxa yokuthi bebakhonze phambi kwezithombe zabo, baba yisikhubekiso sesiphambeko kuyo indlu yakoIsrayeli, ngalokho ngiphakamise isandla sami ngimelene labo, itsho iNkosi uJehova, ukuthi bazathwala isiphambeko sabo.

Because they ministered to them before their idols, and it became to the house of Israel a punishment of iniquity; therefore have I lifted up my hand against them, says the Lord God.

13 Njalo kabayikusondela kimi, ukuze bangisebenzele njengabapristi, loba basondele lakuziphi izinto zami ezingcwele, endaweni eyingcwelengcwele; kodwa bazathwala ihlazo labo, lamanyala abo abawenzileyo.

And they shall not draw near to me to minister to me in the priests' office, nor to approach the holy things of the children of Israel, nor [to approach] my holy of holies: but they shall bear their reproach for the error wherein they erred.

14 Kodwa ngizabenza abagcini bomlindo wendlu, kuwo wonke umsebenzi wayo, lakukho konke okuzakwenziwa kiyo.

They shall bring them to keep the charges of the house, for all the service of it, and for all that they shall do.

15 Kodwa abapristi abangamaLevi, amadodana kaZadoki, abagcina umlindo wendawo yami engcwele lapho abantwana bakoIsrayeli beduha besuka kimi, bona bazasondela kimi ukungikhonza, beme phambi kwami ukunikela kimi amahwahwa legazi, itsho iNkosi uJehova.

The priests the Levites, the sons of Sadduc, who kept the charges of my sanctuary when the house of Israel went astray from me, these shall draw night to me to minister to me, and shall stand before my face, to offer sacrifice to me, the fat and the blood, says the Lord God.

16 Bona bazangena endaweni yami engcwele, bona basondele etafuleni lami ukungikhonza, bagcine umlindo wami.

These shall enter into my sanctuary, and these shall approach my table, to minister to me, and they shall keep my charges.

17 Kuzakuthi-ke lapho bengena emasangweni eguma elingaphakathi, bagqoke izembatho zelembu elicolekileyo, kodwa uboya bezimvu kabuyikuza phezu kwabo, besakhonza emasangweni eguma elingaphakathi, langaphakathi.

And it shall come to pass when they enter the gates of the inner court, [that] they shall put on linen robes; and they shall not put on woollen garments when they minister at the gate of the inner court.

18 Kuzakuba lamaqhiye elembu elicolekileyo emakhanda abo, labokabhudula bangaphansi belembu elicolekileyo babe enkalweni zabo, bangabhinci ngokuginqisayo.

And they shall have linen mitres upon their heads, and shall have linen drawers upon their loins; and they shall not tightly gird themselves.

19 Lalapho bephumela egumeni elingaphandle, ngitsho egumeni elingaphandle besiya ebantwini, bazakhulula izembatho zabo abakhonza ngazo, bazibeke emakamelweni angcwele, bagqoke ezinye izigqoko, njalo kabayikungcwelisa abantu ngezembatho zabo.

And when they go out into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their robes, in which they minister; and they shall lay them up in the chambers of the sanctuary, and shall put on other robes, and they shall not sanctify the people with their robes.

20 Futhi kabayikuphuca amakhanda abo, kabayikuvumela izihluthu zenwele zikhule zibe zinde; bazagela lokugela amakhanda abo.

And they shall not shave their heads, nor shall they pluck off their hair; they shall carefully cover their heads.

21 Futhi kabayikunatha iwayini, ngulowo lalowompristi, ekungeneni kwabo egumeni elingaphakathi.

And no priest shall drink any wine, when they go into the inner court.

22 Njalo kabayikuzithathela umfelokazi kumbe olahliweyo babe ngabafazi, kodwa bazathatha izintombi ezimsulwa zenzalo yendlu yakoIsrayeli, loba umfelokazi ongumfelokazi wompristi.

Neither shall they take to themselves to wife a widow, or one that is put away, but a virgin of the seed of Israel: but if there should happen to be a priest's widow, they shall take [her].

23 Njalo bazafundisa abantu bami umehluko phakathi kokungcwele lokungangcwele, babazise umehluko phakathi kokungcolileyo lokuhlambulukileyo.

And they shall teach my people [to distinguish] between holy and profane, and they shall make known to them [the difference] between unclean and clean.

24 Lekuphikisaneni bona bazakuma ekwahluleleni, bahlulele ngokwezahlulelo zami. Bagcine imilayo yami lezimiso zami kiyo yonke imikhosi yami emisiweyo, bangcwelise amasabatha ami.

And these shall attend at a judgment of blood to decide it: they shall rightly observe my ordinances, and judge my judgments, and keep my statutes and my commandments in all my feasts; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.

25 Njalo kabayikuza emuntwini ofileyo ukuzingcolisa; kodwa ngoyise, kumbe ngonina, kumbe ngendodana, kumbe ngendodakazi, ngomfowabo, kumbe ngodadewabo ongeyisuye wendoda, bangazingcolisa.

And they shall not go in to the dead body of a man to defile themselves: only [a priest] may defile himself for a father, or for a mother, or for a son, or for a daughter, or for a brother, or for his sister, who has not been married.

26 Langemva kokuhlanjululwa kwakhe bazambalela insuku eziyisikhombisa.

And after he has been cleansed, let him number to himself seven days.

27 Langosuku azangena ngalo endaweni engcwele, egumeni elingaphakathi, ukuyakhonza endaweni engcwele, uzanikela umnikelo wakhe wesono, itsho iNkosi uJehova.

And on whatever day they shall enter into the inner court to minister in the holy place, they shall bring a propitiation, says the Lord God.

28 Lokhu kuzakuba yilifa kubo; ngiyilifa labo; njalo kaliyikubanika imfuyo koIsrayeli; mina ngiyinzuzo yabo.

And it shall be to them for an inheritance: I am their inheritance: and no possession shall be given them among the children of Israel; for I am their possession.

29 Bona bazakudla umnikelo wokudla, lomnikelo wesono, lomnikelo wecala, lakho konke okwehlukanisiweyo koIsrayeli kuzakuba ngokwabo.

And these shall eat the meat-offerings, and the sin-offerings, and the trespass-offerings; and every special offering in Israel shall be theirs.

30 Lokuqala kwazo zonke izithelo zokuqala zakho konke, lawo wonke umnikelo wakho konke, kuyo yonke iminikelo yenu, kuzakuba ngokwabapristi; lokuqala kwenhlama yenu likunike umpristi, ukuhlalisa isibusiso phezu kwendlu yakho.

[And] the first fruits of all things, and the firstborn of all [animals] and all offerings, of all your first fruits there shall be [a share] for the priests; and you shall give your earliest produce to the priest, to bring your blessings upon your houses.

31 Abapristi kabayikudla loba kuyini okuzifeleyo, loba okudatshuliweyo, okwenyoni kumbe okwenyamazana.

And the priests shall eat no bird or beast that dies of itself, or is taken of wild beasts.