UHezekheli 44
1 Wasengibuyisela ngendlela yesango lendawo engcwele engaphandle, elikhangele ngasempumalanga, elalivalekile.
Then the man brought me back to the outer sanctuary gate that faced east; it was closed tightly.
2 INkosi yasisithi kimi: Lelisango lizahlala livaliwe, kaliyikuvulwa, kakulamuntu ozangena ngalo; ngoba iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, ingene ngalo, ngakho lizakuba livalekile.
Yahweh said to me, “This gate has been sealed shut; it will not be opened. No man will go through it, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, has come through it, so it has been closed tightly.
3 Libe ngelesiphathamandla; isiphathamandla, sona sizahlala kilo, ukuthi sidle isinkwa phambi kweNkosi. Ngendlela yekhulusi lesango sizangena, langendlela yalo sizaphuma.
The ruler of Israel will sit in it to eat food before Yahweh. He will enter by way of the gate's portico and go out the same way.”
4 Wasengiletha ngendlela yesango lenyakatho ngaphambi kwendlu. Ngasengibona, khangela-ke, inkazimulo yeNkosi yagcwalisa indlu yeNkosi; ngasengisithi mbo ngobuso bami.
Then he brought me by way of the northern gate to the front of the temple, and I looked, and behold, the glory of Yahweh filled the house of Yahweh, and I fell on 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.
Then Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, set your heart and look with your eyes and listen with your ears to all that I am declaring to you, to all the statutes of the house of Yahweh and all its regulations. Think about the house's entrance and exits.
6 Njalo uzakuthi kubo abavukelayo, kiyo indlu kaIsrayeli: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Sekwanele kini, ngenxa yazo zonke izinengiso zenu, lina ndlu kaIsrayeli.
Then say to the rebellious ones, the house of Israel, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Let all of your disgusting actions be enough for you, 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 brought foreigners with uncircumcised hearts and uncircumcised flesh to be in my sanctuary, profaning my house, while you were offering me food, fat and blood—you have broken my covenant by all your disgusting actions.
8 Njalo kaligcinanga umlindo wezinto zami ezingcwele; kodwa lizimisele abagcini bomlindo wami endaweni yami engcwele.
You have not carried out your duties regarding my holy things, but you appointed others to take up your duties, and you assigned them to care for my holy place.
9 Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Kakulamuntu wezizwe, ongasokanga enhliziyweni, kumbe ongasokanga enyameni, ozangena endaweni yami engcwele, kuye wonke owezizwe ophakathi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli.
The Lord Yahweh says this: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, from any of those who live among the people of Israel, may enter my holy place.
10 Kodwa amaLevi asuka aya khatshana lami, lapho uIsrayeli eduha, aduha esuka kimi elandela izithombe zawo, ngitsho azathwala isiphambeko sawo.
Yet the Levites went far from me—they wandered away from me, going after their idols—but they will pay for their sin.
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.
They are servants in my sanctuary, watching the gates of the house and serving in the house and they slaughter the burnt offerings and the people's sacrifices, and they will stand before the people and serve 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.
But because they performed the sacrifices before their idols, they became stumbling blocks for sin for the house of Israel. Therefore I will lift up my hand to swear an oath against them—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—they will bear their punishment.
13 Njalo kabayikusondela kimi, ukuze bangisebenzele njengabapristi, loba basondele lakuziphi izinto zami ezingcwele, endaweni eyingcwelengcwele; kodwa bazathwala ihlazo labo, lamanyala abo abawenzileyo.
They will not come near me to act as my priests or to approach any of my holy things, the most holy things. Instead, they will bear their reproach and their guilt for the disgusting actions that they have done.
14 Kodwa ngizabenza abagcini bomlindo wendlu, kuwo wonke umsebenzi wayo, lakukho konke okuzakwenziwa kiyo.
But I will place them as keepers of the work in the house, for all of its duties and everything that is done in it.
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.
Then the Levitical priests, those sons of Zadok who fulfilled the duties of my sanctuary when the people of Israel were wandering away from me—they will come near me to worship me. They will stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
16 Bona bazangena endaweni yami engcwele, bona basondele etafuleni lami ukungikhonza, bagcine umlindo wami.
They will come to my sanctuary; they will approach my table to worship me and to fulfill their duties to me.
17 Kuzakuthi-ke lapho bengena emasangweni eguma elingaphakathi, bagqoke izembatho zelembu elicolekileyo, kodwa uboya bezimvu kabuyikuza phezu kwabo, besakhonza emasangweni eguma elingaphakathi, langaphakathi.
So it will be that when they come to the gates of the inner courtyard, they will have to dress in linen clothes, for they must not come in wool inside the gates of the courtyard and its house.
18 Kuzakuba lamaqhiye elembu elicolekileyo emakhanda abo, labokabhudula bangaphansi belembu elicolekileyo babe enkalweni zabo, bangabhinci ngokuginqisayo.
There should be linen turbans on their heads and linen underclothes on their hips. They must not dress in clothes that make them sweat.
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.
When they go out to the outer courtyard, to the outer courtyard in order to go to the people, they must take off the clothes they wore when they served; they must take them off and lay them down in a holy room, so they do not make other people holy by contact with their special clothing.
20 Futhi kabayikuphuca amakhanda abo, kabayikuvumela izihluthu zenwele zikhule zibe zinde; bazagela lokugela amakhanda abo.
Also they must neither shave their heads nor allow their hair to hang loosely, but they must trim the hair of their heads.
21 Futhi kabayikunatha iwayini, ngulowo lalowompristi, ekungeneni kwabo egumeni elingaphakathi.
No priest may drink wine when he comes to the inner court,
22 Njalo kabayikuzithathela umfelokazi kumbe olahliweyo babe ngabafazi, kodwa bazathatha izintombi ezimsulwa zenzalo yendlu yakoIsrayeli, loba umfelokazi ongumfelokazi wompristi.
nor take a widow or a divorced woman as a wife for himself, but only a virgin from the line of the house of Israel or a widow who was previously married to a priest.
23 Njalo bazafundisa abantu bami umehluko phakathi kokungcwele lokungangcwele, babazise umehluko phakathi kokungcolileyo lokuhlambulukileyo.
For they will teach my people the difference between the holy and the profane; they will make them know the unclean from the clean.
24 Lekuphikisaneni bona bazakuma ekwahluleleni, bahlulele ngokwezahlulelo zami. Bagcine imilayo yami lezimiso zami kiyo yonke imikhosi yami emisiweyo, bangcwelise amasabatha ami.
In a dispute they will stand to judge with my decrees; they must be just. They will keep my law and my statutes in every feast, and they will celebrate my holy Sabbaths.
25 Njalo kabayikuza emuntwini ofileyo ukuzingcolisa; kodwa ngoyise, kumbe ngonina, kumbe ngendodana, kumbe ngendodakazi, ngomfowabo, kumbe ngodadewabo ongeyisuye wendoda, bangazingcolisa.
They will not go to a dead person so as to become unclean, unless it is their father or mother, son or daughter, brother or a sister who has not slept with a man; otherwise, they will become unclean.
26 Langemva kokuhlanjululwa kwakhe bazambalela insuku eziyisikhombisa.
After a priest has become unclean, they will count off a period of seven days for him.
27 Langosuku azangena ngalo endaweni engcwele, egumeni elingaphakathi, ukuyakhonza endaweni engcwele, uzanikela umnikelo wakhe wesono, itsho iNkosi uJehova.
On the day he enters the holy place, into the inner courtyard to serve in the holy place, he must bring a sin offering for himself—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
28 Lokhu kuzakuba yilifa kubo; ngiyilifa labo; njalo kaliyikubanika imfuyo koIsrayeli; mina ngiyinzuzo yabo.
This will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance, and you must give them no property in Israel; I will be their property!
29 Bona bazakudla umnikelo wokudla, lomnikelo wesono, lomnikelo wecala, lakho konke okwehlukanisiweyo koIsrayeli kuzakuba ngokwabo.
They will eat the food offerings, the sin offerings, the guilt offerings, and everything devoted to Yahweh in Israel, will 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.
The best of the firstfruits of all things and every contribution, anything from all of your contributions will belong to the priests, and you will give the best of your meal offerings to the priests so that blessing may rest on your house.
31 Abapristi kabayikudla loba kuyini okuzifeleyo, loba okudatshuliweyo, okwenyoni kumbe okwenyamazana.
The priests will not eat any carcass or animal torn by a beast, whether bird or beast.
