< Ezekieli 29 >
1 Katika mwaka wa kumi, mwezi wa kumi, siku ya kumi na mbili, neno la Bwana likanijia kusema:
Almost ten [after we had been taken to Babylonia], on the twelfth day of the tenth [of that year], Yahweh gave me another message. [He said to me],
2 “Mwanadamu, elekeza uso wako juu ya Farao mfalme wa Misri na utabiri dhidi yake na dhidi ya Misri yote.
“You human, turn toward Egypt and proclaim the terrible things that will happen to the king of Egypt and all his people.
3 Nena, nawe useme: ‘Hili ndilo Bwana Mwenyezi asemalo: “‘Mimi ni kinyume nawe, Farao, mfalme wa Misri, joka kubwa ulalaye katikati ya vijito vyako. Unasema, “Mto Naili ni wangu mwenyewe; niliufanya kwa ajili yangu mwenyewe.”
Give the king this message from [me], Yahweh the Lord: ‘You king of Egypt, I am your enemy; [you are like] [MET] a great monster/crocodile that lies in the [along the Nile River]. You say, “The Nile [River] is mine; I made it [for myself].”
4 Lakini nitatia ndoana katika mataya yako nami nitawafanya samaki wa vijito vyako washikamane na magamba yako. Nitakutoa katikati ya vijito vyako, pamoja na samaki wote walioshikamana na magamba yako.
But [it will be as though] I will put hooks in your jaws and drag you out [from the river] onto the land, with fish sticking to your scales.
5 Nitakutupa jangwani, wewe pamoja na samaki wote wa vijito vyako. Utaanguka uwanjani, nawe hutakusanywa au kuchukuliwa. Nitakutoa uwe chakula kwa wanyama wa nchi na ndege wa angani.
I will leave you and all those fish to die in the desert; you will fall onto the ground, and your [corpse] will not be picked up and buried, because I have declared that your flesh will be food for the wild animals and birds.
6 Ndipo wale wote waishio Misri watakapojua kuwa Mimi ndimi Bwana. “‘Umekuwa fimbo ya tete kwa nyumba ya Israeli.
When that happens, all the people of Egypt will know that it is I, Yahweh, [who have the power to do what I say that I will do]. The Israeli people [trusted that you would help them]. But you have been [like] [MET] a reed pole in their hands.
7 Walipokushika kwa mikono yao, ulivunjika na kuchana mabega yao; walipokuegemea, ulivunjika na migongo yao ikateguka.
And when they leaned on that pole, it splintered and tore open their shoulders. When they leaned on you, [it was as though] you were a pole that broke, and as a result you wrenched their backs.
8 “‘Kwa hiyo hili ndilo Bwana Mwenyezi asemalo: Nitaleta upanga juu yako na kuua watu wako na wanyama wao.
Therefore, this is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, say: “I will bring [your enemies to attack] you with their swords, and they will kill your people and your animals.
9 Misri itakuwa ukiwa na isiyolimwa wala kukaliwa na watu. Ndipo watakapojua kuwa Mimi ndimi Bwana. “‘Kwa sababu ulisema, “Mto Naili ni wangu; mimi niliufanya,”
Egypt will become an empty desert. Then the people of Egypt will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].” You [proudly] said, “The Nile [River] is mine; I made it!”
10 kwa hiyo mimi ni kinyume nawe na kinyume na vijito vyako, nami nitaifanya nchi ya Misri kuwa magofu na ukiwa isiyolimwa wala kukaliwa na watu kuanzia Migdoli hadi Aswani, hata kufikia mpakani wa Ethiopia.
Therefore I am opposed to you and your streams, and I will cause Egypt to be ruined, and cause it to be an empty desert, from Migdol [in the north] to Aswan [in the south], as far [south] as the border of Ethiopia.
11 Hakuna unyayo wa mtu au mnyama utakaopita ndani yake, wala hakuna yeyote atakayeishi humo kwa muda wa miaka arobaini.
For 40 years no one will walk through that area, and no one will live there.
12 Nitaifanya nchi ya Misri ukiwa, miongoni mwa nchi zilizo ukiwa, nayo miji yake itabaki ukiwa miaka arobaini miongoni mwa miji iliyo magofu. Nami nitawatawanya Wamisri miongoni mwa mataifa na kuwafukuza huku na huko katika nchi nyingine.
Egypt will be barren/empty, and it will be surrounded by other desolate nations. The cities in Egypt will be empty and deserted for 40 years, surrounded by ruined cities in nearby nations. I will cause the people of Egypt to be scattered to countries [far away].
13 “‘Lakini hili ndilo Bwana Mwenyezi asemalo: Mwishoni mwa hiyo miaka arobaini, nitawakusanya Wamisri kutoka mataifa walikotawanywa.
But this is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, [also] say: “At the end of 40 years, I will enable the people of Egypt to return home [again] from the nations to which they were scattered.
14 Nitawarudisha hao Wamisri kutoka kwenye kutekwa kwao na kuwaweka katika Pathrosi, nchi ya baba zao. Huko watakuwa na ufalme usiokuwa na nguvu.
I will bring back the people of Egypt who had been captured, and I will enable them to live again in the Pathros area [in the south], where they lived previously. But Egypt will be a very unimportant [DOU] kingdom.
15 Utakuwa ufalme dhaifu kuliko zote na kamwe Misri haitajikweza tena juu ya mataifa mengine. Nitaufanya ufalme wake dhaifu sana kiasi kwamba kamwe hautatawala tena juu ya mataifa mengine.
It will be the least important of [all] the nations; it will never again be greater than the nearby countries. I will cause Egypt to be very weak, with the result that it will never again rule over other nations.
16 Misri haitakuwa tena tumaini la watu wa Israeli bali itakuwa kumbukumbu ya dhambi yao kwa kuigeukia kuomba msaada. Ndipo watakapojua kuwa Mimi ndimi Bwana Mwenyezi.’”
[When that happens, the leaders of] Israel will no longer be tempted to ask Egypt to help them. Egypt will be punished, and that will cause the Israeli people to not forget that they previously sinned by trusting that Egypt could help them. And the people of Israel will know that I, Yahweh the Lord, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].” '”
17 Katika mwaka wa ishirini na saba, mwezi wa kwanza, siku ya kwanza, neno la Bwana likanijia, kusema:
Almost twenty-seven years [after we had been taken to Babylonia], on the first day [of the new year], Yahweh gave me this message:
18 “Mwanadamu, Nebukadneza mfalme wa Babeli aliongoza jeshi lake kufanya kazi ngumu dhidi ya Tiro; kila kichwa kilipata upaa na kila bega likachunika. Lakini yeye na jeshi lake hawakupata malipo yoyote kutokana na muda wote aliongoza hiyo vita dhidi ya Tiro.
“You human, the army of king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon fought very hard against Tyre, with the result that their heads were rubbed bare and their shoulders became (raw/full of blisters). But Nebuchadnezzar and his army did not get any valuable things from Tyre to reward them for their hard work [to destroy Tyre].
19 Kwa hiyo hili ndilo Bwana Mwenyezi asemalo: Nitaitia Misri mikononi mwa Nebukadneza mfalme wa Babeli, naye atachukua utajiri wa Misri. Atateka mateka na kuchukua nyara mali za Misri kama ujira kwa ajili ya jeshi lake.
Therefore, this is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, say: 'I will enable King Nebuchadnezzar’s army to conquer Egypt. They will carry away from there all the valuable things, in order that the king can give them to his soldiers.
20 Nimempa mfalme wa Babeli nchi ya Misri kuwa ujira kwa juhudi zake kwa sababu yeye na jeshi lake walifanya kwa ajili yangu, asema Bwana Mwenyezi.
I will enable them to conquer Egypt as a reward for what they did [to Tyre], because [I], Yahweh say that [it was as though] his army was working for me, [doing what I wanted them to do, when they destroyed Tyre].
21 “Katika siku hiyo nitaifanya nyumba ya Israeli iwe na nguvu nami nitakifungua kinywa chako miongoni mwao. Ndipo watakapojua kwamba Mimi ndimi Bwana.”
And some day Israel will become a glorious nation [MET] again. When that happens, I will cause the Israeli people to respect what you say [MTY]. And then they will know that [it has happened because] I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].'”