Ezekieli 21
1 Kisha neno la Yahwe likanijia, kusema,
A message from the Lord came to me, saying,
2 “Mwanadamu, weka uso wako kuelekea Yerusalemu, na neno juu ya patakatifu; tabiri juu ya nchi ya Israeli.
“Son of man, face towards Jerusalem and condemn their places of worship. Prophesy against the people living in Israel
3 Sema juu ya nchi ya Israeli, 'Yahwe asema hivi: Tazama! Ni juu yako! Nitautoa upanga wangu kutoka kwenye ala yake na kuwakatilia mbali wote yaani mtu mwenye haki na mtu mwovu kutoka kwako!
and tell them that this is what the Lord says: Watch out, because I'm going to attack you! I'm going to take out my sword and destroy you, both the good and the bad.
4 Ili niwakatilie mbali wote, mwenye haki na mwovu kutoka kwako, upanga wangu utatoka kwenye ala yake juu ya wote wenye mwili kutoka kusini hata kaskazini.
Because I'm going to destroy both the good and the bad, I will attack everyone from the north to the south.
5 Kisha wote wenye mwili watajua yakwamba mimi, Yahwe, nimeutoa upanga wangu kutoka kwenye ala yake. Hautarudi tena!'
Then the whole world will know that I, the Lord, have taken out my sword, and won't put it back again.
6 Kwa hiyo, mwanadamu, gumia kama kuvunjika kwa viuno vyako! Katika uchungu gumia mbele ya macho yao!
You, son of man, you are to groan. Groan as if you're broken up inside, showing terrible sadness while they watch you.
7 Kisha itatokea kwamba watakuuliza, 'Kwa sababu gani unalia?' Kisha utasema, 'Kwa sababu ya habari inayokuja, kwa kuwa kila moyo utakuwa dhaifu, na kila mkono utasita! Kila roho itazimia, na kila goti litatiririrka kama maji. Tazama! Inakuja na itakuwa kama hivi! -hivi ndivyo Bwana Yahwe asemavyo.”'
When they ask, ‘What are you groaning for?’ you are to tell them, ‘Because of the news that's coming. All of you will lose your courage and you'll be paralyzed with fear. All of you will be weak with worry—you won't be able to stand up!’ Watch out, because it's coming! It's going to happen! declares the Lord God.”
8 Kisha neno la Yahwe likanijia, kusema,
Another message from the Lord came to me, saying,
9 “Mwanadamu, tabiri na sema, 'Bwana asema hivi: sema: Upanga! Upanga! Utachongwa na kusuguliwa!
“Son of man, prophesy! Tell them this is what the Lord says: There's a sword, a sword that's being sharpened and polished.
10 Utanolewa ili kushiriki katika machinjio makubwa! Utasuguliwa ili uwe kama mng'ao wa radi! Je! Tufanye furaha katika fimbo ya mwana wa mfalme? Upanga ujao huchukia kila hiyo fimbo!
It's sharpened for killing and polished so it will flash like lightning! (Are we to be happy, saying, ‘The scepter of my son despises every other stick’?)
11 Hivyo upanga utatolewa kwa ajili ya kusuguliwa, na kisha kushikika kwa mkono! Upanga umechongwa na umesuguliwa na utatolewa kwenye mkono wa yule auaye!'
The sword is being polished right now, ready to be used. It's sharp and polished, ready to be handed over to the killer.
12 Ita msaada na omboleza, mwanadamu! Kwa kuwa upanga umekuja juu ya watu wangu! Uko juu ya wakuu wote wa Israeli. Wametolewa dhidi ya upanga pamoja na watu wangu. Kwa hiyo, piga paja lako!
Weep and wail, son of man, and slap your thigh in grief, for the sword is going to be used to attack my people, to attack all the leaders of Israel! They will be thrown away, killed by the sword along with my people.
13 Kwa kuwa kuna kujaribiwa, lakini itakuwaje kama fimbo ya kifalme haitakuwepo tena? -hivi ndivyo Bwana Yahwe asemavyo.
They will be tested. What if the scepter that despises others doesn't continue? declares the Lord God.
14 Basi wewe, mwanadamu, tabiri, na piga makofi, kwa kuwa upanga utakushambulia hata mara tatu! Upanga kwa wale watakaochinjwa! Utakuwa upanga kwa ajili ya kuchinjia, ukiwatoboa pande zote!
So son of man, prophesy and clap your hands. The sword will attack twice, and then a third time. It is a sword of death, killing many people by coming at them from every direction.
15 Ili kuyeyusha mioyo yao na kuongeza kuanguka kwao, nimeweka machinjio ya upanga juu ya malango! Ole! Umeundwa kama mng'ao wa radi, umetengwa kwa ajili ya kuua!
I have placed a sword at all the gates of their city so that they may lose their courage, and many may fall. Oh no! It's made to flash like lightning and used to kill.
16 Wewe, upanga! Nyooka upande wa kuume! Nyooka upande wa kushoto! Nenda popote ulipoelekeza uso wako.
Slash right and left, whichever way you're facing.
17 Kwa kuwa pia nitapiga mikono yangu miwili kwa pamoja (makofi), na kisha nitaleta ghadhabu yangu kwa waliobakia! Mimi, Yahwe, nimesema hivi!”
I will also clap my hands, and then my anger will be over. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
18 Neno la Yahwe likanijia tena, kusema,
Another message from the Lord came to me, saying,
19 “Sasa wewe, mwanadamu, teua njia mbili kwa ajili ya upanga wa mfalme wa Babeli upate kuja. Njia hizo mbili zitaanza katika nchi moja, na kibao cha barabarani kitamwonyesha mmoja wao kama kuuelekea mji.
“Son of man, mark the two roads that the king of Babylon's army could take, beginning from the same country. Make a signpost where the road forks, leading to two different cities.
20 Onyesha njia moja kwa ajili ya jeshi la Wababeli kuja Raba, mji wa Waamoni. Onyesha nyingine kuelekea jeshi la Yuda na mji wa Yerusalemu, ambayo imeimarishwa.
Have one sign point down the road for an attack on the Ammonite city of Rabbah, and another to attack Judah and the fortified city of Jerusalem.
21 Kwa kuwa mfalme wa Babeli atasimama kwenye makutano ya barabara, kwenye njia panda, ili kufanya uganga. Alitingisha mishale na kuuliza mwelekeo kutoka kwa sanamu na atalichunguza ini.
The king of Babylon is standing at the fork in the road where the two roads meet looking for a prophetic sign: he casts lots using arrows, he asks advice from idols, and he examines the liver of sacrificial animals.
22 Katika mkono wake wa kuume kutakuwa na dalili kuhusu Yerusalemu, kuweka mitambo ya kubomolea juu ya hiyo, kufungua kinywa chake kupanga kuchinja, kutoa sauti ya vita, kuweka mitambo ya kubomolea juu ya malango, kujenga ngazi, na kusimamisha wima minara ya boma.
He holds the sign for Jerusalem in his right hand. This is where he is going to set up battering rams, to give the command to attack, to shout the war-cry. There he will order the battering rams to smash the gates, set up an attack ramp, and build a siege wall.
23 Itaonekana kuwa ishara isiyofaa katika macho ya wale walio katika Yerusalemu, wale walioapa kiapo kwa Wababeli! Lakini mfalme atawashtaki kwa kuvunja sheria ya mkataba ili kuwabariki!
To those who have sworn to be loyal to Nebuchadnezzar this will look like a false sign, but it will reveal their guilt and they will be taken prisoner.
24 Kwa hiyo Bwana Yahwe asema hivi: Kwa sababu umeuleta uovu wako kwenye kumbukumbu zangu, makosa yenu yatafunuliwa! Dhambi zenu zitaonekana katika matendo yenu yote! Kwa sababu hii utamkumbusha kila mtu mtakamatwa kwa mkono wa adui yenu!
So this is what the Lord God says: Because you have revealed your guilt and demonstrated your rebellion, showing your sins in everything you've done, now that you've made all this clear, you will be taken prisoner.
25 Kama wewe, mchafu na mtawala mwovu wa Israeli, ambaye siku ya hukumu imekuja, na ambaye mda wa kufanya uovu umekoma,
As for you, you unclean, wicked prince of Israel, the time has come to complete your punishment.
26 Bwana Yahwe asema hivi kwako: Toa kilemba na vua taji! Mambo hayatakuwa tena kama yalivyokuwa! Kiinue kilicho chini na kiinue kilichoinuka!
This is what the Lord God says: Take off your turban, and your crown. Things won't continue as they were. Give power to the common people and bring down the powerful!
27 Uharibifu! Uharibifu! Nitaiharibu! Haitakuwa tena hadi atakapokuja yeye ambaye ameteuliwa kutekeleza hukumu.
I'm going to destroy everything, make it all a ruin! It won't be restored until its owner arrives, the one I've given the authority to judge.
28 Basi wewe, mwanadamu, tabiri na sema, 'Bwana Yahwe asema hivi hawa ni watu wa Amoni kuhusiana na ujio wa aibu yao: Upanga, upanga umechirwa! Umenolewa kwa ajili ya kuchinja, hivyo utakuwa kama kimuli muli cha radi!
Prophesy, son of man, and announce that this is what the Lord God says about the Ammonites and their insults: A sword! A sword is ready for killing, polished to destroy, to flash like lightning,
29 Wakati manabii wameona maono ya uongo juu yako, wakati watakapofanya matambiko kuuijia kwa uongo juu yako, huu upanga utaanguka chini juu ya shingo za mwovu ambao wako karibu kuuawa, ambao siku ya ghadhabu imekuja na ambao mda wa uovu unakaribia kuisha.
even as your prophets give you false visions and prophecies that are lies. This sword will cut the necks of the wicked, killing them—those whose day has come for their punishment to be completed.
30 Rudisha upanga kwenye gala yake. Katika mahali ulipoumbwa, katika nchi ya chimbuko lako, nitakuhukumu!
Sword, go back to where you came from! I'm going to judge you right where you were created, in your homeland.
31 Nitamwaga hasira yangu juu yako! Nitapuliza upepo wa moto wa ghadhabu juu yako na kukuweka kwenye mkono wa watu wakatili, watu wajuao kuangamiza!
I will deal with you in my anger; I will breathe my fire of anger on you; I will hand you over to cruel men who are experts in destruction.
32 Utakuwa kuni kwa ajili ya moto! Damu yako itakuwa kati ya nchi. Hutakumbukwa tena, kwa kuwa mimi, Yahwe nimesema hivi!”'
You will be burned up like firewood. Your blood will be shed where you live. You will be forgotten, for I, the Lord, have spoken.”
