Ezekieli 21
1 Kisha neno la Yahwe likanijia, kusema,
Then the word of Yahweh 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, set your face toward Jerusalem, and speak against the sanctuaries; prophesy against the land of 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!
Say to the land of Israel, 'Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you! I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off both the righteous person and the wicked person from you!
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.
In order for me to cut off both the righteous and the wicked from you, my sword will go out from its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north.
5 Kisha wote wenye mwili watajua yakwamba mimi, Yahwe, nimeutoa upanga wangu kutoka kwenye ala yake. Hautarudi tena!'
Then all flesh will know that I, Yahweh, have drawn my sword from its sheath. It will no longer hold back!'
6 Kwa hiyo, mwanadamu, gumia kama kuvunjika kwa viuno vyako! Katika uchungu gumia mbele ya macho yao!
As for you, son of man, groan as your loins break! In bitterness groan before their eyes!
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.”'
Then it will happen that they will ask you, 'For what reason are you groaning?' Then you will say, 'Because of the news that is coming, for every heart will faint away, and every hand will falter! Every spirit will grow faint, and every knee will flow like water. Behold! It is coming and it will be like this!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'”
8 Kisha neno la Yahwe likanijia, kusema,
Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
9 “Mwanadamu, tabiri na sema, 'Bwana asema hivi: sema: Upanga! Upanga! Utachongwa na kusuguliwa!
“Son of man, prophesy and say, 'The Lord says this: “Say: A sword! A sword! It will be 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 will be sharpened in order to engage in great slaughter! It will be polished in order to be like lightning! Should we rejoice in my son's scepter? The coming sword hates every such rod!
11 Hivyo upanga utatolewa kwa ajili ya kusuguliwa, na kisha kushikika kwa mkono! Upanga umechongwa na umesuguliwa na utatolewa kwenye mkono wa yule auaye!'
So the sword will be given to be polished, and then to be grasped by the hand! The sword is sharpened and it is polished and it is to be given into the hand of the one who kills!”'”
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!
Call for help and lament, son of man! For that sword has come against my people! It is against all the leaders of Israel. They are thrown against the sword with my people. Therefore, slap your thigh!
13 Kwa kuwa kuna kujaribiwa, lakini itakuwaje kama fimbo ya kifalme haitakuwepo tena? -hivi ndivyo Bwana Yahwe asemavyo.
For there is a trial, but what if the scepter does not last?—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
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!
Now you, son of man, prophesy and hit your two hands together, for the sword will attack even a third time! A sword for the ones to be slaughtered! It is a sword for the many to be slaughtered, piercing them everywhere!
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!
In order to melt their hearts and to multiply their fallen, I have set the sword for slaughter at all their gates. Ah! It is made like lightning, it is grasped for slaughter.
16 Wewe, upanga! Nyooka upande wa kuume! Nyooka upande wa kushoto! Nenda popote ulipoelekeza uso wako.
You, sword! Strike to the right! Strike to the left! Go wherever your face is turned.
17 Kwa kuwa pia nitapiga mikono yangu miwili kwa pamoja (makofi), na kisha nitaleta ghadhabu yangu kwa waliobakia! Mimi, Yahwe, nimesema hivi!”
For I will also hit my two hands together, and then I will bring my fury to rest! I, Yahweh, declare it!”
18 Neno la Yahwe likanijia tena, kusema,
The word of Yahweh came to me again, 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.
“Now you, son of man, assign two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to come. The two roads will start in the same land, and a signpost will mark one of them as leading to a city.
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.
Mark one road for the Babylonian army to come to Rabbah, the city of the Ammonites. Mark the other to lead the army to Judah and the city of Jerusalem, which is fortified.
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.
For the king of Babylon will stop at the crossroads, at the junction, in order to practice divination. He will shake some arrows and ask direction from some idols and he will examine a liver.
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.
In his right hand will be an omen about Jerusalem, to set battering rams against it, to open his mouth to order the slaughter, to sound a war cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp, and to erect siege towers.
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!
It will seem to be a useless omen in the eyes of the ones in Jerusalem, those who had sworn an oath to the Babylonians! But the king will accuse them of violating their treaty in order to besiege them!
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!
Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Because you have made your guilt to be remembered, making your transgressions to be revealed, so that in all your actions your sins will be seen— because you have done this you will be taken in hand.
25 Kama wewe, mchafu na mtawala mwovu wa Israeli, ambaye siku ya hukumu imekuja, na ambaye mda wa kufanya uovu umekoma,
As for you, profane and wicked ruler of Israel, whose day of punishment has come, and whose time of committing iniquity has ended,
26 Bwana Yahwe asema hivi kwako: Toa kilemba na vua taji! Mambo hayatakuwa tena kama yalivyokuwa! Kiinue kilicho chini na kiinue kilichoinuka!
the Lord Yahweh says this to you: Remove the turban and take off the crown! Things will no longer be the same! Exalt the lowly and humble the exalted!
27 Uharibifu! Uharibifu! Nitaiharibu! Haitakuwa tena hadi atakapokuja yeye ambaye ameteuliwa kutekeleza hukumu.
A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! It will not be restored until the one comes who is assigned to execute judgment.
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!
So you, son of man, prophesy and say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this to the people of Ammon concerning their coming disgrace: A sword, a sword is drawn! It is sharpened for the slaughter in order to devour, so it will be 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.
While prophets see empty visions for you, while they perform rituals to come up with lies for you, this sword will lie on the necks of the wicked who are about to be killed, whose day of punishment has come and whose time of iniquity is about to end.
30 Rudisha upanga kwenye gala yake. Katika mahali ulipoumbwa, katika nchi ya chimbuko lako, nitakuhukumu!
Return the sword to its sheath. In the place of your creation, in the land of your origin, I will judge you!
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 pour out my indignation on you! I will fan the fire of my rage against you and put you into the hand of cruel men, craftsmen of destruction!
32 Utakuwa kuni kwa ajili ya moto! Damu yako itakuwa kati ya nchi. Hutakumbukwa tena, kwa kuwa mimi, Yahwe nimesema hivi!”'
You will become fuel for the fire! Your blood will be in the midst of the land. You will not be remembered, for I, Yahweh have declared this!'”
