Ezekieli 36

1 “Na wewe, mwanadamu, itabirie milima ya Israeli na useme, 'Milima ya Israeli, lisikilizeni neno la Yahwe.

You human, prophesy about the mountains in Israel. Say to them, “You mountains in Israel, listen to what Yahweh says.

2 Bwana Yahwe asema hivi: Adui amesema kuhusu ninyi, “Aha!” na “Mahala pa juu pa zamani pamekuwa milki yetu.”'

This is what Yahweh the Lord says: Your enemies [happily] said about you, ‘Aha! The mountains in Israel that have existed for a long time have become ours!’”

3 Kwa hiyo tabiri na sema, 'Bwana Yahwe asema hivi: Kwa sababu ya ukiwa wenu na kwa sababu mashambulizi yaliyokuja juu yenu kutoka pande zote, mmekuwa milki ya mataifa mengine; mmeambiwa kwa midomo yao waongeao, na kwa masingizio ya watu.

Therefore prophesy about those mountains and say, “This is what Yahweh the Lord declares: [Armies of other nations] attacked you [DOU] from every direction, with the result that your land became abandoned, and people of other nations occupied you, and they spoke maliciously about you and slandered you.

4 Kwa hiyo, milima ya Israeli, sikilizeni neno la Bwana Yahwe: Bwana Yahwe asema hivi kwa milima na vilima, mifereji ya maji na mabonde, mahali palipoharibika kuwa ukiwa na miji iliyoachwa ambayo imetekwa nyara na kutokuwa huru kwa kutaniwa na mataifa yaliyowazunguka-

Therefore, you mountains in Israel, listen to this message from me. I, Yahweh the Lord, have something to say to the hills and mountains, to the ravines and valleys, to the deserted ruins and towns whose valuable possessions have been taken and their people ridiculed by the people of other nations around them. This is what I, Yahweh the Lord, declare: I am very angry [DOU] with the people of Edom and other nations; they have forced you [Israeli people] to endure them insulting you.

5 kwa hiyo Bwana Yahwe asema hivi: Hakika nimeongea katika moto wa hasira yangu juu ya mataifa meningine, juu ya Edemu na wote waliochukua nchi yangu kwa ajili yao wenyewe kama milki, dhidi ya wale walikuwa na furaha yote katika mioyo yao na dharau katika roho zao, kama walivyoitwaa nchi yangu kwamba wangeweza kudai nchi za malisho kwa ajili yao.

6 Kwa hiyo, tabiri kwa nchi ya Israeli na sema kwa milima na vilima, hata kwenye mifereji na mabonde, Bwana Yahwe asema hivi: Tazama! Katika ghadhabu yangu na hasira yangu nasema hivi kwa sababu mmechukua fedheha za mataifa.

7 Kwa hiyo, Bwana Yahwe asema hivi: Mimi mwenyewe nitainua mkono wangu kuapa kwamba mataifa yanayowazunguka yamkini yatawabebea aibu yao wenyewe.

Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: Lifting up my arm, I solemnly declare that the people of the nations that are around you will also endure being insulted.

8 Lakini ninyi, milima ya Israeli, mtachipuza matawi na kuzaa matunda kwa ajili ya watu wangu Israeli, kwa kuwa watarudi kwenu.

But [I say to] you mountains in Israel that huge crops of fruit will grow on your trees for my Israeli people, because they will soon return home [from Babylonia].

9 Maana tazama, nipo kwa ajili yenu, na kuwachukulia kwa fadhili; mtalimwa na kupandwa mbegu.

I (am concerned about/will take care of) you, and I will bless you. I will [enable farmers to] plow the ground and plant seed there.

10 Hivyo nitawaongeza juu ya milima yenu watu katika nyumba ya Israeli, yote. Miji itakaa na palipoharibiwa kujengwa.

I will cause the number of people who live on you mountains and everywhere else in Israel to greatly increase. People will live in the towns and rebuild [houses where there are now only] ruins.

11 Nitaongeza mtu na wanyama juu yenu milima ili kwamba itaongezeka na kuzaa. Kisha nitawafanya kuishi kama mlivyokuwa, na nitawafanya kustawi zaidi kuliko mlivyokuwa zamani, kwa kuwa mtajua yakwamba mimi ni Yahwe.

I will cause the number of people and domestic animals to increase. People will have many children [IDM, DOU]. I will enable people to live there like they did previously, and I will enable them to prosper like they did before. Then you will know that it is I, Yahweh, [who have the power to do what I say that I will do].

12 Nitawaleta watu, watu wangu Israeli, kutembea juu yenu. Watakumiliki, na utakuwa urithi wao, na hutasababisha tena watoto wao kufa.

I will enable my Israeli people to walk through your mountains. They will own you; you will be their permanent possession. Never again will their children die.

13 Bwana Yahwe asema hivi: Kwa sababu wanakwambia, “Wewe unakula watu, na watoto wa nchi yako wamekufa,”

This is also what I, Yahweh the Lord, say to you: People say that [only a small amount of food is produced on your mountains, and as a result the people of Israel] die from hunger.

14 kwa hiyo hautawala watu wangu tena, na hutalifanya tena taifa lako kuomboleza vifo vyao. Hivi ndivyo Bwana Yahwe asemavyo.

Therefore, I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that no longer will that happen.

15 Wala sintokuruhusu kusikiliza fedhiha za mataifa tena; hautachukua tena aibu ya watu au kufanya taifa lako kuanguka-hivi ndivyo Bwana Yahwe asemavyo.”'

No longer will the people of other nations ridicule you; no longer will they laugh at you; no longer will [the armies of] other nations conquer you. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have declared that it will happen.”

16 Kisha neno la Yahwe likanijia, kusema,

Yahweh gave me another message. He said,

17 “Mwanadamu, wakati nyumba ya Israeli walipoikalia nchi yao, waliinajisi kwa njia zao na matendo yao. Njia zao zilikuwa kama uchafu wa hedhi ya mwanamke mbele yangu.

“You human, when the Israeli people were living in their own land, they (defiled it/caused it to become unacceptable to me) by the things that they did. I considered that their behavior was [disgusting], like [SIM] the rags/cloths that women use during their monthly menstrual periods.

18 Hivyo nilimwaga ghadhabu yangu juu yao kwa ajili ya damu ambayo waliyoimwaga juu ya nchi na kwa ajili ya uchafu wa hiyo kwa sanamu zao.

So I severely punished [MTY] them, because they had murdered [MTY] many people and because they had defiled the land by [worshiping] idols there.

19 Nimewatawanya miongoni mwa mataifa; walitawanyika katika nchi nyingi. Nimewahukumu kulingana na njia zao na matendo yao.

I caused them to be scattered among many nations [DOU]. I punished [MTY] them like they deserved to be punished because of their very evil behavior [DOU].

20 Kisha wakaenda kati ya mataifa, na popote walipoenda, walilitukana jina langu takatifu wakati watu waliwasema, 'Je! hawa kweli ni watu wa Yahwe? Kwa kuwa wamefukuzwa nje ya nchi yake.

And wherever they went among those nations, they caused my reputation [MTY] to be disgraced. What has happened is that the people in those countries said about the Israeli people, ‘They belong to Yahweh, but they were forced to leave the land that he [gave to them].’

21 Lakini nilikuwa na huruma kwa ajili ya jina langu takatifu ambalo nyumba ya Israeli walilinajisi miongoni mwa mataifa, walipoenda huko.

But I was concerned about my reputation, which the people of Israel had disgraced among the nations to which they were forced to go.

22 Kwa hiyo waambie nyumba ya Israeli, 'Bwana Yahwe asema hivi: Sifanyi haya kwa ajili yenu, nyumba ya Israeli, lakini jina langu, mlilolitukana miongoni mwa mataifa kila sehemu mlipoenda.

Therefore, say to the Israeli people, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: You Israeli people, it is not for your sake that I am going to do these things. Instead, it is for the sake of my sacred reputation, which you have disgraced among the nations to which you were forced to go.

23 Kwa kuwa nitalifanya jina langu kuu kuwa takatifu, mlilolitukana miongoni mwa mataifa-katikati ya mataifa, mmelitukana. Kisha mataifa watajua kwamba mimi ni Yahwe-hivi ndivyo asemavyo Bwana Yahwe-asemavyo-wakati mtakapoona kwamba mimi ni mtakatifu.

I will show that my reputation is sacred, a reputation which you have disgraced among the nations to which you were forced to go. And when I show the nations that I am holy, the people of those nations will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].

24 Nitawachukua kutoka mataifa na kuwakusanya kutoka kila nchi, na nitawaleta hata nchi yenu.

What I will do is to bring you back from those nations. I will gather you from all the countries [to which you were forced to go], and bring you back to your own land.

25 Kisha nitanyunyiza maji masafi juu yenu ili muwe wasafi kutoka kwenye uchafu wote, na nitawasafisha kutoka sanamu zenu zenu.

[It will be as though] [MET] I will sprinkle clean water on you, and then you will be clean. I will cause you to be cleansed from everything that has defiled you, and I will cause you to stop worshiping idols.

26 Nitawapatia moyo mpya na roho mpya sehemu zenu za ndani, na nitautoa moyo wa jiwe kutoka kwenye nyama zenu. Kwa kuwa nitawapatia moyo wa nyama.

I will give you a completely new way of thinking [IDM]. I will enable you to stop being stubborn [IDM], and I will enable you to obey me from your inner beings [IDM].

27 Nitaiweka Roho yangu ndani yenu na kuwawezesha kutembea katika sheria zangu na kuziweka hukumu zangu, hivyo mtazitenda.

I will put my Spirit within you and enable you to carefully obey all my laws [DOU].

28 Kisha mtakaa katika nchi niliyowapa babu zenu; mtakuwa watu wangu, nami nitakuwa Mungu wenu.

You will again live in the land that I gave to your ancestors. You will be my people, and I will be your God.

29 Kwa kuwa nitawaokoa kutokana na uchafu wenu wote. Nitaita ngano kuiongeza. Sitaweka tena njaa juu yenu.

I will free you from all your disgraceful behavior. I will cause your grain to be plentiful, and I will not send a famine to you again.

30 Nitaongeza tunda la mti na kuzalisha kwenye mashamba ili kwamba msichukue tena aibu ya njaa juu ya mataifa.

I will cause your fruit trees to produce plenty of fruit and your ground to produce plenty of good crops, with the result that you will no longer be ridiculed by the people of other nations because of your not having enough food.

31 Kisha mtazikumbuka njia zenu mbaya na matendo yenu ambayo hayakuwa mazuri, na mtaonyesha chuki kwenye nyuso zenu kwa sababu ya dhambi zenu na matendo yenu maovu.

When that happens, you will think about your previous evil behavior and wicked deeds, and you will (be very displeased with/hate) yourselves for your sins and the detestable things that you did.

32 Sifanyi hili kwa ajili yenu-hivi ndivyo Bwana Yahwe asemavyo-ijulikane kwenu. Hivyo tahayarikeni na kufadhaika kwa sababu ya njia zenu, nyumba ya Israeli.

But I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that I want you to know that it is not for your sake that I will do those things. You Israeli people ought to be ashamed of your behavior.

33 Bwana Yahwe asema hivi: Katika siku niliyowatakasa kutoka kwenye uovu wenu wote, nitawafanya miji ikaliwe na kuzijenga sehemu zilizoharibiwa.

This is also what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: At the time that I forgive you for all the sins that you have committed, I will enable you to live in your towns again and to build houses where there are now only ruins.

34 Kwa kuwa mtailima nchi iliyoharibiwa hadi itakapoonekana haijaaharibika mbele za macho ya wote wapitao karibu.

People who walk through your country will see that your land is again cultivated instead of (being desolate/having nothing growing in it).

35 Kisha watasema, “Hii nchi ilikuwa ukiwa, lakini imekuwa kama bustani ya Edeni; miji ya ukiwa na isiyo na wakaaji iliyo magofu ambayo ilibomolewa sasa inakaliwa.

They will say, “This land that was ruined has become [very fertile/productive] like [SIM] the garden of Eden! The cities that were piles of ruins, empty and destroyed, now have walls around them, and people live in those cities.”

36 Kisha mataifa mengine waliowazunguka watajua yakwamba mimi ni Yahwe, kwamba nimejenga palipokuwa pameharibiwa na kuipanda mbegu sehemu iliyokuwa ukiwa.

When that happens, the people in the nations that are around you that still exist will know that it is I, Yahweh, who have enabled you to rebuild what was destroyed, and to again plant crops in the fields that had nothing growing in them. I, Yahweh, have said [that it will happen], and I will cause it to happen.

37 Bwana Yahwe asema hivi: Tena nitaulizwa na nyumba ya Israeli kufanya hivi kwa ajili yao, kuwaongeza kama kundi la watu.

This is also what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: Again I will heed what you Israeli people are pleading for me to do for you. I will cause your people to be as numerous as your sheep,

38 Kama kundi lililotengwa kwa ajili ya sadaka, kama kundi katika Yerusalimu katika sikukuu yake iliyoteuliwa, hivyo miji itaharibiwa kwa kujazwa na makundi ya watu na watajua kwamba mimi ni Yahwe.”'

as numerous as the flocks of sheep that will be needed for offerings in Jerusalem during your regular festivals. The cities that are now ruined will be filled with people, and then you will know that I, Yahweh the Lord, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].’”