UHezekheli 19

1 Wena-ke, phakamisa isililo ngezikhulu zakoIsrayeli,

Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

2 uthi: Uyini unyoko? Isilwanekazi; salala phakathi kwezilwane, sakhulisa imidlwane yaso phakathi kwezilwane ezintsha.

And say, What [is] thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions.

3 Sakhulisa omunye wemidlwane yaso, waba libhongo, wafunda ukudabula impango, wadla abantu.

And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men.

4 Izizwe zasezisizwa ngawo, wabanjwa emgodini wazo, zawusa elizweni leGibhithe ngamaketane.

The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt.

5 Kwathi sibona ukuthi sesilindile, lokuthi ithemba laso selibhubhile, sathatha omunye wemidlwane yaso, sawenza waba libhongo.

Now when she saw that she had waited, [and] her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, [and] made him a young lion.

6 Wahamba waya le lale phakathi kwezilwane, waba libhongo, wafunda ukudabula impango, wadla abantu.

And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey, [and] devoured men.

7 Wazazi inqaba zabo, wachitha imizi yabo; ilizwe laselisiba yinkangala, lokugcwala kwalo, ngomsindo wokubhonga kwawo.

And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring.

8 Izizwe zasezisima zimelene lawo inhlangothi zonke zivela ezabelweni, zendlala imbule lazo phezu kwawo; wabanjwa emgodini wazo.

Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him: he was taken in their pit.

9 Zawufaka ekhejini ngamaketane, zawusa enkosini yeBhabhiloni, zawuletha ezinqabeni, ukuze ilizwi lawo lingabe lisezwakala phezu kwezintaba zakoIsrayeli.

And they put him in ward in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him into holds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.

10 Unyoko unjengevini egazini lakho, elihlanyelwe ngasemanzini; laba lezithelo ligcwele izingatsha ngenxa yamanzi amanengi.

Thy mother [is] like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.

11 Lalilezinti eziqinileyo ezaba zintonga zababusayo, njalo ubude balo babuphakeme phakathi kwengatsha eziqatha, libonakala ngobude balo ngokwanda kwengatsha zalo.

And she had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches.

12 Kodwa lasitshunwa ngokuthukuthela, laphoselwa emhlabathini, lomoya wempumalanga womisa isithelo salo; izinti zalo eziqinileyo zephuka zoma; umlilo waziqeda.

But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them.

13 Khathesi selihlanyelwe enkangala, emhlabathini otshileyo lowomileyo.

And now she [is] planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground.

14 Umlilo usuphume oluthini lwezingatsha zalo, waqeda isithelo salo, ukuze lingabi loluthi oluqinileyo lube yintonga yokubusa. Lesi yisililo, njalo sizakuba yisililo.

And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, [which] hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod [to be] a sceptre to rule. This [is] a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.