UHezekheli 33

1 Ilizwi leNkosi lafika kimi futhi, lisithi:

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

2 Ndodana yomuntu, khuluma kubantwana babantu bakho, uthi kubo: Ilizwe, lapho ngiletha inkemba phezu kwalo, labantu belizwe bathathe umuntu emingceleni yakibo, bambeke abe ngumlindi wabo,

“Son of man, speak to the sons of your people, and you shall say to them: Concerning the land, when I will have led the sword over it: if the people of the land take a man, one of their least, and appoint him over themselves as a watchman,

3 lapho ebona inkemba isiza phezu kwelizwe, avuthele uphondo, axwayise abantu,

and if he sees the sword approaching over the land, and he sounds the trumpet, and he announces to the people,

4 kuzakuthi loba ngubani ozwa umsindo wophondo, kodwa angaxwayi, lapho inkemba ifika, imsuse, igazi lakhe lizakuba phezu kwekhanda lakhe.

then, having heard the sound of the trumpet, whoever he is, if he also does not take care of himself, and the sword arrives and takes him: his blood will be upon his own head.

5 Uzwile ukukhala kophondo, kodwa angaxwayi; igazi lakhe lizakuba phezu kwakhe. Kodwa oxwayayo uzawophula umphefumulo wakhe.

He heard the sound of the trumpet, and he did not take care of himself, so his blood will be upon him. But if he guards himself, he will save his own life.

6 Kodwa nxa umlindi ebona inkemba isiza, angavutheli uphondo, abantu bengaxwayiswa, aluba inkemba ifika, isuse umuntu phakathi kwabo, yena ususwa esesonweni sakhe, kodwa igazi lakhe ngizalibiza esandleni somlindi.

And if the watchman sees the sword approaching, and he does not sound the trumpet, and so the people do not guard themselves, and the sword arrives and takes some of their lives, certainly these have been taken due to their own iniquity. But I will attribute their blood to the hand of the watchman.

7 Wena-ke, ndodana yomuntu, ngikubeke waba ngumlindi endlini kaIsrayeli; ngakho uzakuzwa ilizwi elivela emlonyeni wami, ubaxwayise ngokuvela kimi.

And as for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel. Therefore, having heard the word from my mouth, you shall announce it to them from me.

8 Uba ngisithi komubi: Mubi, uzakufa lokufa; uba wena ungakhulumi ukuxwayisa omubi atshiye indlela yakhe, lowo omubi uzafela esonweni sakhe, kodwa igazi lakhe ngizalibiza esandleni sakho.

When I say to the impious, ‘O impious man, you will die a death,’ if you have not spoken so that the impious man will keep himself from his way, then that impious man will die in his iniquity. But I will attribute his blood to your hand.

9 Kodwa wena uba umxwayisa omubi ngendlela yakhe ukuthi aphenduke kuyo; uba engaphenduki endleleni yakhe, yena uzafela ebubini bakhe, kodwa wena usuwophule umphefumulo wakho.

But if you have announced to the impious man, so that he may be converted from his ways, and he has not converted from his way, then he will die in his iniquity. Yet you will have freed your own soul.

10 Ngakho, wena ndodana yomuntu, tshono kuyo indlu kaIsrayeli: Likhuluma ngokunjalo lisithi: Ngoba iziphambeko zethu lezono zethu ziphezu kwethu, thina sicikizeke sikuzo, pho, sizaphila njani?

You, therefore, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: You have spoken in this way, saying: ‘Our iniquities and our sins are upon us, and we waste away in them. So then, how would we be able to live?’

11 Tshono kubo: Kuphila kwami, itsho iNkosi uJehova, isibili kangithokozi ngokufa komubi, kodwa ngokuthi omubi aphenduke endleleni yakhe aphile. Phendukani, phendukani ezindleleni zenu ezimbi; ngoba lizafelani, lina ndlu kaIsrayeli?

Say to them: As I live, says the Lord God, I do not desire the death of the impious, but that the impious should convert from his way and live. Be converted, be converted from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?

12 Wena-ke, ndodana yomuntu, tshono ebantwaneni babantu bakiniuthi: Ukulunga kolungileyo kakuyikumophula ngosuku lwesiphambeko sakhe; mayelana lenkohlakalo yokhohlakeleyo, kayikuwa ngayo ngosuku azaphenduka ngalo enkohlakalweni yakhe; lolungileyo kayikuba lakho ukuphila ngokulunga kwakhe ngosuku ona ngalo.

And as for you then, son of man, say to the sons of your people: The justice of the just man will not deliver him, on whatever day he will have sinned. And the impiety of the impious man will not harm him, on whatever day he will have been converted from his impiety. And the just man will not be able to live by his justice, on whatever day he will have sinned.

13 Lapho ngizakutsho kolungileyo ukuthi uzaphila isibili; uba yena ethembela ekulungeni kwakhe, enze isiphambeko, konke ukulunga kwakhe kakuyikukhunjulwa; kodwa ngenxa yobubi bakhe abenzileyo, uzabufela.

Even now, if I say to the just man that he shall certainly live, and so, with confidence in his justice, he commits iniquity, all his justices will be delivered into oblivion, and by his iniquity, which he has done, by this he shall die.

14 Futhi uba ngisitsho kokhohlakeleyo ukuthi: Uzakufa lokufa; uba ephenduka esonweni sakhe, enze isahlulelo lokulungileyo,

And if I say to the impious man, ‘You shall certainly die,’ and yet he repents from his sin, and he does judgment and justice,

15 okhohlakeleyo ebuyisela isibambiso, abhadale impango, ahambe ngezimiso zempilo, ukuthi angenzi isiphambeko, uzaphila isibili, kayikufa.

and if that impious man returns the collateral, and repays what he has taken by force, and if he walks in the commandments of life, and does not do anything unjust, then he shall certainly live, and he shall not die.

16 Kakukho lasinye sezono zakhe azenzileyo esizakhunjulwa kuye; wenzile isahlulelo lokulungileyo; uzaphila isibili.

None of his sins, which he has committed, will be imputed to him. He has done judgment and justice, so he shall certainly live.

17 Kodwa abantwana babantu bakini bathi: Indlela yeNkosi kayilingani; kanti ngeyabo indlela engalinganiyo.

And the sons of your people have said, ‘The way of the Lord is not a fair balance,’ even while their own way is unjust.

18 Nxa olungileyo ephenduka ekulungeni kwakhe, enze isiphambeko, uzakufa ngenxa yaso.

For when the just man will have withdrawn from his justice, and committed iniquities, he shall die by these.

19 Kodwa uba okhohlakeleyo ephenduka kunkohlakalo yakhe, enze isahlulelo lokulungileyo, yena uzaphila ngakho.

And when the impious man will have withdrawn from his impiety, and have done judgment and justice, he shall live by these.

20 Kanti lithi: Indlela yeNkosi kayilingani. Wena ndlu kaIsrayeli, ngizalahlulela, ngulowo lalowo njengendlela zakhe.

And yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right.’ But I shall judge each one of you according to his own ways, O house of Israel.”

21 Kwasekusithi ngomnyaka wetshumi lambili wokuthunjwa kwethu, ngenyanga yetshumi, ngolwesihlanu lwenyanga, owayephunyukile eJerusalema wafika kimi esithi: Umuzi usutshayiwe.

And it happened that, in the twelfth year of our transmigration, in the tenth month, on the fifth of the month, one who had fled from Jerusalem arrived saying, “The city has been laid waste.”

22 Kwathi isandla seNkosi saba phezu kwami kusihlwa, ophunyukileyo engakafiki, savula umlomo wami, waze wafika kimi ekuseni. Ngokunjalo umlomo wami wavuleka, kangabe ngisaba yisimungulu.

But the hand of the Lord had been upon me in the evening, before the one who had fled arrived. And he opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning. And since my mouth had been opened, I was no longer silent.

23 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi, lisithi:

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

24 Ndodana yomuntu, abahlali balawomanxiwa elizwe lakoIsrayeli bakhuluma besithi: UAbrahama wayemunye, wadla ilifa lelizwe; kodwa thina sibanengi; ilizwe silinikiwe ukuba yilifa.

“Son of man, as for those who live in these ruinous ways on the soil of Israel, when speaking, they say: ‘Abraham was one man, and he possessed the land as an inheritance. But we are many; the land has been given to us as a possession.’

25 Ngakho tshono kubo: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Lidla okulegazi, liphakamisele amehlo enu ezithombeni zenu, lichithe igazi; kambe lizakudla ilifa lelizwe yini?

Therefore, you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God: You who eat even the blood, and who lift up your eyes to your uncleannesses, and who shed blood: will you possess the land as an inheritance?

26 Lima phezu kwenkemba yenu, lenze isinengiso, lingcolise, ngulowo lalowo umfazi kamakhelwane wakhe; kambe lizakudla ilifa lelizwe yini?

You stood by your swords, you committed abominations, and each one has defiled his neighbor’s wife. And will you possess the land as an inheritance?

27 Tshono njalo kubo: Itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Kuphila kwami, isibili labo abasemanxiweni bazakuwa ngenkemba; lalowo osegcekeni ngizamnikela ezilweni ukuthi zimudle, lalabo abasezinqabeni labasezimbalwini bazakufa ngomatshayabhuqe wesifo.

You shall say these things to them: So says the Lord God: As I live, those who live in ruinous ways will fall by the sword. And whoever is in the field will be delivered over to wild beasts to be devoured. But those who are in fortresses and in caves will die of the pestilence.

28 Ngoba ngizalenza ilizwe libe lunxiwa lencithakalo, lokuziqhenya kwamandla alo kuzaphela, lezintaba zakoIsrayeli zibe yinkangala, ukuze kungabi khona odlulayo.

And I will make the land into a wilderness and a desert. And its arrogant strength will fail. And the mountains of Israel will be desolate; for there will be no one who crosses through them.

29 Khona bazakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi, lapho sengenze ilizwe laba yinkangala lesesabiso ngenxa yawo wonke amanyala abo abawenzileyo.

And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I will have made their land desolate and deserted, because of all their abominations, which they have worked.

30 Wena-ke, ndodana yomuntu, abantwana babantu bakini basakhuluma ngawe ngasemidulwini laseminyango yezindlu, njalo omunye ekhuluma komunye, ngulowo lalowo kumfowabo, besithi: Wozani, ngiyacela, lizwe ukuthi yilizwi bani eliphuma eNkosini.

And as for you, O son of man: the sons of your people speak about you beside the walls and in the doorways of houses. And they speak to one another, each man to his neighbor, saying: ‘Come, and let us hear what may be the word going forth from the Lord.’

31 Njalo bayeza kuwe njengokuza kwabantu, bahlale phambi kwakho njengabantu bami, bezwe amazwi akho, kodwa bangawenzi; ngoba ngomlomo wabo babonakalisa uthando olukhulu, kodwa inhliziyo yabo ilandela inzuzo yabo embi.

And they come to you, as if the people were entering, and my people sit before you. And they listen to your words, but they do not do them. For they turn them into a song for their mouth, but their heart pursues their own avarice.

32 Khangela-ke, kubo unjengengoma ethandekayo, ilizwi elimnandi, lowazi kuhle ukutshaya ichacho; ngoba besizwa amazwi akho kodwa bengawenzi.

And you are to them like a verse set to music, which is sung with a sweet and pleasing voice. And they hear your words, but they do not do them.

33 Kodwa ekufikeni kwalokhu (khangela, kuzafika), khona bazakwazi ukuthi bekukhona umprofethi phakathi kwabo.

And when what has been predicted occurs, for behold it is approaching, then they shall know that a prophet was among them.”