Ezekiel Sees the Terrible Sins of Jerusalem
1 Six years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia, the leaders of Judah were meeting with me in my house. On the fifth day of the sixth month, the Lord God suddenly took control of me, 2 and I saw something in the shape of a human. This figure was like fire from the waist down, and it was bright as polished metal from the waist up. 3 It reached out what seemed to be a hand and grabbed my hair. Then in my vision the Lord's Spirit lifted me into the sky and carried me to Jerusalem.
The Spirit took me to the north gate of the temple's inner courtyard, where there was an idol that disgusted the Lord and made him furious. 4 Then I saw the brightness of the glory of the God of Israel, just as I had seen it near the Chebar River.
5 God said to me, “Ezekiel, son of man, look north.” And when I did, I saw that repulsive idol by the altar near the gate.
6 God then said, “Do you see the terrible sins of the people of Israel? Their sins are making my holy temple unfit as a place to worship me. Yet you will see even worse things than this.”
7 Next, I was taken to the entrance of the courtyard, where I saw a hole in the wall.
8 God said, “Make this hole bigger.” And when I did, I realized it was a doorway. 9 “Go in,” God said, “and see what horrible and evil things the people are doing.”
10 Inside, I saw that the walls were covered with pictures of reptiles and disgusting, unclean animals, as well as with idols that the Israelites were worshiping. 11 Seventy Israelite leaders were standing there, including Jaazaniah son of Shaphan. Each of these leaders was holding an incense burner, and the smell of incense filled the room.
12 God said, “Ezekiel, do you see what horrible things Israel's leaders are doing in secret? They have filled their rooms with idols. And they say I can't see them, because they think I have already deserted Israel. 13 But I will show you something even worse than this.”
14 He took me to the north gate of the temple, where I saw women mourning for the god Tammuz. 15 God asked me, “Can you believe what these women are doing? But now I want to show you something even worse.”
16 I was then led into the temple's inner courtyard, where I saw about 25 men standing near the entrance, between the porch and the altar. Their backs were to the Lord's temple, and they were bowing down to the rising sun.
17 God said, “Ezekiel, it's bad enough that the people of Judah are doing these disgusting things. But they have also spread violence and injustice everywhere in Israel and have made me very angry. They have disgraced and insulted me in the worst possible way. 18 So in my fierce anger, I will punish them without mercy and refuse to help them when they cry out to me.”
MBONO YE BUBILI YA EZEKIELE YE NDZIMU
Midzimu mu Jerusalema
1 Mu gole le butathatu, mu mwedzi we butathatu, mu zhuba le bushanu le mwedzi ndakabe ndiligele mu ng'umba yangu ndina sholotjena dze Juda dziligele mbeli kwangu ngono luboko gwa She Yahwe gukandibhata. 2 Ndakati ndilinga, bonani, abona mbumbiko inonga ye nthu. Ngono kudwa pa thunji kuyenda pasi elingika se moto, kuyenda pezhugwi wakabe epenya se butale gwakakuyungiwa. 3 Ngono katambunudza luboko kandibhata nge mavudzi e nsholo wangu kandimilidza. Meya ikandimilidzila pezhugwi pakati kwe shango ne kudzimu. Ikandiyisa ku Jerusalema ndili mu mbono dzinodwa ku Ndzimu ku manginilo e nkoba we nsha utjemukati wakalinga ku bunandzwa kuna tjigalo tje ndzimu we tjifano unomusa fupa, unodzonga kuti kube ne fupa. 4 Ngono abona tjedza tje Ndzimu we Iziraela ipapo tjinga tjandakabona mu mbono mu nkuku.
5 Ipapo Ndzimu ukabe uti kundili, “Nkololo we nthu milidza mesho ulinge ku bunandzwa.” Ndizo amilidza mesho alinga ku bunandzwa, bonani, pa manginilo, ku bunandzwa gwe nkoba we tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo kwakabe kuna ndzimu we ifano unomusa fupa. 6 Ndzimu bakabe beti kundili, “Nkololo we nthu, apa unobona tjabanoshinga kene, zwithu zwikulu zwinoshimisa zwinothamiwa nge bathu be Iziraela ipapa, kunditatila kutjena ne bugalo gwangu gwakayengemala kene? Koga utjowobona zwinoshimisa kupinda izwezwi.”
7 Ngono ukandiyisa ku manginilo e nkoba we nsha, ngono ati ndilinga, bonani, abona kuna buli mu guma. 8 Ngono ipapo ukandidwa ukati, “Nkololo we nthu, itsha upubule guma.” Ngono ndakatsha apubula awana kuna nkoba. 9 Ndzimu ukabe uti kundili, “Ngina mukati ubone zwinoshimisa zwabanothama ipapa.” 10 Ndizo angina ngono abona kwakanyembiwa mu guma zose zwibumbiwa zwinokambayila ne phuka dzinoshimika ne midzimu ye zwifano ye bathu be Iziraela. 11 Mbeli kwazo kwakabe kuli mile makumi ali kutendeka (70) e sholotjena dze Iziraela, dzakabe dzina Jaazaniya nkololo wa Shafani ali mile pakati kwadzo. Mmwe ne mmwe wadzo akabhata lukambana gunopisigwa motsha ngono busi gunonuhwa zwinozipa gwakabe guthungayila guyenda pezhugwi. 12 Ipapo Ndzimu ukandidwa ukati, “Nkololo we nthu, apa wabona tjinoshingwa nge sholotjena dze Iziraela mu zhalima kene? Imwe ne imwe imu ng'umba yayo ne midzimu yayo ye zwifano. Ngoti dzakati, ‘Yahwe abatotibona, Yahwe bakafupatila shango iyeyi.’ ” 13 Ukalebeleka kakale ukati kundili, “Utjawobona zwikulu zwinoshimisa zwadzinothama zwinopinda izwezwi.”
14 Ipapo ukandiyisa ku bunginilo gwe nkoba we bunandzwa we ng'umba ya Yahwe, ngono ikoko abona bakadzi baligele be lilila Tammuzi. 15 Ngono ipapo ukandidwa ukati, “Ikoku wakubona kene nkololo we nthu? Utjawobona zwikulu zwinoshimisa kupinda izwezwi.”
16 Ngono ukandiyisa mu nsha utjemukati we ng'umba ya Yahwe. Ngono ikoko pa bunginilo gwe ng'umba ya Yahwe, pakati kwe nkoto ne tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo kwakabe kuna balume bangabe makumi mabili ana bali bashanu (25) bakafupatila ng'umba ya Yahwe bakalinga ku bhezhuba bethigamila zhuba bakalinga ku bhezhuba. 17 Ipapo ukandidwa ukati, “Wakubona ikoku kene nkololo we nthu? Apa bathu be Juda banotola zwithu zwinoshimisa izwezwi zwabanothama ipapa zwili madatha kene? Apa bakafanila kuzhadza shango nge kumukilana kene, bedwilila nge kutanga kundigwadzisa moyo kene? Bona, banoyisa lutabi ku tjimilo tjabo! 18 Ndizo ndowonginikana nabo nge bushongola, anditowobatjidza kene kubahwila ngoni, kene bakalila nge hwi lipezhugwi ndibahwa anditowobateedza.”