Kunamata midzimu kolambika
1 Ipapo kukazha sholotjena dze Iziraela kundili dzikagala mbeli kwangu. 2 Ngono ipapo dama la Yahwe likazha kundili liti, 3 “Nkololo we nthu, ibaba balume bakalonga midzimu ye zwifano mu moyo yabo, matjinyo abo bakaabiga mbeli kwabo se zwitsha zwinokutha. Apa ndibaamutjile ha bezha bekumbila ikumbuludzo mu ndili kene? 4 Ndizo wali lebeleka nabo ubadwe uti, ‘She Yahwe bakati, Ha mmwe we Baiziraela elonga midzimu ye zwifano mu moyo ebiga mbeli kukwe matjinyo awe se tjitsha tjinokutha ngono ebe eyenda ku nlebesambeli, Imi Yahwe ndowon'dabila kuyendidzana ne midzimu iye minjinji. 5 Ndowothama ikoku kuti nditape moyo ye Baiziraela bakandisiya beyenda ku midzimu.
6 “Ndizo wali idwa bathu be Iziraela uti, ‘Tjinoleba She Yahwe ndietji, shandukilani matjinyo enyu mufupatile midzimu yenyu, fupatilani mishingo yenyu inoshimisa. 7 Ngoti ha mmwe we Baiziraela kene mmwe we bataya bagele mu Iziraela ezwithubukanya nami ebe elonga midzimu ye zwifano mu moyo uwe ebe ebiga matjinyo awe mbeli kukwe se tjitsha tjinokutha ngono ebe eyenda ku nlebesambeli kukumbila ikumbuludzo mu ndili, imi Yahwe ndimi ndinowon'dabila nge kwangu. 8 Ndowobhayana ne nthu iwoyo wakajalo ngono anthama tjilakidzo ne tjiyeye. Ndowonthubula mu bathu bangu. Ipapo mowoziba kuti ndimi Yahwe. 9 Ha nlebesambeli atjengedzeka kalebesambeli, imi Yahwe ndimi ndinobe ndatjengela nlebesambeli ihwoyo ngono ndowontambunudzila luboko gwangu ambulaya, pakati kwe bathu bangu Baiziraela. 10 Ngono banowosengana ne shamu yabo, shamu ye nlebesambeli ne shamu ye wazha ewokumbila ikumbuludzo dzowofanana. 11 Kudwa ipapo bathu be Iziraela abatjowolashika bakadwa pandili, kene kuzwitemapadza kakale nge zwibi zwabo zose. Banowobe bathu bangu nami abe Ndzimu wabo. Koleba She Yahwe.’ ” Kusumikilisiwa akuna ungakuleya.
Nuwa na Daniele na Jobe
12 Dama la Yahwe likazha kundili liti,
13 “Nkololo we nthu, ha shango itjinya nge kusagalikabgwe ndibe ndibhayana nayo nge kutapudza zojiwa zwayo ndizhisa bhamba muili kubulaya bathu bayo ne phuka dzabo, 14 nenguba ibaba balume batatu, Nuwa na Daniyele na Jobe bakabe bali muili, babe bangazwitjidza ibo koga nge ndulamo yabo. Koleba She Yahwe.
15 “Ha ndingatumila phuka dze shango mu shango kuithukudza, kube kusina ungaipalama ngekwe phuka idzedzo, 16 nenguba balume ibaba batatu bangabe bali muili, anditjatjila, koleba She Yahwe, babe basingake bakatjidza bakololo babo kene bakololokadzi babo, ibo koga ndibo babe bangatjidziwa koga shango iyo yathukudziwa. 17 Kene ndingazhisa thumo mu shango ndibe nditi, Thumo ngalipalame shango libulaye bathu bose ne phuka dzabo muili, 18 kene zwako balume ibaba batatu bali muili, nge malebeswa anditjatjila, koleba She Yahwe babe basingake bakatjidza bakololo babo kene bakololokadzi babo, koga ibo boga babe bangatjidziwa.
19 “Kene ha ndingatumila bugwele mu shango iyeyo nge bushongola gwangu kube kutebuka malopa gubulaya bathu bayo ne phuka dzabo, malebeswa se nditjila, 20 nenguba Nuwa na Daniele na Jobe bangabe bali muili, koleba She Yahwe, babe basingake bakatjidza nkololo kene nkololokadzi. Babe bangazwitjidza ibo koga nge ndulamo yabo.
21 “Nge kuti tjinoleba She Yahwe ndietji, Kowoshingikala tjakabipa kungapani ha nditumila ku Jerusalema shamu dzangu nna dzinotjisa edzi, thumo ne bhamba ne phuka dze shango ne bugwele kulilita bathu bayo ne phuka dzabo! 22 Koga kowobe ne batjila, bakololo ne bakololokadzi banowobhuda muuli. Banowozha kumuli ngono mowoti mubona mazwiibhato abo ne mija yabo, mowonyaladzika mu tjiga tjandakazhisa mu Jerusalema, mu tjiga tjimwe ne tjimwe tjandakazhisa muili. 23 Mowonyaladzika ha mubona mazwiibhato abo ne mija yabo ngoti mowoziba kuti akuna tjandakashinga muili kusina tjathama kuti nditjishinge. Koleba She Yahwe.”
Ezekiel Encourages the People To Turn Back to the Lord
1 One day, some of Israel's leaders came to me and asked for a message from the Lord. 2 While they were there, the Lord said:
3 Ezekiel, son of man, these men have started worshiping idols, though they know it will cause them to sin even more. So I refuse to give them a message!
4 Tell the people of Israel that if they sin by worshiping idols and then go to a prophet to find out what I say, I will give them the answer their sins deserve. 5 When they hear my message, maybe they will see that they need to turn back to me and stop worshiping those idols.
6 Now, Ezekiel, tell everyone in Israel:
I am the Lord God. Stop worshiping those idols I hate so much and come back to me.
7 Suppose one of you Israelites or a foreigner living in Israel rejects me and starts worshiping idols. If you then go to a prophet to find out what I say, I will answer 8 by turning against you. I will make you a warning to anyone who might think of doing the same thing, and you will no longer belong to my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord and that you have sinned against me.
9 If a prophet gives a false message, I am the one who caused that prophet to lie. But I will still reject him and cut him off from my people, 10 and anyone who goes to that prophet for a message will be punished in the same way. 11 I will do this, so that you will come back to me and stop destroying yourselves with these disgusting sins. So turn back to me! Then I will be your God, and you will be my people. I, the Lord God, make this promise.
Judgment on a Sinful Nation
12 The Lord God said:
13 Ezekiel, son of man, suppose an entire nation sins against me, and I punish it by destroying the crops and letting its people and livestock starve to death. 14 Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were living in that nation, their faithfulness would not save anyone but themselves.
15 Or suppose I punish a nation by sending wild animals to eat people and scare away every passerby, so that the land becomes a barren desert. 16 As surely as I live, I promise that even if these three men lived in that nation, their own children would not be spared. The three men would live, but the land would be an empty desert.
17 Or suppose I send an enemy to attack a sinful nation and kill its people and livestock. 18 If these three men were in that nation when I punished it, not even their children would be spared. Only the three men would live.
19 And suppose I am so angry that I send a deadly disease to wipe out the people and livestock of a sinful nation. 20 Again, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were living there, I, the Lord, promise that the children of these faithful men would also die. Only the three of them would be spared.
21 I am the Lord God, and I promise to punish Jerusalem severely. I will send war, starvation, wild animals, and deadly disease to slaughter its people and livestock. 22 And those who survive will be taken from their country and led here to Babylonia. Ezekiel, when you see how sinful they are, you will know why I did all these things to Jerusalem. 23 You will be convinced that I, the Lord God, was right in doing what I did.