Madzu mabili ne nzhambi
1 Dama la Yahwe lakazha kundili liti, 2 “Nkololo we nthu, tengela ikalabe utjifananye ne bathu be Iziraela 3 uti ku bali, ‘Tjinolebgwa ndi She Yahwe ndietji, dzu gulugulu lina mapapilo makulu ne misiba milefu ne misibana minjinji ina mibala yakasiyana lakazha ku Lebanoni. Likatola theswi dze nsida Dzu gulu 4 likathubula theswi ye lutabi. Likayisenga likayenda nayo ku shango ye baseenyi kwalakaswika liidzwala.
5 “ ‘Ngono likatola imwe ye mbewu mu shango likaidzwala mu mavu akakola. Likaidzikila pana vula njinji se lutabi gwe wilo. 6 Yakamela ikabe n'dapkhwi ukatandabala ukapasha, koga uli tjapasi. Thabi dzawo dzikashanduka dzikalinga kulili, koga midzi ikasala pawakamela. Ndizo ukatandabala, ukabe ne thabi dzina mazhani.
7 “ ‘Koga kwakabe kuna limwe dzu gulugulu lina mapapilo makulu ne misiba minjinji. Ngono nti iwoyu ukatambunudzila midzi yawo kulili. Thabi dzinomela ukadzilingisa kulili kuti liwudilidzile. 8 Wakadzikigwa mu mavu akakola pana vula njinji kuti ube ne thabi, uzwale mitjelo ube nti mbuya.’
9 “Ubadwe uti, ‘Tjinolebgwa ndi She Yahwe etji, Apa unowobhudilila kene? Apa autowosimugwa mitjelo yawo ikapuluka ikawoma, thabi ne mazhani kukawoma kene? Unosimugwa nge bulelu kusina simba limwe linoshingisiwa kene bathu banjinji kuusimula. 10 Nenguba ungadzikigwa apa ungatjila kene? Phepo ye kubhezhuba ayitowoti iwuloba ukawoma, uwomela pawakakulila kene?’ ”
Ifano tjotjenesiwa
11 Ipapo dama la Yahwe likazha kundili liti, 12 “Idwa bapanduki ibaba uti, ‘Apa amutoziba kuti zwithu izwezwi zodwani kene?’ Ubabudze uti, ‘Mambo we Bhabhiloni wakazha ku Jerusalema, katola mambo wayo ne makombgwa ayo kabgwilila nabo ku Bhabhiloni. 13 Ipapo katola mmwe we ng'umba ye bumambo ngono kathama tjidumano naye ngekuntunisa. Batungamili be shango naibo kabasenga kayenda nabo, 14 kuthama kuti bumambo guwile pasi, gusitongo milika gutjile koga nge kulondolodza tjidumano. 15 Koga mambo kampandukila nge kutuma bamilili babe ku Egipiti kuti abhatshiwe nge ngwa hwulu. Apa unowatshika kene? Apa iye unothama zwithu zwakajali unowophunyuka kene? Ungatjinya tjidumano ngono kaphunyuka kene? 16 Nge malebeswa se nditjila, koleba She Yahwe, unowofila mu Bhabhiloni, mu shango ya mambo wakan'gadza pa tjigalo tje bumambo, waakalengudza kutuna kukwe, waakatjinya tjidumano tjitje. 17 Faro ne ngwa iye yakasima ne bunjinji gwaanago abatowobe ne bhatsho kunli tjibaka tjinowobe kubakiwa makuma e ngwa kupoteleka ne guma lipkhwanyiwa. 18 Wakalengudza kutuna kukwe katjinya tjidumano. Nge kuti wakabe azwimisila kulondolodza tjidumano ngono koga kabe ethama zwithu zose izwezwi, aangaphunyuke.
19 “ ‘Ndizo She Yahwe bakati, Nge malebeswa senditjila ndowonkhiga kutuna kwangu kwaakalengudza ne tjidumano tjangu tjaakatjinya. 20 Ndowon'walila gwanga gwangu, ngono unowobhatshigwa nge dati langu. Ndowonzhisa ku Bhabhiloni ndibe ndi nsumikilisila ko nge kuti aatogalikabgwe kundili. 21 Babhayani babe bose banotizha banowoligwa nge thumo, batjila banowopalala nge mbizho dzose. Ndiko kwaanowoziba kuti ndimi Yahwe ndakaleba.
Ndzimu unogadzabgwe Iziraela
22 “ ‘Tjinoleba She Yahwe etjetji,
“ ‘Imi nge kwangu ndowotola lutabi gwathinila
mu thabi dziku theswi ye nsida
ndibe ndiyidzikila.
Ndowothubula lutabi gutjibutjetjana
mu thabi dzipezhugwizhugwi tjetjana
ndibe ndigudzikila pezhugwi
kwe dombo lefu lakakula.
23 Ndowogudzikila
pezhugwizhugwizhugwi kwe Dombo le Iziraela.
Gowobe ne thabi gukazwala mitjelo,
gukabe nsida mbuya.
Nyuni dze njudzi dzakasiyana dzowobaka mashaka muuli,
dzowowana bugalo mu ntutshi wawo,
zose zwibumbiwa zwina mapapilo.
24 Miti yose mu shango inowoziba
kuti ndimi Yahwe.
Ndowobuzila pasi nti nlefu
athama nti nfupi ukakula ukabe nlefu.
Ndowowomesa nti nnyolo,
athama nti wakawoma ukathinila.
Imi Yahwe ndimi ndaleba
ibile ndowokuthama.’ ”
A Story about Two Eagles and a Vine
1 The Lord said:
2 Ezekiel, son of man, tell the people of Israel the following story, 3 so they will understand what I am saying to them:
A large eagle with strong wings and beautiful feathers once flew to Lebanon. It broke the top branch off a cedar tree, 4 then carried it to a nation of merchants and left it in one of their cities. 5 The eagle also took a seed from Israel and planted it in a fertile field with plenty of water, like a willow tree beside a stream. 6 The seed sprouted and grew into a grapevine that spread over the ground. It had lots of leaves and strong, deep roots, and its branches grew upward toward the eagle.
7 There was another eagle with strong wings and thick feathers. The roots and branches of the grapevine soon turned toward this eagle, hoping it would bring water for the soil. 8 But the vine was already growing in fertile soil, where there was plenty of water to produce healthy leaves and large grapes.
9 Now tell me, Ezekiel, do you think this grapevine will live? Or will the first eagle pull it up by its roots and pluck off the grapes and let its new leaves die? The eagle could easily kill it without the help of a large and powerful army. 10 The grapevine is strong and healthy, but as soon as the scorching desert wind blows, it will quickly wither.
The Lord Explains the Story
11 The Lord said:
12 Ezekiel, ask the rebellious people of Israel if they know what this story means.
Tell them that the king of Babylonia came to Jerusalem, then he captured the king of Judah and his officials, and took them back to Babylon as prisoners. 13 He chose someone from the family of Judah's king and signed a treaty with him, then made him swear to be loyal. He also led away other important citizens, 14 so that the rest of the people of Judah would obey only him and never gain control of their own country again.
15 But this new king of Judah later rebelled against Babylonia and sent officials to Egypt to get horses and troops. Will this king be successful in breaking the treaty with Babylonia? Or will he be punished for what he's done?
16 As surely as I am the living Lord God, I swear that the king of Judah will die in Babylon, because he broke the treaty with the king of Babylonia, who appointed him king. 17 Even the king of Egypt and his powerful army will be useless to Judah when the Babylonians attack and build towers and dirt ramps to destroy the cities of Judah and its people. 18 The king of Judah broke his own promises and ignored the treaty with Babylonia. And so he will be punished!
19 He made a promise in my name and swore to honor the treaty. And now that he has broken that promise, my name is disgraced. He must pay for what he's done. 20 I will spread out a net to trap him. Then I will drag him to Babylon and see that he is punished for his unfaithfulness to me. 21 His best troops will be killed in battle, and the survivors will be scattered in every direction. I, the Lord, have spoken.
22 Someday, I, the Lord,
will cut a tender twig
from the top of a cedar tree,
then plant it on the peak
of Israel's tallest mountain,
23 where it will grow
strong branches
and produce large fruit.
All kinds of birds will find
shelter under the tree,
and they will rest in the shade
of its branches.
24 Every tree in the forest
will know that I, the Lord,
can bring down tall trees
and help short ones grow.
I dry up green trees
and make dry ones green.
I, the Lord, have spoken,
and I will keep my word.