Ndzimu unokombolela Iziraela
1 “Iwe nkololo we nthu, lebelambeli ngekwe matombo e Iziraela uti, ‘Imwi matombo e Iziraela ihwani dama la Yahwe. 2 She Yahwe bakati, Ngoti tjita tjakati nge kwenyu, “Ahaa! Matuthu iyawa a ntolo abe edu.” ’ 3 Ndizo wali lebelambeli uti, ‘She Yahwe bakati, ngoti bakakuthukudza kwakwako, bakakushakadza mu midzibo yose, kube kuthama kuti ube thundu mu njudzi dzose, ngono kukathama kuti ube tjiyeye ulengudzike mu bathu. 4 Ndizo wali imwi matombo e Iziraela, ihwani dama la She Yahwe. Ndizo She Yahwe bakati ku matombo ne matuthu ne ku hwobana dze vula ne ku mikuku ne ku matongo akathukudzika kafulukwa, abe thundu inotapiwa ne tjiyeye mu njudzi dzose kupoteleka, 5 ndizo wali She Yahwe bakati, ndolebeleka ndili mu kugwadzamoyo kukulu ngekwe njudzi dzose, nenge kwe Baedomu ibo bakati nge kushatha kukulu mu moyo yabo bakalengudza shango yangu bakaitola bakaithama yabo ngekwe mafulilo ayo.’ 6 Ndizo wali lebesambeli ngekwe shango ye Iziraela, udwe matombo ne matuthu ne hwobana dze vula ne mikuku uti, She Yahwe bakati, ‘Ndolebeleka ndili zhele bushongola guna fupa ngoti wakadziyidziwa nge masapa e njudzi.
7 “ ‘Ndizo She Yahwe bakati, Ndotuna ndakamilidza luboko nditi njudzi dzose kukupoteleka dzowolengudzika.
8 “ ‘Koga imwi matombo e Iziraela mowothinila thabi mukazwalila mitjelo bathu bangu Baiziraela ngoti banowobuya kanyi tjinyolotjo. 9 Ngoti bonani ndimile namwi, ndowoshandukila kumuli, mowoling'wa mukabuya mukadzwagwa, 10 ngono ndowowatsha bathu pezhugwi kwenyu, bathu bose be Iziraela. Mizi inowogagwa, matongo kamusiwa. 11 Ngono ndowowatsha bathu ne phuka pezhugwi kwenyu. Banowowanda bakabe banjinji. Ndowobagadza pezhugwi kwenyu sa ntolo ngono athama kuti mu watshike kupinda sekwa makabe muli iko ntolo. Ipapo mowoziba kuti ndimi Yahwe. 12 Ndowothama kuti bathu bangu Baiziraela bayende pezhugwi kwenyu. Ngono mowobe babo, mukabe thaka yabo, amutjowobe mungababulaila bana kakale.
13 “ ‘She Yahwe bakati, “Ngoti banoti ku kuli, unoja bathu ube usiya ludzi gusina bana,” 14 ndizo wali autjawoja bathu kakale autjawosiya ludzi gusina bana, kojalo She Yahwe. 15 Anditjawoletja kuti mukaikanyiwe nge njudzi, amutjawolengudziwa nge bathu kene mukathama kuti ludzi gwenyu guwe, koleba Yahwe.’ ”
Butjilo butshwa mu Iziraela
16 Dama la Yahwe likazha kundili liti, 17 “Nkololo we nthu, bathu be Iziraela bakati batjagala mu shango yabo, bakaitemapadza nge mipanga yabo nenge mishingo yabo. Mipanga yabo yakabe inga kutemapala kwe nkadzi ali mu tjiambalo. 18 Ndizo ndakapedzela bushongola gwangu pezhugwi kwabo ngekwe malopa abakatebula mu shango nenge kwe midzimu ye zwifano yabakatemapadza shango ndiyo. 19 Ndakabapaladza nge njudzi, ndizo bakapalala nge shango. Ndakabasumikilisa kuyendidzana nge mipanga yabo. 20 Koga kumwe ne kumwe kwabakayenda mu njudzi bakalengudza zina langu nge kuti kwakabe kuyi nge kwabo, ‘Ibaba bathu ba Yahwe, koga bakasiyiswa shango yabo.’ 21 Ngono ndina hanya ngekwe zina langu lakayengemala lakalengudziwa nge bathu be Iziraela pakati kwe njudzi kwabakayenda.
22 “Ndizo wali idwa bathu be Iziraela uti She Yahwe bakati, ‘Anditothama ikoku nge kwenyu, koga ndokuthama ngekwe zina langu lakayengemala lamakalengudza pakati kwe njudzi dzamakayenda kudzili. 23 Ndowoyengemadza zina langu gulu lakalengudzika pakati kwe njudzi, ilo lamakalengudza mu dzili, ngono njudzi dzowoziba kuti ndimi Yahwe pandinowobe ndilakidza kuti ndakayengemala ndimwi mu mesho abo, kojalo She Yahwe.
24 “ ‘Ndowomutola mu njudzi, amukubunganya kudwa mu shango dzose ngono amuzhisa mu shango yenyu. 25 Ndowomunyasa nge vula mbuyanana, ngono mowobe babuyanana, mowotjenapala kudwa mu kutemapala kwenyu kose ne kudwa mu midzimu yenyu yose ye zwifano. 26 Ndowomupa moyo ntshwa alonga meya mitshwa mu muli, ndowodusa moyo wenyu we bgwe alonga moyo we nyama. 27 Ndowolonga meya yangu mu muli ngono amuthama kuti mulondolodze milayo yangu mube ne njele kushingikadza ndayo dzangu. 28 Ipapo mowogala mu shango yandakapa bobatategulu benyu, mowobe bathu bangu, imi ndowobe Ndzimu wenyu. 29 Ndowomutjidza kudwa mu kutemapala kose kwenyu, ngono ndowodana mathunde aathama manjinji ngono anditowozhisa bhamba mu muli. 30 Ndowowatsha mitjelo ye miti ne mathunde mu minda kuita kuti musitjabe mungalengudziwa nge njudzi ngekwe bhamba. 31 Ipapo mowokumbula mipanga yenyu mibi ne mishingo yenyu yakabipa, ngono mowozwishima ngekwe zwibi zwenyu ne mishingo yenyu inoshimisa. 32 Anditowobe ndithamisiwa ikoku ndimwi, kojalo She Yahwe, ikoku mukuzibe. Bhakhwani nge shoni munyadziwe moyo nge mipanga yenyu imwi bathu be Iziraela.
33 “ ‘She Yahwe bakati, mu zhuba landinomutjenapadza kudwa mu zwibi zwenyu ndowothama kuti mizi yenyu igagwe kakale, matongo amusiwe. 34 Shango yakabe yathukudzika inowolimiwa pana kuti igale ilingwa nge banopinda yakathukudzika. 35 Ngono banowoti, “Shango iyeyi yakabe yakathukudzika yofanana ne nnda we Edeni ne mizi yakabe yathukudzika yabe matongo, ngwenu yabe gegwe yasimisiwa.” 36 Ipapo njudzi idzedzi dzakamupoteleka dzowoziba kuti imi Yahwe ndakamusa matongo kakale adzwala pakabe pathukudzika. Imi Yahwe ndaleba ngono ndowothama saikoko.’
37 “She Yahwe bakati, naikobo ndowoletja bathu be Iziraela bendikumbila woku, ngono ndowobathamila ikoku, kuthama bathu babo kuti bawande se ngubi. 38 Banowowanda se ngubi iwandila zwibhayilo ku Jerusalema mu tjibaka tje mizano yayo. Ndizo matongo e mizi anowozhala ngubi dze bathu. Ipapo banowoziba kuti ndimi Yahwe.”
A Message for Israel's Mountains
1 The Lord said:
Ezekiel, son of man, tell the mountains of Israel 2 that I, the Lord God, am saying:
Your enemies sneered and said that you mountains belonged to them. 3 They ruined and crushed you from every side, and foreign nations captured and made fun of you. 4 So all you mountains and hills, streams and valleys, listen to what I will do. Your towns may now lie in ruins, and nations may laugh and insult you. 5 But in my fierce anger, I will turn against those nations, and especially the Edomites, because they laughed at you the loudest and took over your pasturelands. 6 You have suffered long enough, and, I, the Lord God, am very angry! Nations have insulted you, 7 so I will now insult and disgrace them. That is my solemn promise.
8 Trees will grow on you mountains of Israel and produce fruit for my people, because they will soon come home. 9 I will take care of you by plowing your soil and planting crops on your fertile slopes. 10 The people of Israel will return and rebuild your ruined towns and live in them. 11 Children will be born, and animals will give birth to their young. You will no longer be deserted as you are now, but you will be covered with people and treated better than ever. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
12 I will bring my people Israel home, and they will live on you mountains, because you belong to them, and your fertile slopes will never again let them starve. 13 It's true that you have been accused of not producing enough food and of letting your people starve. 14-15 But I, the Lord, promise that you won't hear other nations laugh and sneer at you ever again. From now on, you will always produce plenty of food for your people. I, the Lord God, have spoken.
The Lord Will Be Honored
16 The Lord said:
17 Ezekiel, son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own country, they made the land unclean by the way they behaved, just as a woman's monthly period makes her unclean. 18 They committed murders and worshiped idols, which made the land even worse. So in my anger, I punished my people 19 and scattered them throughout the nations, just as they deserved. 20 Wherever they went, my name was disgraced, because foreigners insulted my people by saying I had forced them out of their own land.
21 I care what those foreigners think of me, 22 so tell the Israelites that I am saying:
You have disgraced my holy name among the nations where you now live. So you don't deserve what I'm going to do for you. I will lead you home to bring honor to my name 23 and to show foreign nations that I am holy. Then they will know that I am the Lord God. I have spoken.
24 I will gather you from the foreign nations and bring you home. 25 I will sprinkle you with clean water, and you will be clean and acceptable to me. I will wash away everything that makes you unclean, and I will remove your disgusting idols. 26 I will take away your stubborn heart and give you a new heart and a desire to be faithful. You will have only pure thoughts, 27 because I will put my Spirit in you and make you eager to obey my laws and teachings. 28 You will once again live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.
29 I will protect you from anything that makes you unclean. Your fields will overflow with grain, and no one will starve. 30 Your trees will be filled with fruit, and crops will grow in your fields, so that you will never again feel ashamed for not having enough food. 31 You will remember your evil ways and hate yourselves for what you've done. 32 People of Israel, I'm not doing these things for your sake. You sinned against me, and you must suffer shame and disgrace for what you have done. I, the Lord God, have spoken.
33 After I have made you clean, I will let you rebuild your ruined towns and let you live in them. 34 Your land will be plowed again, and nobody will be able to see that it was once barren. 35 Instead, they will say that it looks as beautiful as the garden of Eden. They won't see towns lying in ruins, but they will see your strong cities filled with people. 36 Then the nearby nations that survive will know that I am the one who rebuilt the ruined places and replanted the barren fields. I, the Lord, make this promise.
37 I will once again answer your prayers, and I will let your nation grow until you are like a large flock of sheep. 38 The towns that now lie in ruins will be filled with people, just as Jerusalem was once filled with sheep to be offered as sacrifices during a festival. Then you will know that I am the Lord.