Kutapiwa kwe Juda kulakidziwa nge ifano
1 Dama la Yahwe lakazha ku ndili liti, 2 “Nkololo we nthu, ugele pakati kwe bathu be bapanduki, bana mesho kubona ndiwo koga abatobona, bana zebe kuhwa ndidzo koga abatohwa, 3 nge kuti bapanduki. Ngono iwe, nkololo we nthu, sunga mitolo iyo se ntizhi ngono ukuthame masikati bakakulinga. Ube umilika mu magalo awo uyende ku mamwe magalo bekubona. Pamwe banowohwisisa nenguba bali bapanduki. 4 Uduse mitolo iyo masikati bekubona, ili mitolo ye ntizhi. Kuti mu madekwana iwe ubhude se ntizhi bakakulinga. 5 Pubula guma bakalinga ubhude nge buli ilelo. 6 Upike mitolo bakakulinga uyisenge mu zhalima. Uzwimbe buso gugo kuti usitongo bona shango ngoti ndakuthama tjilakidzo mu bathu be Iziraela.”
7 Ngono ndakathama koga sekwa ndakadwiwa. Masikati ndakadusa mitolo yangu yakasungigwa kutizha. Mu madekwana apubula guma nge maboko angu adusa mitolo yangu nge buli ilelo kwati zwititi ayipika bakalinga.
8 Tjimuka mangwanana dama la Yahwe likazha kundili liti, 9 “Nkololo we nthu, apa bathu ibaba be Iziraela, ludzi igogu gwe bupanduki, abazokubhuzwa beti, ‘Unothamani kene?’
10 “Ubadwe uti, ‘She Yahwe bakati, Bulebesambeli igogu tjilakidzo ku mbusi we Jerusalema ne bathu bose be Iziraela bamuili.’ 11 Ubadwe uti, ‘Ndi tjilakidzo ku muli, tjandakathama mukuli nditjo tjandinowothama mubali banowotapiwa.’ 12 Mbusi upakati kwabo unowopika mitolo iye mu mathudzi awe ebhuda eyenda kwati zwititi, unowobhuda kayenda ngono unowopubula buli mu guma kadusa mitolo iye ndilo. Unowozwimba buso gugwe kuyita kuti asitongobona shango nge mesho awe. 13 Ndowontandila nge gwanga gwangu ngono unowobhatshigwa mu dati langu, ngono ndowonzhisa ku Bhabhiloni, shango ye Bakhaladiya, koga aatowoyibona. Unowofila ikoko. 14 Bose bakampoteleka ndowobapaladza nge mbizho dzose, babhatshi babe ne babhayani babe bose, ngono ndowobatobela nge thumo. 15 Ngono banowoziba kuti ndimi Yahwe, ha ndibakobanya nge njudzi ndibapaladza nge shango. 16 Koga ndowoletja bashomanana babo bakaleyiwa nge thumo ne bhamba ne bugwele kuti ndizo balebe ngekwe mbipo yabo pakati kwe njudzi dzabayenda kudzili. Ipapo banowoziba kuti ndimi Yahwe.”
Tjilakidzo tje nlebesambeli unotetema
17 Dama la Yahwe likazha kundili liti, 18 “Nkololo we nthu, ija zojiwa zwizo uzhazhama, ung'we vula iyo utetema ulizhele kutja, 19 ngono udwe bathu bamu shango iyeyi uti, ‘She Yahwe banolebeleka ngekwe bagali be Jerusalema mu Iziraela beti, Banowoja zojiwa zwabo balizhele kutja, bakang'wa vula yabo bakanyala moyo ngoti shango yabo inowotolegwa zose zwimuili ngekwe kumukilana kwe bagele muili. 20 Mizi mikulu igegwe inowothamiwa matongo ne shango inowothukudziwa. Ipapo banowoziba kuti ndimi Yahwe.’ ”
21 Dama la Yahwe likazha kundili liti, 22 Nkololo we nthu, kusuma ikoku kwamunako mu shango ye Iziraela kodwani kwamunoti, “Mazhuba anodwilila eyenda mbeli, mbono imwe ne imwe ayitodwa tjinoshingikala”? 23 Ubadwe uti, “She Yahwe bakati, Ndowopedzisa kusuma ikoku, abatjowokushingisa kakale mu Iziraela.” Koga uti ku bali, “Mazhuba apejo ne kuzhadzisika kwe mbono imwe ne imwe kupejo. 24 Ngoti akutjowobe kwabe ne mbono ye manyepkhwa kene kukandila kunolasha mu bathu be Iziraela. 25 Koga imi Yahwe ndowoleba dama landinowoleba ngono lowozhadzisika. Akutowobe kutjanonoka, koga kowobe mu mazhuba enyu, imwi ludzi gwe bapanduki. Ndowoleba dama ndibe ndili zhadzisa. Koleba She Yahwe.” 26 Dama la Yahwe likazha kundili liti, 27 “Nkololo we nthu, bathu be Iziraela banoti, ‘Mbono yaanobona inozha shule kwe makole manjinji ambeli, unolebelambeli makole akule.’ ”
28 “Ndizo ubadwe uti, She Yahwe banolebeleka bakati, ‘Akuna dama langu linowononosiwa, koga dama landinoleba lowozhadzisika, kojalo She Yahwe.’ ”
The Prophet as a Refugee
1 The Lord spoke to me. 2 “Mortal man,” he said, “you are living among rebellious people. They have eyes, but they see nothing; they have ears, but they hear nothing, because they are rebellious.
3 “Now, mortal man, pack a bundle just as a refugee would and start out before nightfall. Let everyone see you leaving and going to another place. Maybe those rebels will notice you. 4 While it is still daylight, pack your bundle for exile, so that they can see you, and then let them watch you leave in the evening as if you were going into exile. 5 While they are watching, break a hole through the wall of your house and take your pack out through it. 6 Let them watch you putting your pack on your shoulder and going out into the dark with your eyes covered, so that you can't see where you are going. What you do will be a warning to the Israelites.”
7 I did what the Lord told me to do. That day I packed a bundle as a refugee would, and that evening as it was getting dark I dug a hole in the wall with my hands and went out. While everyone watched, I put the pack on my shoulder and left.
8 The next morning the Lord spoke to me. 9 “Mortal man,” he said, “now that those Israelite rebels are asking you what you're doing, 10 tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them. This message is for the prince ruling in Jerusalem and for all the people who live there. 11 Tell them that what you have done is a sign of what will happen to them—they will be refugees and captives. 12 The prince who is ruling them will shoulder his pack in the dark and escape through a hole that they dig for him in the wall. He will cover his eyes and not see where he is going. 13 But I will spread out my net and trap him in it. Then I will take him to the city of Babylon, where he will die without having seen it. 14 I will scatter in every direction all the members of his court and his advisers and bodyguards, and people will search for them to kill them.
15 “When I scatter them among the other nations and in foreign countries, they will know that I am the Lord. 16 I will let a few of them survive the war, the famine, and the diseases, so that there among the nations they will realize how disgusting their actions have been and will acknowledge that I am the Lord.”
The Sign of the Trembling Prophet
17 The Lord spoke to me. 18 “Mortal man,” he said, “tremble when you eat, and shake with fear when you drink. 19 Tell the whole nation that this is the message of the Sovereign Lord to the people of Jerusalem who are still living in their land: They will tremble when they eat and shake with fear when they drink. Their land will be stripped bare, because everyone who lives there is lawless. 20 Cities that are now full of people will be destroyed, and the country will be made a wilderness. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
A Popular Proverb and an Unpopular Message
21 The Lord spoke to me. 22 “Mortal man,” he said, “why do the people of Israel repeat this proverb: ‘Time goes by, and predictions come to nothing’? 23 Now tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, have to say about that. I will put an end to that proverb. It won't be repeated in Israel any more. Tell them instead: The time has come, and the predictions are coming true!
24 “Among the people of Israel there will be no more false visions or misleading prophecies. 25 I, the Lord, will speak to them, and what I say will be done. There will be no more delay. In your own lifetime, you rebels, I will do what I have warned you I would do. I have spoken,” says the Sovereign Lord.
26 The Lord said to me, 27 “Mortal man, the Israelites think that your visions and prophecies are about the distant future. 28 So tell them that I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: There will be no more delay. What I have said will be done. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”