Mazwidabiligo
1 Dama la Yahwe likazha kundili liti, 2 “Apa mobe mudwani ha muleba gungulupeswa eli ngekwe shango ye Iziraela?
“ ‘Botate bakaja zhambi dzinoshababa,
ngono meno e bana akapuma?’
3 “Nge malebeswa se nditjila, koleba She Yahwe, amutjawobgwilulula gungulupeswa ileli mu Iziraela kakale. 4 Nge kuti mmwe ne mmwe unotjila nge wangu, tate ne nkololo, kofanana koga bose nge bangu. Nthu unotjinya ndiye unofa.
5 “Ngatiti kuna nthu wakalulwama unotjila akatambunuka, 6 asingaje pezhugwi kwe dombo kene kuli kuthigamila midzimu ye zwifano zwe bathu be Iziraela, asingatemapadze nkadzi we mbakidzani uwe kene kuwalilana ne nkadzi ali mu misi iye. 7 Aatotshambilidza nthu, unobuza tjaakaadzima kagadzabgwe kutjibgwiliza. Aatotolela, koga unopa banazhala zojiwa zwizwe kaswingidza banoyenda mbujo. 8 Aatoshaka mmwiso muna tjaaadzima nthu kene kuli kushaka mmwiso wakapindilila. Unozwidziba mu kuthama tjisiitjo kasumikilisa nge ndizandizanyo pakati kwe nthu ne nthu. 9 Unotobela zila dzangu kalondolodza milayo yangu nge njele. Nlume iwoyu wakalulwama unowotjila.
10 “Ngatiti nthu iwoyu una nkololo, we tjilalume unobulaya bathu, unothama tjimwe ne tjimwe tje zwakajalo, 11 nenguba tate babe basakatongo thama zwakajalo. Iye unoja zwe midzimu pezhugwi kwe dombo. Unotemapadza nkadzi we mbakidzani uwe. 12 Unotshambilidza bashayi ne basheti. Unotolela. Aatobgwiliza tjaakaadzima. Unonamata midzimu ye zwifano. Unothama zwithu zwinoshimika. 13 Unoadzima ebe eshaka mwiso wakapindilila. Apa nthu wakajali ungatjila kene? Ha angatjile! Nge kuti wakathama zwithu zose izwezwi zwinoshimika, nge malebeswa unowofa, ngono malopa awe anowobe pezhugwi kwe nsholo uwe.
14 “Koga ngatiti nlume iwoyu una nkololo unobona zwibi izwezwi zose zwakashingwa ndi tate babe, ebe ekumbula, ngono ebe asingashinge sekwakashinga tate babe. 15 Asingaje pezhugwi kwe dombo zwe midzimu, asinganamate midzimu ye bathu be Iziraela ye zwifano. Asingatemapadze nkadzi we mbakidzani uwe. 16 Asina waanotshambilidza kene kuli kushaka mwiso muna tjaaadzima mmwe. Asingatolele, koga ekobana zojiwa zwizwe ne bana zhala, kakale eswingidza banoyenda mbujo. 17 Ezwidziba mu kuthama tjibi asingashake mwiso muna tjaaadzima mmwe kene mmwiso wakapindilila. Elondolodza milayo yangu kakale eyenda mu zila dzangu. Aatowofa efila tjibi tja tate babe, nge malebeswa unowotjila. 18 Koga tate babe banowofa befila tjibi tjabo, nge kuti bakathama tjisakalulwama, bakatolela ikamu tjabo, ngono bakashinga tjisakalulwama pakati kwe bathu bakanyi kwabo.
19 “Koga mutjabhuzwa muti, ‘Ini nkololo asingakobane na tate babe nlandu wabo?’ Se nkololo akashinga tjakalulwama tjakatambunuka, kabe ne njele kulondolodza milayo yangu, nge malebeswa unowotjila. 20 Nthu unotjinya unowofa. Nkololo aatowobe ne gobe mu jinyo la tate babe, tate nayibobo abatowobe ne gobe mu jinyo le nkololo wabo, ndulamo ye wakalulwama inowobe iye, mbipo ye wakabipa inowobe iye.
21 “Koga ha babiibi beshandukila zwibi zwabo zwabakathama bebe belondolodza milayo yangu yose bethama tjimu nlayo tjakalulwama, nge malebeswa banowotjila, abatowofa. 22 Akuna tjimwe tje zwibi zwaakathama tjinowokumbugwa kakale. Se ashinga zwakalulwama, unowotjila. 23 Apa ndina tjimwe tjinondishathisa mu lufu gwe mbiimbi kene? Apa anditoshathisiwa nge kubona eshandukila zila dzidze ebe etjila kene? 24 Koga ha nlulwami eshandukila ndulamo iye ebe ethama tjibi ngono ethama zwakabipa zwinofana ne zwinothamiwa ne mbiimbi, unowotjila kene? Akuna tjimwe tje zwithu zwaakashinga zwakalulwama tjinowokumbugwa. Ngekwe kusagalikamoyo kukwe unlandu nge zwibi zwaakathama, ngono unowofa.
25 “Koga ne kwakajalo imwi moti, ‘Zila ya She aizolulwama.’ Ihwani imwi bathu be Iziraela, Apa zila yangu aizolulwama kene? Apa ate dzili dzenyu zila dzisakalulwama kene? 26 Ha nlulwami eshandukila ndulamo iye ebe ethama tjibi unowotjifila, se akathama tjibi unowofa. 27 Kakale ha mbiimbi eshandukila bubi gugwe gwaakathama ebe ethama tjakalulwama tjakatambunuka unowozwitjidza. 28 Se ekumbula zwibi zose zwaakathama ebe ezwishandukila, nge malebeswa unowotjila, aatowofa. 29 Nenguba kwakajalo bathu be Iziraela bakati, ‘Zila ya She aizolulwama.’ Apa zila dzangu adzizolulwama kene imwi bathu be Iziraela? Ate dzilidzenyu kene zila dzisakalulwama?
30 “Ndizowali imwi bathu be Iziraela, ndowomusumikilisa, mmwe ne mmwe ndowonsumikilisa kuyendidzana nge mishingo iye.” Koleba She Yahwe. “Muzwibone nlandu mushandukile zwibi zwenyu, ipapo tjibi atjitowobe bhelelo lenyu. 31 Lashilani kutjena namwi zwibi zwenyu zose zwamakandithamila, mu amutjile moyo ntshwa ne meya mitshwa. Mungafilani wali bathu be Iziraela? 32 Kana akuna tjinondishathisa mu lufu gwe unofa, koleba She Yahwe. Shandukani mu tjile.”
Individual Responsibility
1 The Lord spoke to me 2 and said, “What is this proverb people keep repeating in the land of Israel?
‘The parents ate the sour grapes,
But the children got the sour taste.’
3 “As surely as I am the living God,” says the Sovereign Lord, “you will not repeat this proverb in Israel any more. 4 The life of every person belongs to me, the life of the parent as well as that of the child. The person who sins is the one who will die.
5 “Suppose there is a truly good man, righteous and honest. 6 He doesn't worship the idols of the Israelites or eat the sacrifices offered at forbidden shrines. He doesn't seduce another man's wife or have intercourse with a woman during her period. 7 He doesn't cheat or rob anyone. He returns what a borrower gives him as security; he feeds the hungry and gives clothing to the naked. 8 He doesn't lend money for profit. He refuses to do evil and gives an honest decision in any dispute. 9 Such a man obeys my commands and carefully keeps my laws. He is righteous, and he will live,” says the Sovereign Lord.
10 “Then suppose this man has a son who robs and kills, who does any of these things 11 that the father never did. He eats sacrifices offered at forbidden shrines and seduces other men's wives. 12 He cheats the poor, he robs, he keeps what a borrower gives him as security. He goes to pagan shrines, worships disgusting idols, 13 and lends money for profit. Will he live? No, he will not. He has done all these disgusting things, and so he will die. He will be to blame for his own death.
14 “Now suppose this second man has a son. He sees all the sins his father practiced, but does not follow his example. 15 He doesn't worship the idols of the Israelites or eat the sacrifices offered at forbidden shrines. He doesn't seduce another man's wife 16 or oppress anyone or rob anyone. He returns what a borrower gives him as security. He feeds the hungry and gives clothing to the naked. 17 He refuses to do evil and doesn't lend money for profit. He keeps my laws and obeys my commands. He will not die because of his father's sins, but he will certainly live. 18 His father, on the other hand, cheated and robbed and always did evil to everyone. And so he died because of the sins he himself had committed.
19 “But you ask, ‘Why shouldn't the son suffer because of his father's sins?’ The answer is that the son did what was right and good. He kept my laws and followed them carefully, and so he will certainly live. 20 It is the one who sins who will die. A son is not to suffer because of his father's sins, nor a father because of the sins of his son. Good people will be rewarded for doing good, and evil people will suffer for the evil they do.
21 “If someone evil stops sinning and keeps my laws, if he does what is right and good, he will not die; he will certainly live. 22 All his sins will be forgiven, and he will live, because he did what is right. 23 Do you think I enjoy seeing evil people die?” asks the Sovereign Lord. “No, I would rather see them repent and live.
24 “But if a righteous person stops doing good and starts doing all the evil, disgusting things that evil people do, will he go on living? No! None of the good he did will be remembered. He will die because of his unfaithfulness and his sins.
25 “But you say, ‘What the Lord does isn't right.’ Listen to me, you Israelites. Do you think my way of doing things isn't right? It is your way that isn't right. 26 When a righteous person stops doing good and starts doing evil and then dies, he dies because of the evil he has done. 27 When someone evil stops sinning and does what is right and good, he saves his life. 28 He realizes what he is doing and stops sinning, so he will certainly not die, but go on living. 29 And you Israelites say, ‘What the Lord does isn't right.’ You think my way isn't right, do you? It is your way that isn't right.
30 “Now I, the Sovereign Lord, am telling you Israelites that I will judge each of you by what you have done. Turn away from all the evil you are doing, and don't let your sin destroy you. 31 Give up all the evil you have been doing, and get yourselves new minds and hearts. Why do you Israelites want to die? 32 I do not want anyone to die,” says the Sovereign Lord. “Turn away from your sins and live.”