Ezekiele unolakidza kukombiwa kwe Jerusalema nge ngwa
1 Yahwe bakadwa Ezekiele bakati, “Nkololo we nthu, tola itina utjibige mbeli kuko ube unyemba nzi nkulu Jerusalema mu tjili, 2 uukombe nge ngwa, uthame nyundo dzinoupkhwanya kuupoteleka, uthame matatho aunotathiligwa ndiwo ube uthama makotokelo ebanougwisa. 3 Ipapo ubeutola ndilo ye butale uyibige pakati kuko ne nzi nkulu se guma linokuthubukanya ne nzi. Ulingisane ne nzi uthame kuti ukombiwe nge ngwa. Iwe uukombe nge ngwa. Ikoku tjilakidzo ku itjaba tje Iziraela.
4 “Ipapo ulale nge lubadu gwe lumeshwe ube uzwilonga jinyo le itjaba tje Iziraela. Unowosenga jinyo le itjaba tje Iziraela tjibaka tjinolizana mazhuba awakalala ipapo. 5 Ndakubalila mazhuba anoyendidzana ne makole e jinyo labo. Unowosenga jinyo le itjaba tje Iziraela mazhuba ali mazana matatu ana mazhuba ali makumi ali zhanalume (390).
6 “Shule kwe wawidza mazhuba iyawa, ulale pasi kakale, koga ngwenu ulale nge lubadu gwe luji ube usenga jinyo le itjaba tje Juda. Ndakubalila mazhuba ali makumi manna, zhuba limwe ne limwe limilile gole. 7 Uzwilingisanye nge kukomba Jerusalema nge ngwa, umilidze luboko gugo gusakazwimbiwa nge tjimwe ulebelembeli nge kwawo. 8 Bona, ndowokusunga nge mitjili kuti usitongoshanduka ukalala nge gumwe lubadu kuswikila uwidza mazhuba ekuukomba nge ngwa.”
9 “Tola koroni ne bhali ne nyemba ne ipimbo ne zembgwe ne lukwezha uzwishanganye mu tjija tjing'ompela. Unowothama tjiwunga ndizo tjaunowobe uja mu mazhuba iyawa ali mazana matatu ana mazhuba ali makumi ali zhanalume (390) ulilele nge lubadu. 10 Zojiwa zwaunobe uja uzwiyele, uje tjilizanyo seme dzili mazana mabili ana dzili makumi matatu (230) nge zhuba ngono uja nge zwibaka zwakabigwa. 11 Ne vula unowong'wa yakalizanyidziwa, unowong'wa kopi mbili nge zwibaka zwakabigwa. 12 Tjiwunga tje bhali tjaunowoja utjibhike nge zwilobe zwe bathu ibo bakalinga.”
13 Yahwe bakabe beti, “Bathu be Iziraela banowoja zwakatemapala saikoku pakati kwe zwitjaba zwandinowobatatila ku zwili.” 14 Ipapo imi ashandula nditi, “Bonani, She Yahwe, ngakusijalo. Imi andithu azwitemapadza kudwila mu butjetjana gwangu kuswikila ngwenu, andithu aja tjakazwifila kene tjakazandabugwa nge zwibandana, akuna tjakashoba tjathu tjikangina mu nlomo wangu.” 15 Ipapo Yahwe bakati kundili, “Kwakalulwama, ndowokuletja ukabhika tjiwunga tjitjo nge zwilobe zwe ng'ombe pana kuti ubhike nge zwe bathu.” 16 Bakandidwa ipapo bakati, “Nkololo we nthu, ndowotapudza zojiwa mu Jerusalema, banowoja zojiwa belizanyidza ngono hana dzabo dzowobe dzisakadzikama, beng'wa vula belizanyidza bakatemeka mafupa, 17 Ngoti zojiwa ne vula zowobe zwisingabalizane, banowokaabala ha belingana, banowokorotela ngekwe shamu inobaloba ngekwe zwibi zwabo.”
Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem
1 God said, “Mortal man, get a brick, put it in front of you, and scratch lines on it to represent the city of Jerusalem. 2 Then, to represent a siege, put trenches, earthworks, camps, and battering rams all around it. 3 Take an iron pan and set it up like a wall between you and the city. Face the city. It is under siege, and you are the one besieging it. This will be a sign to the nation of Israel.
4-5 “Then lie down on your left side, and I will place on you the guilt of the nation of Israel. For 390 days you will stay there and suffer because of their guilt. I have sentenced you to one day for each year their punishment will last. 6 When you finish that, turn over on your right side and suffer for the guilt of Judah for forty days—one day for each year of their punishment.
7 “Fix your eyes on the siege of Jerusalem. Shake your fist at the city and prophesy against it. 8 I will tie you up so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until the siege is over.
9 “Now take some wheat, barley, beans, peas, millet, and spelt. Mix them all together and make bread. That is what you are to eat during the 390 days you are lying on your left side. 10 You will be allowed eight ounces of bread a day, and it will have to last until the next day. 11 You will also have a limited amount of water to drink, two cups a day. 12 You are to build a fire out of dried human excrement, bake bread on the fire, and eat it where everyone can see you.”
13 The Lord said, “This represents the way the Israelites will have to eat food which the Law forbids, when I scatter them to foreign countries.”
14 But I replied, “No, Sovereign Lord! I have never defiled myself. From childhood on I have never eaten meat from any animal that died a natural death or was killed by wild animals. I have never eaten any food considered unclean.”
15 So God said, “Very well. I will let you use cow dung instead, and you can bake your bread on that.”
16 And he added, “Mortal man, I am going to cut off the supply of bread for Jerusalem. The people there will be distressed and anxious as they measure out the food they eat and the water they drink. 17 They will run out of bread and water; they will be in despair, and they will waste away because of their sins.”