1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month , in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me. 2 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber. 3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy. 4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.
5 ¶ Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry. 6 He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.
7 ¶ And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall. 8 Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door. 9 And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here. 10 So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about. 11 And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up. 12 Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.
13 ¶ He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do. 14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD’s house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
15 ¶ Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this , O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these. 16 And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
17 ¶ Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this , O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. 18 Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.
MBONO YE BUBILI YA EZEKIELE YE NDZIMU
Midzimu mu Jerusalema
1 Mu gole le butathatu, mu mwedzi we butathatu, mu zhuba le bushanu le mwedzi ndakabe ndiligele mu ng'umba yangu ndina sholotjena dze Juda dziligele mbeli kwangu ngono luboko gwa She Yahwe gukandibhata. 2 Ndakati ndilinga, bonani, abona mbumbiko inonga ye nthu. Ngono kudwa pa thunji kuyenda pasi elingika se moto, kuyenda pezhugwi wakabe epenya se butale gwakakuyungiwa. 3 Ngono katambunudza luboko kandibhata nge mavudzi e nsholo wangu kandimilidza. Meya ikandimilidzila pezhugwi pakati kwe shango ne kudzimu. Ikandiyisa ku Jerusalema ndili mu mbono dzinodwa ku Ndzimu ku manginilo e nkoba we nsha utjemukati wakalinga ku bunandzwa kuna tjigalo tje ndzimu we tjifano unomusa fupa, unodzonga kuti kube ne fupa. 4 Ngono abona tjedza tje Ndzimu we Iziraela ipapo tjinga tjandakabona mu mbono mu nkuku.
5 Ipapo Ndzimu ukabe uti kundili, “Nkololo we nthu milidza mesho ulinge ku bunandzwa.” Ndizo amilidza mesho alinga ku bunandzwa, bonani, pa manginilo, ku bunandzwa gwe nkoba we tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo kwakabe kuna ndzimu we ifano unomusa fupa. 6 Ndzimu bakabe beti kundili, “Nkololo we nthu, apa unobona tjabanoshinga kene, zwithu zwikulu zwinoshimisa zwinothamiwa nge bathu be Iziraela ipapa, kunditatila kutjena ne bugalo gwangu gwakayengemala kene? Koga utjowobona zwinoshimisa kupinda izwezwi.”
7 Ngono ukandiyisa ku manginilo e nkoba we nsha, ngono ati ndilinga, bonani, abona kuna buli mu guma. 8 Ngono ipapo ukandidwa ukati, “Nkololo we nthu, itsha upubule guma.” Ngono ndakatsha apubula awana kuna nkoba. 9 Ndzimu ukabe uti kundili, “Ngina mukati ubone zwinoshimisa zwabanothama ipapa.” 10 Ndizo angina ngono abona kwakanyembiwa mu guma zose zwibumbiwa zwinokambayila ne phuka dzinoshimika ne midzimu ye zwifano ye bathu be Iziraela. 11 Mbeli kwazo kwakabe kuli mile makumi ali kutendeka (70) e sholotjena dze Iziraela, dzakabe dzina Jaazaniya nkololo wa Shafani ali mile pakati kwadzo. Mmwe ne mmwe wadzo akabhata lukambana gunopisigwa motsha ngono busi gunonuhwa zwinozipa gwakabe guthungayila guyenda pezhugwi. 12 Ipapo Ndzimu ukandidwa ukati, “Nkololo we nthu, apa wabona tjinoshingwa nge sholotjena dze Iziraela mu zhalima kene? Imwe ne imwe imu ng'umba yayo ne midzimu yayo ye zwifano. Ngoti dzakati, ‘Yahwe abatotibona, Yahwe bakafupatila shango iyeyi.’ ” 13 Ukalebeleka kakale ukati kundili, “Utjawobona zwikulu zwinoshimisa zwadzinothama zwinopinda izwezwi.”
14 Ipapo ukandiyisa ku bunginilo gwe nkoba we bunandzwa we ng'umba ya Yahwe, ngono ikoko abona bakadzi baligele be lilila Tammuzi. 15 Ngono ipapo ukandidwa ukati, “Ikoku wakubona kene nkololo we nthu? Utjawobona zwikulu zwinoshimisa kupinda izwezwi.”
16 Ngono ukandiyisa mu nsha utjemukati we ng'umba ya Yahwe. Ngono ikoko pa bunginilo gwe ng'umba ya Yahwe, pakati kwe nkoto ne tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo kwakabe kuna balume bangabe makumi mabili ana bali bashanu (25) bakafupatila ng'umba ya Yahwe bakalinga ku bhezhuba bethigamila zhuba bakalinga ku bhezhuba. 17 Ipapo ukandidwa ukati, “Wakubona ikoku kene nkololo we nthu? Apa bathu be Juda banotola zwithu zwinoshimisa izwezwi zwabanothama ipapa zwili madatha kene? Apa bakafanila kuzhadza shango nge kumukilana kene, bedwilila nge kutanga kundigwadzisa moyo kene? Bona, banoyisa lutabi ku tjimilo tjabo! 18 Ndizo ndowonginikana nabo nge bushongola, anditowobatjidza kene kubahwila ngoni, kene bakalila nge hwi lipezhugwi ndibahwa anditowobateedza.”