Ezekiel Acts Out Israel's Captivity
1 The Lord said:
2 Ezekiel, son of man, you are living among rebellious people. They have eyes, but refuse to see; they have ears, but refuse to listen. 3 So before it gets dark, here is what I want you to do. Pack a few things as though you were going to be taken away as a prisoner. Then go outside where everyone can see you and walk around from place to place. Maybe as they watch, they will realize what rebels they are. 4 After you have done this, return to your house.
Later that evening leave your house as if you were going into exile. 5 Dig through the wall of your house and crawl out, carrying the bag with you. Make sure everyone is watching. 6 Lift the bag to your shoulders, and with your face covered, take it into the darkness, so that you cannot see the land you are leaving. All this will be a warning for the people of Israel.
7 I did everything the Lord had said. I packed a few things. Then as the sun was going down, and while everyone was watching, I dug a hole through one of the walls of my house. I pulled out my bag, then lifted it to my shoulders and left in the darkness.
8 The next morning, the Lord 9 reminded me that those rebellious people didn't even ask what I was doing. 10 So he sent me back to tell them:
The Lord God has a message for the leader of Jerusalem and everyone living there!
11 I have done these things to show them what will happen when they are taken away as prisoners.
12 The leader of Jerusalem will lift his own bag to his shoulders at sunset and leave through a hole that the others have dug in the wall of his house. He will cover his face, so he can't see the land he is leaving. 13 The Lord will spread out a net and trap him as he leaves Jerusalem. He will then be led away to the city of Babylon, but will never see that place, even though he will die there. 14 His own officials and troops will scatter in every direction, and the Lord will track them down and put them to death.
15 The Lord will force the rest of the people in Jerusalem to live in foreign nations, where they will realize that he has done all these things. 16 Some of them will survive the war, the starvation, and the deadly diseases. That way, they will be able to tell foreigners how disgusting their sins were, and that it was the Lord who punished them in this way.
A Sign of Fear
17 The Lord said:
18 Ezekiel, son of man, shake with fear when you eat, and tremble when you drink. 19 Tell the people of Israel that I, the Lord, say that someday everyone in Jerusalem will shake when they eat and tremble when they drink. Their country will be destroyed and left empty, because they have been cruel and violent. 20 Every town will lie in ruins, and the land will be a barren desert. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
The Words of the Lord Will Come True
21 The Lord said:
22 Ezekiel, son of man, you've heard people in Israel use the saying, “Time passes, and prophets are proved wrong.” 23 Now tell the people that I, the Lord, am going to prove that saying wrong. No one will ever be able to use it again in Israel, because very soon everything I have said will come true! 24 The people will hear no more useless warnings and false messages. 25 I will give them my message, and what I say will certainly happen. Warn those rebels that the time has come for them to be punished. I, the Lord, make this promise.
26-27 Ezekiel, the people of Israel are also saying that your visions and messages are only about things in the future. 28 So tell them that my words will soon come true, just as I have warned. I, the Lord, have spoken.
Kēbo-aoba ǃhūsabeb ase
1 ǃKhūb di mîs ge tita ǃoa ge hā: 2 “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, sats ge khâikhâisenxa ommi din ǁaegu ǁan hâ, mûn nîse mûde ūhâ, xawe mû tamana, ǁnâun nîse ǂgaede ūhâ, xawe ǁnâu tamana, khâikhâisenxa ommi din a xui-ao.
3 “ǁNā-amaga, khoenôa ǀgôatse, ǃkhōsis di ǁgaruba ǂhomibasen, îts tsēa ǁîn di mûǁae ǃkhōsis ǃnâ ǃgû. ǃKhōsis ǃnâ ra ǃgû-i khamits ge sa ǃāsa xu nau ǃās ǃoa ǁîn mûǁae nî ǃgû. ǀNîsin ge nî ǁnâuǃā, khâikhâisenxa ommi din a xawe. 4 Sats ge sa ǁgaruba tsēa ǁîn mûǁae nî tani, ǃkhōsis di ǁgarub ase tsî ūǃgûhe ra ǃkhōsabe-i asets ge ǃuia ǁîn mûǁae ǂoa tsî nî ǃgû. 5 ǁÎn mûǁae ǂnubiǂgoaba khaoǃkhopa, îts ǁnāpa-u ǁgarub âts ǀkha ǂoa. 6 ǁÎn mûǁae ǁgarub âtsa ǃhōs ai tani hâse ǃkhaeb ǃnâ ǂoaxa. Ais âtsa ǃgū-ai, îts tā ǃhūba mû ǁkhā, Israeli ommi din ǃaroma ta ge satsa saose dī xui-ao.”
7 Tita ge mîmāhe ta ge khami ǀgui ge dī. Ti ǁgaruba ta ge ǂgāǃnâsase tsēa tani hâse ge ǂoaxa, ǃkhōsabe-i di ǁgarub ase. ǃUis ǃnâ ta ge ǂnubiǂgoaba ti ǃomkha ǀkha ge khaoǃkhopa. Tita ge ǃkhaeb ǃnâ ti xūna ǃhōs ai tani hâse ǁîn mûǁae ge ǂoaxa.
8 Tsî ǃnauǁgoagas ge ǃKhūb di mîsa tita ǃoa ge hā: 9 “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, Israeli di khâikhâisenxa ommi dina kha ‘Tare-ets ra dī?’ ti mîǀî tsi tama hâ? 10 ǁÎna mîba: ‘Nētib ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî: Nē ǂhôas ge Jerusalems di gaoǀgôab tsî Israeli ommi ǃnâ hân hoan ǃoagu hâ.’ 11 ǁÎna mîba: ‘Tita ge sado buruxa sao-i ase ība, tita ge dī khamin ge ǁîna nî dī-ūhe. ǁÎn ge ǃkhōsis ǃnâ ǃkhōsaben ase nî ūǃgûhe.’ 12 Tsî ǁnā gaoǀgôab, ǁîn ǁaegu hâb ge ǁgarub âba ǃhōs ai ǃkhaeb ǃnâ ǂnûi tsî nî ǂoaxa; ǁîb ge ǂnubiǂgoab ǃnâ-u khaoǃkhopa, tsî ǁnāpa-u nî ǂoa. ǁÎb ge ais âba nî ǃgū-ai, ǁîb mûra ǀkhab ǃhūba mû tidese. 13 Xawe tita ge ti ǀûisa ǁîb ai nî ǁgui tsîb ge ǁîba ǁîs xa nî ǃkhōhe tsî tita ge ǁîba Babilons tawa, Xaldeaǁîn di ǃhūb ǃnâ nî sī-ū, xaweb ge ǁnā ǃhūba mû tide tsî ǁîb ge ǁnāpa nî ǁō. 14 Tsî ǁîb ǂnamipe hân hoan, ǁîb hui-aon tsî ǁîb di ǂnubidi hoadi tsîna ta ge hoa ǂoadi ǃnâ nî ǀgaruǀgaru. Tita ge ǁîna gôab ǀkha nî ǃgôaǃgon.
15 “ǁÎn ge tita a ǃKhū ǃkhaisa nî ǂan, tita ga ǁîna ǁaedi ǃnâ ǀgaruǀgaru tsî ǃhūgu ǃnâ ǂapaǂoa kaio. 16 Xawe ta ge tita ǀnîrona gôab, ǃâtsūǀkhāb tsî ǂhīǁōb tsîna xu nî ǃkhō-oa, în ǁîna ǃgûn ra ǃkhai-i hoa-i tawa ǁaede ǁîn di ui-uisa dīgu xa ǂhôa, on ge tita a ǃKhū ǃkhaisa nî ǂan.”
ǀKhū ra kēbo-aob di saos
17 ǃKhūb di mîs ge tita ǃoa ge hā: 18 “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, sa pereba ǀkhū rase ǂû, î sa ǁgam-e ǀkhūb tsî ǃoab ǀkha ā. 19 ǃHūb di khoen ǃoa mî: ‘Nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba Jerusalems ǁanǂgāsaben Israeli ǃnâ ǁan hân xa ra mî: ǁÎn ge ǃaob ǀkha pereb âna ǂû tsî ǁîn ǁgam-e ǃaob ǀkha nî ā, ǁîn di ǃhūb ǀoasasib âb hoab ǀkha ǁîb ǃnâ ǁan hân di ǂkhabadīb ǃaroma nî ǀkhaiǀkhaiǃnâhe xui-ao.’ 20 ǁAnǃnâsa ǃādi hoadi ge nî ǃū-aisa tsîb ge ǃhūba nî ǃgaroǃhū kai, tsî du ge tita a ǃKhū ǃkhaisa nî ǂan.”
ǂAnsa ǂkhoamî-i tsî ǂgaohe tama ǂhôas
21 ǃKhūb di mîs ge tita ǃoa ge hā: 22 “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, mâ ǂkhoamî-i Israeli ǃhūb ǃnâ a ǂansa-i hîa ‘Tsēdi ge nî gaxugaxuhe tsî mâ ai-i hoa-i ge nî kā’ ti ra mî-e? 23 ǁNā-amaga ǁîna mîba: ‘Nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî: Tita ge nē ǂkhoamîsa nî toa kai, Israeli ǃnân ge ǁîsa ǃaruǀî sîsenū tide.’ Xawe ǁîn ǃoa mî: ‘Tsēdi ge go mâtoa mâ ai-i hoa-i nî dīǀoaǀoahesa.’
24 “ǃAruǀî-i ge ǁkhawa ǂhumi ai-i tamas ka io ǂgaeǂhapuxa kēbo-ai-e Israeli ommi ǃnâ hâ tide. 25 Xawe tita ǃKhūta ge mîs hîa ta ra ǃhoasa nî ǃhoa tsî ǁîs ge nî dīǀoaǀoahe. ǁÎs ge ǃaruǀî mâiǂuihe tide. Xawe sa khâikhâisenxa ommi dido, sadu tsēdi ǃnâ ta ge ti mîsa nî ǃhoa tsî ǁîsa nî dīǀoaǀoa,”
tib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî.26 ǃKhūb di mîs ge tita ǃoa ge hā: 27 “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, Israeli ommi din ge ra mî: ‘ǁÎb ra mû ai-i ge ǃgoaxa ǂgui kurigu ǃaroma hâ tsî ge ǃgoaxa ǁaegu ǃaroma ra kēbo.’ 28 ǁNā-amaga ǁîn ǃoa mî, nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî: ‘ǀGuis ti mîdi dis tsîn ge ǃaruǀî mâiǂuihe tide. Tsî mîs hîa ta nî ǃhoas ge nî dīǀoaǀoahe,’ ”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.