Ezekiel Encourages the People To Turn Back to the Lord
1 One day, some of Israel's leaders came to me and asked for a message from the Lord. 2 While they were there, the Lord said:
3 Ezekiel, son of man, these men have started worshiping idols, though they know it will cause them to sin even more. So I refuse to give them a message!
4 Tell the people of Israel that if they sin by worshiping idols and then go to a prophet to find out what I say, I will give them the answer their sins deserve. 5 When they hear my message, maybe they will see that they need to turn back to me and stop worshiping those idols.
6 Now, Ezekiel, tell everyone in Israel:
I am the Lord God. Stop worshiping those idols I hate so much and come back to me.
7 Suppose one of you Israelites or a foreigner living in Israel rejects me and starts worshiping idols. If you then go to a prophet to find out what I say, I will answer 8 by turning against you. I will make you a warning to anyone who might think of doing the same thing, and you will no longer belong to my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord and that you have sinned against me.
9 If a prophet gives a false message, I am the one who caused that prophet to lie. But I will still reject him and cut him off from my people, 10 and anyone who goes to that prophet for a message will be punished in the same way. 11 I will do this, so that you will come back to me and stop destroying yourselves with these disgusting sins. So turn back to me! Then I will be your God, and you will be my people. I, the Lord God, make this promise.
Judgment on a Sinful Nation
12 The Lord God said:
13 Ezekiel, son of man, suppose an entire nation sins against me, and I punish it by destroying the crops and letting its people and livestock starve to death. 14 Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were living in that nation, their faithfulness would not save anyone but themselves.
15 Or suppose I punish a nation by sending wild animals to eat people and scare away every passerby, so that the land becomes a barren desert. 16 As surely as I live, I promise that even if these three men lived in that nation, their own children would not be spared. The three men would live, but the land would be an empty desert.
17 Or suppose I send an enemy to attack a sinful nation and kill its people and livestock. 18 If these three men were in that nation when I punished it, not even their children would be spared. Only the three men would live.
19 And suppose I am so angry that I send a deadly disease to wipe out the people and livestock of a sinful nation. 20 Again, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were living there, I, the Lord, promise that the children of these faithful men would also die. Only the three of them would be spared.
21 I am the Lord God, and I promise to punish Jerusalem severely. I will send war, starvation, wild animals, and deadly disease to slaughter its people and livestock. 22 And those who survive will be taken from their country and led here to Babylonia. Ezekiel, when you see how sinful they are, you will know why I did all these things to Jerusalem. 23 You will be convinced that I, the Lord God, was right in doing what I did.
Elob ge ǁgôatsuiǁgoaǃoabade ra ǁkhara
1 ǀNî kai khoegu Israels digu ge tita tawa hā tsî ti aiǃâ ge ǂnû. 2 Os ge ǃKhūb di mîsa tita ǃoa ge hā: 3 “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, nē khoegu ge ǁgôa-eloga ǁîgu ǂgaogu ǃnâ ge ūbasen tsî ta ge ǁîgu ǁorena ǃnôa-aiǃnaose ǁîga ra ǁguiba. Tita ǁîgu xa sīhesa nî mā-amsen?
4 “ǁNā-amaga ǁîgu ǃoa ǃhoa, î nēti mî: ‘Nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî: Mâ-i hoa-i Israeli ommi di-i ǁî-i ǂgaob ǃnâ ǁgôa-eloba ūhâ-i tsî ǁî-i ǁoreba ǃnôa-aiǃnaose ǁî-i aiǃâ ǁgui hâ-i, xawe kēbo-aob tawa ra hā-i; tita ǃKhūta ge ǂgui ǁgôa-elogu ǀkha ra hā khoena nî ǃeream. 5 Tita ge Israeli ommi din di ǂgaoga nî ǃkhō-oa, ǁnān hîa ǁgôa-eloǃoabas ǃnâ-u ge tita xu ǃhaokhoe kain hoana.’
6 “ǁNā-amaga Israeli ommi din ǃoa nēti mî: ‘Nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî: ǃHobasen, î sadu ǁgôa-eloga xu dabasen tsî sadu aidi hoade sadu ui-uisagu hoaga xu dawa.’
7 “Tsî Israeli ommi dina xu hâ-i hoa-i, tamas ka io ǃhaokhoen Israeli ǃnâ ǁan hân, tita xu ge aitsama ǀgorasen tsî ǁgôa-elogu âna ǂgaogu ân ǃnâ ū tsî ǁîn ǁorena ǁîn aiǃâ ǃnôa-aiǃnaose sī-ūn, xawen kēbo-ao-i ǃnâ-u tita xu xū-e ra ôaǃâ; tita ǃKhūta ge ǁîna aitsama nî ǃeream. 8 Tita ge ǁîna nî mâǃoa; tita ge ǁîna aiǁgause tsî ǃhoaxūse nî dī tsî ǁîna ti khoen di ǁaeguba xu nî ǁaraǂui; tsî du ge tita a ǃKhū ǃkhaisa nî ǂan.
9 “Kēbo-ao-i ga ǂgaeǂhapuhe hâse kēbo, o tita ǃKhūta ge ǁî-e ge gâre kai ta tsî ta ge ti ǃomma ǁî-i ǃoagu ǀhōǂui tsî ǁî-e ti khoen Israeli din ǁaeguba xu nî hîkākā ta. 10 ǁÎn ge nî ǁkharahe, kēbo-ao-i huiba ra ôa khoe-i tsî kēbo-ao-i ǂû-i tsîn hoan ge ǁkhā ǁkharaba nî hō, 11 Israeli ommi tita xu ǃaruǀî kā tamas ka io ǁkhawa ǁîn ǁoren hoan ǀkha ǀuriǀurisen tidese. On ge ǁîna nî ti ǁae tsî tita ge nî ǁîn di Elo,”
tib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî.Noaxi, Danieli tsî Jobi tsîgu
12 ǃKhūb ge tita ǀkha ge ǃhoa: 13 “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, ǃhū-i ga ti ǃoagu ǂgomoǃnâsib ǀkha ǁore tsî ta ga ǁî-i ǃoagu ti ǃomma ǀhōǂui, tsî ǁî-i pereba ǁkhae tsî ǃâtsūǀkhāba ǁî-i ǃoagu sîǂui, tsî ta ga khoen tsî xamarin tsîna nî ūbe. 14 Noaxi, Danieli tsî Job tsî ǃnonagu ga ǁnāpa hâ hâ, xawes tsîna gu ge ǁîgu ûigu ǀguiga ǁîgu ǂhanu-aisib ǃaroma ga sâuhe hâ”
tib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî.15 “Tamas ka io, ta ga ǁaixa ǀguruna ǃhūb ǃnâ khoenan nî ǃgamse sîǂui hâ, îb ǃū-aisa kai, khoe-i xare-i ǁaixa ǀgurun xa ǃkharu ǁoase. 16 Nē ǃnona khoegu ga ǁnāpas tsîna hâ hâ, tita ûi hâs ao, tib geǃKhūb Eloba ra mî, xawe gu ge ǀgôadi tamas ka io ǀgôagu tsîna ga ǁkhauba tama hâ, tsîb ge ǃhūba ga ǃū-aisa hâ.
17 “Tamas ka io ta ga gôaba ǁnâ ǃhūb ai sîǂui tsî mî: ‘Ab gôaba ǃhūba ǃgûǃnâǃganu,’ tsî ta ga khoen tsî xamarin tsîna ǃgaoǁnâ; 18 nē ǃnona khoegu ga ǁnāpas tsîna hâ hâ, tita ûi hâ ǃkhais ao,”
tib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî.“Xawe gu ge ǀgôadi tamas ka io ǀgôagu tsîna ǁkhauba tama ga hâ, xawe kha ge ǁîkha ǀguikha nî sâuhe.
19 “Tamas ka io, ta ga ǂhīǁōba ǃhūb ǃnâ sîǂui tsî ǀaob ǀkha ti ǁaiba ǁîb ai ǁhōǂui, khoen tsî xamarin tsîna ǁîba xu ǁaraǁnâ; 20 Noaxi, Danieli tsî Job tsîgu ga ǁnāpa hâ hâ, tita ûi hâs ao, xawe gu ge ǀgôadi tamas ka io ǀgôagu tsîna ga ǁkhauba tama hâ, xawe gu ge ǁîgu ûigu ǀguiga ǁîgu ǂhanu-aisib ǃaroma ga sâuhe hâ”
tib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî.21 Nētib ra ǃKhūb Eloba mî xui-ao: “Mâtikōǃnâ i kha nî Jerusalems ǂama ta ga ti haka ǁkhōǁkhōsa ǀgoraǃgâde sîǂuio; gôab, ǃâtsūǀkhāb, ǁaixa ǀgurun tsî tsûtsû-aidi tsîna, khoen tsî ǀgoan tsîn hoana ta nî hîkākāse! 22 Xawen ge ǁîn ǃnâ ûiǃgau-aona nî hâ, ǀgôagu tsî ǀgôadi ge ǁnāpa xu nî ūǂuihe; ǁîn ge sadu ǃoa nî ǂoaxa. ǁÎn tanisens tsî dīgu tsîna du ga mû, o du ge Jerusalems ai ta hā kai tsūǀkhāb xa nî ǁkhaeǂgaohe, hoan hîa ta ge ǁîs ai hā kain xa. 23 ǁÎn tanisens tsî dīgu tsîna du ga mû, o du ge ǁîn xa nî ǁkhaeǂgaohe; tsî du ge ǃaromaoǃnâse ta ǁîs ai ta ge dīn hoana dī tama hâ i ǃkhaisa nî ǂan,”
tib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî.