Ndjambi ma ziki Esekiel a rire omutjevere
(Esek 3:16-21)1 Muhona wa hungira ku ami 2 a tja: “Muatje womundu, tjivisa otjiwaṋa tjeṋu kutja mape tjitwa tjike ami tji me eta ovita kehi rorive. Otjiwaṋa tjehi ndo matji toorora umwe watjo okurira omutjevere. 3 Eye tji ma munu omunavita a meya okurwisa ehi, u posisa ohiva okutirisa ovandu avehe. 4 Tji pena ngu me i zuu na ha kara ko na tja, nomunavita tje ya nu e mu zepa, neye omuini ma kara nomerizirira konḓiro ye. 5 Eye omuini ma tura ondjo konḓiro ye, tjinga e ha karerere ko na tja nomaronga womutjevere. Eye andakuzu wa ningire ko na tja, andakuzu wa taura. 6 Nungwari omutjevere tji ma munu omunavita a meya okurwisa ehi na ha posisa ohiva, nomunavita tje ya a zepa ovanauvi mbo, ami me yandja ondjo yonḓiro yawo komutjevere ngwi.
7 “Nambano, muatje womundu, ami me ku ziki u rire omutjevere wotjiwaṋa tja Israel. Mo sokuyandja ku wo inga omaronga ngu me ku pe. 8 Ami tji mba tjivisa kutja omunauvi ma koka, nungwari ove tji u hi nokumuronga kutja a rundurure ongarero ye, kokutja a yame omuinyo we, neye ma koka e ri omunauvi, nami me yandja ondjo yonḓiro ye kove. 9 Ove tji wa rongo omundu, neye, tjiri, a ha isa okutjita ouvi, neye ma koka e ri omunauvi, nungwari omuinyo woye mau yamwa.”
Omerizirira womundu omuini kourike
10 Muhona wa hungira ku ami a tja: “Muatje womundu, hungira kOvaisrael omambo ngu ve kara pokuhungira nga: ‘Ourunde nozongatukiro zetu nḓu twa tjita ze ri kombanda yetu, nu mena roviṋa mbi otji matu sepunuka kouṱiṱiṱiṱi. Matu sora vi okukara nomuinyo?’ 11 Ve raera kutja ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona Ndjambi, tjiri, otja ngu mbi ri Ndjambi omunamuinyo, hi kara nonyuṋe tji me munu omurunde ama ṱu. Ami etje vanga okumumuna a poka kouvi kutja a kare nomuinyo. Israel, isa ouvi mbu u tjita! Okutjavi tji u vanga okuṱa?
12 “Nambano, muatje womundu, raera Ovaisrael kutja omusemba tji ma tjiti ouvi, imbwi ouwa mbwa tjita kamaau mu yama. Omunauvi tja isa okutjita ouvi, ke nokuverwa, nomusemba tji ma utu okutjita ourunde, omuinyo we kau nokuyamwa, nangarire kutja rukuru aa tjiti ouwa. 13 Porumwe me kwizikire omusemba kutja ma kara nomuinyo, nungwari tja utu okuripura kutja ouwa we warukuru wa yenena opuwo, na utu okutjita ouvi, ami hi nokuzemburuka ko ouwa auhe mbwa tjita. Eye ma ṱire omauvi we. 14 Porumwe ami me rongo omundu omunauvi kutja ma ṱu, nungwari eye tja isa ourunde we na tjiti ousemba nouwa, 15 ngatu tje eye tja yarura ihi tja vaka, eye tja isa okutjita ourunde na kongorere omatwako nge yandja omuinyo, neye ke nakuṱa, nungwari, tjiri, ma kara nomuinyo. 16 Ami me mu isire ourunde mbwa tjita, neye ma kara nomuinyo, tjinga a tjita ousemba nouwa.
17 “Notjiwaṋa tjeṋu tji tja imbi ami mbi mbi tjita ovihasemba! Kako, ozondjito zatjo onḓe he ri ozosemba. 18 Omusemba tja isa okutjita ouwa na utu okutjita ouvi, neye ma ṱire ouvi mbwi. 19 Omundu omunauvi tja isa ouvi na tjiti ouwa nousemba, neye ma yama omuinyo we. 20 Israel, ove u tja imbi ami, Muhona, mbi mbi tjita, ovihasemba; nungwari ami me ku pangurire imbi mbi mo tjiti.”
Ombuze yomawiro wa Jerusalem
21 Meyuva oritjatano komueze outjamurongo wombura oitjamurongo na mbari youhuura wetu, pa hena omurumendu kOjerusalem; neye weya okundjiraera kutja otjihuro tja haverwa. 22 Nungwari ongurova ndjo eye ngunda e hiye ya, ami mba mwine kutja Muhona u ri puna ami momasa we omanene. Omurumendu tje ya omuhuka weyuva rarwe, Muhona we ndji pa rukwao omurya okuhungira.
Omauvi wotjiwaṋa
23 Muhona wa hungira ku ami 24 a tja: “Muatje womundu, ovandu mba tura movihuro omatundu vyehi ra Israel mave tja nai: ‘Abraham wa ri omurumendu umwe uriri, nu wa perwe ehi arihe. Nungwari eṱe oweṱe ovengi, nambano ehi oretu.’
25 “Ve raera kutja ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona Ndjambi, me tja nai: ‘Eṋe mu rya onyama ngunda ai nombinḓu. Mu rikotamena koomukuru vovisenginina. Mu zepa ovandu. Mamu ripurire tjike kutja ehi oreṋu? 26 Mu riyameka komangaruvyo weṋu. Ozondjito zeṋu ozondjaukise. Amuhe mu katuka otukupo. Mamu ripurire tjike kutja ehi oreṋu?’
27 “Ve raera nai: ‘Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona Ndjambi, meve rongo kutja otja ngu mbi ri Ndjambi omunamuinyo, ovandu, mba tura movihuro mbya nyonwa mave ṱu. Imba mba tura mouhaiya wokuti mave sasaurwa i ovipuka vyokuti. Imba mba ṱara moviṱunga na mozondimba mave ṱu i omutjise omuzeu. 28 Ami ehi me ri ririsa ongaango, nomasa wawo nguyave rihivire tjinene nai maye yanda. Wina ozondundu za Israel maze rire ongaango tjinene nai nga tji pe hi nomundu ngu ma sora okuzetuurunga. 29 Ami tji mba verere otjiwaṋa ozondjito zatjo azehe ozondjaukise, nu otjo otji matji tjiwa kutja owami ngu mbi ri Muhona.’ ”
Oviṋa, mbi mavi kakara po kombunda yombuze yomuprofete
30 Muhona wa hungira a tja: “Muatje womundu, ovandu votjiwaṋa tjoye ve ku hungira, tji mave hakaenene porumbo rwotjihuro poo pomahitiro wozondjuwo zawo. Owo verihungirire oveni ave tja: ‘Ngatu yende tu kazuve kutja embo riṋe nda zu ku Muhona nambano.’ 31 Otjiwaṋa tjandje otji tji worongana okuzuva imbi mbi me hungire, nungwari katji tjiti imbi mbi u tji raera. Otjo tji vara omambo woye otja omaimburiro wakauriri, notji tji panḓera pokukongorera ozondjira zatjo zeraru. 32 Ku tjo oove otjiṋa uriri, okutja omuyorokise ngu imbura omaimburiro worusuvero amo nyanda otjiharpe. Otjo tji puratena komambo woye aehe, nu katji kara nonḓuviro kembo nangarire rimwe roye. 33 Nungwari omambo woye aehe tji ya rire ouatjiri, nowo, tjiri, maye rire ouatjiri, notji matji tjiwa kutja omuprofete wa ri mokati katjo.”
The Lord Appoints Ezekiel To Stand Watch
(Ezekiel 3.16-21)1 The Lord said:
2 Ezekiel, son of man, warn your people by saying:
Someday, I, the Lord, may send an enemy to invade a country. And suppose its people choose someone to stand watch 3 and to sound a warning signal when the enemy is seen coming. 4-5 If any of these people hear the signal and ignore it, they will be killed in battle. But it will be their own fault, because they could have escaped if they had paid attention.
6 But suppose the person watching fails to sound the warning signal. The enemy will attack and kill some of the sinful people in that country, and I, the Lord, will hold that person responsible for their death.
7 Ezekiel, I have appointed you to stand watch for the people of Israel. So listen to what I say, then warn them for me. 8 When I tell wicked people they will die because of their sins, you must warn them to turn from their sinful ways. But if you refuse to warn them, you are responsible for their death. 9 If you do warn them, and they keep sinning, they will die because of their sins, and you will be innocent.
The Lord Is Always Fair
(Ezekiel 18.21-30)10 The Lord said:
Ezekiel, son of man, the people of Israel are complaining that the punishment for their sins is more than they can stand. They have lost all hope for survival, and they blame me. 11 Tell them that as surely as I am the living Lord God, I don't like to see wicked people die. I enjoy seeing them turn from their sins and live. So if the Israelites want to live, they must stop sinning and turn back to me.
12 Tell them that when good people start sinning, all the good they did in the past cannot save them from being punished. And remind them that when wicked people stop sinning, their past sins will be completely forgiven, and they won't be punished.
13 Suppose I promise good people that they will live, then later they start sinning and believe they will be saved by the good they did in the past. These people will certainly be put to death because of their sins. Their good deeds will be forgotten.
14 Suppose I warn wicked people that they will die because of their sins, and they stop sinning and start doing right. 15 For example, they need to return anything they have taken as security for a loan and anything they have stolen. Then if they stop doing evil and start obeying my Law, they will live. 16 Their past sins will be forgiven, and they will live because they have done right.
17 Ezekiel, your people accuse me of being unfair. But they are the ones who are unfair. 18 If good people start doing evil, they will be put to death, because they have sinned. 19 And if wicked people stop sinning and start doing right, they will save themselves from punishment. 20 But the Israelites still think I am unfair. So warn them that they will be punished for what they have done.
The News of Jerusalem's Fall
21 Twelve years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia, a refugee who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me on the fifth day of the tenth month. He told me that the city had fallen.
22 The evening before this man arrived at my house, the Lord had taken control of me. So when the man came to me the next morning, I could once again speak.
What Will Happen to Those Left in Israel?
23 Then the Lord said:
24 Ezekiel, son of man, the people living in the ruined cities of Israel are saying, “Abraham was just one man, and the Lord gave him this whole land of Israel. There are many of us, and so this land must be ours.”
25 So, Ezekiel, tell them I am saying:
How can you think the land is still yours? You eat meat with blood in it and worship idols. You commit murder 26 and spread violence throughout the land. Everything you do is wicked; you are even unfaithful in marriage. And you claim the land is yours!
27 As surely as I am the living Lord God, you people in the ruined cities will be killed in battle. Those of you living in the countryside will be eaten by wild animals, and those hiding in caves and on rocky cliffs will die from deadly diseases. 28 I will make the whole country an empty wasteland and crush the power in which you take such pride. Even the mountains will be bare, and no one will try to cross them. 29 I will punish you because of your sins, and I will turn your nation into a barren desert. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
The People Listen, but Don't Change
The Lord said:
30 Ezekiel, son of man, the people with you in Babylonia talk about you when they meet by the city walls or in the doorways of their houses. They say, “Let's ask Ezekiel what the Lord has said today.” 31 So they all come and listen to you, but they refuse to do what you tell them. They claim to be faithful, but they are forever trying to cheat others out of their money. 32 They treat you as though you were merely singing love songs or playing music. They listen, but don't do anything you say.
33 Soon they will be punished, just as you warned, and they will know that a prophet has been among them.
