ǀGam ǃariǃkhāra tsî draibehais tsîra ǂkhōs
1 ǃKhūb di mîs ge tita ǃoa ge hā: 2 “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, Israeli omma ǀhae kai tsî ǂkhō-e ǁgamba, 3 îts nēti mî: ‘Nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî: Kai ǃariǃkhās, kai ǁgabokha tsî ǃamga ūhâs, îsa ǀûga ūhâ ǃamxa danasa ūhâs ge Libanonni ǃoa ge hā. ǁÎs ge serderhais ǂamǃnâ ǂgonaba ū, 4 ǁîb ǀgapise ra ǂoaxa hairo-e ge khôaǁnâ. ǁÎs ge ǁî-e ǂharugu-aon ǃhūb tawa sī-ū tsî ǁamaǂharugu-aon ǃās ǃnâ sī ge ǂgā. 5 ǁÎs ge ǃkhomro-e ǃhūba xu ū tsî ǂûtanixa ǃhūb ǃnâ ge ǂgā. ǁÎs ge ǁîro-e ǂâusa ǁgam-i tawa ge sī-ū, tsî hoa ǂgomǃgâb ǀkha ge ǃhana. 6 ǁÎ-i ge ǁhai tsî ge draibehai kai tsî ǃhūb ǀgūses kōse ge khoraǂuisen. ǁÎs ǁnâugu ge ǁîb ǃoa ge ǁhai, ǁîs ǃnomagu ge ǁîs mâpa ǃkhō hâ. ǁNātis ge ǁîsa ge draibehai kai, ǁnâugu ge ge ǁhai tsî ǁîga ra khoraǂuise.’
7 “ǀNî kai ǃariǃkhās, kai ǁgabokha ūhâs tsî îsa ǃamxa danasa ge ūhâ is ge ge hâ i. Tsî mû! Nē draibehais ge ǁîs ǃnomaga ǁîs ǃoa ge khoraǂui. ǁÎs ge ǁnâugu âsa ǁîs ǃoa ge ǁhai kai, ǁîs nî ǁîsa ǂnâǃgaose, ǂgāhes ge hâ i ǃhanaba xu. 8 ǁÎs ge ǂûtanixa ǃhūb tsî ǂâusa ǁgam-i tawa ge ǃhanasa i, ǁnâugu nî ǁhoa tsî ǂûtani tsî îsa draibehai kaise.
9 “Nēti mî: ‘Nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî: ǁÎsa kha ǂûtani tsî aiǃgûs nî? ǁÎsa xare ǁîs ǃnomaga ǂgaeǂui tide, ǁîs ǂûna ǀō tsî ǂnâ kai tide, ǁîs ǁhoa ra ǂnarega ǁō kai tide? ǀGaisa ǃommi tamas kai io ǀgaisa toroǂnubis ge ǁîs ǃnomaga ǃhūba xu ǂgaeǂuis ǃaroma ǂhâbasa tide. 10 ǁÎsa ǂgāǂuihes kao, ûis kha nî? Aiǂoas ǂoab ga hō si, os kha ǂnâ tide, a ǁhaiǃnâs ge ǃhanab ǃnâs ǂnâ tide?’ ”
ǂKhōs ge ra ǁguiǃāhe
11 Os ge ǃKhūb mîsa tita ǃoa ge hā: 12 “Nēsi khâikhâisenxa ommi ǃoa mî: ‘ǂAn tama du kha hâ tare-en nēna ra ǂâibasen ǃkhaisa?’ ǁÎna mîba: Babilons gao-aob ge Jerusalems ǁga go hā, ǁîs gao-aob tsî ǂammâisagu tsîna ū tsîb ge ǁîb ǀkha ǀhao hâse Babilons ǁga ge oa-ū. 13 ǁÎb ge gaoǁgâus di ǃnaesabegu di ǀguiba ū tsî ǁîb ǀkha ǃgaeǀhao-e ge dī, tsî ǁîba nūs ǀkha ge ǁgui-ai. Ob ge ǁîba ǃhūb ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ge ǃkhō, 14 îb gaosiba ǃgamǃgamsenxa tsî tā aitsama ǀgapiǀgapisen, tsî ǃgaeǀhaosa ǃkhōǀgaipes ǀkha ǁî-e mâǁapo ǁkhā. 15 Xaweb ge ǁîba Babilons gao-aob ǃoagu sîsabega Egipteb ǁga sîs ǀkha ge khâikhâisen, ǁîgu nî ǁîba hāgu tsî kai toroǂnubisa mā ǁkhāse. ǁÎba ǃgâiǃgâ ǁkhāb a? Nē xūna ra dī-e ǃkhoeni ǁkhā i nî? ǃGaeǀhaosa khôa tsî ǃkhoeni ǁkhā i nî?
16 “Amase, tita ûi hâs ao,”
tib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî.“ǁÎba ge gao-aose mâi gao-aob ra hâ ǃkhais ai, ǁîb nūsab ge ǃharaxūb tsî ǁîb ǃgaeǀhaosab ge khôab ao; amase ǁîb ge Babilons ǃnâ nî ǁō! 17 Faraob ge ǁîb ǀgaisa toroǂnubis tsî ǂgui toroǃkhamaogu ǀkha torob ǃnâ ǁîba hui ǁkhā tide, Babilonǁîn ga ǁkhuiga om tsî āga khao ǂgui khoena gu nî ǃgamse. 18 ǁÎb ge nūsa ǃharaxū tsî ǃgaeǀhaosa khôa xui-ao, ǁîb ǃomma mā, xaweb ge nē xūn hoana ǃaroma xui-aob ge ǃkhoeni ǁkhā tide.”
19 ǁNā-amagab ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî: “Tita ûi hâ ǃkhais ao, tita ge amase, ǁîb danasa ti nūsab ge ǃharaxū tsî ti ǃgaeǀhaosa khôa ǃkhais ǃaroma nî ū. 20 Tita ge ti ǀûisa ǁîb ai nî ao tsî ti ǁnoas ge ǁîba nî ǃkhō. Tita ge ǁîba Babilons ǁga nî ǀkhī-ū tsî tita ǃoagub ge dī ǃûǂams ǃaroma ǀgoraǃgâs ǃnâ ǁîb ǀkha nî ǂgâ. 21 Hoaraga ǁhûiǂuisa toroǃkhamaogu ǁîb digu hoagu ge gôab xa nî ǃgamhe tsî ûiǃgau hân hoan ge mâ ǀkhāb hoab ai nî ǀgaruǀgaruhe. O du ge tita ǃKhūta go gowa ǃkhaisa nî ǂan.”
Elob mîmâis ǃâubasens dis
22 Nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî:
“Tita ǂûta ge sederhais ǀgapiseb di hairoba ū
tsî ǁî-e nî khaiǂui.
ǂGuro ra ǀgapise ǁhaiǂoaxa ǂgonaroba ta ge nî khôa,
tsî tita ǂûta ge ǁîba ǀgapi ǃhommi ai nî ǃhana,
23 Israelǃhommi di ǀgapib ai ta ge ǁîba nî ǃhana,
ǁîb ge ǀomkhâi, ǂûtani tsî nî kai ǀgaisa ǀkherahai kai.
ǁÎs ǃnân ge hoaǃnôa anirona nî ǁan,
hoaǃnôa ǁgaboxa anin ge ǁîs ǁnâugu sommi ǃnaka
ani-omrode nî kurubasen.
24 Hoaraga haidi ǃgarob didi ge
tita a ǃKhū ǃkhaisa nî ǂanǃgâ.
Tita ge gaxu haide ǃhūb ai ra ǁgui,
ǃnubu haide ta ge ra gaxugaxu.
ǃAm haisa ta ge ra ǂnâ kai
tsî ǂnâsa haisa ra ǃam kai.
Tita ǃKhūta ge go ǃhoa. Tita ge ǁnāsa nî dī.”
A Story about Two Eagles and a Vine
1 The Lord said:
2 Ezekiel, son of man, tell the people of Israel the following story, 3 so they will understand what I am saying to them:
A large eagle with strong wings and beautiful feathers once flew to Lebanon. It broke the top branch off a cedar tree, 4 then carried it to a nation of merchants and left it in one of their cities. 5 The eagle also took a seed from Israel and planted it in a fertile field with plenty of water, like a willow tree beside a stream. 6 The seed sprouted and grew into a grapevine that spread over the ground. It had lots of leaves and strong, deep roots, and its branches grew upward toward the eagle.
7 There was another eagle with strong wings and thick feathers. The roots and branches of the grapevine soon turned toward this eagle, hoping it would bring water for the soil. 8 But the vine was already growing in fertile soil, where there was plenty of water to produce healthy leaves and large grapes.
9 Now tell me, Ezekiel, do you think this grapevine will live? Or will the first eagle pull it up by its roots and pluck off the grapes and let its new leaves die? The eagle could easily kill it without the help of a large and powerful army. 10 The grapevine is strong and healthy, but as soon as the scorching desert wind blows, it will quickly wither.
The Lord Explains the Story
11 The Lord said:
12 Ezekiel, ask the rebellious people of Israel if they know what this story means.
Tell them that the king of Babylonia came to Jerusalem, then he captured the king of Judah and his officials, and took them back to Babylon as prisoners. 13 He chose someone from the family of Judah's king and signed a treaty with him, then made him swear to be loyal. He also led away other important citizens, 14 so that the rest of the people of Judah would obey only him and never gain control of their own country again.
15 But this new king of Judah later rebelled against Babylonia and sent officials to Egypt to get horses and troops. Will this king be successful in breaking the treaty with Babylonia? Or will he be punished for what he's done?
16 As surely as I am the living Lord God, I swear that the king of Judah will die in Babylon, because he broke the treaty with the king of Babylonia, who appointed him king. 17 Even the king of Egypt and his powerful army will be useless to Judah when the Babylonians attack and build towers and dirt ramps to destroy the cities of Judah and its people. 18 The king of Judah broke his own promises and ignored the treaty with Babylonia. And so he will be punished!
19 He made a promise in my name and swore to honor the treaty. And now that he has broken that promise, my name is disgraced. He must pay for what he's done. 20 I will spread out a net to trap him. Then I will drag him to Babylon and see that he is punished for his unfaithfulness to me. 21 His best troops will be killed in battle, and the survivors will be scattered in every direction. I, the Lord, have spoken.
22 Someday, I, the Lord,
will cut a tender twig
from the top of a cedar tree,
then plant it on the peak
of Israel's tallest mountain,
23 where it will grow
strong branches
and produce large fruit.
All kinds of birds will find
shelter under the tree,
and they will rest in the shade
of its branches.
24 Every tree in the forest
will know that I, the Lord,
can bring down tall trees
and help short ones grow.
I dry up green trees
and make dry ones green.
I, the Lord, have spoken,
and I will keep my word.
