1
Akaniambia, Mwanadamu, kula uonacho; kula gombo hili, kisha enenda ukaseme na wana wa Israeli.
“Son of man,” He said to me, “eat what you find here. Eat this scroll, then go and speak to the house of Israel.”
2
Basi nikafunua kinywa changu, naye akanilisha lile gombo.
So I opened my mouth, and He fed me the scroll.
3
Akaniambia, Mwanadamu, lisha tumbo lako, ulijaze tumbo lako kwa hili gombo nikupalo. Ndipo nikalila, nalo kinywani mwangu lilikuwa tamu, kama utamu wa asali.
“Son of man,” He said to me, “eat and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you.” So I ate, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.
4
Akaniambia, Mwanadamu, haya! Waendee wana wa Israeli ukawaambie maneno yangu.
Then He said to me, “Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak My words to them.
5
Maana wewe hukutumwa kwa watu wa maneno mageni, ama wa lugha ngumu, bali kwa nyumba ya Israeli;
For you are not being sent to a people of unfamiliar speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel—
6
si kwa watu wa kabila nyingi wenye maneno mageni, na lugha ngumu, ambao huwezi kufahamu maneno yao. Bila shaka, kama ningekutuma kwa watu hao, wangekusikiliza.
not to the many peoples of unfamiliar speech and difficult language whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.
7
Bali nyumba ya Israeli hawatakusikiliza wewe; kwa kuwa hawanisikilizi mimi; maana nyumba yote ya Israeli wana vipaji vigumu, na mioyo yenye ukaidi.
But the house of Israel will be unwilling to listen to you, since they are unwilling to listen to Me. For the whole house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted.
8
Tazama, nimeufanya uso wako kuwa mgumu juu ya nyuso zao, na kipaji cha uso chako kuwa kigumu juu ya vipaji vya nyuso vyao.
Behold, I will make your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads.
9
Kama almasi ilivyo ngumu kuliko gumegume, ndivyo nilivyokifanya kipaji chako; usiwaogope, wala usifadhaike kwa sababu ya nyuso zao, wajapokuwa ni nyumba ya kuasi.
I will make your forehead like a diamond, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or dismayed at their presence, even though they are a rebellious house.”
10
Tena akaniambia, Mwanadamu, maneno yangu yote nitakayokuambia, yapokee moyoni mwako, na kuyasikia kwa masikio yako.
“Son of man,” He added, “listen carefully to all the words I speak to you, and take them to heart.
11
Haya! Enenda uwafikilie watu hao waliohamishwa, kwa wana wa watu wako, ukaseme nao, na kuwaambia, Bwana MUNGU asema hivi; kwamba watasikia, au kwamba hawataki kusikia.
Go to your people, the exiles; speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,’ whether they listen or refuse to listen.”
12
Ndipo roho ikaniinua, nami nikasikia nyuma yangu sauti kama mshindo wa radi kuu, ikisema, Na uhimidiwe utukufu wa Bwana tokea mahali pake.
Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me: “Blessed be the glory of the LORD in His dwelling place!”
13
Nikasikia mshindo wa mabawa ya vile viumbe hai, walipogusana, na mshindo wa yale magurudumu kando yao, mshindo wa radi kuu.
It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against one another and the sound of the wheels beside them, a great rumbling sound.
14
Basi roho ikaniinua, ikanichukua mahali pengine; nami nikaenda kwa uchungu, na hasira kali rohoni mwangu, na mkono wa Bwana ulikuwa juu yangu kwa nguvu.
So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me.
15
Ndipo nikawafikia watu waliohamishwa, huko Tel-abibu, waliokuwa wakikaa karibu na mto Kebari, nikafika huko walikokuwa wakikaa; nikaketi huko miongoni mwao muda wa siku saba, katika hali ya ushangao mwingi.
I came to the exiles at Tel-abib who dwelt by the River Kebar. And for seven days I sat where they sat and remained there among them, overwhelmed.
16
Hata ikawa, mwisho wa siku saba, neno la Bwana likanijia, kusema,
At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
17
Mwanadamu, nimekuweka kuwa mlinzi wa nyumba ya Israeli; basi, sikia neno hili litokalo katika kinywa changu, ukawape maonyo haya yatokayo kwangu.
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me.
18
Nimwambiapo mtu mbaya, Hakika utakufa; wewe usimpe maonyo, wala husemi na huyo mtu mbaya ili kumwonya, kusudi aache njia yake mbaya na kujiokoa roho yake; mtu yule mbaya atakufa katika uovu wake; lakini damu yake nitaitaka mkononi mwako.
If I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him or speak out to warn him from his wicked way to save his life, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, and I will hold you responsible for his blood.
19
Lakini ukimwonya mtu mbaya, wala yeye hauachi ubaya wake, wala njia yake mbaya, atakufa katika uovu wake; bali wewe umejiokoa roho yako.
But if you warn a wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness and his wicked way, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved yourself.
20
Tena mtu mwenye haki aiachapo haki yake, na kutenda uovu, nami nikiweka kikwazo mbele yake, atakufa; kwa sababu hukumwonya, atakufa katika uovu wake, wala matendo yake ya haki aliyoyatenda hayatakumbukwa; lakini damu yake nitaitaka mkononi mwako.
Now if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. If you did not warn him, he will die in his sin, and the righteous acts he did will not be remembered. And I will hold you responsible for his blood.
21
Bali ukimwonya mwenye haki, kwamba yule mwenye haki asitende dhambi, tena ikiwa yeye hatendi dhambi, hakika ataishi, kwa sababu alikubali kuonywa; nawe umejiokoa roho yako.
But if you warn the righteous man not to sin, and he does not sin, he will indeed live because he heeded your warning, and you will have saved yourself.”
22
Na mkono wa Bwana ulikuwako juu yangu huko; akaniambia, Ondoka, enenda uwandani; nami nitasema nawe huko.
And there the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He said to me, “Get up, go out to the plain, and there I will speak with you.”
23
Basi, nikaondoka, nikaenda uwandani, na tazama, utukufu wa Bwana ulisimama huko, kama utukufu ule niliouona karibu na mto Kebari; nami nikaanguka kifudifudi.
So I got up and went out to the plain, and behold, the glory of the LORD was present there, like the glory I had seen by the River Kebar, and I fell facedown.
24
Ndipo roho ile ikaniingia, ikanisimamisha kwa miguu yangu; akasema nami, akaniambia, Enenda ukajifungie nyumbani mwako.
Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet. He spoke with me and said, “Go, shut yourself inside your house.
25
Lakini wewe, mwanadamu, tazama, watakutia pingu, nao watakufunga kwazo, wala hutakwenda nje kati yao;
And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes, and you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people.
26
nami nitaufanya ulimi wako ugandamane na kaakaa lako, hata utakuwa bubu, wala hutakuwa mwonyaji kwao; kwa kuwa wao ni nyumba yenye kuasi.
I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, and you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house.
27
Lakini hapo nitakaposema nawe, nitafumbua kinywa chako, nawe utawaambia, Bwana MUNGU asema hivi. Yeye asikiaye na asikie; naye akataaye na akatae; maana wao ni nyumba yenye kuasi.
But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you are to tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’ Whoever listens, let him listen; and whoever refuses, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.