Wajibu Wa Ezekieli Kuwa Mlinzi Kwa Watu Wake
1Neno la Bwana likanijia kusema: 233:2 Law 26:25; Yer 12:12; Isa 14:16; 21:6-9; Yer 51:12“Mwanadamu, sema na watu wako uwaambie, ‘Nitakapoleta upanga dhidi ya nchi, nao watu wa nchi wakamchagua mmoja wa watu wao na kumfanya awe mlinzi wao, 333:3 Hes 10:7; Hos 5:8; Kut 20:18naye auonapo upanga unakuja dhidi ya nchi na kupiga tarumbeta kuonya watu, 433:4 2Nya 25:16; Mdo 18:6; Eze 18:13; Law 20:9; Yer 6:17kama mtu yeyote asikiapo sauti ya tarumbeta hakukubali kuonywa, basi upanga ujapo na kuutoa uhai wake, damu yake itakuwa juu ya kichwa chake mwenyewe. 533:5 Law 20:9; Kut 9:21Kwa kuwa alisikia sauti ya tarumbeta lakini hakukubali maonyo, damu yake itakuwa juu ya kichwa chake mwenyewe. Kama angekubali maonyo, angelijiokoa mwenyewe. 633:6 Isa 56:10-11; Eze 3:18Lakini kama mlinzi akiona upanga unakuja na asipige tarumbeta kuonya watu na upanga ukija na kutoa uhai wa mmoja wao, yule mtu ataondolewa kwa sababu ya dhambi yake, lakini damu yake nitaitaka mkononi mwa mlinzi huyo.’
733:7 Isa 52:8; Yer 26:5“Mwanadamu, nimekufanya wewe kuwa mlinzi kwa ajili ya nyumba ya Israeli, kwa hiyo sikia neno nisemalo na uwape maonyo kutoka kwangu. 833:8 Eze 33:14; Isa 3:11; Eze 18:14Nimwambiapo mtu mwovu, ‘Ewe mtu mwovu, hakika utakufa,’ nawe hukusema neno la kumwonya ili atoke katika njia zake, yule mtu mwovu atakufa kwa ajili ya dhambi yake, mimi nitaitaka damu yake mkononi mwako. 933:9 Eze 3:17-19; Mdo 13:46; Lk 12:4; Za 7:12Lakini kama utamwonya huyo mtu mwovu aache njia zake mbaya naye hafanyi hivyo, atakufa kwa ajili ya dhambi yake, lakini utakuwa umejiokoa mwenyewe.
1033:10 Law 26:16; Eze 24:23; 4:17“Mwanadamu, sema na nyumba ya Israeli uwaambie, ‘Hili ndilo mnalosema: “Makosa yetu na dhambi zetu zimetulemea, nasi tunadhoofika kwa sababu ya hayo. Tutawezaje basi kuishi?” ’ 1133:11 2Sam 14:14; Mao 3:33; 2Pet 3:9; Yoe 2:12; 1Tim 2:4; 2Nya 30:9; Yer 3:12; Isa 19:22; Yer 44:7-8Waambie, ‘Hakika kama mimi niishivyo, asema Bwana Mwenyezi, sifurahii kifo cha watu waovu, bali kwamba wageuke kutoka njia zao mbaya wapate kuishi. Geukeni! Geukeni kutoka njia zenu mbaya! Kwa nini mkafe, ee nyumba ya Israeli?’
1233:12 2Nya 7:14; Eze 18:21; 3:20“Kwa hiyo, mwanadamu, waambie watu wako, ‘Haki ya mtu mwenye haki haitamwokoa wakati anapoacha kutii, wala uovu wa mtu mwovu hautamsababisha yeye kuanguka anapotubu na kuacha uovu. Mtu mwenye haki, kama akitenda dhambi, hataishi kwa sababu ya uadilifu wake wa awali.’ 1333:13 Eze 18:23; Ebr 10:38; Lk 18:9; 2Pet 2:20-21Kama nikimwambia mtu mwenye haki kwamba hakika utaishi, lakini akategemea hiyo haki yake na kutenda uovu, hakuna tendo lolote la haki alilotenda litakalokumbukwa, atakufa kwa ajili ya uovu alioutenda. 1433:14 Yer 22:3; Eze 18:27Nami kama nikimwambia mtu mwovu, ‘Hakika utakufa,’ kisha akageuka kutoka dhambi yake na kufanya lile lililo haki na sawa, 1533:15 Kut 22:1-4; Law 6:2-5; Lk 19:8; Isa 55:7; Yer 18:7-8kama akirudisha kile alichochukua rehani kwa ajili ya deni, akarudisha alichoiba na kufuata amri zile ziletazo uzima, wala hafanyi uovu, hakika ataishi, hatakufa. 1633:16 Isa 43:25; Eze 18:22-26; Yer 50:20Hakuna dhambi yoyote aliyoitenda itakayokumbukwa juu yake. Ametenda lile lililo haki na sawa, hakika ataishi.
1733:17 Eze 33:20; 18:25-29“Lakini watu wako wanasema, ‘Njia ya Bwana si sawa.’ Lakini ni njia zao ambazo si sawa. 1833:18 Eze 3:20; 18:26; Yer 18:10Kama mtu mwenye haki akigeuka kutoka uadilifu wake na kufanya uovu, atakufa kwa ajili ya huo uovu. 1933:19 Eze 33:14-15Naye mtu mwovu kama akigeuka kutoka uovu wake na kufanya lile lililo haki na sawa, kwa kufanya hivyo ataishi. 2033:20 Ay 34:11; Eze 33:17; 18:25-29Lakini, ee nyumba ya Israeli, unasema, ‘Njia ya Bwana si sawa.’ Lakini nitamhukumu kila mmoja wenu sawasawa na njia zake mwenyewe.”
Anguko La Yerusalemu Laelezewa
2133:21 Eze 24:26; 2Fal 25:4, 10; Yer 52:4-7; Eze 32:1Mwaka wa kumi na mbili wa uhamisho wetu, mwezi wa kumi, siku ya tano, mtu aliyekuwa ametoroka kutoka Yerusalemu akanijia na kusema, “Mji wa Yerusalemu umeanguka!” 2233:22 Eze 3:26-27; 24:27; Lk 1:64; Eze 29:21Basi jioni kabla mtu huyo hajaja, mkono wa Bwana, ulikuwa juu yangu, naye alifungua kinywa changu kabla ya mtu yule aliyenijia asubuhi hajafika. Basi kinywa changu kilifunguliwa na sikuweza tena kunyamaza.
23Ndipo neno la Bwana likanijia kusema: 2433:24 Eze 36:4; Isa 51:2; Lk 3:8; Mik 3:11; Mdo 7:5; Yer 40:7; Eze 11:15“Mwanadamu, watu wanaoishi katika magofu hayo katika nchi ya Israeli wanasema hivi, ‘Abrahamu alikuwa mtu mmoja tu, hata hivyo akaimiliki nchi. Lakini sisi ni wengi, hakika tumepewa nchi kuwa milki yetu.’ 2533:25 Mwa 9:4; Kum 12:16; Yer 7:9-10; Eze 22:6, 27; Yer 7:21Kwa hiyo waambie, ‘Hili ndilo Bwana Mwenyezi asemalo: Kwa kuwa mnakula nyama pamoja na damu na kuinulia sanamu zenu macho na kumwaga damu, je, mtaimiliki nchi? 2633:26 Yer 41:7; Eze 22:11Mnategemea panga zenu, mnafanya mambo ya machukizo na kila mmoja wenu humtia unajisi mke wa jirani yake. Je, mtaimiliki nchi?’
2733:27 1Sam 13:6; Isa 2:19; Amu 6:2; Yer 42:22; Eze 7:15; 14:21“Waambie hivi: ‘Hili ndilo Bwana Mwenyezi asemalo: Hakika kama niishivyo, wale waliobaki katika magofu wataanguka kwa upanga, wale walio nje mashambani nitawatoa wararuliwe na wanyama pori, nao wale walio katika ngome na kwenye mapango watakufa kwa tauni. 2833:28 Isa 41:15; Mwa 6:7; Yer 9:10Nitaifanya nchi kuwa ukiwa na utupu na kiburi cha nguvu zake zitafikia mwisho, nayo milima ya Israeli itakuwa ukiwa ili mtu yeyote asipite huko. 2933:29 Law 26:34; Yer 18:16; 44:22; Eze 36:4; Mik 7:13Kisha watajua kuwa Mimi ndimi Bwana, nitakapokuwa nimeifanya nchi kuwa ukiwa na utupu kwa sababu ya mambo yote ya machukizo waliyotenda.’
3033:30 Isa 29:13“Kwa habari yako wewe, mwanadamu, watu wako wanaongea habari zako wakiwa karibu na kuta na kwenye milango ya nyumba, wakiambiana kila mmoja na mwenzake, ‘Njooni msikie ujumbe ule utokao kwa Bwana.’ 3133:31 Eze 8:1; Isa 33:15; Mt 13:22; Za 119:36; 78:36-37; Isa 29:13; Yer 3:10Watu wangu wanakujia, kama wafanyavyo, nao wanaketi mbele yako kama watu wangu na kusikiliza maneno yako, lakini hawayatendi. Kwa maana udanganyifu u katika midomo yao, lakini mioyo yao ina tamaa ya faida isiyo halali. 3233:32 Mk 6:20; Yak 1:22Naam, mbele yao umekuwa tu kama yeye aimbaye nyimbo za mapenzi kwa sauti nzuri za kuvutia na kupiga vyombo kwa ustadi, kwa kuwa wanasikia maneno yako lakini hawayatendi.
3333:33 1Sam 3:20; Yer 28:9; Eze 2:5“Wakati mambo haya yote yatakapotimia, kwa kuwa hakika yatatokea, ndipo watakapojua kwamba nabii amekuwepo miongoni mwao.”
Renewal of Ezekiel’s call as watchman
1The word of the Lord came to me: 2‘Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: “When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. 5Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. 6But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.”
7‘Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8When I say to the wicked, “You wicked person, you will surely die,” and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for33:8 Or in; also in verse 9 their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 9But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.
10‘Son of man, say to the Israelites, “This is what you are saying: ‘Our offences and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of33:10 Or away in them. How then can we live?’ ” 11Say to them, “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?”
12‘Therefore, son of man, say to your people, “If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.” 13If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done. 14And if I say to a wicked person, “You will surely die,” but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just and right – 15if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil – that person will surely live; they will not die. 16None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live.
17‘Yet your people say, “The way of the Lord is not just.” But it is their way that is not just. 18If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, they will die for it. 19And if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so. 20Yet you Israelites say, “The way of the Lord is not just.” But I will judge each of you according to your own ways.’
Jerusalem’s fall explained
21In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month on the fifth day, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, ‘The city has fallen!’ 22Now the evening before the man arrived, the hand of the Lord was on me, and he opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer silent.
23Then the word of the Lord came to me: 24‘Son of man, the people living in those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, “Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as our possession.” 25Therefore say to them, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: since you eat meat with the blood still in it and look to your idols and shed blood, should you then possess the land? 26You rely on your sword, you do detestable things, and each of you defiles his neighbour’s wife. Should you then possess the land?”
27‘Say this to them: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: as surely as I live, those who are left in the ruins will fall by the sword, those out in the country I will give to the wild animals to be devoured, and those in strongholds and caves will die of a plague. 28I will make the land a desolate waste, and her proud strength will come to an end, and the mountains of Israel will become desolate so that no-one will cross them. 29Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all the detestable things they have done.”
30‘As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, “Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.” 31My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. 32Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.
33‘When all this comes true – and it surely will – then they will know that a prophet has been among them.’
