Exodus 1
1 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt; every man and his family came with Jacob.
La-ke ngamabizo amadodana kaIsrayeli afika eGibhithe loJakobe; afika, ileyo laleyo lomuzi wayo,
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;
uRubeni, uSimeyoni, uLevi, loJuda,
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
uIsakari, uZebuluni, loBhenjamini,
4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
uDani, loNafithali, uGadi, loAsheri.
5 All the offspring of Jacob were seventy persons: and Joseph had come to Egypt before them.
Njalo yonke imiphefumulo eyaphuma ekhalweni lukaJakobe yayiyimiphefumulo engamatshumi ayisikhombisa. Kodwa uJosefa wayeseGibhithe.
6 Then Joseph came to his end, and all his brothers, and all that generation.
UJosefa wasesifa labo bonke abafowabo, lalesosizukulwana sonke.
7 And the children of Israel were fertile, increasing very greatly in numbers and in power; and the land was full of them.
Njalo abantwana bakoIsrayeli bazalana, baba banengi, banda, baba lamandla kakhulukazi, ilizwe laze lagcwaliswa yibo.
8 Now a new king came to power in Egypt, who had no knowledge of Joseph.
Kwasekuvela inkosi entsha phezu kweGibhithe eyayingamazi uJosefa.
9 And he said to his people, See, the people of Israel are greater in number and in power than we are:
Yasisithi esizweni sayo: Khangela, isizwe sabantwana bakoIsrayeli sinengi, futhi silamandla kulathi.
10 Let us take care for fear that their numbers may become even greater, and if there is a war, they may be joined with those who are against us, and make an attack on us, and go up out of the land.
Wozani, asisihlakanipheleni, hlezi sande, njalo kuzakuthi lapho kusehla impi, laso sihlangane lezitha zethu, silwe simelene lathi, senyuke sisuke elizweni.
11 So they put overseers of forced work over them, in order to make their strength less by the weight of their work. And they made store-towns for Pharaoh, Pithom and Raamses.
Ngakho bamisa phezu kwaso izinduna zesibhalo ukusihlupha ngemithwalo yabo. Njalo samakhela uFaro imizi eyiziphala, iPithoma leRamesesi.
12 But the more cruel they were to them, the more their number increased, till all the land was full of them. And the children of Israel were hated by the Egyptians.
Kodwa kwathi ekusihlupheni kwaso kwang'khona sisanda, kwang'khona sisabalala. Ngakho banengwa ngabantwana bakoIsrayeli.
13 And they gave the children of Israel even harder work to do:
Njalo amaGibhithe abasebenzisa abantwana bakoIsrayeli ngochuku,
14 And made their lives bitter with hard work, making building-material and bricks, and doing all sorts of work in the fields under the hardest conditions.
aze enza impilo zabo zababa ngomsebenzi onzima, ngodaka langezitina, langawo wonke umsebenzi emasimini; ngomsebenzi wabo wonke, ababenza bawenza ngodlakela.
15 And the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew women who gave help at the time of childbirth (the name of the one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah),
Inkosi yeGibhithe yasikhuluma lababelethisi amaHebherukazi, obizo lowokuqala lalinguShifira, lebizo lowesibili lalinguPhuwa,
16 When you are looking after the Hebrew women in childbirth, if it is a son you are to put him to death; but if it is a daughter, she may go on living.
yasisithi: Nxa libelethisa amaHebherukazi, lapho libabona ezihlalweni zokubeletha, uba kuyindodana, liyibulale; kodwa uba kuyindodakazi, iyekeleni iphila.
17 But the women had the fear of God, and did not do as the king of Egypt said, but let the male children go on living.
Kodwa ababelethisi babemesaba uNkulunkulu, kabenzanga njengalokho yakhuluma kubo inkosi yeGibhithe, kodwa babayekela abafana baphila.
18 And the king of Egypt sent for the women, and said to them, Why have you done this, and let the male children go on living?
Inkosi yeGibhithe yasibiza ababelethisi, yathi kubo: Liyenzeleni linto ukuthi liyekele abafana baphile?
19 And they said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are strong, and the birth takes place before we come to them.
Ababelethisi basebesithi kuFaro: Ngoba amaHebherukazi kawanjengabafazi bamaGibhithe; ngoba alamandla, umbelethisi engakafiki kuwo, asebelethile.
20 And the blessing of God was on these women: and the people were increased in number and became very strong.
Ngalokhu uNkulunkulu wabenzela ababelethisi okuhle, labantu banda, baba lamandla kakhulu.
21 And because the women who took care of the Hebrew mothers had the fear of God, he gave them families.
Kwasekusithi, ngoba ababelethisi bamesaba uNkulunkulu, wabakhela imizi.
22 And Pharaoh gave orders to all his people, saying, Every son who comes to birth is to be put into the river, but every daughter may go on living.
UFaro waselaya isizwe sakhe sonke esithi: Yonke indodana ezalwayo liyiphosele emfuleni, kodwa yonke indodakazi liyiyekele iphile.
