Numbers 17
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
UThixo wathi kuMosi,
2 Speak to the children of Israel, and take rods of them, according to the houses of their families, a rod from all their princes, according to the houses of their families, twelve rods, and write the name of each on his rod.
“Tshela abako-Israyeli ukuthi bakuphe intonga ezilitshumi lambili, kuphume ibenye kumkhokheli munye ngamunye wesizwana sabokhokho bakhe. Bhala ibizo lendoda ngayinye entongeni yayo.
3 And write the name of Aaron on the rod of Levi; for it is one rod [for each]: they shall give [them] according to the tribe of the house of their families.
Entongeni kaLevi uzabhala ibizo lika-Aroni, ngoba kumele kube lentonga eyodwa emele inhloko inye ngayinye yesizwana sabokhokho bayo.
4 And you shall put them in the tabernacle of witness, before the testimony, where I will be made known to you.
Zifake ethenteni lokuhlangana phambi komtshokotsho wobufakazi, lapho engihlangana lawe khona.
5 And it shall be, the man whom I shall choose, his rod shall blossom; and I will remove from me the murmuring of the children of Israel, which they murmur against you.
Intonga yendoda engizayikhetha izahluma, njalo mina ngizahle ngikuqede lokhu kukhonona okulokhu kuqhubeka kusolwa wena ngabako-Israyeli.”
6 And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and all their chiefs gave him a rod [each], for one chief a rod, according to the house of their families, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron [was] in the midst of the rods.
Ngakho uMosi wakhuluma kwabako-Israyeli, abakhokheli babo bamnika intonga ezilitshumi lambili, ngayinye ingeyomkhokheli wesizwana sabokhokho bakhe, kwathi leka-Aroni yayibalelwa kuzo.
7 And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness.
UMosi wabeka intonga lezo phambi kukaThixo ethenteni lobufakazi.
8 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi blossomed, and put forth a bud, and bloomed blossoms and produced almonds.
Ngosuku olulandelayo uMosi wangena ethenteni lobufakazi wabona ukuthi intonga ka-Aroni eyayimele indlu kaLevi, yayisihlumile yaqhakaza, isilamaluba njalo isithele izithelo ze-alimondi.
9 And Moses brought forth all the rods from before the Lord to all the sons of Israel; and they looked, and each one took his rod.
Ngakho uMosi wazisusa zonke intonga phambi kukaThixo waziletha phambi kwabo bonke abako-Israyeli. Bazikhangela, ngulowo wathatha eyakhe intonga.
10 And the Lord said to Moses, Lay up the rod of Aaron before the testimonies to be kept as a sign for the children of the disobedient; and let their murmuring cease from me, and they shall not die.
UThixo wathi kuMosi, “Buyisela intonga ka-Aroni phambi komtshokotsho wobufakazi, igcinwe khonapho ibe yisibonakaliso kulabo abahlamukayo. Lokhu kuzaqeda ukukhonona kwabo ngami, ukuze bangafi.”
11 And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses, so did they.
UMosi wenza khona lokho kanye uThixo ayemlaye ngakho.
12 And the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, Behold, we are cut off, we are destroyed, we are consumed.
Abako-Israyeli bathi kuMosi, “Sizakufa! Sifile, sonke sesifile!
13 Every one that touches the tabernacle of the Lord, dies: shall we die utterly?
Loba ngubani ozasondela phansi kwethabanikeli likaThixo uzakufa. Sizakufa sonke na?”
