Numbers 17
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
UThixo wathi kuMosi,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of [their] fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man’s name upon 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 thou shalt write Aaron’s name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod [shall be] for the head of the house of their fathers.
Entongeni kaLevi uzabhala ibizo lika-Aroni, ngoba kumele kube lentonga eyodwa emele inhloko inye ngayinye yesizwana sabokhokho bayo.
4 And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you.
Zifake ethenteni lokuhlangana phambi komtshokotsho wobufakazi, lapho engihlangana lawe khona.
5 And it shall come to pass, [that] the man’s rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.
Intonga yendoda engizayikhetha izahluma, njalo mina ngizahle ngikuqede lokhu kukhonona okulokhu kuqhubeka kusolwa wena ngabako-Israyeli.”
6 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers’ houses, [even] twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron [was] among their 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, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded 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 out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man 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 unto Moses, Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.
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 did [so: ] as the LORD commanded him, so did he.
UMosi wenza khona lokho kanye uThixo ayemlaye ngakho.
12 And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.
Abako-Israyeli bathi kuMosi, “Sizakufa! Sifile, sonke sesifile!
13 Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?
Loba ngubani ozasondela phansi kwethabanikeli likaThixo uzakufa. Sizakufa sonke na?”
