< Numbers 22 >

1 And the sons of Israel journey and encamp in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan, [by] Jericho.
Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebesuka, bamisa inkamba emagcekeni akoMowabi, nganeno kweJordani, eJeriko.
2 And Balak son of Zippor sees all that Israel has done to the Amorite,
UBalaki indodana kaZipori wasebona konke uIsrayeli ayekwenze kumaAmori.
3 and Moab is exceedingly afraid of the presence of the people, for it [is] numerous; and Moab is distressed by the presence of the sons of Israel,
UMowabi wasesesaba kakhulu ubuso babantu, ngoba babebanengi. UMowabi wasetshaywa luvalo ngenxa yabantwana bakoIsrayeli.
4 and Moab says to [the] elderly of Midian, “Now the assembly licks up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the green thing of the field.” And Balak son of Zippor [is] king of Moab at that time,
UMowabi wasesithi ebadaleni beMidiyani: Khathesi lelibandla lizakhotha konke okusihanqileyo, njengenkabi ikhotha utshani bedlelo. Njalo uBalaki indodana kaZipori wayeyinkosi yakoMowabi ngalesosikhathi.
5 and he sends messengers to Balaam son of Beor, to Pethor, which [is] by the River of the land of the sons of his people, to call for him, saying, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt; behold, it has covered the eye of the land, and it is abiding in front of me;
Wasethuma izithunywa kuBalami indodana kaBeyori ePethori eliseduze lomfula welizwe labantwana babantu bakhe, ukumbiza, esithi: Khangela, abantu baphumile eGibhithe. Khangela, basibekele ubuso bomhlaba, futhi sebehlala maqondana lami.
6 and now, come, please curse this people for me, for it [is] mightier than I. It may be I prevail, [and] we strike it, and I cast it out from the land; for I have known that which you bless is blessed, and that which you curse is cursed.”
Khathesi-ke, ake uze, ngiqalekisela lababantu, ngoba balamandla kulami; mhlawumbe ngingaba lamandla okuthi sibatshaye, lokuthi ngibaxotshe elizweni, ngoba ngiyazi ukuthi lowo ombusisayo ubusisiwe, lalowo omqalekisayo uqalekisiwe.
7 And [the] elderly of Moab and [the] elderly of Midian go with divinations in their hand, and they come to Balaam and speak the words of Balak to him,
Abadala beMowabi labadala beMidiyani basebehamba belembadalo yokuvumisa esandleni sabo; bafika kuBalami, bakhuluma kuye amazwi kaBalaki.
8 and he says to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I have brought you back word, as YHWH speaks to me”; and the princes of Moab abide with Balaam.
Wasesithi kubo: Lalani lapha lobubusuku, njalo ngizalilethela ilizwi, njengalokhu iNkosi ezakutsho kimi. Iziphathamandla zakoMowabi zasezihlala loBalami.
9 And God comes to Balaam and says, “Who [are] these men with you?”
UNkulunkulu wasefika kuBalami, wathi: Ngobani lamadoda alawe?
10 And Balaam says to God, “Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me:
UBalami wasesithi kuNkulunkulu: UBalaki, indodana kaZipori, inkosi yakoMowabi, ungithumele esithi:
11 Behold, the people that is coming out from Egypt and covers the eye of the land—now come, pierce it for me; it may be I am able to fight against it and have cast it out”;
Khangela, abantu baphumile eGibhithe basibekele ubuso bomhlaba; woza khathesi, ungiqalekisele bona; mhlawumbe ngingaba lamandla okulwa labo, ngibaxotshe.
12 and God says to Balaam, “You do not go with them; you do not curse the people, for it [is] blessed.”
UNkulunkulu wasesithi kuBalami: Ungahambi labo; ungabaqalekisi labobantu, ngoba babusisiwe.
13 And Balaam rises in the morning and says to the princes of Balak, “Go to your land, for YHWH is refusing to permit me to go with you”;
UBalami wasevuka ekuseni, wathi kuziphathamandla zikaBalaki: Yanini elizweni lakini, ngoba iNkosi iyala ukungivumela ukuhamba lani.
14 and the princes of Moab rise, and come to Balak, and say, “Balaam is refusing to come with us.”
Ngakho iziphathamandla zakoMowabi zasukuma, zaya kuBalaki, zathi: UBalami uyala ukuhamba lathi.
15 And Balak adds yet to send princes, more numerous and honored than these,
UBalaki wasebuya wathuma njalo iziphathamandla, ezinengi ezidumileyo kulalezo.
16 and they come to Balaam and say to him, “Thus said Balak son of Zippor: Please do not be withheld from coming to me,
Zasezifika kuBalami zathi kuye: Utsho njalo uBalaki indodana kaZipori uthi: Ake ungavinjwa yilutho ukuza kimi.
17 for I honor you very greatly, and all that you say to me I do; and come, please pierce this people for me.”
Ngoba ngizakuhlonipha lokukuhlonipha kakhulu, lakho konke ongitshela khona ngizakwenza. Ngakho ake uze, ngiqalekisela lababantu.
18 And Balaam answers and says to the servants of Balak, “If Balak gives to me the fullness of his house of silver and gold, I am not able to pass over the command of my God YHWH, to do a little or a great thing;
Kodwa uBalami waphendula wathi encekwini zikaBalaki: Uba uBalaki ebezangipha indlu yakhe igcwele isiliva legolide, bengingayikweqa umlayo weNkosi uNkulunkulu wami ukwenza okukhulu kumbe okuncinyane.
19 and now, please abide in this [place], you also, tonight, then I know what YHWH is adding to speak with me.”
Khathesi-ke, ake lihlale lapha lani lobubusuku, ukuze ngazi ukuthi iNkosi izakuthini kimi futhi.
20 And God comes to Balaam by night and says to him, “If the men have come to call for you, rise, go with them, and only the thing which I speak to you—do it.”
UNkulunkulu wasesiza kuBalami ebusuku wathi kuye: Uba amadoda efika ukukubiza, sukuma uhambe lawo; kodwa kuphela lelolizwi engizalikhuluma kuwe, lona uzalenza.
21 And Balaam rises in the morning, and saddles his donkey, and goes with the princes of Moab,
UBalami wasesukuma ekuseni, wabophela isihlalo kubabhemikazi wakhe, wahamba leziphathamandla zakoMowabi.
22 and the anger of God burns because he is going, and the Messenger of YHWH stations Himself in the way for an adversary to him, and he is riding on his donkey, and two of his servants [are] with him,
Ulaka lukaNkulunkulu lwavutha ngoba wahamba; ingilosi yeNkosi yayakuma endleleni ukuba yisitha esimelane laye. Njalo wayegade ubabhemikazi wakhe, lenceku zakhe ezimbili zilaye.
23 and the donkey sees the Messenger of YHWH standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turns aside out of the way and goes into a field, and Balaam strikes the donkey to turn it aside into the way.
Ubabhemi waseyibona ingilosi yeNkosi imi endleleni, lenkemba ehwatshiweyo isesandleni sayo; lobabhemikazi waphambuka endleleni, wangena ensimini. UBalami wasemtshaya ubabhemi ukumphendulela endleleni.
24 And the Messenger of YHWH stands in a narrow path of the vineyards, [with] a wall on this [side] and a wall on that [side],
Ingilosi yeNkosi yasisima endleleni eminyeneyo yezivini, umduli ngapha lomduli ngapha.
25 and the donkey sees the Messenger of YHWH, and is pressed to the wall, and presses Balaam’s foot to the wall, and he adds to strike her;
Lapho ubabhemikazi ebona ingilosi yeNkosi wazibandezela emdulini, wabandezela unyawo lukaBalami emdulini; wasemtshaya futhi.
26 and the Messenger of YHWH adds to pass over, and stands in a narrow place where there is no way to turn aside [to] the right or left,
Ingilosi yeNkosi yasiqhubeka, yema endaweni eminyeneyo, lapho okwakungelandlela yokuphendukela ngakwesokunene kumbe ngakwesokhohlo.
27 and the donkey sees the Messenger of YHWH, and crouches under Balaam, and the anger of Balaam burns, and he strikes the donkey with a staff.
Lapho ubabhemikazi ebona ingilosi yeNkosi, walala ngaphansi kukaBalami. Ulaka lukaBalami lwaseluvutha, wasemtshaya ubabhemi ngenduku.
28 And YHWH opens the mouth of the donkey, and she says to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?”
INkosi yasivula umlomo kababhemikazi, wasesithi kuBalami: Ngenzeni kuwe ukuthi ungitshaye okwalezizikhathi ezintathu?
29 And Balaam says to the donkey, “Because you have rolled yourself against me; oh that there were a sword in my hand, for now I had slain you”;
UBalami wasesithi kubabhemikazi: Ngoba ungenze inhlekisa. Kungathi ngabe kulenkemba esandleni sami, ngoba bengizakubulala khathesi.
30 and the donkey says to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden since [I became] yours, even to this day? Have I at all been accustomed to do thus to you?” And he says, “No.”
Ubabhemikazi wasesithi kuBalami: Angisuye yini ubabhemi wakho omgade kusukela ngisengowakho kuze kube lamuhla? Ngake ngejwayela ukwenza kanje kuwe yini? Wasesithi: Hatshi.
31 And YHWH uncovers the eyes of Balaam, and he sees the Messenger of YHWH standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and he bows and pays respect, to his face;
INkosi yasivula amehlo kaBalami, wasebona ingilosi yeNkosi imi endleleni, lenkemba yayo ihwatshiwe isesandleni sayo; wakhothama wathi mbo ngobuso bakhe phansi.
32 and the Messenger of YHWH says to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out for an adversary, for [your] way has been perverse before Me,
Ingilosi yeNkosi yasisithi kuye: Umtshayeleni ubabhemikazi wakho okwalezizikhathi ezintathu? Khangela, mina ngiphumile ukumelana lawe, ngoba indlela yakho iphambukile kimi;
33 and the donkey sees Me and turns aside at My presence these three times; unless she had turned aside from My presence, surely I had also slain you now, and kept her alive.”
njalo ubabhemikazi wangibona, waphambuka phambi kwami lezizikhathi ezintathu. Ngaphandle kokuthi ephambukile phambi kwami, ngeqiniso khathesi ngabe ngikubulele lawe, ngamgcina yena ephila.
34 And Balaam says to the Messenger of YHWH, “I have sinned, for I did not know that You [are] standing to meet me in the way; and now, if [it is] evil in Your eyes, I turn back by myself.”
UBalami wasesithi engilosini yeNkosi: Ngonile, ngoba bengingazi ukuthi umi endleleni ukumelana lami. Ngakho-ke uba kukubi emehlweni akho, ngizabuyela futhi.
35 And the Messenger of YHWH says to Balaam, “Go with the men; and only the word which I speak to you—it you speak”; and Balaam goes with the princes of Balak.
Ingilosi yeNkosi yasisithi kuBalami: Hamba lalawomadoda; kodwa kuphela ilizwi engizalikhuluma kuwe, yilo ozalikhuluma. UBalami wasehamba leziphathamandla zikaBalaki.
36 And Balak hears that Balaam has come, and goes out to meet him, to a city of Moab, which [is] on the border of Arnon, which [is] in the extremity of the border;
UBalaki esezwile ukuthi uBalami uyeza, waphuma ukuyamhlangabeza emzini wakoMowabi, osemngceleni weArinoni, osekucineni komngcele.
37 and Balak says to Balaam, “Did I not diligently send to you to call for you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not truly able to honor you?”
UBalaki wasesithi kuBalami: Kangithumanga yini lokuthuma kuwe ukukubiza? Kungani ungafikanga kimi? Isibili kangilamandla okukunika udumo yini?
38 And Balaam says to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you; now, am I able to speak anything at all? The word which God sets in my mouth—it I speak.”
UBalami wasesithi kuBalaki: Khangela, ngifikile kuwe. Khathesi ngilamandla isibili okukhuluma loba yini na? Ilizwi uNkulunkulu alifaka emlonyeni wami, yilo engizalikhuluma.
39 And Balaam goes with Balak, and they come to Kirjath-Huzoth,
UBalami wasehamba loBalaki, basebefika eKiriyathi-Huzothi.
40 and Balak sacrifices oxen and sheep, and sends [some] to Balaam and to the princes who [are] with him;
UBalaki wasehlaba izinkabi lezimvu, wathumela kuBalami lakuziphathamandla ezazilaye.
41 and it comes to pass in the morning, that Balak takes Balaam and causes him to go up [to] the high places of Ba‘al, and he sees the extremity of the people from there.
Kwasekusithi ekuseni uBalaki wamthatha uBalami, wamenyusela endaweni eziphakemeyo zikaBhali, ukuthi abone elapho ukucina kwabantu.

< Numbers 22 >