Acts 7
1 Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are the things that [these people are saying about you(sg)] true?”
Umpristi omkhulu wasesithi: Kambe lezizinto zinjalo?
2 Stephen replied, “Fellow Jews and respected leaders, [please] listen to me! The glorious God [whom we(inc) worship] appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was still [living] in Mesopotamia [region], before he moved to Haran [town].
Wasesithi: Madoda, bazalwane labobaba, lalelani. UNkulunkulu wenkazimulo wabonakala kubaba wethu uAbrahama eseMesopotamiya, engakahlali eHarani,
3 God said to him, ‘Leave this land where you [(sg)] and your relatives [are living], and go into the land to which I will lead you.’
wasesithi kuye: Phuma elizweni lakini lezihlotsheni zakho, uze elizweni engizakutshengisa lona.
4 So Abraham left that land, [which was also called] Chaldea, and he arrived in Haran and lived there. After his father died, God told him to move to this land in which you [and I] are now living.”
Wasesuka elizweni lamaKhaladiya wahlala eHarani; kwathi esuka lapho, emva kokufa kukayise, wamsusa wamhlalisa kulelilizwe elihlezi kilo lina khathesi;
5 “[At that time] God did not give Abraham any [land here], not even a small plot of [this] land that would belong to him. God promised that he would [later] give this land to him and his descendants, and that it would [always] belong [to them. However], at that time Abraham did not have any children [who would] ([inherit it/receive it after he died]).”
kodwa kamnikanga ilifa kilo, hatshi lanyathela; kodwa wathembisa ukumnika lona libe ngelakhe, lelenzalo yakhe emva kwakhe, engakabi lamntwana.
6 “[Later] God told Abraham, ‘Your descendants will go and live in a foreign country. They [will live there] for 400 years, and [during that time their leaders] will mistreat your descendants and force them to work as slaves.’
UNkulunkulu wasekhuluma kanje esithi inzalo yakhe izakuba yisihambi elizweni lemzini, bazayenza isigqili bazayiphatha kubi, iminyaka engamakhulu amane;
7 But God [also] said, ‘I will punish the people who make them work as slaves. Then, after that, your descendants will leave [that land] and they will [come and] worship me in this land.’”
kodwa lesosizwe, abazakuba yizigqili kuso, ngizasigweba mina, kutsho uNkulunkulu; njalo emva kwalezizinto bazaphuma, bangikhonze kulindawo.
8 “Then God commanded Abraham that [every male in his household and all of his male descendants] should be circumcised [to show that they all belonged to God] and that they would obey what he had told Abraham to do. Later Abraham’s son, Isaac, was born, and when Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him. [Later] Isaac’s son, Jacob, was born, and Isaac [similarly circumcised] him. And Jacob [similarly circumcised] his twelve sons. They are the twelve men [from whom we(inc) Jews have all descended].”
Wasemnika isivumelwano sokusoka; ngokunjalo wazala uIsaka, wamsoka ngosuku lwesificaminwembili; loIsaka wazala uJakobe, loJakobe okhokho abalitshumi lambili.
9 “[You know that] Jacob’s [older] sons became jealous [because their father favored their younger brother] Joseph. So they sold him [to merchants/traders who took him] [MTY] to Egypt. There he became a slave [of an official who lived there]. But God [helped] Joseph.
Okhokho basebesiba lomona bathengisa uJosefa eGibhithe; kodwa uNkulunkulu wayelaye,
10 He protected him whenever people caused him to suffer. He enabled Joseph to be wise; and he caused Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to think well of Joseph. So Pharaoh appointed him to rule [over] Egypt and to look after all of Pharaoh’s property [MTY].”
wasemkhulula kuzo zonke inhlupheko zakhe, wamnika umusa lenhlakanipho phambi kukaFaro inkosi yeGibhithe; wasembeka ukuba ngumbusi phezu kweGibhithe lowendlu yakhe yonke.
11 “[While Joseph was doing that work], there was a time (when there was very little food/of famine) throughout Egypt and also throughout Canaan. People did not have enough food to eat. People were suffering. [At that time] Jacob and his sons [in Canaan] also could not find [enough] food.
Kwasekufika indlala elizweni lonke leGibhithe leleKhanani, lokuhlupheka okukhulu; labobaba bethu kabatholanga ukudla.
12 When Jacob heard [people report that] there was grain/food [that people could buy] in Egypt, he sent Joseph’s older brothers [to go there to buy grain. They went and bought grain from Joseph, but they did not recognize him. Then they returned home].
Kodwa uJakobe esezwile ukuthi kukhona amabele eGibhithe, wathuma obaba bethu okokuqala.
13 When Joseph’s brothers went to Egypt the second time, [they again bought grain from Joseph]. But this time [he] told them who he was. [And] people told Pharaoh that Joseph’s people were Hebrews [and that those men who had come from Canaan were his brothers].
Kwathi ngokwesibili uJosefa waziswa kubafowabo, labakibo kaJosefa babonakaliswa kuFaro.
14 Then after Joseph sent [his brothers back home, they] told their father Jacob [that Joseph wanted] him and his entire family to come [to Egypt. At that time] ([Jacob’s family consisted of] 75 people/there were 75 people in Jacob’s family) [SYN].
UJosefa wasethumela wabizela kuye uyise uJakobe, lalo lonke usendo lwakhe, kulemiphefumulo engamatshumi ayisikhombisa lanhlanu.
15 [So when] Jacob [heard that, he and all his family] went to [live in] Egypt.” Acts 7:15b-16 “[Later on], Jacob died [there], and our [other] ancestors, [his sons, also died there].
UJakobe wasesehlela eGibhithe, wasesifa yena labobaba bethu;
16 [But] the bodies [of Jacob and Joseph] were brought {[they] brought the bodies [of Jacob and Joseph]} [back to our land], and [Jacob’s body] was buried {they buried [Jacob’s body]} [in the tomb that Abraham had bought, and they buried Joseph’s body] in Shechem in the ground that [Jacob] had bought from Hamor’s sons.”
basebethwalelwa eShikemi, balaliswa engcwabeni uAbrahama ayelithenge ngentengo yemali kumadodana kaHamori weShikemi.
17 “Our ancestors had become very numerous when it was almost time for [God to rescue them] from Egypt, [as] he had promised Abraham that he would do.
Kwathi sesisondele isikhathi sesithembiso uNkulunkulu ayesifunge kuAbrahama, bakhula abantu banda eGibhithe,
18 Another king had begun to rule in Egypt. He did not know that Joseph, [long before that time, had greatly helped the people of Egypt] [MTY].
kwaze kwavela enye inkosi, eyayingamazi uJosefa.
19 That king cruelly tried to get rid of our ancestors. He oppressed them and caused them to suffer greatly. He [even commanded] them to leave their baby [boys] outside [their homes] so that they would die.”
Yona yasiphatha ngobuqili isizukulu sakithi, yabahlupha obaba bethu, ukubalahlisa insane zabo, ukuze zingaphili.
20 “During that time Moses was born, and he was a very beautiful [LIT] [child]. So his parents [secretly] cared for him in their house for three months.
Ngalesosikhathi kwazalwa uMozisi, waba muhle kuNkulunkulu; owondliwa endlini kayise inyanga ezintathu.
21 Then they had to put him outside [the house, but] Pharaoh’s daughter [found him and] adopted him and cared for him as [though he were] her own son.
Eselahliwe, indodakazi kaFaro yamdobha, yazondlela yena ukuthi abe yindodana.
22 Moses was taught {[The Egyptian teachers] taught Moses} many kinds of wise things [HYP] that the people in Egypt knew, and [when he grew up], he spoke powerfully and did things powerfully.”
Njalo uMozisi wafundiswa kuyo yonke inhlakanipho yamaGibhithe; wasesiba lamandla ngamazwi langemisebenzi.
23 “[One day] when Moses was about 40 years old, he decided that he would [go and] see his fellow Israelis. [So he went to the place where they worked].
Kwathi eselesikhathi seminyaka engamatshumi amane agcweleyo, kwafika enhliziyweni yakhe ukuthi ahambele abafowabo abantwana bakoIsrayeli.
24 He saw an Egyptian beating one of the Israelis. So he went over to help [MTY] the Israeli man who was being hurt/beat {whom [the Egyptian] was hurting/beating}, and he (got revenge on/paid back) the Israeli man by killing the Egyptian [who was hurting/beating him].
Kwathi ebona omunye ephathwa kubi, wamvikela wamphindisela ohlutshwayo, watshaya umGibhithe;
25 Moses was thinking that his fellow Israelis would understand that God had sent him to free them [from being slaves]. But they did not understand that.
njalo wayethemba ukuthi abafowabo bazaqedisisa ukuthi uNkulunkulu ubanika inkululeko ngesandla sakhe; kodwa kabaqedisisanga.
26 The next day, Moses saw two Israeli men fighting [each other]. He tried to make them stop fighting by saying to them, ‘Men, you two are fellow [Israelis! So] (stop hurting each other!/why are you hurting each other?) [RHQ]’
Njalo ngosuku olulandelayo wazibonakalisa kubo ababesilwa, wabalamula ngamandla, esithi: Madoda, lingabazalwane; liphathanelani kubi?
27 But the man who was injuring the other man pushed Moses away and said to him, ‘(No one appointed you [(sg)] to rule and judge us [(exc)]!/Do you [(sg)] think someone appointed you [(sg)] to rule and judge us [(exc)]?) [RHQ]
Kodwa lowo owayemona umakhelwane wamsunduza, esithi: Ubekwe ngubani ukuba ngumbusi lomahluleli phezu kwethu?
28 Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’
Usufuna ukungibulala yini, njengoba ubulele umGibhithe izolo?
29 When Moses heard that, [he thought to himself, ‘Obviously, people know what I have done, and someone will kill me.’ He was afraid, so] he fled [from Egypt] to Midian land. He lived there [for some years]. He [got married, and he and his wife] had two sons.”
Ngalelilizwi uMozisi wasebaleka, waba ngowemzini elizweni leMadiyani, lapho azala khona amadodana amabili.
30 “[One day] 40 years later, [the Lord God appeared as] an angel to Moses. He appeared in a bush that was burning in the desert near Sinai Mountain.
Kwathi sekugcwaliseke iminyaka engamatshumi amane, kwabonakala kuye enkangala yentaba iSinayi ingilosi yeNkosi phakathi kwelangabi lomlilo esihlahleni.
31 When Moses saw that, he was greatly surprised, [because the bush was not burning up]. As he went over to look more closely, he heard the Lord [God] say [to him],
Kwathi uMozisi esebonile wamangala ngalowombono; esasondela ukuthi akhangelisise, ilizwi leNkosi lafika kuye lisithi:
32 ‘I [am] the God [whom] your ancestors [worshipped]. I [am] the God that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob [worship].’ Moses [was so afraid that he] began to shake. He was afraid to look [at the bush any longer].
Mina nginguNkulunkulu waboyihlo, uNkulunkulu kaAbrahama loNkulunkulu kaIsaka loNkulunkulu kaJakobe. UMozisi wasethuthumela, kazaba lesibindi sokukhangelisisa.
33 Then the Lord [God] said to him, ‘Take your sandals off [to show that you(sg) revere me]. Because I [am here], the place where you are standing is holy/sacred.
INkosi yasisithi kuye: Khulula amanyathela enyaweni zakho; ngoba indawo omi kiyo ingumhlabathi ongcwele.
34 I have surely seen how the people of Egypt are continually causing my people to suffer. I have heard my people when they groan [because those people continually oppress them]. So I have come down to rescue them [from Egypt]. Now get ready, because I am going to send you [back] to Egypt [to do that].’”
Ngikubonile lokukubona ukuhlutshwa kwabantu bami abaseGibhithe, njalo ngizwile ukububula kwabo; sengehlile ukuthi ngibakhulule; khathesi-ke woza, ngizakuthuma eGibhithe.
35 “This Moses [is the one who had tried to help our Israeli people, but] whom they rejected [by saying], ‘No one [RHQ] appointed you to rule and judge [us!’] Moses [is the one whom] God [himself] sent to rule them and to free them [from being slaves. He is the one whom] an angel in the bush [commanded to do that].
UMozisi lo abamalayo besithi: Ubekwe ngubani ukuba ngumbusi lomahluleli? - nguye uNkulunkulu amthumayo ukuba ngumbusi lomkhululi ngesandla sengilosi eyabonakala kuye esihlahleni.
36 Moses [is the one who] led our ancestors out [from Egypt]. He did many kinds of miracles in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and during the 40 years [that the Israelite people lived] in the desert.
Yena wabakhupha, esenze izimangaliso lezibonakaliso elizweni leGibhithe loLwandle oluBomvu, lenkangala iminyaka engamatshumi amane.
37 This Moses is the one who said to the Israelite people, ‘God will appoint a prophet for you from among your own people. [He will speak words from God], just like I [speak his words to you].’
Nguye lowo uMozisi owathi kubantwana bakoIsrayeli: INkosi uNkulunkulu wenu uzalivusela umprofethi kubazalwane benu onjengami; lizamuzwa yena.
38 This man [Moses] was [our people’s leader] when they gathered together in the desert. It is Moses to whom [God sent] the angel on Sinai Mountain to [give him our laws], and [he was the one who told] our [other] ancestors [what the angel had said]. He was the one who received [from God] words that tell us how to live [eternally, and Moses] passed [them] on to us.”
Nguye lowo owayesebandleni enkangala, kanye lengilosi eyakhuluma laye entabeni iSinayi kanye labobaba bethu; owemukela amazwi aphilayo, ukuze asinike;
39 “[However], our ancestors did not want to obey [Moses]. Instead, [while he was still on the mountain], they rejected him [as their leader] and decided that they wanted to return to Egypt.
yena obaba bethu abangavumanga ukumlalela, kodwa bamsunduzela eceleni, basebebuyela eGibhithe ngenhliziyo zabo,
40 So they told [his older brother] Aaron, ‘Make idols for us who will be our gods to lead us [back to Egypt]! As for that fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt we [(exc)] do not know what has happened to him!’
besithi kuAroni: Senzele onkulunkulu abazahamba phambi kwethu; ngoba uMozisi lo, owasikhupha elizweni iGibhithe, kasazi ukuthi wehlelwe yini.
41 So, they made [out of gold] an image [that looked like] a calf. Then they sacrificed [animals and offered other things] to [honor] that idol, and they sang and danced to honor the idol that they themselves had made.
Basebesenza ithole ngalezonsuku, baletha umhlatshelo esithombeni, bajabula ngemisebenzi yezandla zabo.
42 So God rejected them. He abandoned them to worship the sun, moon and stars in the sky. This agrees with the words that one of the prophets wrote that God said, You Israelite [people] [MTY], when you [repeatedly] killed animals and offered them as sacrifices during those 40 years [that you were] in the desert, (you [most certainly] were not offering them to me!/what makes you think that you were offering them to me?) [RHQ]
Kodwa uNkulunkulu wafulathela, wabanikela ukuthi bakhonze ibutho lezulu; njengokulotshiweyo encwadini yabaprofethi ukuthi: Laletha kimi yini imihlatshelo leminikelo iminyaka engamatshumi amane enkangala, ndlu kaIsrayeli?
43 [On the contrary], you carried [with you from place to place] the tent [that contained the idol] representing [the god] Molech [that you worshipped]. You also [carried with you] the image of the star [called] Rephan. [Those] were idols that you had made, [and you] worshipped [them instead of me]. So I will [cause you to] be taken away {[people to] take you} [from your own country. You will be taken] {[They will take you]} [far from your homes to regions] even farther than Babylon [Country].”
Njalo lathatha ithabhanekele likaMoloki lenkanyezi kankulunkulu wenu uRefani, imifanekiso elayenza ukuthi liyikhonze; njalo ngizalithuthela ngaphambili kweBhabhiloni.
44 “While our ancestors were in the desert, they worshipped God at the tent that showed [that he was there with them]. They had made the tent exactly like God had commanded Moses [to make it. It was] exactly like the model that Moses had seen [when he was up on the mountain].
Obaba bethu babelalo ithabhanekele lobufakazi enkangala, njengokulayela kwalowo owakhuluma loMozisi, ukuthi alenze ngomfanekiso ayewubonile;
45 [Later on], other ancestors of ours carried that tent with them when Joshua led them [into this land]. That was during the time that they took this land for themselves, when God forced the people [who previously lived here] to leave. So the Israelis were able to possess this land. [The tent remained in this land and was still here] when [King] David ruled.
okwathi futhi obaba bethu abalandelayo sebelemukele balingenisa kanye loJoshuwa empahleni yezizwe, uNkulunkulu azixotsha phambi kobuso babobaba, kwaze kwaba sensukwini zikaDavida;
46 David pleased God, and he asked God to let him build a house where [he and] all of our Israeli people could worship God.
owathola umusa phambi kukaNkulunkulu, wacela ukutholela uNkulunkulu kaJakobe ithabhanekele.
47 But [instead, God let David’s son] Solomon build a house [where people could worship] God.”
Kodwa uSolomoni wamakhela indlu.
48 “However, [we(inc) know that] God is greater than everything, and he does not live in [houses that] people [SYN] have made. It is like the prophet [Isaiah] wrote. He wrote [these words that God had spoken: ]
Kodwa oPhezukonke kahlali ethempelini elenziwe ngezandla, njengokutsho komprofethi ukuthi:
49 Heaven is (my throne/the place from which I rule the entire universe), and the earth is (my footstool/[merely like] a stool on which I may rest my feet). I myself [SYN] have made everything [both in heaven and on the earth]. So you [human beings], ([you] really cannot build a house that would be [adequate] for me!/do you think you can build a house that would be [appropriate] for me?) [RHQ] You cannot [RHQ] make a place good enough for me [to live in]!”
Izulu kimi liyisihlalo sobukhosi, lomhlaba uyisenabelo senyawo zami; lizangakhela indlu enjani, kutsho iNkosi; kumbe yiyiphi indawo yami yokuphumula?
Isandla sami kasizenzanga yini zonke lezizinto?
51 “You people are extremely stubborn [MET], not wanting to obey God or listen [MTY] [to him!] You are exactly like your ancestors! You always resist the Holy Spirit [as they did]!
Lina ntamo zilukhuni njalo abangasokanga enhliziyweni lendlebeni, lina limelana njalonjalo loMoya oyiNgcwele; njengaboyihlo, linjalo lani.
52 Your ancestors caused [RHQ] every prophet to suffer, [including Moses]. They even killed those who long ago announced [that the Messiah] would come, the one who always did what pleased God. [And the Messiah has come! He is the one whom] you [recently] turned over [to his enemies] and [insisted that] they kill him!
Nguwuphi owabaprofethi oyihlo abangamzingelanga? Basebebulala labo abamemezela ngaphambili ngokuza koLungileyo, yena lo lina khathesi eselabangabanikeli lababulali bakhe;
53 You [are the people] who have received God’s laws. [Those were laws] that God caused angels to give [to our ancestors]. However, [incredibly], you have not obeyed them!”
elemukela umlayo ngokuhlela kwezingilosi, kodwa kaliwulondolozanga.
54 When the Jewish Council members [and others there] heard all that [Stephen said], they became very angry. They were grinding their teeth [together because they were so angry] at him!
Bathi sebezwile lezizinto, bahlabeka enhliziyweni zabo, bamgedlela amazinyo.
55 But the Holy Spirit completely controlled Stephen. He looked up into heaven and saw a dazzling light from God, and [he saw] Jesus standing at God’s right side.
Kodwa yena egcwele uMoya oNgcwele, wajolozela ezulwini, wabona inkazimulo kaNkulunkulu, loJesu emi ngakwesokunene sikaNkulunkulu,
56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open, and I [see] the one who came from heaven standing at God’s right side!”
wasesithi: Khangelani, ngibona amazulu evulekile, leNdodana yomuntu imi ngakwesokunene sikaNkulunkulu.
57 [When the Jewish Council members and others heard that], they shouted loudly. They put their hands over their ears [so that they could not hear Stephen, and immediately] they all rushed at him.
Kodwa bamemeza ngelizwi elikhulu, bavala indlebe zabo, batheleka phezu kwakhe bengqondonye;
58 They dragged him outside the city [of Jerusalem] and started to throw stones at him. The people who were accusing him [took off] their outer garments [in order to throw stones more easily, and] they put their clothes [on the ground] next to a young man whose name was Saul, [so that he could guard them].
basebemkhuphela ngaphandle komuzi, bamkhanda ngamatshe; labafakazi babeka phansi izembatho zabo enyaweni zejaha elithiwa nguSawuli.
59 While they continued to throw stones at Stephen, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”
Bamkhanda ngamatshe uStefane, ebiza esithi: Nkosi Jesu, yemukela umoya wami.
60 Then Stephen fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not punish them (OR, forgive them) [LIT] for this sin!” After he had said that, he died.
Waseguqa ngamadolo, wamemeza ngelizwi elikhulu esithi: Nkosi, ungababaleli lesisono. Esetshilo lokhu walala.
