Exodus 4
1 Moses/I replied, “But what if [the Israeli people] (do not believe me/are not convinced) or not do what I tell them? What if they say, ‘Yahweh did not appear to you!’”
UMozisi wasephendula wathi: Kodwa khangela, kabayikungikholwa, kabayikulilalela ilizwi lami; ngoba bazakuthi: INkosi kayibonakalanga kuwe.
2 Yahweh said to him/me, “[Look at] that thing you are holding in your hand. What is it?” He/I replied, “A (walking stick/shepherd’s stick).”
INkosi yasisithi kuye: Kuyini lokho okusesandleni sakho? Wasesithi: Yintonga.
3 He said, “Throw it down on the ground!” So, he/I threw it on the ground, and it became a snake! And he/I ran/jumped away from it.
Yasisithi: Iphosele emhlabathini. Waseyiphosela emhlabathini, yasisiba yinyoka. UMozisi waseyibalekela.
4 But Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Reach down and pick it up by its tail!” So he/I reached down and caught it, and [when he/I picked it up], it became a stick in his/my hand [again.]
INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Yelula isandla sakho, uyibambe ngomsila. Waselula isandla sakhe, wayithi xhaka; yasisiba yintonga esandleni sakhe,
5 Yahweh said, “[Do the same thing in front of the Israeli people], in order that they may believe that [I], Yahweh God, the one Abraham and Isaac and Jacob worshiped, truly appeared to you.”
ukuze bakholwe ukuthi ibonakele kuwe iNkosi, uNkulunkulu waboyise, uNkulunkulu kaAbrahama, uNkulunkulu kaIsaka, loNkulunkulu kaJakobe.
6 Yahweh spoke to Moses/me again, saying “Put your hand inside your robe [MTY]!” He/I did that. And when he/I took it out again, [surprisingly], his/my hand was white. It had a skin disease [that made it] as white as snow.
INkosi yasisithi njalo kuye: Ake ufake isandla sakho esifubeni sakho. Wasesifaka isandla sakhe esifubeni sakhe; esesikhuphile, khangela-ke, isandla sakhe sasesilobulephero njengeliqhwa elikhithikileyo.
7 Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your robe [MTY]!” So he/I did that, and when he/I took it out again, surprisingly, it was normal again, just like the rest of his/my body!
Yasisithi: Buyisela isandla sakho esifubeni sakho. Wasesibuyisela isandla sakhe esifubeni sakhe; esesikhuphile esifubeni sakhe, khangela-ke, sasesiphenduke saba njengenyama yakhe.
8 God said, “[You can do that in front of the Israeli people, too]. If they do not pay attention to what you say because of [seeing] the first miracle, they will (believe [you/be convinced) when you perform] the second miracle.
Njalo kuzakuthi uba bengakukholwa, bengalaleli ilizwi lesibonakaliso sokuqala, bazakholwa ilizwi lesibonakaliso sokucina.
9 If they do not believe you or do what you say, even [after you perform] those two miracles, get some water from the Nile [River] and pour it on the ground. [When you do that], the water from the river that you pour on the ground will become blood [MTY] (OR, [red like] blood).”
Kuzakuthi-ke, uba bengakholwa lalezizibonakaliso ezimbili, bengalaleli ilizwi lakho, uzakukha okwamanzi omfula, uwathele emhlabathini owomileyo; njalo kuzakuthi amanzi ozawakha emfuleni azakuba ligazi emhlabathini owomileyo.
10 Moses/I replied, “O Yahweh! I am not an eloquent [speaker]! I was not an eloquent speaker before, and I have not become one since you started talking to me! I am not a good speaker [MTY], and I speak very slowly.”
UMozisi wasesithi eNkosini: Uxolo, Nkosi yami, kangisiso sikhulumi, ngitsho kusukela endulo, ngitsho kusukela usukhulume lenceku yakho; ngoba kunzima emlonyeni wami njalo kunzima olimini.
11 Then Yahweh said to him/me, “[You seem to forget] who it is that makes people able to speak [RHQ]! Who is it that enables people to be unable to speak or unable to hear, or able to see or not to see? It is I, Yahweh [RHQ]!
INkosi yasisithi kuye: Ngubani owenzela umuntu umlomo? Kumbe ngubani owenza isimungulu, kumbe isacuthe, kumbe obonayo, kumbe isiphofu? Kakusimi yini iNkosi?
12 So start going [to Egypt], and I will help you to speak [MTY], and I will tell you what you should say.”
Khathesi-ke hamba, njalo mina ngizakuba lomlomo wakho, ngikufundise lokho ozakukhuluma.
13 But he/I replied, “O, Yahweh, I ask you, please send someone else [instead]!”
Kodwa wathi: Uxolo, Nkosi yami, akuthume ngesandla salowo ozamthuma.
14 Then Yahweh became very angry with Moses/me. He said, “[What about] your [older] brother Aaron, who is [also] a descendant of Levi? I know that he is a very good/eloquent speaker. He is actually on his way here [right now], and he will be very happy to see you.
Lwaseluvutha ulaka lweNkosi kuMozisi, yasisithi: Angithi uAroni umLevi ngumnewenu? Ngiyazi ukuthi angakhuluma kuhle. Njalo khangela-ke, uzaphuma ukukuhlangabeza; nxa ekubona, uzathaba enhliziyweni yakhe.
15 You can talk to him and tell him what to say [MTY], and I will help both of you [SYN] to know what to say [MTY]. And I will tell you both what you should do.
Njalo uzakhuluma kuye, ufake amazwi emlonyeni wakhe; mina-ke ngizakuba lomlomo wakho lomlomo wakhe, ngizalifundisa lokho elizakwenza.
16 He will speak for you to the [Israeli] people. He will be (your spokesman/as though he was your mouth) [MET], and you will be to him as though you are [his] god.
Yena-ke uzakhuluma esizweni esikhundleni sakho, kuzakuthi abe ngumlomo kuwe, wena ube njengoNkulunkulu kuye.
17 [Be sure] to take with you the walking/shepherd’s stick [that is in your hand], because you will perform miracles with it.”
Njalo uzathatha lintonga esandleni sakho, ozakwenza izibonakaliso ngayo.
18 Moses/I returned to his/my father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Please let me go back to Egypt, to see my fellow Israelis there. I want to know if they are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses/me, “Go, and may [God give you inner] peace.”
UMozisi wasehamba wabuyela kuJetro uyisezala, wathi kuye: Ake ungiyekele ngihambe, ngibuyele kubafowethu abaseGibhithe, ngibone ukuthi basaphila yini. UJetro wasesithi kuMozisi: Hamba ngokuthula.
19 Yahweh said to Moses/me [before he/I left] Midian, “You can [safely] return to Egypt, because the men who were wanting to kill you [MTY] are [now] dead.”
INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi eMidiyani: Hamba, ubuyele eGibhithe; ngoba wonke amadoda asafa, ayedinga umphefumulo wakho.
20 So Moses/I took his/my wife and sons and put them on donkeys, and they/we returned to Egypt. And Moses/I took in his/my hand the stick that God [told him/me to take along].
UMozisi wasethatha umkakhe lamadodana akhe, wabakhwelisa phezu kukababhemi, wabuyela elizweni leGibhithe. UMozisi wasethatha intonga kaNkulunkulu esandleni sakhe.
21 Yahweh said to Moses/me, “When you return to Egypt, be sure to perform all the miracles that I have given you power [to do], while the king is watching. But I will make him stubborn [IDM], with the result that he will not let the Israeli people leave [Egypt].
INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Ekuhambeni kwakho ubuyela eGibhithe, bona ukuthi, zonke izimangaliso engizibeke esandleni sakho, uzenze phambi kukaFaro. Kodwa ngizakwenza inhliziyo yakhe ibe lukhuni ukuze angasiyekeli isizwe sihambe.
22 Then say to him, ‘This is what Yahweh says: “The Israeli [people] [MTY] are [as dear to] me as firstborn sons [MET].
Njalo uzakuthi kuFaro: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Indodana yami, izibulo lami, nguIsrayeli;
23 I told you to let my people [MTY] leave [Egypt], in order that they may worship me [in the desert]. If you refuse to let them go, I warn you, I will kill your firstborn son!”’”
njalo sengithe kuwe: Yekela indodana yami ihambe ukuthi ingikhonze; kodwa walile ukuyiyekela ihambe, khangela, ngizabulala indodana yakho, izibulo lakho.
24 [One night], as they were camping on the way [to Egypt], Yahweh appeared to Moses/me. He wanted/threatened to kill Moses/me [for disobeying his command that boys/sons be circumcised].
Kwasekusithi esendleleni, endlini yezihambi, iNkosi yahlangana laye, yadinga ukumbulala.
25 Then [his/my wife] Zipporah took a flint knife and circumcised her son. Then she touched the boy’s feet (OR, genitals) with the piece of skin [she had cut off], and she said, “The blood [which flowed when I circumcised you] will protect you [from being harmed by Yahweh] [MET].”
UZipora wasethatha insengetshe, waquma ijwabu laphambili lendodana yakhe, walithintisa inyawo zakhe wathi: Isibili ungumyeni wegazi kimi.
26 She said to him, “You are safe now [MET] because you have been circumcised.” So Yahweh did not harm her son.
Yasimyekela. Ngalesosikhathi wathi: Umyeni wegazi, ngenxa yokusoka.
27 Yahweh said to Aaron, “Go into the desert to meet/see Moses!” So he went [there from Egypt] and met him/me at [Sinai], the mountain dedicated to God, and [greeted him/me by] kissing him/me [on the cheek].
INkosi yasisithi kuAroni: Hamba, uyehlangabeza uMozisi enkangala. Wahamba-ke, wahlangana laye entabeni kaNkulunkulu, wamanga.
28 Moses/I told Aaron everything that Yahweh had said to him/me when he told him/me to return to Egypt. He/I also told Aaron about all the miracles that Yahweh told him/me to perform.
UMozisi wasemtshela uAroni wonke amazwi eNkosi eyayimthumile, lazo zonke izibonakaliso eyayimlaye zona.
29 [So Aaron and Moses/I] returned [to Egypt]. There they/we gathered together all the Israeli elders/leaders.
OMozisi loAroni basebehamba, babuthanisa bonke abadala babantwana bakoIsrayeli.
30 Aaron told them everything that Yahweh had told Moses/me, and Aaron performed [all] the miracles as the people watched.
UAroni wasekhuluma amazwi wonke iNkosi eyayiwakhulume kuMozisi, wenza izibonakaliso phambi kwamehlo abantu.
31 They believed [that what they/we were saying was true]. When they heard that Yahweh had seen how the Israeli people were being cruelly oppressed and that he was going to help them, they bowed down and worshiped [Yahweh].
Abantu basebekholwa; bezwa ukuthi iNkosi ihambele abantwana bakoIsrayeli, lokuthi ibonile inhlupheko yabo, bakhothama, bakhonza.
