Genesis 15
1 Some time later, Abram had a vision in which Yahweh spoke to him and said, “Do not be afraid of (anything/your enemies). I will protect you [MTY], and I will give a great reward.”
Ngemva kwalokho ilizwi likaThixo leza ku-Abhrama ngombono: “Ungesabi, Abhrama. Ngiyisihlangu sakho, umvuzo wakho omkhulu kakhulu.”
2 But Abram replied, “Yahweh God, how can you give me what I truly want, because I have no children, and the one who will be like a son and inherit all my possessions is my servant Eliezer from Damascus!”
Kodwa u-Abhrama wathi, “Oh Thixo Wobukhosi, ungangiphani njengoba ngilokhu ngingelamntwana, ilifa lami lizadliwa ngu-Eliyezari waseDamaseko na?”
3 Abram added, “You have not given me any children, so think about this: A servant in my household will inherit all I own!”
U-Abhrama wathi njalo, “Awungiphanga bantwana; ngakho inceku endlini yami izakuba yindlalifa yami.”
4 Yahweh replied, “No! He will not be the one who will inherit it. Instead, you yourself will be the father of the one who will inherit everything you own.”
Ilizwi likaThixo lafika kuye lathi: “Umuntu lo kayikuba yindlalifa yakho, kodwa indodana ephuma kowakho umzimba izakuba yindlalifa yakho.”
5 Then Yahweh took Abram outside [of his tent] and said, “Look up at the sky! Can you count the stars? No, you cannot count them because there are so many of them, and your descendants will be as numerous as the stars.”
Wamkhuphela phandle wathi, “Khangela emkhathini ubale izinkanyezi, nxa usenelisa ukuzibala.” Wasesithi kuye, “Sizakuba njalo isizukulwane sakho.”
6 Abram believed that what Yahweh said would happen. And because of that, Yahweh considered that Abram was righteous.
U-Abhrama wamkholwa uThixo, lokho kwabalwa kuye njengokulunga.
7 Yahweh also said to him, “I am Yahweh. I am the one who brought you from Ur in Chaldea land. I brought you here to give you this land to possess.”
Waphinda wathi kuye, “NginguThixo owakususa e-Uri lamaKhaladiya ukuzakupha lelilizwe ukuthi libe ngelakho.”
8 But Abram replied, “Yahweh God, how can I know for sure that this land will belong to me?”
Kodwa u-Abhrama wathi, “Oh Thixo Wobukhosi, ngingazi kanjani ukuthi lizakuba ngelami na?”
9 God said to him, “Bring a three-year-old heifer and a three-year-old goat to me, and a dove and a pigeon.”
UThixo wathi kuye, “Ngilethela ithokazi, imbuzi, lenqama, konke kuleminyaka emithathu yokuzalwa, kanye lejuba lenkwilimba esesencinyane.”
10 So Abram brought all of them and killed them and cut each of the animals in half. He arranged the halves of each one, side by side. But he did not cut the pigeon and dove in half.
U-Abhrama wakuletha konke lokhu kuye, yilokho wakudabula phakathi ngakunye wakuhlela izingxenye zakho zakhangelana; kodwa izinyoni kazidabulanga phakathi.
11 Birds that eat dead flesh came down to eat the carcasses, but Abram shooed them away.
Izinyoni ezidla inyama zehlela ezidunjini, kodwa u-Abhrama wazixotsha.
12 As the sun was going down, Abram fell sound asleep, and suddenly everything around him became dark and frightening.
Kwathi ilanga selitshona, u-Abhrama wathathwa yibuthongo obukhulu, wehlelwa yibumnyama obesabekayo.
13 Then God said to Abram, “I want you to know that your descendants will become foreigners living in a land that does not belong to them. They will become slaves of the owners of that land. The owners of the land will mistreat them for 400 years.
UThixo wasesithi kuye, “Yazi ngempela ukuthi Izizukulwane zakho zizakuba ngabezizweni elizweni elingayisilo labo okweminyaka engamakhulu amane, njalo bazagqilazwa, bahlukuluzwe khonale.
14 But then I will punish the people of that country that made them become slaves, and then your descendants will leave that country, taking many possessions with them.
Kodwa ngizasijezisa lesosizwe esibagqilazayo, kuthi emva kwesikhathi baphume belemfuyo enengi kakhulu.
15 But as for you, you will die [EUP] peacefully when you are very old.
Kodwa wena, uzakuya kubokhokho bakho ngokuthula, ungcwatshwe usukhulile kakhulu.
16 After your descendants have been slaves for 400 years, they will return here, and take control of this land and defeat the Amor people-group. Those people will, because those people have not yet sinned enough to deserve to be punished now.”
Isizukulwane sakho sesine sizabuya lapha, ngoba isono sama-Amori kasikafiki ekucineni.”
17 When the sun had set and it had become dark, [unexpectedly] a blazing torch and a clay pot containing burning coals from which smoke was rising appeared and went between the halves of the animals.
Kwathi ilanga selitshonile, ubumnyama sebufikile, kwavela imbawula yomlilo, ithunqa intuthu, ilelangabi elibhebhayo, yadabula phakathi kweziqa zenyama.
18 And on that day Yahweh made an agreement with Abram. Yahweh told him, “I will give to your descendants all the land between the river that is on the eastern border of Egypt to the south, and north to the huge Euphrates River.
Ngalelolanga uThixo wenza isivumelwano lo-Abhrama wathi, “Ilizwe leli ngilipha izizukulwane zakho, kusukela emfuleni waseGibhithe kusiyafika emfuleni omkhulu, iYufrathe,
19 That is the land where the Ken, the Keniz, the Kidmon,
ilizwe lamaKheni, lamaKhenizi, lamaKhadimoni,
20 the Heth, the Periz, the Repha,
lamaHithi, lamaPherizi, lamaRefayi,
21 the Amor, the Canaan, the Girgash, and the Tebus people-groups live.”
lama-Amori, lamaKhenani, lamaGigashi kanye lamaJebusi.”
