Genesis 28
1 Then Isaac summoned Jacob, and gave him a blessing. He told him, “Do not marry a woman of the Canaan people-group.
UIsaka wasebiza uJakobe, wambusisa, wamlaya wathi kuye: Ungathathi umfazi kumadodakazi eKhanani.
2 Instead, go right away to Paddan-Aram [in northwest Mesopotamia], to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Ask one of the daughters of your mother’s brother Laban to marry you.
Sukuma uye ePadani-Arama, endlini kaBethuweli uyise kanyoko, uzithathele khona umfazi kumadodakazi kaLabani umalumakho.
3 I will pray that God Almighty will bless you, and enable you to [get married and] have many descendants, in order that they will become many people-groups.
Njalo uNkulunkulu uSomandla akubusise, akwenze ube lenzalo akwandise, ukuze ube ngumbuthano wezizwe;
4 I also will pray that he will bless you and your descendants by enabling you to possess/seize the land in which you are now living as a foreigner, the land that God promised to give to [my father] Abraham and his descendants.”
abesekupha isibusiso sikaAbrahama, kuwe lenzalweni yakho kanye lawe, ukuze udle ilifa lelizwe lapho ohlala khona njengowezizwe, uNkulunkulu alinika uAbrahama.
5 So Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-Aram, to live with Rebekah’s brother Laban, the son of Bethuel, who belonged to the Aram people-group.
UIsaka wasethuma uJakobe waya ePadani-Arama kuLabani indodana kaBethuweli umSiriya, umfowabo kaRebeka unina kaJakobe loEsawu.
6 Esau found out that his father Isaac had blessed Jacob and then sent him to Paddan-Aram. He also found out that when he blessed Isaac, he told him, “Do not marry a woman of the Canaan people-group,”
UEsawu wasebona ukuthi uIsaka umbusisile uJakobe, wamthuma ePadani-Arama ukuze azithathele khona umfazi, lapho embusisa wamlaya esithi: Ungathathi umfazi kumadodakazi eKhanani;
7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother, and had gone to Paddan-Aram.
lokuthi uJakobe walalela oyise lonina, waya ePadani-Arama.
8 Esau also realized that his father Isaac did not approve of women from the Canaan people-group.
UEsawu wasebona ukuthi amadodakazi eKhanani ayemabi emehlweni kaIsaka uyise.
9 Because of that, Esau went to see his uncle Ishmael, and married Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael. Mahalath was the sister of Nabaioth and the granddaughter of Abraham.
Ngakho uEsawu waya kuIshmayeli, wazithathela uMahalathi indodakazi kaIshmayeli, indodana kaAbrahama, udadewabo kaNebayothi, abe ngumkakhe phezu kwabafazi ayelabo.
10 Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and started walking along the road to Haran.
UJakobe wasephuma eBherishebha waya eHarani.
11 When he arrived at a certain place, he stopped there, because the sun had gone down. He took one of the stones there and put it under his head to use as a pillow. Then he lay down and slept there.
Wafika endaweni, achitha khona ubusuku ngoba ilanga lalitshonile. Wasethatha ilitshe ematsheni aleyondawo, wenza umqamelo wakhe, walala kuleyondawo.
12 While he was sleeping, he had a dream, in which he [was surprised to] see a stairway. The bottom of the stairway was on the earth and the top was in the sky. Jacob also saw that God’s angels were going up and down the stairway.
Waphupha, khangela-ke, ilele limisiwe emhlabeni, isihloko salo sifinyelela emazulwini, khangela-ke, ingilosi zikaNkulunkulu zisenyuka zisehla kulo.
13 And he [was surprised to] see Yahweh standing at the top of the stairway, saying “I am Yahweh God, whom your grandfather Abraham worshiped, and whom Isaac worships. I will give to you and to your descendants the land on which you are lying.
Khangela-ke, iNkosi yema phezu kwalo, yathi: NgiyiNkosi uNkulunkulu kaAbrahama uyihlo loNkulunkulu kaIsaka; ilizwe olele kulo, ngizakunika lona, lenzalo yakho;
14 Your descendants will be as numerous as the particles of dirt that are on the earth, and their territory will be very large. It will extend in all directions, to the east and to the west, to the north and to the south. And people of all people-groups on earth will receive blessings because of [what happens to] you and to your descendants.
njalo inzalo yakho izakuba ngangothuli lomhlaba, uzasabalalela entshonalanga lempumalanga lenyakatho leningizimu; njalo zizabusiswa kuwe zonke insendo zomhlaba, lasenzalweni yakho.
15 I will help you and protect you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you; I will continue to do for you all that I have promised to do.”
Khangela-ke, ngilawe, ngizakulondoloza kuzo zonke indawo lapha oya khona, ngikubuyise kulelilizwe; ngoba kangiyikukutshiya ngize ngikwenze lokho engikhulume ngakho kuwe.
16 [During the night], when Jacob woke up from sleeping, he thought, “Surely Yahweh is in this place, and until now I was not aware of it!”
Kwathi uJakobe ephaphama ebuthongweni bakhe, wathi: Isibili iNkosi ikulindawo, mina-ke bengingakwazi.
17 He was afraid, and he said, “This place is very awesome! This is surely the place where God lives, and this is the entrance to heaven!”
Wasesesaba wathi: Yesabeka kangakanani lindawo! Kayisilutho ngaphandle kokuthi yindlu kaNkulunkulu, laleli lisango lamazulu.
18 In the morning Jacob got up and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up on its end to show that the place was a holy place. He poured some olive oil on top of the stone [to dedicate it to God].
UJakobe wasevuka ekuseni kakhulu, wathatha ilitshe alenza laba ngumqamelo wakhe, walimisa laba yinsika, wathela amagcobo phezu kwesihloko salo.
19 He named that place Bethel, [which means ‘house of God’.] Previously its name was Luz.
Wasebiza ibizo laleyondawo iBhetheli; kodwa-ke kuqala ibizo lomuzi laliyiLuzi.
20 Jacob solemnly promised God, saying, “God, if you will help me and protect me while I am taking this journey, and if you give me enough food to eat and clothes to wear,
UJakobe wasethembisa isithembiso esithi: Uba uNkulunkulu ezakuba lami, angilondoloze kulindlela engiyihambayo, angiphe isinkwa sokudla, lesembatho sokwembatha,
21 in order that I can later return safely to my father’s house, then you, Yahweh, will be the God that I will worship.
njalo ngibuyele ngokuthula endlini kababa, khona iNkosi izakuba nguNkulunkulu wami,
22 This stone that I have set up will mark the place where people can worship you. And I will give back to you a tenth of everything that you give to me.”
lelitshe leli engilimise ukuthi libe yinsika lizakuba yindlu kaNkulunkulu; kukho konke ozangipha khona, isibili ngizakunika okwetshumi.
