< Genesis 6 >

1 When people began to become very numerous all over the earth, and many daughters were born to them,
Kwathi abantu sebesanda ngobunengi emhlabeni, bezala amadodakazi,
2 some of the men who (belonged to/believed in) God saw that some of the women who did not (belong to/believe in) God were very beautiful. So they took whichever ones they chose to become their wives.
amadodana kaNkulunkulu abona ukuthi amadodakazi abantu ayemahle, bazikhethela abawafunayo bawathatha.
3 Then Yahweh said, “[I will] not [allow] my Spirit to keep people alive forever (OR, the breath of life will not remain in people forever). They will die eventually. They will live not more than 120 years before they die (OR, there will be only 120 more years before they die).”
UThixo wasesithi, “UMoya wami kawuyikuphikisana lomuntu ngokungapheliyo, ngoba yena ngowenyama nje; insuku zakhe zizakuba likhulu elilamatshumi amabili kuphela.”
4 There were [giants called] Nephils who lived on the earth at that time and later. During that time [some of the Nephil] men who (belonged to/believed in) God had sex [EUP] with women who did not (belong to/believe in) God, and they gave birth to children. The Nephils were considered to be heroic fighters, and they became famous.
AmaNefilimi ayesemhlabeni ngalezonsuku. Njalo langemva kwazo amadodana kaNkulunkulu angenela amadodakazi abantu azala lawo abantwana. Ayengamaqhawe ekadeni, amadoda odumo.
5 Yahweh saw that people on the earth had become very wicked, and that everything they thought about evil things continually.
UThixo wabona ukuthi ukuxhwala kwabantu kwasekukukhulu kakhulu emhlabeni, njalo lokuthi zonke izinkanuko zeminakano yezinhliziyo zabo zaziyibubi kuphela sonke isikhathi.
6 Yahweh was sorry that he had made people.
UThixo wadabuka ngokuthi wayemenzile umuntu emhlabeni, ngakho inhliziyo yakhe yagcwala ubuhlungu.
7 So he said, “I will completely destroy the people I made. I will also destroy all the animals and the creatures that scurry across the ground and the birds. None of them will remain on the earth, because I regret that I made them.”
Ngakho uThixo wasesithi, “Umuntu engamdalayo ngizamkhucula emhlabeni, abantu lezinyamazana, lezinanakazana ezihuquzela emhlabathini, lezinyoni zemkhathini ngoba kuyangidabukisa ukuthi ngakwenza.”
8 But Yahweh was pleased with Noah.
Kodwa uNowa wathola umusa emehlweni kaThixo.
9 This is why: Noah was a man who always acted in a righteous way. No one who lived at that time could criticize him about anything. Noah lived in close fellowship with God.
Lo ngumlando kaNowa. UNowa wayeyindoda elungileyo, engelasici phakathi kwabantu ngesikhathi aphila ngaso, njalo wabambelela kuNkulunkulu.
10 Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
UNowa wayelamadodana amathathu: UShemu, uHamu loJafethi.
11 At that time God considered that everyone else on earth was very wicked, and everywhere on the earth, people [MTY] were acting cruelly and violently toward each other.
Umhlaba wawuxhwalile phambi kukaNkulunkulu njalo ugcwele ubudlwangudlwangu.
12 God was dismayed when he saw how evil people [MTY] were, because everyone (OR, all living creatures) had begun to behave in an evil way.
UNkulunkulu wabona ukuthi umhlaba wawusuxhwale njani, ngoba bonke abantu emhlabeni basebehamba ngezindlela zabo ezixhwalileyo.
13 So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy everyone, because all over the earth people are acting violently toward each other. So I am about to get rid of them as well as everything else on the earth.
Ngakho uNkulunkulu wasesithi kuNowa, “Ngizabatshabalalisa bonke abantu, ngoba umhlaba ugcwele ubudlwangudlwangu ngenxa yabo. Ngeqiniso ngizababhubhisa bona kanye lomhlaba.
14 [I want you to] make for yourself a large boat from cypress wood. Make rooms inside it. Cover the outside and the inside with tar [to make it (waterproof/so that water cannot get in and sink the boat]).
Ngakho zakhele umkhumbi ngezigodo zesihlahla sokubaza; wenze amakamelo kuwo, uwuhuqe ngenhlaka ngaphakathi langaphandle.
15 This is the size you must make it: It shall be (150 yards/135 meters) long, (25 yards/22.5 meters) wide, and (15 yards/13.5 meters) high.
Uzawakha kanje: Umkhumbi kawube ngamalunga ezingalo ezingamakhulu amathathu ubude, ububanzi bube zingalo ezingamatshumi amahlanu lezingalo ezingamatshumi amathathu ukuphakama kwawo.
16 Make a roof for the boat. Leave a space of about (18 in./.5 meter) between the sides and the roof to let air and light enter (OR, the middle of the roof should be 18 inches higher than the sides). Build the boat with three decks inside, and put a door in one side.
Uwenzele uphahla, utshiye ngaphansi kophahla intuba eyingxenye yelunga lengalo ukufika phezulu. Ufake umnyango eceleni komkhumbi njalo wenze isigcawu saphansi, esaphakathi laphakathi kanye lesaphezulu.
17 Listen carefully! I am about to cause a flood to occur that will destroy every creature that lives beneath the sky. Everything on the earth will die.
Ngizathumela uzamcolo emhlabeni ukubhubhisa konke okuphilayo ngaphansi kwezulu, zonke izidalwa eziphefumulayo. Yonke into emhlabeni izabhubha.
18 But I will make an agreement with you(sg): You and your wife, your sons and their wives will enter the boat.
Kodwa ngizakwenza isivumelwano lawe, njalo wena uzangena emkhunjini, wena lamadodana akho lomkakho kanye labomalukazana bakho.
19 And I want to save some of all kinds of creatures. So you must also bring two of all living creatures, a male and a female, into the boat with you, so that their species also may remain alive.
Kuzamele ulethe emkhunjini okubili kwezidalwa zonke eziphilayo, okuduna lokusikazi, uzigcine ziphila zilawe.
20 Two of every kind of creature will come to [in order that by your putting them in the boat] you will keep them alive. They will include two of each kind of bird and each kind of animal and each kind of creature that scurries across the ground.
Okubili kwemihlobo yonke yezinyoni, okwemihlobo yonke yezinyamazana lokwezinanakazana zonke ezihuquzela emhlabathini zizakuza kuwe zizogcinwa ziphila.
21 You must also take some of every kind of food that you and all these animals will need, and store it in the boat.”
Kumele uthathe yonke imihlobo yokudla okuzadliwa, ukulondolozele wena kanye lazo.”
22 So Noah did everything that God told him to do.
UNowa wakwenza konke njengokulaywa kwakhe nguNkulunkulu.

< Genesis 6 >

The World is Destroyed by Water
The World is Destroyed by Water