< Exodus 18 >

1 When Jethro the priest of Midian, Moses's father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, [and] that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt:
Kwathi uJetro umpristi weMidiyani, uyisezala kaMozisi, esezwile konke uNkulunkulu ayemenzele khona uMozisi loIsrayeli isizwe sakhe, ukuthi iNkosi yayimkhuphile uIsrayeli eGibhithe,
2 Then Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, took Zipporah Moses's wife, after he had sent her back,
uJetro uyisezala kaMozisi wathatha uZipora umkaMozisi emva kokumbuyisela kwakhe,
3 And her two sons; of which the name of the one [was] Gershom; (for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land: )
kanye lamadodana akhe amabili; obizo lenye lalinguGereshoma, ngoba wathi: Ngangingowemzini elizweni lemzini;
4 And the name of the other [was] Eliezer; (for the God of my father, [said he], [was] my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh: )
lebizo lenye linguEliyezeri, ngoba uNkulunkulu kababa wayelusizo lwami, wangikhulula enkembeni kaFaro.
5 And Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God:
UJetro uyisezala kaMozisi wasesiza lamadodana akhe lomkakhe kuMozisi enkangala, entabeni kaNkulunkulu lapho ayemise khona inkamba.
6 And he said to Moses, I thy father-in-law Jethro have come to thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.
Wasesithi kuMozisi: Mina, uyihlozala, uJetro, ngiza kuwe lomkakho lamadodana akhe amabili elaye.
7 And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and did obeisance, and kissed him: and they asked each other of [their] welfare: and they came into the tent.
UMozisi wasephuma ukumhlangabeza uyisezala, wakhothama, wamanga. Basebebuzana impilakahle; bangena ethenteni.
8 And Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh, and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, [and] all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and [how] the LORD delivered them.
UMozisi wasemlandisela uyisezala ngakho konke iNkosi eyayikwenzile kuFaro lakumaGibhithe ngenxa kaIsrayeli, yonke inhlupheko eyabehlela endleleni, lokuthi iNkosi yayibakhulule.
9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.
UJetro wasethokoza ngakho konke okuhle iNkosi eyayikwenzele uIsrayeli, ukuthi yayimkhulule esandleni samaGibhithe.
10 And Jethro said, Blessed [be] the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
UJetro wasesithi: Ibusisiwe iNkosi elikhulule esandleni samaGibhithe lesandleni sikaFaro; eyakhulula lesisizwe ngaphansi kwesandla samaGibhithe.
11 Now I know that the LORD [is] greater than all gods: for in the thing in which they dealt proudly, [he was] above them.
Khathesi sengisazi ukuthi iNkosi inkulu kulabo bonke onkulunkulu, ngoba endabeni abazigabisa ngayo yayiphezu kwabo.
12 And Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, took a burnt-offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses's father-in-law before God.
UJetro uyisezala kaMozisi wasethathela uNkulunkulu umnikelo wokutshiswa lemihlatshelo; kwasekusiza uAroni labo bonke abadala bakoIsrayeli ukudla isinkwa loyisezala kaMozisi phambi kukaNkulunkulu.
13 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning to the evening.
Kwasekusithi kusisa uMozisi wahlala ukwahlulela abantu; njalo abantu bema phambi kukaMozisi kusukela ekuseni kwaze kwahlwa.
14 And when Moses's father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What [is] this thing that thou doest to the people? Why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning to evening?
Kwathi lapho uyisezala kaMozisi esekubonile konke akwenzela abantu wathi: Iyini linto oyenza ebantwini? Uhlalelani wedwa, labantu bonke bemi kuwe kusukela ekuseni kuze kuhlwe?
15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, Because the people come to me to inquire of God:
UMozisi wasesithi kuyisezala: Ngoba abantu beza kimi ukubuza kuNkulunkulu.
16 When they have a matter, they come to me, and I judge between one and another, and I make [them] know the statutes of God, and his laws.
Nxa belendaba, beza kimi, njalo ngahlulele phakathi komuntu lomakhelwane wakhe, ngibazise izimiso zikaNkulunkulu lemithetho yakhe.
17 And Moses's father-in-law said to him, The thing that thou doest [is] not good.
Uyisezala kaMozisi wasesithi kuye: Into oyenzayo kayinhle.
18 Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that [is] with thee: for this thing [is] too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
Isibili uzazidlakaza, wena-ke lalababantu abalawe; ngoba linto inzima kakhulu kuwe, kawulakukwenza wedwa.
19 Hearken now to my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people toward God, that thou mayest bring the causes to God:
Khathesi lalela ilizwi lami; ngizakweluleka, njalo uNkulunkulu abe lawe. Wena kawube ngowabantu phambi kukaNkulunkulu, wena ulethe izindaba kuNkulunkulu,
20 And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt show them the way in which they must walk, and the work that they must do.
ubafundise izimiso lemithetho, ubazise indlela abamele bahambe ngayo, lomsebenzi abamele bawenze.
21 Moreover, thou shalt provide out of all the people, able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place [such] over them [to be] rulers of thousands, [and] rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
Futhi wena ubone phakathi kwabo bonke abantu amadoda alamandla, amesabayo uNkulunkulu, amadoda eqiniso, azonda inzuzo engalunganga, uwabeke phezu kwabo, induna zezinkulungwane, induna zamakhulu, induna zamatshumi amahlanu, lenduna zamatshumi;
22 And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, [that] every great matter they shall bring to thee, but every small matter they shall judge: So shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear [the burden] with thee.
ukuthi zahlulele abantu ngaso sonke isikhathi; kodwa kuzakuthi lonke udaba olukhulu zizaluletha kuwe, kodwa lonke udaba oluncinyane zizalwahlulela zona, ukuze kube lula kuwe, njalo zizathwalisana lawe.
23 If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee [so], then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.
Uba usenza linto, loNkulunkulu ekulawula, uzakuba lamandla okuma, njalo labo bonke lababantu bazabuyela endaweni yabo ngokuthula.
24 So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.
UMozisi waselilalela ilizwi likayisezala, wenza konke ayekutshilo.
25 And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
UMozisi wasekhetha amadoda alamandla kuye wonke uIsrayeli, wawabeka inhloko phezu kwabantu, induna zezinkulungwane, induna zamakhulu, induna zamatshumi amahlanu lenduna zamatshumi.
26 And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
Zasezibahlulela abantu ngaso sonke isikhathi; zaletha kuMozisi indaba ezinzima, kodwa lonke udaba oluncinyane zalwahlulela zona.
27 And Moses let his father-in-law depart; and he went his way into his own land.
UMozisi wasemyekela wahamba uyisezala; waya elizweni lakibo.

< Exodus 18 >