< Thaama 1 >

1 Maya nĩmo marĩĩtwa ma ariũ a Isiraeli arĩa maathiire bũrũri wa Misiri hamwe na Jakubu, o mũndũ na andũ a nyũmba yake:
These were the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob) who came with him to Egypt along with their families:
2 Nao nĩ Rubeni, na Simeoni, na Lawi, na Juda;
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;
3 Isakaru, na Zebuluni na Benjamini;
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
4 Dani na Nafitali; Gadi na Asheri.
Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
5 Njiaro cia Jakubu ciothe ciarĩ mĩrongo mũgwanja; nowe Jusufu, aarĩ bũrũri wa Misiri o na mbere ĩyo.
Jacob had 70 descendants there, including Joseph who was already in Egypt.
6 Na rĩrĩ, Jusufu na ariũ a ithe othe, na rũciaro rũu ruothe rwa ihinda rĩu magĩkua,
Eventually Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died.
7 no andũ a Isiraeli magĩciarana na makĩingĩha mũno, magĩtuĩka aingĩ makĩria, o nginya makĩiyũra bũrũri ũcio.
However, the Israelites had many children and their numbers increased rapidly. In fact there were so many of them that they became very powerful—the country was full of them.
8 Na rĩrĩ, mũthamaki ũngĩ ũtooĩ ũhoro wa Jusufu akĩambĩrĩria gũthamaka kũu bũrũri wa Misiri.
Then a new king came to power who didn't know anything about Joseph.
9 Nake akĩĩra andũ ake atĩrĩ, “Onei, andũ a Isiraeli nĩmaingĩhĩte mũno makĩria, magatũkĩria hinya.
He conferred with his fellow Egyptians and said, “Look at these Israelites—there are more than them than us, and they're more powerful than us.
10 Gĩũkei, no nginya tũmathiĩ na wara nĩguo matikae kũingĩha mũno gũkĩra ũũ, tondũ kũngĩgĩa mbaara, no manyiitane na thũ ciitũ na marũe na ithuĩ, na macooke moore moime bũrũri ũyũ.”
We've got to make plan to deal with them before they become so many that if there's a war they'll side with our enemies and fight us, and flee the country.”
11 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio andũ a Misiri makĩmaigĩra arori a ngombo mamahinyĩrĩrie na ũndũ wa kũmarutithia wĩra wa hinya, nao andũ a Isiraeli magĩaka Pithomu na Ramesese marĩ matũũra manene ma kũigwo indo cia Firaũni.
So the Egyptians made them do forced labor and put taskmasters in charge of them. They used them to build the storage towns of Pithom and Rameses.
12 No o ũrĩa maathiire na mbere kũhinyĩrĩrio-rĩ, noguo maaciaranire na makĩiyũra bũrũri-inĩ ũcio; nĩ ũndũ ũcio andũ a Misiri makĩambĩrĩria gwĩtigĩra andũ a Isiraeli mũno,
But the more the Israelites were mistreated, the more they grew in numbers and spread out—and the more the Egyptians detested them.
13 na makĩmahinyĩrĩria na wĩra matekũmaiguĩra tha.
The Egyptians worked the Israelites brutally,
14 Andũ a Misiri magĩtũma mũtũũrĩre wa andũ a Isiraeli ũgĩe na ruo rũkĩru nĩ ũndũ wa wĩra mũritũ wa gũthondeka maturubarĩ na thimiti, hamwe na mawĩra ma mĩthemba yothe mĩgũnda-inĩ; andũ a Misiri maamahinyagĩrĩria matekũmaiguĩra tha mawĩra-inĩ mao mothe.
making their lives a misery. They made them do hard labor, building with mortar and brick, and all kind of heavy work in the fields. In all of this hard labor they treated them brutally.
15 Mũthamaki wa bũrũri wa Misiri akĩĩra Shifira na Pua, aciarithania arĩa maateithagia atumia a Ahibirania, atĩrĩ,
Then the king gave orders to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah.
16 “Rĩrĩa mũrĩteithagia atumia a Ahibirania makĩgĩa ciana, na mwamarora marĩ gĩtanda-inĩ gĩa kũgĩĩra mwana-rĩ, mũngĩona nĩ kahĩĩ kooragei, no kangĩkorwo karĩ kairĩtu, mũkareka gatũũre muoyo.”
He told them, “When you assist the Hebrew women during childbirth, if you see it's a boy, kill him; but if it's a girl, let her live.”
17 Na rĩrĩ, aciarithania acio tondũ nĩmetigĩrĩte Ngai, matiigana gwĩka ũrĩa mũthamaki wa bũrũri wa Misiri aamerĩte meke; makĩreka tũhĩĩ tũu tũtũũre muoyo.
But because the midwives revered God, they didn't do what the king of Egypt had ordered. They let the boys live as well.
18 Nake mũthamaki ũcio wa bũrũri wa Misiri agĩĩta aciarithania acio, akĩmooria atĩrĩ, “Mwĩkĩte ũũ nĩkĩ? Nĩ kĩĩ gĩtũmĩte mũreke tũhĩĩ tũtũũre muoyo?”
The king of Egypt called the midwives in and demanded to know, “Why have you done this— letting the male children live?”
19 Nao aciarithania acio magĩcookeria Firaũni atĩrĩ, “Atumia a Ahibirania matihaana ta atumia a Misiri; o nĩ ahiũ magĩaga ciana aciarithania matanakinya.”
“Hebrew women aren't like Egyptian women,” the midwives told Pharaoh. “They give birth more easily—they have them before we midwives arrive.”
20 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio Ngai agĩgĩtanahĩra aciarithania acio, nao andũ a Isiraeli makĩongerereka o na makĩingĩha makĩria.
God treated the midwives well, and the people increased in number so there were even more of them.
21 Na rĩrĩ, tondũ aciarithania acio nĩmetigĩrĩte Ngai, akĩmahe ciana ciao kĩũmbe.
Because the midwives revered God, he gave them families of their own.
22 Nake Firaũni agĩatha andũ ake othe atĩrĩ: “Kahĩĩ o gothe gaaciarwo nĩ Mũhibirania no nginya mũgagaikia Rũũĩ rwa Nili, no mũreke kairĩtu o gothe gatũũre muoyo.”
Then Pharaoh issued this order to all his people: “Throw every Hebrew boy that's born into the Nile, but let every girl live.”

< Thaama 1 >