Kobima 1
1 Tala bakombo ya bana ya Isalaele oyo bakendeki na Ejipito elongo na Jakobi, moko na moko elongo na libota na ye:
The sons of Jacob who went to Egypt with him along with their families were
2 Ribeni, Simeoni, Levi mpe Yuda;
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,
3 Isakari, Zabuloni mpe Benjame;
Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin,
4 Dani mpe Nefitali; Gadi mpe Aseri.
Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
5 Bakitani ya Jakobi bazalaki bango nyonso tuku sambo. Nzokande Jozefi amizalelaki na Ejipito.
Altogether there were 70 people [who went with] Jacob. That included his [sons, his grandsons, and two great-grandsons]. [His son] Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 Jozefi mpe bandeko na ye nyonso ya mibali elongo na bato ya ekeke na bango basilaki na kokufa.
[Eventually] Joseph and his [older and younger] brothers and everyone [else in their family who lived] (in that generation/at that time) died.
7 Kasi bana ya Isalaele babotanaki mingi mpe bakomaki ebele penza. Bakomaki lisusu ebele koleka mpe makasi mingi: batondisaki mokili ya Ejipito.
But Jacob’s descendants kept giving birth to many children [IDM]. The number [of his descendants] kept becoming larger and larger. As a result, there were so many of them that they were everywhere in Egypt (OR, that they [became a threat] to the Egyptians).
8 Mokonzi moko ya sika, oyo ayebaki Jozefi te, azwaki bokonzi na Ejipito.
Then [several hundred years later], a new king began to rule [MTY] in Egypt. He did not know [what] Joseph [had done for the people of Egypt long ago].
9 Alobaki na bato na ye: « Botala bana ya Isalaele, bakomi ebele koleka biso mpe baleki biso na makasi.
He said to his people, “Look [at what has happened]! The Israeli people have become so numerous and so powerful that they [now might conquer] us!
10 Tosengeli kosala keba mpo na bango, mpo ete bakoma lisusu ebele te. Pamba te soki bitumba ekweyi, bakoki kokende na ngambo ya banguna na biso mpe kobundisa biso mpo ete babima na mokili oyo. »
We must find a way to control them! If we do not do that, their population will continue to grow. Then, if enemies [PRS] attack us, they will join with our enemies and fight against us, and they will escape from [our] land.”
11 Boye batiaki bakonzi ya misala makasi mpo na konyokola bana ya Isalaele na nzela ya misala makasi. Na bongo, batongelaki Faraon bingumba ya Pitomi mpe ya Ramisesi mpo ete ezala bisika ya kobomba biloko.
So [the king and his officials] put supervisors over the Israeli people to cause them to suffer very much by [forcing them] to work very hard. They forced [the Israeli people to] build [two] cities, Pithom and Ramses, in which to store [supplies for the king/government].
12 Kasi wana bazalaki konyokola bango, bazalaki kokoba kaka kobotana mpe kokoma ebele. Bongo bato ya Ejipito bakomaki kobanga bana ya Isalaele.
But the more cruelly they treated the [Israeli people], the bigger the Israeli [population] grew, and they became more numerous all over [the land]. So the Egyptian people began to be afraid of the Israeli people.
13 Bato ya Ejipito bakotisaki bana ya Isalaele na bowumbu ya makasi
They forced the Israeli people to work very hard,
14 mpe bakomaki konyokola bango na misala makasi: kosala potopoto, kobeta babiliki mpe kosala misala nyonso ya bilanga. Misala nyonso oyo bazalaki kosalisa bango ezalaki ya pasi mpe ya makasi.
and by making them slaves, they made their lives miserable. They [forced them] to [build many buildings with] mortar and bricks. [They also forced them to do] other work in the fields. [In making them do all this work, the Egyptian officials treated them] ruthlessly/cruelly.
15 Mokonzi ya Ejipito alobaki na basi oyo babotisaka basi ya Ba-Ebre, oyo bakombo na bango ezalaki Shifra mpe Puwa:
There were two Hebrew (midwives/women who helped the women when they were giving birth). [Hebrew means the same as Israeli.] The names of the women were Shiphrah and Puah. The king of Egypt said to [those two women],
16 « Tango bokobotisa basi ya Ba-Ebre, botala soki mwana nini abotami; soki azali mwana mobali, boboma ye; kasi soki azali mwana mwasi, botika ye na bomoi. »
“When you help the Hebrew women when they are giving birth [MTY], if [the baby that is born] is a boy, you must kill it. If [the baby] is a girl, you (may let it live/do not have to kill them).”
17 Kasi basi oyo babotisaka babangaki Nzambe mpe basalaki te makambo oyo mokonzi ya Ejipito atindaki bango kosala; batikaki bana mibali na bomoi.
But the midwives feared/revered God. So they did not do what the king told them to do. They allowed the baby boys to live.
18 Boye mokonzi ya Ejipito abengisaki basi oyo babotisaka mpe atunaki bango: — Mpo na nini bosali boye? Mpo na nini botiki bana mibali na bomoi?
So the king summoned the [two] midwives and said to them, “Why are you doing this? Why are you letting the baby boys live?”
19 Basi oyo babotisaka bazongiselaki Faraon: — Basi ya Ba-Ebre bazali lokola basi ya Ejipito te. Bazali makasi, babotaka liboso ete basi oyo babotisaka bakoma.
[One of] the midwives replied to the king, “[You need to realize that] the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. The Hebrew women are very strong/healthy. They give birth [to their babies] before we can get to them [to help them].”
20 Nzambe asalaki bolamu epai ya basi oyo babotisaka. Boye bana ya Isalaele bakobaki kaka kokoma ebele mpe makasi koleka.
So God acted kindly toward the midwives, and the [Hebrew] people became even more numerous and strong.
21 Lokola basi oyo babotisaka bazalaki kobanga Nzambe, Nzambe afulukisaki mabota na bango.
Furthermore, because the midwives feared/revered God, he enabled them also to give birth to children.
22 Bongo, Faraon apesaki mitindo epai ya bato na ye nyonso: « Bobwaka na ebale Nili bana mibali nyonso ya Isalaele oyo bakobotama, kasi botika na bomoi bana basi nyonso. »
Then the king commanded all (the [Egyptian] people/his [advisors]): “You must throw into the Nile [River] every baby boy born that the [Hebrew women] give birth to! But you can allow the baby girls to live.”
