< Kobima 1 >

1 Tala bakombo ya bana ya Isalaele oyo bakendeki na Ejipito elongo na Jakobi, moko na moko elongo na libota na ye:
Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Jacob):
2 Ribeni, Simeoni, Levi mpe Yuda;
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
3 Isakari, Zabuloni mpe Benjame;
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
4 Dani mpe Nefitali; Gadi mpe Aseri.
Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
5 Bakitani ya Jakobi bazalaki bango nyonso tuku sambo. Nzokande Jozefi amizalelaki na Ejipito.
All the souls who came out of Jacob’s body were seventy souls, and Joseph was in Egypt already.
6 Jozefi mpe bandeko na ye nyonso ya mibali elongo na bato ya ekeke na bango basilaki na kokufa.
Joseph died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation.
7 Kasi bana ya Isalaele babotanaki mingi mpe bakomaki ebele penza. Bakomaki lisusu ebele koleka mpe makasi mingi: batondisaki mokili ya Ejipito.
The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8 Mokonzi moko ya sika, oyo ayebaki Jozefi te, azwaki bokonzi na Ejipito.
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn’t know Joseph.
9 Alobaki na bato na ye: « Botala bana ya Isalaele, bakomi ebele koleka biso mpe baleki biso na makasi.
He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we.
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. »
Come, let’s deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies and fight against us, and escape out of the 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.
Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses.
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 they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. They started to dread the children of Israel.
13 Bato ya Ejipito bakotisaki bana ya Isalaele na bowumbu ya makasi
The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve,
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 they made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.
15 Mokonzi ya Ejipito alobaki na basi oyo babotisaka basi ya Ba-Ebre, oyo bakombo na bango ezalaki Shifra mpe Puwa:
The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah,
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. »
and he said, “When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”
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 God, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.
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?
The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, “Why have you done this thing and saved the boys alive?”
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.
The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women aren’t like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”
20 Nzambe asalaki bolamu epai ya basi oyo babotisaka. Boye bana ya Isalaele bakobaki kaka kokoma ebele mpe makasi koleka.
God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty.
21 Lokola basi oyo babotisaka bazalaki kobanga Nzambe, Nzambe afulukisaki mabota na bango.
Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.
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. »
Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “You shall cast every son who is born into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”

< Kobima 1 >