Okuva 1
1 Gano ge mannya ga batabani ba Isirayiri, era ye Yakobo, abajja naye mu Misiri; buli omu n’ab’omu nnyumba ye:
These were the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob) who came with him to Egypt along with their families:
2 Lewubeeni, ne Simyoni, ne Leevi ne Yuda,
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;
3 ne Isakaali, ne Zebbulooni, ne Benyamini,
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
4 ne Ddaani, ne Nafutaali, ne Gaadi, ne Aseri.
Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
5 Abaana bonna awamu Yakobo yennyini be yazaala baali bawera nsanvu; Yusufu ye, yali yabeera dda mu Misiri.
Jacob had 70 descendants there, including Joseph who was already in Egypt.
6 Awo Yusufu n’afa; ne baganda be ne bonna ab’omulembe ogwo ne bafa.
Eventually Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died.
7 Naye Abayisirayiri ne bazaala nnyo, ne baala, ne bayitirira obungi, era ne baba ba maanyi nnyo; ne bajjula ekitundu ekyo mwe baali.
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 Awo ne waddawo kabaka omuggya mu Misiri ataamanya Yusufu.
Then a new king came to power who didn't know anything about Joseph.
9 N’agamba abantu be nti, “Abayisirayiri batuyitiriddeko obungi era ba maanyi.
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 Ka tubasalire amagezi baleme kweyongera bungi. Kubanga singa wagwawo olutalo ne beegatta n’abalabe baffe, ne batulwanyisa, balituddukako ne bava mu nsi eno.”
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 Bwe batyo ne babateekako bannampala bababonyeebonye n’emirimu egy’obuwaze; ne bazimbira Falaawo ebibuga eby’amaterekero, Pisomu ne Lamusesi.
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 Naye gye baakoma okutuntuzibwa, ate gye baakoma okweyongera obungi, ne basaasaana wonna. Abamisiri ne bakyawa abaana ba Isirayiri ate nga bwe babatya.
But the more the Israelites were mistreated, the more they grew in numbers and spread out—and the more the Egyptians detested them.
13 Ne bongera okutuntuza abaana ba Isirayiri n’obukambwe.
The Egyptians worked the Israelites brutally,
14 Obulamu bw’Abayisirayiri ne bubakaayirira nga bakozesebwa ng’abaddu; nga batabula ebbumba okukola amatoffaali; n’emirimu egya buli ngeri egikolebwa mu nnimiro. Mu mirimu egyo gyonna baabakozesanga n’amaanyi era n’obukambwe.
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 Awo kabaka w’e Misiri n’ayogera n’abazaalisa b’Abaebbulaniya, amannya gaabwe Sifira ne Puwa, n’abagamba nti,
Then the king gave orders to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah.
16 “Bwe mubanga muzaalisa abakazi Abaebbulaniya, ne mulaba ng’omwana wabulenzi, mumuttanga bussi, naye bw’abanga owoobuwala, mumulekanga n’alama.”
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 Naye abazaalisa baali batya Katonda, nga bamussaamu ekitiibwa, ebyo kabaka w’e Misiri bye yabalagira ne batabikolerako, n’abaana abalenzi nabo ne babaleka ne balama.
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 Kabaka w’e Misiri n’ayita abazaalisa, n’ababuuza nti, “Kiki ekibakozesezza bwe mutyo, okuleka abaana abalenzi ne balama?”
The king of Egypt called the midwives in and demanded to know, “Why have you done this— letting the male children live?”
19 Abazaalisa, ne baddamu Falaawo nti, “Abakazi Abaebbulaniya tebali ng’abakazi Abamisiri; bo balamu bulungi era ba maanyi; abazaalisa we bagendera okubatuukako nga bamaze okuzaala.”
“Hebrew women aren't like Egyptian women,” the midwives told Pharaoh. “They give birth more easily—they have them before we midwives arrive.”
20 Katonda, n’ayisanga bulungi abazaalisa n’abawa emikisa. Abaana ba Isirayiri ne beeyongera nnyo obungi era ne baba ba maanyi nnyo.
God treated the midwives well, and the people increased in number so there were even more of them.
21 Olwokubanga abazaalisa bassangamu Katonda ekitiibwa, nga bamutya, n’abawa ezzadde.
Because the midwives revered God, he gave them families of their own.
22 Falaawo n’alyoka alagira abantu be bonna nti, “Buli mwana wabulenzi Abaebbulaniya gwe banaazaalanga mumusuulanga mu mugga Kiyira, naye owoobuwala mumulekanga.”
Then Pharaoh issued this order to all his people: “Throw every Hebrew boy that's born into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
