U-Eksodusi 2
1 Kwasekusithi eyinye indoda esizweni sakoLevi yathatha owesifazane ongumLevi,
(There was a man who/My father) was descended from [Jacob’s son] Levi. He married a woman who was [also] descended from Levi.
2 wazithwala wabeletha indodana. Wabona ukuthi umntwana wayemuhle kakhulu, wasemfihla okwezinyanga ezintathu.
She became pregnant and gave birth to (a baby boy/me). When she saw that he/I was a good-looking baby, she hid him/me for three months, [because she was not willing to do what the king commanded].
3 Kodwa kwathi lapho sekusehlula ukuthi amfihle, wenza isitsha semizi, wasibhada ngodaka lengcino. Wafaka umntwana phakathi kwaso wayasibeka okhunjini lomfula uNayili phakathi kwemihlanga.
When she was unable to (hide him/me/keep it a secret) any longer, she got a basket made from tall reeds. She covered the basket with tar ([to make it waterproof/so water could not get in]). Then she put him/me in the basket and put the basket in [the water] in the middle of the tall grass at the edge of the Nile [River].
4 Udadewabo wema bucwala ukuba abone okwenzakala kuye.
His/My older sister was standing not far away, [watching to see] what would happen to him/me.
5 Indodakazi kaFaro yehlela emfuleni ukuyageza, amantombazana ayikhangelayo ayehamba okhunjini lomfula. Yasisibona isitsha phakathi kwemihlanga yathuma incekukazi yayo ukuyasithatha.
[Soon] the king’s daughter went down to the river to bathe. Her female servants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket amid the tall grass [in the river]. So she sent [one of] her servants to get it.
6 Yasivula yambona umntwana. Wayekhala, yasimzwela usizi yathi, “Lo ngomunye wabantwana bamaHebheru.”
When [the servant brought the basket to her], she opened it, and was surprised to see (a baby that was/me), crying. She felt sorry for him/me, and said, “This [must] be one of the Hebrews’ babies.”
7 Udadewabo wasesithi endodakazini kaFaro, “Ngingayakudingela omunye wabesifazane bamaHebheru ukuthi akondlele umntwana na?”
Then (the baby’s/my) [older] sister [approached] the king’s daughter and said, “Do you want me to go and find someone from among the Hebrew women who will [be able to] nurse the baby for you?”
8 Yasisithi, “Yebo, hamba.” Intombazana yasuka yayabiza unina womntwana.
The king’s daughter said to her, “[Yes], go [and find one].” So the girl went and summoned (the baby’s/my) mother.
9 Indodakazi kaFaro yathi kuye, “Mthathe lumntwana ungondlele yena, ngizakupha isondlo.” Ngakho owesifazane wamthatha umntwana wamondla.
The king’s daughter said to her, “[Please] take this baby and nurse him for me. I will pay you [for doing that].” So (the woman/my mother) took him/me and nursed him/me.
10 Esekhulile umntwana, wamthatha wamusa endodakazini kaFaro wasesiba ngumntanayo. Yasimutha ibizo yathi nguMosi ngoba yathi, “Ngamkhupha emanzini.”
([A few years later]/when (the child/I) grew [older]), she brought him/me to the king’s daughter. She adopted him/me [as though I was] her own son. She named him/me Moses, [which sounds like the Hebrew words ‘pull out’], because she said “I pulled him out of the water.”
11 Ngelinye ilanga, uMosi esekhulile, waya lapho okwakusebenzela khona abantu bakibo, wabona ukuthi babethwele nzima kanjani. Wabona umGibhithe etshaya umHebheru, omunye wabantu bakibo.
One day, after Moses/I had grown up, he/I went out [of the palace area] to see his/my people, [the Hebrews]. He/I saw how they were being [forced to work] very hard. He/I [also] saw an Egyptian [man] beating one of his/my Hebrew people.
12 Wathi thala ngapha langapha wabona kungelamuntu, wasebulala umGibhithe wamfihla etshebetshebeni.
He/I looked around [to see if anyone was watching]. Seeing no one, he/I killed the Egyptian man and buried his [body] in the sand.
13 Ngelanga elilandelayo waphuma njalo wabona amaHebheru amabili esilwa. Wasebuza lo owayephambanisile wathi, “Kungani utshaya owakini ongumHebheru na?”
The next day he/I returned [to the same place]. He/I was surprised to see two Hebrew men who were fighting [each other]. He/I said to the man who started the fight, “Why are you (you should not be) striking your fellow [Hebrew].”
14 Indoda leyo yathi, “Ngubani okwenze waba ngumbusi lomahluleli wethu? Usucabanga ukungibulala na njengoba ubulele umGibhithe?” Ngalokho uMosi wesaba wacabanga ukuthi, “Engxenye engikwenzileyo sekusazakala.”
The man replied, “(Who made you our ruler and judge?/No one made you our ruler and judge!) [RHQ] [You have no right to interfere with us] Are you going to kill me just like you killed that Egyptian man [yesterday]?” Then Moses/I was afraid, [because] he/I thought, “[Since that man knows what I did], surely [other people] know, [too].”
15 Kwathi uFaro ekuzwa lokho, wazama ukubulala uMosi, kodwa uMosi wabalekela eMidiyani, lapho afika khona wahlala phansi eduze komthombo.
[And that was correct]. The king heard about what he/I had done [to that Egyptian. So he ordered his soldiers to] execute/kill Moses/me. But he/I fled from the king [and left Egypt. He/I traveled east to] the Midian [region] and started to live there.
16 Umphristi waseMidiyani wayelamadodakazi ayisikhombisa, afika ezokukha amanzi lokukhelela imikolo ukuze anathise izimvu zikayise.
The man who was the (priest/one who offered the people’s gifts to God) for the Midian people, [whose name was Jethro], had seven daughters. [One day] as Moses/I sat down beside a well, those girls came [to the well] and got water, and filled the troughs in order to give water to their father’s flock [of sheep].
17 Kwafika abelusi abathile bawaxotsha, kodwa uMosi wasukuma wawalamulela wanathisa izimvu zawo.
Some (shepherds/men who took care of other sheep) came and started to chase away the girls. But Moses/I helped/rescued the girls, and got water for their sheep.
18 Kwathi izintombi sezibuyele kuyise eRuweli wazibuza esithi, “Kungani lamhla liphangisile ukuphenduka?”
When the girls returned to their father [Jethro], [whose other name is] Reuel, he asked them, “How is it that you were able to [give water to the sheep and] come home so quickly today?”
19 Zaphendula zathi, “KulomGibhithe osilamulele kubelusi. Uze wasikhelela amanzi wanathisa lezimvu zethu.”
They replied, “A man from Egypt kept [MTY] other shepherds from sending us away. He also got water for us [from the well] and gave water to the flock [of sheep].”
20 Wawabuza amadodakazi akhe wathi, “Ungaphi? Limtshiyeleni? Mbizeni ukuze azothola okokudla.”
He said to his daughters, “Where is he? (Why did you leave him [out there]?/You should not leave him [out there]!) [RHQ] Invite him [in], so he can have something to eat [MTY]!”
21 UMosi wavuma ukuzehlala lale indoda, eyamnika indodakazi yayo uZiphora ukuthi abe ngumkakhe.
[So they did], and Moses/I [accepted and ate with them]. And Moses/I decided to live there. Later Jethro gave him/me his daughter Zipporah [to be his/my wife].
22 UZiphora wazala indodana, uMosi wayitha ibizo wathi nguGeshomu ngoba esithi, “Sengibe ngumuntu wezizweni endaweni yabezizweni.”
Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses/I named him Gershom, [which sounds like the Hebrew words that mean ‘foreigner’], because he/I said, “I am living as a foreigner in [this] land.”
23 Emva kwesikhathi eside, inkosi yaseGibhithe yafa. Abako-Israyeli bakhala babubula ebugqilini babo, kwasekusithi ukukhala kwabo becela usizo ngenxa yobugqili ababekubo kwafinyelela kuNkulunkulu.
Many years later the king of Egypt died. The Israeli people [in Egypt] were still groaning because of the [hard work they had to do as] slaves. They called out for [someone to] help them, and God heard them call out [PRS].
24 UNkulunkulu wakuzwa ukububula kwabo wasekhumbula isivumelwano asenza lo-Abhrahama, lo-Isaka loJakhobe.
He heard them groaning. And he (thought about/did not forget) that he had solemnly promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob [to bless their descendants].
25 Ngakho uNkulunkulu wakhangela abako-Israyeli, wakhathazeka ngabo.
God saw how the Israeli people were [being badly treated], and he was concerned about them.
