U-Eksodusi 4
1 UMosi waphendula wathi, “Pho bangayekela ukungikholwa loba ukulalela engikutshoyo bathi, ‘uThixo kazange abonakale kuwe’?”
And Moses answered and said, But behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken to my voice, for they will say, Jehovah has not appeared to thee.
2 UThixo wathi kuye, “Kuyini lokho okusesandleni sakho?” Waphendula wathi, “Yintonga.”
And Jehovah said to him, What is that in thy hand? And he said, A rod.
3 UThixo wathi, “Iphosele phansi emhlabathini.” UMosi wayiphosa phansi yasiphenduka yaba yinyoka, wayibalekela.
And he said, Cast in on the ground. And he cast it on the ground. And it became a serpent, and Moses fled from before it.
4 UThixo wasesithi kuye, “Yelula isandla sakho uyibambe ngomsila.” UMosi welula isandla wayibamba inyoka yasiphenduka yaba yintonga esandleni sakhe.
And Jehovah said to Moses, Put forth thy hand, and take it by the tail (and he put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand),
5 UThixo wathi, “Lokhu yikwenzela ukuthi bakholwe ukuthi uThixo, uNkulunkulu waboyise, uNkulunkulu ka-Abhrahama, uNkulunkulu ka-Isaka loNkulunkulu kaJakhobe ubonakele kuwe.”
that they may believe that Jehovah, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to thee.
6 UThixo wabuye wathi, “Faka isandla sakho phakathi kwejazi lakho.” UMosi wasefaka isandla sakhe ejazini lakhe, kwathi lapho esesikhupha, sasesimhlophe njengongqwaqwane sesilobulephero.
And Jehovah said furthermore to him, Put now thy hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom. And when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as snow.
7 Wathi njalo, “Sibuyisele isandla sakho ejazini lakho.” UMosi wasifaka isandla sakhe ejazini lakhe, wathi esesikhupha sasesibuyele esimeni saso, sesifanana lejwabu lakhe.
And he said, Put thy hand into thy bosom again. (And he put his hand into his bosom again, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.)
8 UThixo wasesithi, “Nxa bengayikukholwa loba bengananzi izibonakaliso zokuqala, mhlawumbe bazakholwa ezesibili.
And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, nor hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.
9 Kodwa nxa bengakholwa izibonakaliso lezi ezimbili loba bengakulaleli, uzathatha amanzi emfuleni uNayili uwathele emhlabathini owomileyo. Amanzi ozawathatha emfuleni azaphenduka abe ligazi emhlabathini owomileyo.”
And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe even these two signs, nor hearken to thy voice, that thou shall take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land. And the water which thou take out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.
10 UMosi wasesithi kuThixo, “Oh Thixo, ngixolele, angizange ngibe yisikhulumi kusukela emuva kuze kube lakhathesi ukhuluma lenceku yakho. Ngiyagagasa njalo ngilamalimi.”
And Moses said to Jehovah, Oh, Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou have spoken to thy servant, for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
11 UThixo wathi kuye, “Ngubani owapha umuntu umlomo? Ngubani omenza abe yisacuthe loba abe yisimungulu? Ngubani omenza abone loba abe yisiphofu? Akusimi uThixo na?
And Jehovah said to him, Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes a man dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, Jehovah?
12 Ngakho hamba, ngizakusiza ukuthi ukhulume njalo ngikufundise lokuthi uthini.”
Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shall speak.
13 Kodwa uMosi wathi, “Oh Thixo, ngicela uthume omunye ukuthi ayekwenza lokhu.”
And he said, Oh, Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou will send.
14 UThixo wathukuthela, ulaka lwakhe lwavutha kuMosi, wathi, “Umfowenu u-Aroni, ongumLevi ke? Ngiyazi ukuthi uyenelisa ukukhuluma kuhle. Uvele usendleleni ukuzahlangana lawe, njalo inhliziyo yakhe izathokoza ukukubona.
And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is there not Aaron thy brother the Levite? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he comes forth to meet thee, and when he sees thee, he will be glad in his heart.
15 Uzakhuluma laye ufake amazwi emlonyeni wakhe. Ngizaliphathisa lobabili ukuthi likhulume njalo ngizalifundisa ukuthi lenzeni.
And thou shall speak to him, and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do,
16 Yena uzakukhulumela ebantwini, njalo kuzakuba sengani nguye ongumlomo wakho njalo kube angani wena unguNkulunkulu kuye.
and he shall be thy spokesman to the people. And it shall come to pass, that he shall be to thee a mouth, and thou shall be to him as God.
17 Kodwa phatha intonga le esandleni sakho ukuze wenze izimangaliso ngayo.”
And thou shall take this rod in thy hand, with which thou shall do the signs.
18 UMosi wasebuyela kuyisezala uJethro wathi kuye, “Bengicela ukubuyela ebantwini bakithi eGibhithe ukuthi ngiyebona kumbe balokhu besaphilile.” UJethro wathi kuye, “Hamba kuhle.”
And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.
19 UThixo wayethe kuMosi eMidiyani, “Buyela eGibhithe, ngoba bonke abantu ababefuna ukukubulala sebafa.”
And Jehovah said to Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt, for all the men are dead who sought thy life.
20 Ngakho uMosi wathatha umkakhe kanye lamadodana akhe, wabakhweza kubabhemi waqala uhambo lokubuyela eGibhithe. Wathatha intonga kaNkulunkulu wayiphatha ngesandla.
And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
21 UThixo wathi kuMosi, “Ekubuyeleni kwakho eGibhithe, bona ukuthi uyazenza zonke izimangaliso engikuphe amandla okuba uzenze phambi kukaFaro. Kodwa ngizakwenza inhliziyo yakhe ibe lukhuni ukuba angabavumeli abantu ukuthi basuke.
And Jehovah said to Moses, When thou go back into Egypt, see that thou do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in thy hand, but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go.
22 Uzakuthi kuFaro, ‘uThixo uthi u-Israyeli yindodana yami elizibulo,
And thou shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says Jehovah, Israel is my son, my firstborn,
23 njalo ngakutshela ngathi, “Vumela indodana yami ihambe, ukuze iyengikhonza.” Kodwa wena wala ukuyivumela ukuba ihambe; ngakho ngizabulala indodana yakho elizibulo.’”
and I have said to thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me, and thou have refused to let him go. Behold, I will slay thy son, thy firstborn.
24 Kwathi besesendleleni, endlini yezihambi, uThixo wahlangana loMosi wafuna ukumbulala.
And it came to pass on the way at the lodging-place, that Jehovah met him, and sought to kill him.
25 Kodwa uZiphora wayisoka indodana yakhe, wathatha isikhumba sakhona wasethinta inyawo zikaMosi ngaso. Wathi, “Impela wena ungumyeni wegazi.”
Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet. And she said, Surely a bridegroom of blood thou are to me.
26 Ngakho uThixo wamyekela. (Ngalesosikhathi uZiphora wathi “umyeni wegazi,” esitsho ukusoka.)
So he let him alone. Then she said, A bridegroom of blood thou are, because of the circumcision.
27 UThixo wathi ku-Aroni, “Hamba uye enkangala uhlangabezane loMosi.” Ngakho wasuka wayahlangana loMosi entabeni kaThixo wamanga.
And Jehovah said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him.
28 UMosi wamtshela u-Aroni konke uThixo ayemthume ukuthi akutsho, njalo langazo zonke izibonakaliso ezimangalisayo ayemlaye ukuba azenze.
And Moses told Aaron all the words of Jehovah with which he had sent him, and all the signs with which he had ordered him.
29 UMosi lo-Aroni bahamba bafika baqoqa bonke abadala bako-Israyeli,
And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the sons of Israel.
30 u-Aroni wasebatshela konke uThixo ayekutshele uMosi. Wenza lezibonakaliso phambi kwabantu,
And Aaron spoke all the words which Jehovah had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.
31 bakholwa. Kwathi besizwa ukuthi uThixo uyabakhathalela, njalo wayelubonile usizi lwabo, bakhothama phansi bamkhonza.
And the people believed. And when they heard that Jehovah had visited the sons of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.
