U-Eksodusi 4
1 UMosi waphendula wathi, “Pho bangayekela ukungikholwa loba ukulalela engikutshoyo bathi, ‘uThixo kazange abonakale kuwe’?”
And Moses answers and says, “And if they do not give credence to me, nor listen to my voice, and say, YHWH has not appeared to you?”
2 UThixo wathi kuye, “Kuyini lokho okusesandleni sakho?” Waphendula wathi, “Yintonga.”
And YHWH says to him, “What [is] this in your hand?” And he says, “A rod”;
3 UThixo wathi, “Iphosele phansi emhlabathini.” UMosi wayiphosa phansi yasiphenduka yaba yinyoka, wayibalekela.
and He says, “Cast it to the earth”; and he casts it to the earth, and it becomes a serpent—and Moses flees from its presence.
4 UThixo wasesithi kuye, “Yelula isandla sakho uyibambe ngomsila.” UMosi welula isandla wayibamba inyoka yasiphenduka yaba yintonga esandleni sakhe.
And YHWH says to Moses, “Put forth your hand, and lay hold on the tail of it”; and he puts forth his hand, and lays hold on it, and it becomes 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.”
“so that they believe that YHWH, God of their fathers, has appeared to you, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob.”
6 UThixo wabuye wathi, “Faka isandla sakho phakathi kwejazi lakho.” UMosi wasefaka isandla sakhe ejazini lakhe, kwathi lapho esesikhupha, sasesimhlophe njengongqwaqwane sesilobulephero.
And YHWH says to him again, “Now put your hand into your bosom”; and he puts his hand into his bosom, and he brings it out, and behold, his hand [is] 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 says, “Put your hand back into your bosom”; and he puts his hand back into his bosom, and he brings it out from his bosom, and behold, it has turned back as his flesh—
8 UThixo wasesithi, “Nxa bengayikukholwa loba bengananzi izibonakaliso zokuqala, mhlawumbe bazakholwa ezesibili.
“and it has come to pass, if they do not give credence to you, and do not listen to the voice of the first sign, that they have given credence to 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 has come to pass, if they do not give credence even to these two signs, nor listen to your voice, that you have taken of the waters of the River, and have poured [it] on the dry land, and the waters which you take from the River have been, indeed, they have become blood on 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 says to YHWH, “O my Lord, I [am] not a man of words, either yesterday, or before, or since Your speaking to Your servant, for I [am] slow of mouth, and slow of 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 YHWH says to him, “Who appointed a mouth for man? Or who appoints the mute, or deaf, or open, or blind? Is it not I, YHWH?
12 Ngakho hamba, ngizakusiza ukuthi ukhulume njalo ngikufundise lokuthi uthini.”
And now, go, and I am with your mouth, and have directed you that which you speak”;
13 Kodwa uMosi wathi, “Oh Thixo, ngicela uthume omunye ukuthi ayekwenza lokhu.”
and he says, “O my Lord, please send by the hand [of another that] You 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 YHWH burns against Moses, and He says, “Is Aaron the Levite not your brother? I have known that he speaks well, and also, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he has seen you, then he has rejoiced in his heart,
15 Uzakhuluma laye ufake amazwi emlonyeni wakhe. Ngizaliphathisa lobabili ukuthi likhulume njalo ngizalifundisa ukuthi lenzeni.
and you have spoken to him, and have set the words in his mouth, and I am with your mouth, and with his mouth, and have directed you that which you do;
16 Yena uzakukhulumela ebantwini, njalo kuzakuba sengani nguye ongumlomo wakho njalo kube angani wena unguNkulunkulu kuye.
and he, he has spoken to the people for you, and it has come to pass, he is to you for a mouth, and you are to him for God;
17 Kodwa phatha intonga le esandleni sakho ukuze wenze izimangaliso ngayo.”
and you take this rod in your hand, with which you 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 goes and turns back to his father-in-law Jethro, and says to him, “Please let me go, and I return to my brothers who [are] in Egypt, and I see whether they are yet alive.” And Jethro says to Moses, “Go in peace.”
19 UThixo wayethe kuMosi eMidiyani, “Buyela eGibhithe, ngoba bonke abantu ababefuna ukukubulala sebafa.”
And YHWH says to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt, for all the men who seek your life have died”;
20 Ngakho uMosi wathatha umkakhe kanye lamadodana akhe, wabakhweza kubabhemi waqala uhambo lokubuyela eGibhithe. Wathatha intonga kaNkulunkulu wayiphatha ngesandla.
and Moses takes his wife, and his sons, and causes them to ride on the donkey, and turns back to the land of Egypt, and Moses takes 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 YHWH says to Moses, “In your going to return to Egypt, see—all the wonders which I have put in your hand—that you have done them before Pharaoh, and I strengthen his heart, and he does not send the people away;
22 Uzakuthi kuFaro, ‘uThixo uthi u-Israyeli yindodana yami elizibulo,
and you have said to Pharaoh, Thus said YHWH: My son, My firstborn [is] Israel,
23 njalo ngakutshela ngathi, “Vumela indodana yami ihambe, ukuze iyengikhonza.” Kodwa wena wala ukuyivumela ukuba ihambe; ngakho ngizabulala indodana yakho elizibulo.’”
and I say to you, send My son away, and he serves Me; and [if] you refuse to send him away, behold, I am slaying your son, your firstborn.”
24 Kwathi besesendleleni, endlini yezihambi, uThixo wahlangana loMosi wafuna ukumbulala.
And it comes to pass in the way, in a lodging place, that YHWH meets him, and seeks to put him to death;
25 Kodwa uZiphora wayisoka indodana yakhe, wathatha isikhumba sakhona wasethinta inyawo zikaMosi ngaso. Wathi, “Impela wena ungumyeni wegazi.”
and Zipporah takes a flint, and cuts off the foreskin of her son, and causes [it] to touch his feet, and says, “You [are] surely a bridegroom of blood to me”;
26 Ngakho uThixo wamyekela. (Ngalesosikhathi uZiphora wathi “umyeni wegazi,” esitsho ukusoka.)
and He desists from him. Then she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” in reference to the circumcision.
27 UThixo wathi ku-Aroni, “Hamba uye enkangala uhlangabezane loMosi.” Ngakho wasuka wayahlangana loMosi entabeni kaThixo wamanga.
And YHWH says to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses”; and he goes, and meets him on the mountain of God, and kisses him,
28 UMosi wamtshela u-Aroni konke uThixo ayemthume ukuthi akutsho, njalo langazo zonke izibonakaliso ezimangalisayo ayemlaye ukuba azenze.
and Moses declares to Aaron all the words of YHWH with which He has sent him, and all the signs with which He has charged him.
29 UMosi lo-Aroni bahamba bafika baqoqa bonke abadala bako-Israyeli,
And Moses goes—Aaron also—and they gather all the elderly of the sons of Israel,
30 u-Aroni wasebatshela konke uThixo ayekutshele uMosi. Wenza lezibonakaliso phambi kwabantu,
and Aaron speaks all the words which YHWH has spoken to Moses, and does the signs before the eyes of the people;
31 bakholwa. Kwathi besizwa ukuthi uThixo uyabakhathalela, njalo wayelubonile usizi lwabo, bakhothama phansi bamkhonza.
and the people believe when they hear that YHWH has looked after the sons of Israel, and that He has seen their affliction; and they bow and pay respect.
