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, The LORD hath not appeared to thee.

2 UThixo wathi kuye, “Kuyini lokho okusesandleni sakho?” Waphendula wathi, “Yintonga.”

And the LORD 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 it 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 the LORD said to Moses, Put forth thy hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught 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 the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath 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 the LORD 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 drew it out of his bosom, and 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, neither 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 also these two signs, neither hearken to thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour [it] upon the dry [land]: and the water which thou takest 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 the LORD, O my Lord, I [am] not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoke to thy servant: but 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 the LORD said to him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD.

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 shalt say.

13 Kodwa uMosi wathi, “Oh Thixo, ngicela uthume omunye ukuthi ayekwenza lokhu.”

And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand [of him whom] thou wilt 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 the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, [Is] not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth 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 shalt speak to him, and put 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 speak for thee to the people: and he shall be, [even] he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.

17 Kodwa phatha intonga le esandleni sakho ukuze wenze izimangaliso ngayo.”

And thou shalt take this rod in thy hand, with which thou shalt perform 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 brethren who [are] in Egypt, and see whether they are yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

19 UThixo wayethe kuMosi eMidiyani, “Buyela eGibhithe, ngoba bonke abantu ababefuna ukukubulala sebafa.”

And the LORD 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 an ass, 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 the LORD said to Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou perform all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in thy hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

22 Uzakuthi kuFaro, ‘uThixo uthi u-Israyeli yindodana yami elizibulo,

And thou shalt say to Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel [is] my son, [even] my first-born.

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 thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou shalt refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, [even] thy first-born.

24 Kwathi besesendleleni, endlini yezihambi, uThixo wahlangana loMosi wafuna ukumbulala.

And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD 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 sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast [it] at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband [art] thou to me.

26 Ngakho uThixo wamyekela. (Ngalesosikhathi uZiphora wathi “umyeni wegazi,” esitsho ukusoka.)

So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband [thou art], because of the circumcision.

27 UThixo wathi ku-Aroni, “Hamba uye enkangala uhlangabezane loMosi.” Ngakho wasuka wayahlangana loMosi entabeni kaThixo wamanga.

And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount 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 the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.

29 UMosi lo-Aroni bahamba bafika baqoqa bonke abadala bako-Israyeli,

And Moses and Aaron went, and assembled all the elders of the children of Israel:

30 u-Aroni wasebatshela konke uThixo ayekutshele uMosi. Wenza lezibonakaliso phambi kwabantu,

And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses, and performed 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 the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads, and worshiped.