U-Eksodusi 7
1 UThixo wasesithi kuMosi, “Khangela, sengikwenze wafana loNkulunkulu kuFaro, njalo umfowenu u-Aroni uzakuba ngumphrofethi wakho.
Then Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Listen [carefully]. [Just like I enabled prophet to speak my messages], I will cause the king [to consider that] you are like a god, and that Aaron is like a prophet.
2 Uzakhuluma konke engizakulaya khona njalo umfowenu u-Aroni uzatshela uFaro ukuthi avumele abako-Israyeli ukuba basuke elizweni lakhe.
You must tell everything I command you [to tell to your older] brother Aaron, and he will tell that to the king. He must tell the king to let the Israeli people leave his land.
3 Kodwa ngizakwenza inhliziyo kaFaro ibe lukhuni, njalo lanxa ngizakwandisa izimangaliso zami elizweni laseGibhithe,
But I will make the king stubborn [IDM]. As a result, even though I perform many kinds of (miracles/terrifying things) [DOU] [here] in Egypt,
4 kasoze alilalele. Sekunjalo ngizakwelula isandla sami phezu kweGibhithe, njalo ngezenzo zami zokwahlulela ezilamandla, ngizakwahlukanisa abantu.
the king will not pay any attention to what you say. Then I will punish [MTY] the people of Egypt [MTY] very severely [MTY], and I will lead/bring the tribes of the Israeli people out of Egypt.
5 Njalo abantu baseGibhithe bazakwazi ukuthi ngempela mina nginguThixo lapho sengiselula isandla sami phezu kweGibhithe, besengikhupha abako-Israyeli kulelolizwe.”
Then, when I show my great power [MTY] to the Egyptian people and bring the Israeli people out from among them, they will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].”
6 UMosi lo-Aroni benza njengokulaywa kwabo nguThixo.
Aaron and Moses/I did what Yahweh told them/us to do. They/We [went and spoke to the king].
7 UMosi wayeleminyaka engamatshumi ayisificaminwembili ubudala, u-Aroni wayeleminyaka engamatshumi ayisificaminwembili lantathu ngesikhathi bekhuluma loFaro.
At that time, Moses/I was 80 years old, and Aaron was 83 years old.
8 UThixo wathi kuMosi lo-Aroni,
Yahweh said to Moses/me,
9 “Nxa uFaro angathi kini limenzele isimangaliso, wena uzakuthi ku-Aroni, ‘Thatha intonga yakho uyiphose phambi kukaFaro,’ izaphenduka ibe yinyoka.”
“If the king says to you, ‘Prove [that God sent] you by performing a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Throw your stick down in front of the king, in order that it may become a snake.’”
10 Ngakho uMosi lo-Aroni baya kuFaro. Bafika benza njengokulaywa kwabo nguThixo. U-Aroni waphosa intonga yakhe phansi phambi kukaFaro lezikhulu zakhe, yaphenduka yaba yinyoka.
So Aaron and Moses/I went to the king and did what Yahweh had commanded [them/us to do]. Aaron threw his stick down in front of the king and his officials, and it became a snake.
11 UFaro wasebiza izanuse lezinyanga zaseGibhithe. Lazo zenza izimanga ngendlela efanayo.
Then the king summoned his sorcerers and men who performed magic. They did the same thing, using their magic.
12 Bonke baphosela intonga zabo phansi zaphenduka zaba zinyoka. Kodwa inyoka ka-Aroni yaziginya zonke izinyoka.
They all threw down their sticks, and they became snakes. But Aaron’s stick, [which had become a snake], swallowed up all their sticks!
13 Kodwa-ke, lanxa kwabanjalo, inhliziyo kaFaro yala ilokhu ilukhuni; njengoba uThixo wayetshilo.
But the king continued to be stubborn [IDM], just as Yahweh had predicted, and he would not pay attention to [what Aaron and Moses/I said].
14 UThixo wasesithi kuMosi, “Inhliziyo kaFaro ilukhuni; uyala ukuthi abantu bahambe.
Then Yahweh said to Moses/me, “The king is very stubborn [IDM]. He refuses to allow [my] people to go.
15 Yana kuFaro ekuseni, ngesikhathi esehlela emfuleni. Ubokuma okhunjini lomfula uNayili, umhlangabeze uphethe intonga eyaphenduka yaba yinyoka.
So [tomorrow] morning, go to him as he is going down to the [Nile] River [to bathe]. Wait for him at the riverbank. [When he comes out of the water, show] him the stick, the one which became a snake.
16 Ubokuthi kuye, ‘uThixo, uNkulunkulu wamaHebheru ungithumile njalo kuwe ukuba ngizekutshela ukuthi: Vumela abantu bami ukuthi bahambe, ukuze bayengikhonza enkangala. Kodwa kuze kube khathesi kawukalaleli.
Say to him, ‘Yahweh God, the one [we] Hebrews [worship], sent me to you to tell you to let my people go, in order that they may worship him in the desert. [We told you that], but you have not paid any attention to it.
17 UThixo uthi, Ngalokhu uzakwazi ukuthi nginguThixo: Ngentonga esesandleni sami ngizatshaya amanzi kaNayili njalo azaphenduka abe ligazi.
[So now] Yahweh says this: “This is the way you will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do]. Watch this: I am going to strike the water that is in the Nile [River] with the stick that is in my hand. [When I do that], the water will become blood (OR, [red like] blood [MTY]).
18 Inhlanzi kuNayili zizakufa, amanzi omfula azanuka athi phu, ngakho abantu baseGibhithe abangeke babe besawanatha.’”
Then the fish in the Nile [River] will die, and the [water in] the river will stink, and the Egyptians will not be able to drink water from the Nile River.”’”
19 UThixo wasesithi kuMosi, “Tshela u-Aroni uthi ‘thatha intonga yakho welulele isandla sakho phezu kwamanzi eGibhithe, lakuyo yonke imifula yakhona lemisele yamanzi, amaxhaphozi, lamachibi, wonke amanzi alapho azaphenduka abe ligazi.’ Igazi lizagcwala eGibhithe lasezinkonxeni zezigodo lasezitsheni zamatshe.”
Yahweh said to Moses/me, “[When you are talking to the king], say to Aaron, ‘Hold your stick out [as though you were holding it] over the water in Egypt—over the rivers, the canals, the ponds, and over the pools of water, in order that [all of it] may become [red like] blood.’ When Aaron does that, there will be blood throughout Egypt, even in wooden jars and in stone jars.”
20 UMosi lo-Aroni benza njengokulaywa kwabo nguThixo. Waphakamisa intonga yakhe phambi kukaFaro lezikhulu zakhe watshaya amanzi kaNayili aphenduka aba ligazi.
So Aaron and Moses/I did what Yahweh commanded. As the king and his officials were watching, Aaron lifted up his stick and then struck the water in the Nile [River] with it. And all the water in the river turned [red like] blood.
21 Inhlanzi zikaNayili zafa. Umfula wanuka kubi okokuthi abaseGibhithe babengeke bawanathe amanzi akhona. Igazi laseligcwele indawo yonke.
Then all the fish died. And the water stank, with the result that the Egyptians could not drink water from the river. Everywhere in Egypt [the water] became [red like] blood.
22 Kodwa izanuse zaseGibhithe lazo ngemilingo yazo zenza izimanga ezifananayo. Ngalokho inhliziyo kaFaro yala ilokhu ilukhuni. Kabalalelanga oMosi lo-Aroni njengoba uThixo wayevele etshilo.
But the men who performed magic did the same thing using their magic. So the king remained stubborn [IDM], and he would not pay attention to what Aaron and Moses/I said, just as Yahweh had predicted.
23 UFaro wabuyela esigodlweni sakhe engakunaki lokho.
The king turned and went back to his palace, and he did not think any more about it [IDM].
24 Sekunjalo abaseGibhithe bemba imithombo okhunjini lomfula uNayili ukuba bathole amanzi okunatha, ngoba babengeke babe besawanatha awomfula.
The Egyptians [HYP] dug [into the ground] near the Nile [River] to get water to drink, because they could not drink the water from the river.
25 Kwedlula insuku eziyisikhombisa ngemva kokuba uThixo enze amanzi kaNayili aba ligazi.
(One week/Seven days) passed after Yahweh caused the water in the Nile [River to become red like blood].
