U-Eksodusi 1
1 La ngamabizo amadodana ka-Israyeli aya eGibhithe loJakhobe, munye ngamunye lemuli yakhe:
These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household:
2 uRubheni, uSimiyoni, uLevi loJuda;
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
3 u-Isakhari, uZebhuluni loBhenjamini,
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
4 uDani loNafithali; uGadi lo-Asheri.
Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
5 Inzalo yonke kaJakhobe yayingamatshumi ayisikhombisa. UJosefa wayevele eseseGibhithe.
All the people who were directly descended from Jacob were seventy-five, and Joseph was in Egypt already.
6 Kwathi uJosefa labo bonke abafowabo kanye lasosonke lesosizukulwane sebefile,
Joseph died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation.
7 abako-Israyeli bazalana banda kakhulu, okokuthi ilizwe lonke lagcwala ngabo.
The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8 Kwasekusiba lenye inkosi eyayingazi lutho ngoJosefa, yaba ngumbusi eGibhithe.
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
9 Yathi ebantwini bayo, “Khangelani, abantu bako-Israyeli sebebanengi kakhulu kulathi.
He said to his people, "Look, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we.
10 Asiboneni amacebo esingawenza ngabo funa bande kakhulu kuthi lapho kuqhamuka impi, babambane lezitha zethu, balwe lathi, besebesuka elizweni.”
Come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies, and fight against us, and escape out of the land."
11 Ngakho babeka izinduna zezigqili ukuthi zibasebenzise kanzima, bakha iPhithomi leRamesesi aba ngamadolobho eziphala zikaFaro.
Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Rameses.
12 Kodwa kwathi ngokuhlutshwa kwabo ngamandla, labo banda kakhulu basabalala; okwenza amaGibhithe abesaba abako-Israyeli
But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.
13 asebasebenzisa ngochuku.
And the Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel labor,
14 Enza impilo yabo yaba nzima kakhulu betshaya izitina lokuvoxa udaka besenza leminye yonke imisebenzi yemasimini. Kuyo yonke imisebenzi enzima amaGibhithe abasebenzisa ngochuku.
and they made their lives bitter with hard labor, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of labor in the field, all their labors which they ruthlessly made them do.
15 Inkosi yaseGibhithe yathi kubabelethisi bamaHebheru okwakuthiwa nguShifira loPhuwa,
The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah,
16 “Nxa libelethisa abafazi bamaHebheru, lingabona kuzelwe umfana kufanele limbulale; kodwa nxa kuyinkazana, liyiyekele iphile.”
and he said, "When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool; if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live."
17 Kodwa ababelethisi babemesaba uNkulunkulu, ngakho abakwenzanga lokho ababekutshelwe yinkosi yaseGibhithe.
But the midwives feared God, and did not do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.
18 Sekube njalo, inkosi yaseGibhithe yababiza ababelethisi yathi kubo, “Kungani lenze lokhu? Kungani liyekele abafana baphila?”
The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and have saved the boys alive?"
19 Ababelethisi bamphendula uFaro bathi, “Abafazi bamaHebheru abafani labafazi bamaGibhithe; balamandla baphanga babelethe ababelethisi bengakafiki.”
The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women aren't like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous, and give birth before the midwife comes to them."
20 Ngakho uNkulunkulu waba lomusa kubo ababelethisi, abantu banda baba banengi kakhulu.
God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty.
21 Njalo njengoba ababelethisi bamesaba uNkulunkulu, wabapha ezabo izimuli.
It happened, because the midwives feared God, that he gave them families.
22 UFaro wasesipha abantu bakhe bonke umlayo othi: “Wonke umfana womHebheru ozalwayo kufanele aphoselwe emfuleni uNayili, kodwa wonke amankazana liwayekele aphile.”
Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "You are to cast every son who is born to the Hebrews into the river, but every daughter you are to keep alive."
