U-Eksodusi 1
1 La ngamabizo amadodana ka-Israyeli aya eGibhithe loJakhobe, munye ngamunye lemuli yakhe:
Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Jacob):
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 souls who came out of Jacob’s body were seventy souls, 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 didn’t know Joseph.
9 Yathi ebantwini bayo, “Khangelani, abantu bako-Israyeli sebebanengi kakhulu kulathi.
He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children 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’s 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 Raamses.
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. They started to dread the children of Israel.
13 asebasebenzisa ngochuku.
The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve,
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 service in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.
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 didn’t 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 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.
Because the midwives feared God, 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 shall cast every son who is born into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”
