UGenesisi 17
1 U-Abhrama eseleminyaka engamatshumi ayisificamunwemunye lasificamunwemunye yobudala, uThixo wabonakala kuye wathi, “NginguNkulunkulu uSomandla; hamba ngokwethembeka phambi kwami, ungasoleki.
When Abram was 99 years old, Yahweh appeared to him again and said to him, “I am God Almighty. I want you to live in a way that I will regard you as someone that cannot be criticized.
2 Ngizasiqinisa isivumelwano phakathi kwami lawe, ngandise njalo ubunengi benu.”
If you do that, I will make an agreement with you in which I will promise to enable you to have very many descendants.” [MTY]
3 U-Abhrama wawa wathi mbo phansi ngobuso, uNkulunkulu wathi kuye,
Abram prostrated himself with his face on the ground. Then God said to him,
4 “Mina ngokwami ngithi lesi yisivumelwano sami lawe: uzakuba nguyise wezizwe ezinengi.
“Listen to this agreement that I am making with you: People of many nations will be your descendants.
5 Kawusayi kubizwa ngokuthi Abhrama; ibizo lakho selizakuba ngu-Abhrahama, ngoba sengikwenze uyise wezizwe ezinengi.
And no longer will your name be Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham, [which means ‘father of many nations,’] because the people of many nations will descend from you.
6 Ngizakwenza uzuze inzalo enengi; ngizakwenza izizwe ngawe, njalo amakhosi azaphuma kuwe.
I will enable you to have very many descendants, and I will cause them to become great nations/people-groups, and some of your descendants will become kings.
7 Ngizaqinisa isivumelwano sami sibe yisivumelwano sanini lanini phakathi kwami lawe kanye lezizukulwane ezizayo ukuba nguNkulunkulu wakho, loNkulunkulu wezizukulwane zakho ngemva kwakho.
I will make this agreement between me and you and your descendants. It will be an everlasting agreement to be in effect for many generations. This agreement is that I will be your God, and the God of your descendants.
8 Ilizwe lonke laseKhenani, okwamanje ohlala njengowezizwe kulo, ngizakupha libe yilifa laphakade kuwe lezizukulwane zakho ngemva kwakho; njalo ngizakuba nguNkulunkulu wabo.”
I will give to you and to your descendants the land through which you are now traveling, all of the Canaan region. It will be an everlasting possession for your descendants, and I will be the God that they [will worship].”
9 UNkulunkulu wasesithi ku-Abhrahama, “Wena kumele ugcine isivumelwano sami, wena lezizukulwane zakho ezizayo.
Then God said to Abraham, “Now you must obey [your part of] the agreement that I am making with you, and your descendants must also obey it, for all generations.
10 Lesi yisivumelwano sami lawe lezizukulwane ezizayo, isivumelwano okumele usigcine: Wonke umuntu wesilisa phakathi kwenu kuzamele asokwe.
This is the agreement that I am making, between myself and you and all your descendants: Every male among you must be circumcised.
11 Wena kumele usokwe, lokho kuzakuba yisiboniso sesivumelwano phakathi kwami lawe.
(Cutting the foreskins of/Circumcising) them will be the sign [that you have accepted] the agreement I am making with you.
12 Kuzizukulwane ezizayo umuntu wonke wesilisa ophakathi kwenu oselezinsuku eziyisificaminwembili kumele asokwe, kusitsho lalabo abazalwa emzini wakho loba abathengwa ngemali emuntwini wezizwe, labo abangazalwa nguwe.
Every male child among you must be circumcised when he is eight days old, in all future generations. That includes baby boys in your household or those born from slaves that have been bought, and baby boys of foreigners who live among you but do not belong to your household.
13 Loba abazalwa emzini wakho kumbe abathengwa ngemali, kumele basokwe. Isivumelwano sami enyameni yakho sizakuba yisivumelwano esingapheliyo.
It does not matter whether their parents are members of your household or slaves that have been bought; they must all be circumcised. Your bodies will have this mark to show [you have accepted] this everlasting agreement I am making.
14 Lowo owesilisa ongasokwanga, ongazange ake asokwe enyameni uzakhalalwa ngabantu bakibo; usephule isivumelwano sami.”
You must expel from your community any male who has not been circumcised, because [by not being circumcised] that person has disobeyed my agreement.”
15 UNkulunkulu waphinda njalo wathi ku-Abhrahama, “Umkakho uSarayi, ungabe usambiza ngokuthi nguSarayi; ibizo lakhe selinguSara.
God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai, your wife, you must not call her Sarai any longer. [Since I changed your name, I will change her name also]. Her name will now be Sarah.
16 Ngizambusisa, njalo ngizakunika indodana ngaye. Ngizambusisa ukuze abe ngunina wezizwe; amakhosi ezizwe azavela kuye.”
I will bless her, and she will surely give birth to a son for you. And I will bless her so much that she will be the ancestor of people of many nations. Kings of some people-groups will be descended from her.”
17 U-Abhrahama wawa wathi mbo ngobuso phansi; wahleka wazitshela wathi, “Kambe indodana ingazalwa ngumuntu oseleminyaka elikhulu na? USara angamzala umntwana yena eseleminyaka engamatshumi ayisificamunwemunye na?”
Abraham prostrated himself with his face on the ground [to show respect to God]. But then he laughed as he said to himself, “Can a man who is a 100 years old become a father of a son? And since Sarah is 90 years old, how can she bear a child?”
18 Ngakho u-Abhrahama wasesithi kuNkulunkulu, “Nxa u-Ishumayeli engaphila ngaphansi kwesibusiso sakho kuphela!”
Then Abraham said to God, “Perhaps you will let Ishmael receive your blessing [and inherit all I possess].”
19 UNkulunkulu wasesithi, “Yebo, uSara uzakuzalela indodana, wena uyibize ngokuthi ngu-Isaka. Ngizaqinisa isivumelwano sami laye sibe yisivumelwano esingapheliyo lezizukulwane eziza ngemva kwakhe.
Then God replied, “[No!] Your wife Sarah will bear a son for you. You must name him Isaac. I will establish my agreement with him, one which will be an everlasting agreement for him and his descendants.
20 Mayelana lo-Ishumayeli, ngizwile okutshiloyo: ngeqiniso ngizambusisa; ngizamnika inzalo enkulu, ngandise ubunengi bayo. Uzakuba nguyise wababusi abalitshumi lambili, ngimenze abe yisizwe esikhulu.
As for Ishmael, I have heard what you asked me to do for him. I will bless him so that he also will have many descendants. Among his descendants will be rulers of twelve nations. And I will cause his [descendants] [MTY] to also become a great nation.
21 Kodwa isivumelwano sami ngizasiqinisa lo-Isaka, ozamzalelwa nguSara ngalesisikhathi ngomnyaka ozayo.”
But Isaac, the son whom Sarah will give birth to at this time next year, is the one with whom I will establish my agreement.”
22 Eseqedile ukukhuluma lo-Abhrahama, uNkulunkulu wenyuka wamtshiya.
When God finished talking to Abraham, God disappeared from his sight.
23 Ngalelolanga u-Abhrahama wathatha indodana yakhe u-Ishumayeli labo bonke abazalelwa emzini wakhe loba abathengwayo ngemali yakhe wabasoka, njengoba uNkulunkulu wayemtshelile.
On that same day, Abraham took his son Ishmael and all the males that were in his household, including the sons of all the slaves he had bought, and circumcised them. He cut off their foreskins, just as God told him to do.
24 U-Abhrahama wayeleminyaka yokuzalwa engamatshumi ayisificamunwemunye lasificamunwemunye mhla esokwa,
Abraham was 99 years old when (he was circumcised/someone circumcised him),
25 indodana yakhe u-Ishumayeli yayileminyaka yokuzalwa elitshumi lantathu;
and Ishmael was thirteen years old when Abraham circumcised him.
26 u-Abhrahama lendodana yakhe u-Ishumayeli bobabili basokwa mhlalokho ngalanga linye.
On that very day Abraham and his son, Ishmael were circumcised.
27 Njalo bonke abesilisa ababesemzini ka-Abhrahama, kugoqela labo abazalelwa khonapho ekhaya labathengwa kwabezizwe, basokwa kanye laye.
And all the males in his household, the ones who had been born there and those who had been bought from foreigners, were also circumcised.
