UGenesisi 26
1 Kwasekusiba lendlala elizweni, ngaphandle kwendlala yakuqala eyayikhona ngesikhathi sika-Abhrahama, u-Isaka waya ku-Abhimelekhi inkosi yamaFilistiya eGerari.
Then, when a famine arose over the land, after that barrenness which had happened in the days of Abraham, Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Palestinians, in Gerar.
2 UThixo wabonakala ku-Isaka wathi, “Ungehleli eGibhithe; hlala elizweni engithi hlala khona.
And the Lord appeared to him, and he said: “Do not descend into Egypt, but rest in the land that I will tell you,
3 Ake uhlale kulelilizwe okwesikhatshana, mina ngizakuba lawe ngikubusise. Ngoba wena lezizukulwane zakho ngizalinika wonke amazwe la njalo ngiqinise isifungo engasifunga kuyihlo u-Abhrahama.
and sojourn in it, and I will be with you, and I will bless you. For to you and to your offspring I will give all these regions, completing the oath that I promised to Abraham your father.
4 Ngizakwenza izizukulwane zakho zibe zinengi njengezinkanyezi emkhathini, ngizinike wonke lamazwe, njalo kuthi ngenzalo yakho zonke izizwe emhlabeni zizabusiswa,
And I will multiply your offspring like the stars of heaven. And I will give to your posterity all these regions. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed,
5 ngoba u-Abhrahama wangilalela, wagcina izimiso zami, lemilayo yami, kanye lemithetho yami.”
because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my precepts and commandments, and observed the ceremonies and the laws.”
6 Ngakho u-Isaka wahlala eGerari.
And so Isaac remained in Gerar.
7 Kwathi lapho abantu baleyondawo bembuza ngomkakhe wathi, “Ngudadewethu,” ngoba wayesesaba ukuthi, “Ngumkami.” Wacabanga wathi, “Amadoda alapha angangibulala ngenxa kaRabheka, ngoba muhle kakhulu.”
And when he was questioned by the men of that place about his wife, he answered, “She is my sister.” For he was afraid to confess her to be his mate, thinking that perhaps they would put him to death because of her beauty.
8 Kwathi u-Isaka esehlale khona okwesikhathi eside, u-Abhimelekhi inkosi yamaFilistiya wakhangela ngefasitela wabona u-Isaka egone umkakhe uRabheka.
And when very many days had passed, and he had remained in the same place, Abimelech, king of the Palestinians, gazing through a window, saw him being playful with Rebekah, his wife.
9 Ngakho wasebiza u-Isaka wathi, “Kanti ngumkakho ngeqiniso! Kungani uthe ungudadewenu?” U-Isaka wamphendula wathi, “Ngoba ngakhumbula ukuthi ngingalahlekelwa yimpilo yami ngenxa yakhe.”
And summoning him, he said: “It is clear that she is your wife. Why did you falsely claim her to be your sister?” He answered, “I was afraid, lest I might die because of her.”
10 U-Abhimelekhi wasesithi, “Kuyini lokhu okwenzileyo kithi? Omunye wamadoda ubezaqabuka elala laye umkakho, ubususibangela icala.”
And Abimelech said: “Why have you burdened us? Someone from the people could have lain with your wife, and you would have brought a great sin upon us.” And he instructed all the people, saying,
11 Ngakho u-Abhimelekhi wasekhupha umlayo ebantwini bonke wathi, “Lowo ozake ayithinte indoda le loba umkayo ngempela uzabulawa.”
“Whoever will touch the wife of this man will die a death.”
12 U-Isaka walima amabele kulelolizwe, ngalowomnyaka wavuna okuphindwe ngekhulu, ngoba uThixo wambusisa.
Then Isaac sowed in that land, and he found, in that same year, one hundredfold. And the Lord blessed him.
13 Umuntu lo wanotha kakhulu, lemfuyo yakhe yanda kakhulukazi.
And the man was enriched, and he continued prospering as well as increasing, until he became very great.
14 Waba lemihlambi yezimvu lenkomo emikhulu kakhulu, kanye lezisebenzi ezinengi, amaFilistiya aze aba lomona ngaye.
Likewise, he had possessions of sheep and of herds, and a very large family. Because of this, the Palestinians envied him,
15 Kwasekusithi yonke imithombo eyayigejwe yizisebenzi ngesikhathi sikayise u-Abhrahama, amaFilistiya ayivala ngokuyigqibela ngenhlabathi.
so, at that time, they obstructed all the wells that the servants of his father Abraham had dug, filling them with soil.
16 U-Abhimelekhi wasesithi ku-Isaka, “Suka kithi; ususuke waba lamandla kakhulu kulathi.”
It reached a point where Abimelech himself said to Isaac, “Move away from us, for you have become very much more powerful than we.”
17 Ngakho u-Isaka wasuka lapho wayakuma eSigodini saseGerari, wahle wakha khona.
And departing, he then went toward the torrent of Gerar, and he dwelt there.
18 U-Isaka wayiphanda imithombo eyayigejwe ngesikhathi sikayise u-Abhrahama, eyayigqitshelwe ngamaFilistiya ngemva kokuba u-Abhrahama esefile, wayibiza ngalawo mabizo uyise ayeyibiza ngawo.
Again, he dug up other wells, which the servants of his father Abraham had dug, and which, after his death, the Philistines had formerly obstructed. And he called them by the same names that his father had called them before.
19 Izisebenzi zika-Isaka zagebha esigodini zafumana umthombo olamanzi amahle khonapho.
And they dug in the torrent, and they found living water.
20 Kodwa abelusi baseGerari baxabana labelusi baka-Isaka bathi, “Amanzi la ngawethu!” Ngakho umthombo lowo wawuthi yi-Eseki, ngoba bawubanga laye.
But in that place also the shepherds of Gerar argued against the shepherds of Isaac, by saying, “It is our water.” For this reason, he called the name of the well, because of what had happened, ‘Calumny.’
21 Ngakho basebesimba omunye umthombo, kodwa lawo bawubanga njalo; wasewubiza ngokuthi yiSithina.
Then they dug up yet another one. And over that one also they fought, and he called it, ‘Enmity.’
22 Wasuka lapho wayagebha omunye umthombo, akwabe kusaba khona owubangayo. Wawuthi yiRehobhothi, esithi, “Manje uThixo usesiphile indawo, sesizaphumelela kuleli ilizwe.”
Advancing from there, he dug another well, over which they did not contend. And so he called its name, ‘Latitude,’ saying, “Now the Lord has expanded us and caused us to increase across the land.”
23 Esuka lapho waya eBherishebha.
Then he ascended from that place into Beersheba,
24 Ngalobobusuku uThixo wabonakala kuye wathi, “NginguNkulunkulu kayihlo u-Abhrahama. Ungesabi, ngoba ngilawe; ngizakubusisa ngandise ubunengi bezizukulwane zakho ngenxa yenceku yami u-Abhrahama.”
where the Lord appeared to him on the same night, saying: “I am the God of Abraham your father. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you, and I will multiply your offspring because of my servant Abraham.”
25 U-Isaka wakha i-Alithari khonapho wamemeza ibizo likaThixo. Wamisa ithente lakhe khonapho, izisebenzi zakhe zemba umthombo khonapho.
And so he built an altar there. And he invoked the name of the Lord, and he stretched out his tent. And he instructed his servants to dig a well.
26 Ngalesosikhathi u-Abhimelekhi weza kuye evela eGerari, elo-Ahuzathi umeluleki wakhe loFikholi umlawuli wamabutho akhe.
When Abimelech, and Ahuzzath, his friend, and Phicol, the leader of the military, had arrived from Gerar to that place,
27 U-Isaka wababuza wathi, “Lilandeni kimi, njengoba lalingizonda laze langixotsha?”
Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, a man whom you hate, and whom you have expelled from among you?”
28 Bamphendula bathi, “Sabona kamhlophe ukuthi uThixo wayelawe; yikho sasesicabanga ukuthi kumele kube lesivumelwano esibotshiweyo phakathi kwethu lawe. Kasenze isibopho lawe
And they responded: “We saw that the Lord is with you, and therefore we said: Let there be an oath between us, and let us initiate a pact,
29 esokuthi kawusoze usihlukuluze, njengoba lathi singazange sikulimaze ngalutho kodwa sakuvalelisa ngokuthula. Khathesi usubusisiwe nguThixo.”
so that you may not do us any kind of harm, just as we have touched nothing of yours, and have not caused any injury to you, but with peace we released you, augmented by the blessing of the Lord.”
30 U-Isaka wasebenzela idili, badla banatha.
Therefore, he made them a feast, and after the food and drink,
31 Ekuseni kakhulu ngelanga elilandelayo amadoda wonke enza isifungo omunye komunye. U-Isaka wasebavulela indlela bahamba ngokuthula.
arising in the morning, they swore to one another. And Isaac sent them away peacefully to their own place.
32 Ngalolosuku izisebenzi zika-Isaka zabuya zamtshela ngomthombo ezaziwugebhile. Zathi, “Sesiwatholile amanzi!”
Then, behold, on the same day the servants of Isaac came, reporting to him about a well which they had dug, and saying: “We have found water.”
33 Wawuthi yiShibha, osekuze kube namuhla idolobho kuthiwa yiBherishebha.
Therefore, he called it, ‘Abundance.’ And the name of the city was established as ‘Beersheba,’ even to the present day.
34 Kwathi u-Esawu eseleminyaka yobudala engamatshumi amane, wathatha uJudithi indodakazi kaBheri umHithi njalo loBhasemathi indodakazi ka-Eloni umHithi.
In truth, at forty years of age, Esau took wives: Judith, the daughter of Beeri, the Hittite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon, of the same place.
35 Baletha ukukhathazeka kakhulu ku-Isaka loRabheka.
And they both offended the mind of Isaac and Rebekah.
