U-Eksodusi 1
1 La-ke ngamabizo amadodana kaIsrayeli afika eGibhithe loJakobe; afika, ileyo laleyo lomuzi wayo,
These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family:
2 uRubeni, uSimeyoni, uLevi, loJuda,
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;
3 uIsakari, uZebuluni, loBhenjamini,
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
4 uDani, loNafithali, uGadi, loAsheri.
Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.
5 Njalo yonke imiphefumulo eyaphuma ekhalweni lukaJakobe yayiyimiphefumulo engamatshumi ayisikhombisa. Kodwa uJosefa wayeseGibhithe.
The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all, including Joseph, who was already in Egypt.
6 UJosefa wasesifa labo bonke abafowabo, lalesosizukulwana sonke.
Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,
7 Njalo abantwana bakoIsrayeli bazalana, baba banengi, banda, baba lamandla kakhulukazi, ilizwe laze lagcwaliswa yibo.
but the Israelites were fruitful and increased rapidly; they multiplied and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.
8 Kwasekuvela inkosi entsha phezu kweGibhithe eyayingamazi uJosefa.
Then a new king, who did not know Joseph, came to power in Egypt.
9 Yasisithi esizweni sayo: Khangela, isizwe sabantwana bakoIsrayeli sinengi, futhi silamandla kulathi.
“Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become too numerous and too powerful for us.
10 Wozani, asisihlakanipheleni, hlezi sande, njalo kuzakuthi lapho kusehla impi, laso sihlangane lezitha zethu, silwe simelene lathi, senyuke sisuke elizweni.
Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase even more; and if a war breaks out, they may join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country.”
11 Ngakho bamisa phezu kwaso izinduna zesibhalo ukusihlupha ngemithwalo yabo. Njalo samakhela uFaro imizi eyiziphala, iPithoma leRamesesi.
So the Egyptians appointed taskmasters over the Israelites to oppress them with forced labor. As a result, they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
12 Kodwa kwathi ekusihlupheni kwaso kwang'khona sisanda, kwang'khona sisabalala. Ngakho banengwa ngabantwana bakoIsrayeli.
But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and flourished; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.
13 Njalo amaGibhithe abasebenzisa abantwana bakoIsrayeli ngochuku,
They worked the Israelites ruthlessly
14 aze enza impilo zabo zababa ngomsebenzi onzima, ngodaka langezitina, langawo wonke umsebenzi emasimini; ngomsebenzi wabo wonke, ababenza bawenza ngodlakela.
and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh.
15 Inkosi yeGibhithe yasikhuluma lababelethisi amaHebherukazi, obizo lowokuqala lalinguShifira, lebizo lowesibili lalinguPhuwa,
Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,
16 yasisithi: Nxa libelethisa amaHebherukazi, lapho libabona ezihlalweni zokubeletha, uba kuyindodana, liyibulale; kodwa uba kuyindodakazi, iyekeleni iphila.
“When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them on the birthstools. If the child is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live.”
17 Kodwa ababelethisi babemesaba uNkulunkulu, kabenzanga njengalokho yakhuluma kubo inkosi yeGibhithe, kodwa babayekela abafana baphila.
The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live.
18 Inkosi yeGibhithe yasibiza ababelethisi, yathi kubo: Liyenzeleni linto ukuthi liyekele abafana baphile?
So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
19 Ababelethisi basebesithi kuFaro: Ngoba amaHebherukazi kawanjengabafazi bamaGibhithe; ngoba alamandla, umbelethisi engakafiki kuwo, asebelethile.
The midwives answered Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife arrives.”
20 Ngalokhu uNkulunkulu wabenzela ababelethisi okuhle, labantu banda, baba lamandla kakhulu.
So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became even more numerous.
21 Kwasekusithi, ngoba ababelethisi bamesaba uNkulunkulu, wabakhela imizi.
And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own.
22 UFaro waselaya isizwe sakhe sonke esithi: Yonke indodana ezalwayo liyiphosele emfuleni, kodwa yonke indodakazi liyiyekele iphile.
Then Pharaoh commanded all his people: “Every son born to the Hebrews you must throw into the Nile, but every daughter you may allow to live.”
