U-Eksodusi 14
1 INkosi yasikhuluma kuMozisi isithi:
The Lord told Moses,
2 Tshela abantwana bakoIsrayeli ukuthi baphenduke, bamise inkamba phambi kwePi-Hahirothi, phakathi kweMigidoli lolwandle, phambi kweBhali-Zefoni, maqondana layo limise inkamba elwandle.
“Tell the Israelites to turn back and set up camp near Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. You are to camp beside the sea, opposite Baal-zephon.
3 Njalo uFaro uzakuthi ngabantwana bakoIsrayeli: Badidekile elizweni, inkangala ibavalele.
Pharaoh will conclude about the Israelites: ‘They're wandering about the country in confusion—the desert has blocked them from leaving.’
4 Njalo ngizayenza lukhuni inhliziyo kaFaro, ukuthi axotshane labo, ngibe sengidunyiswa kuFaro lebuthweni lakhe lonke, ukuze amaGibhithe azi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi. Basebesenza njalo.
I will give Pharaoh a stubborn attitude so that he will chase after them to get them back. But I will gain respect through what happens to Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites did as they were instructed.
5 Kwathi sekubikiwe enkosini yeGibhithe ukuthi abantu babalekile, inhliziyo kaFaro lenhliziyo yenceku zakhe yaguquka mayelana labantu, basebesithi: Kuyini lokho esikwenzileyo, ukuthi siyekele uIsrayeli ahambe angasisebenzeli?
When the king of Egypt found out that the Israelites had left in a hurry, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about what had happened and said, “What have we done? We have let all these Israelite slaves go!”
6 Wasebophela inqola yakhe, wathatha abantu bakhe laye.
So Pharaoh had his chariot made ready and set out with his army.
7 Wasethatha inqola ezingamakhulu ayisithupha ezikhethiweyo lazo zonke inqola zeGibhithe lenduna eziphezu kwazo zonke.
He took 600 of his best chariots along with all the other chariots of Egypt, each with their officer-in-charge.
8 INkosi yasiyenza lukhuni inhliziyo kaFaro inkosi yeGibhithe, wasexotshana labantwana bakoIsrayeli, kodwa abantwana bakoIsrayeli baphuma ngesandla esiphakemeyo.
The Lord gave Pharaoh, king of Egypt, a stubborn attitude so he chased after the Israelites, who were leaving with their fists raised in triumph.
9 Kodwa amaGibhithe asexotshana labo, amabhiza wonke, izinqola zikaFaro, labagadi bakhe bamabhiza, lebutho lakhe, abafica bemise inkamba elwandle, eceleni kwePi-Hahirothi phambi kweBhali-Zefoni.
The Egyptians set out in pursuit—all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen and soldiers. They caught up with the Israelites while they were camped beside the sea near Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon.
10 Kwathi uFaro esesondele, abantwana bakoIsrayeli baphakamisa amehlo abo, khangela-ke, amaGibhithe ehamba ebalandela, basebesesaba kakhulu. Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebekhala eNkosini;
The Israelites looked back and saw Pharaoh and the Egyptian army approaching. They were absolutely terrified and cried out to the Lord for help.
11 bathi kuMozisi: Kungoba kwakungekho mangcwaba yini eGibhithe ukuthi usithethe ukuze sifele enkangala? Kuyini lokhu okwenze kithi, ukusikhupha eGibhithe?
They complained to Moses, “Were there no graves in Egypt that you had to bring us out here in the desert to die? What have you done to us by making us leave Egypt?
12 Kayisilo leli ilizwi esalikhuluma kuwe eGibhithe sisithi: Siyekele ukuthi sisebenzele amaGibhithe? Ngoba bekuzakuba ngcono kithi ukuthi sisebenzele amaGibhithe kulokuthi sifele enkangala.
Didn't we tell you back in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone so that we can go on being slaves to the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to be Egyptian slaves than to die here in the desert!”
13 UMozisi wasesithi ebantwini: Lingesabi; manini liqine, libone usindiso lweNkosi ezalenzela lona lamuhla; ngoba amaGibhithe eliwabonayo lamuhla, kalisayikuwabona futhi kuze kube laphakade.
But Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand where you are and you will see how the Lord will save you today. The Egyptians you see right now, you will never see again!
14 INkosi izalilwela, lina-ke lizathula.
The Lord is going to fight for you—you don't need to do anything.”
15 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Ukhalelani kimi? Tshela abantwana bakoIsrayeli ukuthi baqhubekele phambili.
The Lord told Moses, “Why are you crying out to me for help? Tell the Israelites to move forward.
16 Wena-ke, phakamisa intonga yakho, welulele isandla sakho phezu kolwandle uludabule, ukuze abantwana bakoIsrayeli bahambe phakathi kolwandle emhlabathini owomileyo.
You are to pick up your walking stick and hold it out in your hand over the sea. Divide it so the Israelites can walk through the sea on dry ground.
17 Mina-ke, khangela, ngizayenza lukhuni inhliziyo yamaGibhithe ukuze angene ngemva kwabo. Njalo ngizadunyiswa ngoFaro langebutho lakhe lonke, ngezinqola zakhe, langabagadi bamabhiza bakhe.
I will give Egyptians a stubborn, hard-hearted attitude so that they will chase in after them. Then I will gain respect through what happens to Pharaoh and all his army, chariots, and horsemen.
18 Njalo amaGibhithe azakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi sengidunyiswe ngoFaro, ngezinqola zakhe langabagadi bamabhiza bakhe.
The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain respect through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
19 Njalo ingilosi kaNkulunkulu eyayihamba phambi kwebutho lakoIsrayeli yasuka yayahamba ngemva kwabo; lensika yeyezi yasuka phambi kwabo, yema ngemva kwabo,
The angel of God, who had been leading the Israelites, moved behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front of them and stood behind them,
20 yasisiza phakathi kwebutho lamaGibhithe lebutho lakoIsrayeli. Njalo yayiliyezi lobumnyama, kodwa yakhanyisa ubusuku, okokuthi elinye kalisondelanga kwelinye ubusuku bonke.
so that it was positioned between the Egyptian and Israelite camps. Though the cloud was in darkness on one side, but it lit up the night on the other. No one from either camp went near the other during the night.
21 UMozisi waseselulela isandla sakhe phezu kolwandle; iNkosi yalwenza ulwandle lwahamba ngomoya olamandla wempumalanga ubusuku bonke, yenza ulwandle lwaba ngumhlabathi owomileyo; amanzi asesehlukaniswa.
Then Moses held out his hand over the sea, and all through the night the Lord forced the sea back with a strong east wind, and turned the bottom of the sea into dry land. So the water was divided,
22 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebengena olwandle emhlabathini owomileyo; njalo amanzi aba ngumduli kubo ngakwesokunene sabo langakwesokhohlo sabo.
and the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water to their right and left.
23 AmaGibhithe asexotshana labo, angena ngemva kwabo, wonke amabhiza kaFaro, inqola zakhe labagadi bamabhiza bakhe, phakathi kolwandle.
The Egyptians chased after them—all Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and horsemen. They followed the Israelites into the sea.
24 Kwasekusithi ngomlindo wokusa, iNkosi yakhangela phansi ebuthweni lamaGibhithe isensikeni yomlilo leyeyezi, yalidunga ibutho lamaGibhithe;
But at the end of the night the Lord looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw them into a panic.
25 yakhupha amavili ezinqola zawo ukuze zihambe nzima, aze athi amaGibhithe: Asibalekele ubuso bukaIsrayeli, ngoba iNkosi iyabalwela imelene lamaGibhithe.
He made their chariot wheels get stuck so it was hard for them to drive. The Egyptians shouted out, “Retreat! We must run from the Israelites because the Lord is fighting for them against us!”
26 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Yelulela isandla sakho phezu kolwandle ukuze amanzi abuyele phezu kwamaGibhithe, phezu kwenqola zawo laphezu kwabagadi bawo bamabhiza.
Then the Lord told Moses, “Hold out your hand over the sea, so that the water will pour back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.”
27 UMozisi waseselulela isandla sakhe phezu kolwandle; ulwandle lwaselubuyela endaweni yalo eyejwayelekileyo emadabukakusa; amaGibhithe asebalekela kulo; iNkosi yasiwathintithela amaGibhithe phakathi kolwandle.
So Moses held out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to normal. As the Egyptians retreated, the Lord swept them into the sea.
28 Amanzi asebuyela, asibekela izinqola labagadi bamabhiza, lebutho lonke likaFaro elalingene olwandle ngemva kwabo; kakusalanga loyedwa kubo.
The water poured back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the whole of Pharaoh's army that had chased after the Israelites into the sea. Not a single one of them survived.
29 Kodwa abantwana bakoIsrayeli bahamba phezu komhlabathi owomileyo phakathi kolwandle; njalo amanzi aba ngumduli kubo ngakwesokunene sabo langakwesokhohlo sabo.
But the Israelites had walked through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water to their right and left.
30 Ngokunjalo iNkosi yamsindisa uIsrayeli ngalolosuku esandleni samaGibhithe; njalo uIsrayeli wabona amaGibhithe efile ekhunjini lolwandle.
The Lord saved the Israelites from the threat of the Egyptians—the Israelites saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore.
31 UIsrayeli wasebona amandla amakhulu iNkosi eyawenzayo kumaGibhithe. Abantu basebeyesaba iNkosi, bakholwa eNkosini, lakuMozisi inceku yayo.
When the Israelites saw the great power that the Lord had used against the Egyptians, they were in awe of the Lord, and they trusted in him and in his servant Moses.
