U-Eksodusi 14
1 INkosi yasikhuluma kuMozisi isithi:
Then Yahweh said to Moses/me,
2 Tshela abantwana bakoIsrayeli ukuthi baphenduke, bamise inkamba phambi kwePi-Hahirothi, phakathi kweMigidoli lolwandle, phambi kweBhali-Zefoni, maqondana layo limise inkamba elwandle.
“Tell the Israeli people to turn around and go back and set up their tents in front of Pi-Hahiroth [town]. That town is between Migdol and the sea, across from Baal-Zephon [town]. Set up your tents there, close to the sea.
3 Njalo uFaro uzakuthi ngabantwana bakoIsrayeli: Badidekile elizweni, inkangala ibavalele.
When the king [knows you have done that], he will think, ‘The Israeli people are confused. They are wandering around, and the desert blocks their path.’
4 Njalo ngizayenza lukhuni inhliziyo kaFaro, ukuthi axotshane labo, ngibe sengidunyiswa kuFaro lebuthweni lakhe lonke, ukuze amaGibhithe azi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi. Basebesenza njalo.
But I will make the king stubborn [again], and he will [take his army and] pursue you. Then my people will praise/thank me for winning a victory over the king and his army. And the Egyptians will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].” So [Moses/I told my people that, and] they did what he/I told them to do.
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 someone told the king that the Israeli people had left [during the night], he and his officials changed their minds and said, “(What have we done?/What we have done was stupid!) [RHQ] The Israeli people will no longer be our slaves!”
6 Wasebophela inqola yakhe, wathatha abantu bakhe laye.
So the king got his chariot and his army ready.
7 Wasethatha inqola ezingamakhulu ayisithupha ezikhethiweyo lazo zonke inqola zeGibhithe lenduna eziphezu kwazo zonke.
Then he selected 600 of the best chariots, and in each chariot he placed a driver, a soldier, and a commander, and they left. Other chariots, with a driver and a soldier in each of them, also went along.
8 INkosi yasiyenza lukhuni inhliziyo kaFaro inkosi yeGibhithe, wasexotshana labantwana bakoIsrayeli, kodwa abantwana bakoIsrayeli baphuma ngesandla esiphakemeyo.
Because Yahweh made the king of Egypt so stubborn that he and his army went to pursue the Israelis, who were leaving triumphantly,
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 Egyptian army, with all the king’s horses and chariots and horsemen, pursued the Israelis. They caught up with them as they were camped near the sea, close to Pi-Hahiroth, in front of Baal-Zephon [town].
10 Kwathi uFaro esesondele, abantwana bakoIsrayeli baphakamisa amehlo abo, khangela-ke, amaGibhithe ehamba ebalandela, basebesesaba kakhulu. Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebekhala eNkosini;
When the king’s army got near, the Israeli people were surprised to see that the Egyptians were marching toward them. They were terrified; so they cried out to Yahweh [to help them].
11 bathi kuMozisi: Kungoba kwakungekho mangcwaba yini eGibhithe ukuthi usithethe ukuze sifele enkangala? Kuyini lokhu okwenze kithi, ukusikhupha eGibhithe?
Then they said to Moses/me, “Is it because there were no places in Egypt [where we could] be buried that you have brought us here to die in this desert [RHQ]? Look what you have done to us by bringing us out of Egypt [RHQ]!
12 Kayisilo leli ilizwi esalikhuluma kuwe eGibhithe sisithi: Siyekele ukuthi sisebenzele amaGibhithe? Ngoba bekuzakuba ngcono kithi ukuthi sisebenzele amaGibhithe kulokuthi sifele enkangala.
That is what we told you when we were in Egypt! We said, ‘Leave us alone, and let us work for the Egyptians [RHQ]!’ It would have been better for us to be slaves for the Egyptians 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.
Moses/I replied to the people, “Do not be afraid! Be brave, and see how Yahweh will rescue you! He will save you today, and the result will be that the Egyptians that you are looking at today—you will never see them again!
14 INkosi izalilwela, lina-ke lizathula.
Yahweh will fight for you! Just keep quiet. There is nothing else that you will have to do.”
15 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Ukhalelani kimi? Tshela abantwana bakoIsrayeli ukuthi baqhubekele phambili.
Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Tell the people to stop crying out for me [to help them], and tell them to go forward. Lift up your stick and stretch it out toward the sea. The water will divide, so that all you Israeli people can go in the middle of the sea, walking on dry ground.
16 Wena-ke, phakamisa intonga yakho, welulele isandla sakho phezu kolwandle uludabule, ukuze abantwana bakoIsrayeli bahambe phakathi kolwandle emhlabathini owomileyo.
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 make the Egyptians stubborn, so that they will try to follow you. And then as a result of [what I will do to the] king and his army and his chariots and his horsemen, [my people] will praise/thank me.
18 Njalo amaGibhithe azakwazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi sengidunyiswe ngoFaro, ngezinqola zakhe langabagadi bamabhiza bakhe.
And when I have won a glorious [victory] over the king and his chariots and his horsemen, the [other] Egyptians will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].”
19 Njalo ingilosi kaNkulunkulu eyayihamba phambi kwebutho lakoIsrayeli yasuka yayahamba ngemva kwabo; lensika yeyezi yasuka phambi kwabo, yema ngemva kwabo,
Then the angel of God, who had been in front of the Israeli people, moved and went behind them. The tall bright cloud that had been in front of them also moved behind them,
20 yasisiza phakathi kwebutho lamaGibhithe lebutho lakoIsrayeli. Njalo yayiliyezi lobumnyama, kodwa yakhanyisa ubusuku, okokuthi elinye kalisondelanga kwelinye ubusuku bonke.
until it was between the Egyptian army and the Israeli people. The cloud caused the Egyptian army to be in the dark but it gave light for the Israelis. As a result, neither group could come near the other group during the whole night.
21 UMozisi waseselulela isandla sakhe phezu kolwandle; iNkosi yalwenza ulwandle lwahamba ngomoya olamandla wempumalanga ubusuku bonke, yenza ulwandle lwaba ngumhlabathi owomileyo; amanzi asesehlukaniswa.
[That evening], Moses/I stretched out his/my hand toward the sea. Then Yahweh sent a strong wind from the east. It blew all night and pushed the water apart, and it caused the ground between the water to dry up.
22 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebengena olwandle emhlabathini owomileyo; njalo amanzi aba ngumduli kubo ngakwesokunene sabo langakwesokhohlo sabo.
Then we Israeli people went on the dry land in the middle of the sea. The water was like a wall on each side of us, on the right side and on the left side.
23 AmaGibhithe asexotshana labo, angena ngemva kwabo, wonke amabhiza kaFaro, inqola zakhe labagadi bamabhiza bakhe, phakathi kolwandle.
Then the Egyptian army pursued them, and went after them into the middle of the sea, with their horses and their chariots and the chariot-drivers.
24 Kwasekusithi ngomlindo wokusa, iNkosi yakhangela phansi ebuthweni lamaGibhithe isensikeni yomlilo leyeyezi, yalidunga ibutho lamaGibhithe;
Just before dawn, Yahweh looked down from the fiery cloud, and then he caused the Egyptian army to panic.
25 yakhupha amavili ezinqola zawo ukuze zihambe nzima, aze athi amaGibhithe: Asibalekele ubuso bukaIsrayeli, ngoba iNkosi iyabalwela imelene lamaGibhithe.
He caused the wheels of the chariots to get stuck [in the mud], so that they could hardly move. So the Egyptians said, “Yahweh is fighting for the Israelis and against us; let’s get out of here!”
26 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Yelulela isandla sakho phezu kolwandle ukuze amanzi abuyele phezu kwamaGibhithe, phezu kwenqola zawo laphezu kwabagadi bawo bamabhiza.
Then Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Stretch out your arm toward the sea again. Then the water will come back on the Egyptians and on their chariots and their horsemen.”
27 UMozisi waseselulela isandla sakhe phezu kolwandle; ulwandle lwaselubuyela endaweni yalo eyejwayelekileyo emadabukakusa; amaGibhithe asebalekela kulo; iNkosi yasiwathintithela amaGibhithe phakathi kolwandle.
So Moses/I stretched out his/my arm, and as the sun was rising, the water returned to its normal level. The Egyptians tried to escape, but Yahweh hurled them back into the sea.
28 Amanzi asebuyela, asibekela izinqola labagadi bamabhiza, lebutho lonke likaFaro elalingene olwandle ngemva kwabo; kakusalanga loyedwa kubo.
The water returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen and the whole Egyptian army that had tried to follow us Israelis into the sea. Every one of the Egyptians drowned.
29 Kodwa abantwana bakoIsrayeli bahamba phezu komhlabathi owomileyo phakathi kolwandle; njalo amanzi aba ngumduli kubo ngakwesokunene sabo langakwesokhohlo sabo.
But we Israeli people had already crossed through the sea by walking on dry ground, with the water being [like two] walls, one on the right side and one on the left side.
30 Ngokunjalo iNkosi yamsindisa uIsrayeli ngalolosuku esandleni samaGibhithe; njalo uIsrayeli wabona amaGibhithe efile ekhunjini lolwandle.
That is the way Yahweh saved the Israeli people from the Egyptian army on that day. The Israeli people saw the Egyptians lying dead, [with their bodies washed up] on the shore.
31 UIsrayeli wasebona amandla amakhulu iNkosi eyawenzayo kumaGibhithe. Abantu basebeyesaba iNkosi, bakholwa eNkosini, lakuMozisi inceku yayo.
The Israelis saw what Yahweh did to the Egyptians by his great power [MTY], and they were in awe of Yahweh. They trusted in Yahweh and they also trusted Moses/me.
