U-Eksodusi 17
1 Inhlangano yonke yabantwana bakoIsrayeli yasuka enkangala yeSini, ngamalombolombo abo, ngokomlayo weNkosi, bamisa inkamba eRefidimi; kodwa kwakungelamanzi okuthi abantu banathe.
Then all the Israelites left the Desert of Sin, going from place to place as they followed the Lord's commands. They camped at Rephidim, but there wasn't any water for the people to drink.
2 Ngakho abantu bamsola uMozisi bathi: Sinike amanzi, sinathe. UMozisi wasesithi kubo: Lingisolelani? Liyilingelani iNkosi?
Some of them came and complained to Moses, saying, “Give us water to drink!” Moses replied, “Why are you complaining to me?” Moses asked. “Why are you trying to challenge the Lord?”
3 Abantu basebesomela amanzi lapho, abantu bangunguna kuMozisi bathi: Wasenyuselani eGibhithe ukuze usibulale thina labantwana bethu lezifuyo zethu ngokoma?
But the people were so thirsty for water there that they went on complaining to Moses, saying, “Why did you have to bring us out of Egypt? Are you trying to kill us and our children and livestock by thirst?”
4 UMozisi wasekhala eNkosini esithi: Ngizakwenzani kulababantu? Sekukancane ukuthi bangikhande ngamatshe.
Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I going to do with these people? A bit more of this and they're going to stone me!”
5 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Dlula phambi kwabantu, uthathe kanye lawe kubadala bakoIsrayeli, lentonga yakho owatshaya umfula ngayo, ithathe ngesandla sakho, uhambe.
The Lord told Moses, “Go ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take with you the walking stick you used to hit the Nile, and just go on ahead.
6 Khangela, ngizakuma lapho phambi kwakho phezu kwedwala eHorebe; njalo uzatshaya idwala, kuphume-ke kulo amanzi ukuze abantu banathe. UMozisi wasesenza njalo phambi kwamehlo abadala bakoIsrayeli.
Look, I will stand there beside you by the rock at Horeb. When you hit the rock water will pour out for the people to drink.” So Moses did this as the elders of Israel watched.
7 Wasebiza ibizo lendawo ngokuthi yiMasa lokuthi yiMeriba ngenxa yokusola kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli langenxa yokuyilinga kwabo iNkosi besithi: INkosi iphakathi kwethu yini loba hatshi?
He called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites argued there, and because they challenged the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord with us, or not?”
8 Kwasekufika uAmaleki, walwa loIsrayeli eRefidimi.
Then some Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.
9 UMozisi wasesithi kuJoshuwa: Sikhethele amadoda, uphume uyekulwa loAmaleki; kusasa ngizakuma engqongeni yoqaqa, lentonga kaNkulunkulu izakuba sesandleni sami.
Moses told Joshua, “Choose some of men and go out and fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I'll stand on the top of this hill holding the walking stick of God.”
10 UJoshuwa wasesenza njengokutsho kukaMozisi kuye, walwa loAmaleki. OMozisi, uAroni loHuri basebesenyukela engqongeni yoqaqa.
Joshua did what Moses told him and fought the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of the hill.
11 Kwasekusithi lapho uMozisi ephakamisa isandla sakhe, uIsrayeli waba lamandla; kodwa lapho wehlisa isandla sakhe, uAmaleki waba lamandla.
As long as Moses held up the walking stick his hands, the Israelites were the ones winning, but when he lowered them, it was the Amalekites.
12 Kodwa izandla zikaMozisi zaba nzima, ngakho bathatha ilitshe, balibeka ngaphansi kwakhe, ukuthi ahlale kulo. OAroni loHuri basebesekela izandla zakhe, omunye engapha lomunye engale, ukuze izandla zakhe ziqine lize litshone ilanga.
So when Moses' hands became heavy, the others took a stone and put it under him for him to sit on. Aaron and Hur stood on each side of Moses and held his hands up. In this way his hands were kept firmly up until the sun went down.
13 UJoshuwa wasemchitha uAmaleki labantu bakhe ngobukhali benkemba.
As a result Joshua defeated the Amalekite army.
14 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Bhala lokhu egwalweni kube yisikhumbuzo, ukubeke ezindlebeni zikaJoshuwa ukuthi ngokwesula ngizakwesula ukukhunjulwa kukaAmaleki ngaphansi kwamazulu.
The Lord told Moses, “Write all this down on a scroll as a reminder and read it out loud to Joshua, because I'm going to completely wipe out the Amalekites so nobody on earth will remember them.”
15 UMozisi wasesakha ilathi, wabiza ibizo lalo ngokuthi: UJehova-nisi;
Moses built an altar and called it “the Lord is my banner of victory.”
16 wathi: Ngoba isandla sisesihlahleni sobukhosi seNkosi, iNkosi izakuba lempi imelene loAmaleki kusukela kusizukulwana kusiya kusizukulwana.
“Hold up the victory banner of the Lord!” Moses declared. “The Lord will go on fighting the Amalekites for all generations!”
