U-Eksodusi 17
1 Inhlangano yonke yabantwana bakoIsrayeli yasuka enkangala yeSini, ngamalombolombo abo, ngokomlayo weNkosi, bamisa inkamba eRefidimi; kodwa kwakungelamanzi okuthi abantu banathe.
Obeying what Yahweh commanded, all the Israeli people moved from the Sin Desert. They/We traveled from one place to another. They/We camped at [a place named] Rephidim, but there was no water there for (the people/us) to drink.
2 Ngakho abantu bamsola uMozisi bathi: Sinike amanzi, sinathe. UMozisi wasesithi kubo: Lingisolelani? Liyilingelani iNkosi?
So the people complained to Moses/me again, saying, “Give us water to drink!” Moses/I replied to them, “Why are you (criticizing/arguing with) me [RHQ]? And why are you trying to determine whether Yahweh [has the power to provide for you]?”
3 Abantu basebesomela amanzi lapho, abantu bangunguna kuMozisi bathi: Wasenyuselani eGibhithe ukuze usibulale thina labantwana bethu lezifuyo zethu ngokoma?
But the people were very thirsty, and they continued to complain to Moses/me. They were saying things like “Why did you bring us out of Egypt?”, and “Did you bring us here to cause us and our children and livestock to die (from thirst/because we had no water to drink) [RHQ]?”
4 UMozisi wasekhala eNkosini esithi: Ngizakwenzani kulababantu? Sekukancane ukuthi bangikhande ngamatshe.
So Moses/I prayed earnestly to Yahweh. He/I said, “(How shall I deal with these people?/I do not know how to deal with these people!) [RHQ] They are almost ready to [kill me by throwing] stones at me!”
5 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Dlula phambi kwabantu, uthathe kanye lawe kubadala bakoIsrayeli, lentonga yakho owatshaya umfula ngayo, ithathe ngesandla sakho, uhambe.
Yahweh replied to Moses/me, “Take some of the elders/leaders of the Israeli people with you and [tell the rest of] the people to follow you [to Sinai Mountain]. Take along the stick with which you struck the Nile [River].
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.
Listen carefully: I will stand in front of you on top of a [large] rock at the foot of the mountain. Strike the rock with your stick. [When you do that], water for the people to drink will flow out of the rock.” [When they/we arrived at the mountain], Moses/I did that while the Israeli elders were watching, [and water flowed from the rock].
7 Wasebiza ibizo lendawo ngokuthi yiMasa lokuthi yiMeriba ngenxa yokusola kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli langenxa yokuyilinga kwabo iNkosi besithi: INkosi iphakathi kwethu yini loba hatshi?
Moses/I gave that place two names [in the Hebrew language: ] Massah, [which means ‘testing’], and Meribah, [which means ‘complaining’]. He/I gave it the name Massah because the Israeli people were testing Yahweh, saying “Is Yahweh really among us [and able to help us], or not?”, and he/I gave it the name Meribah because they were [continually] complaining.
8 Kwasekufika uAmaleki, walwa loIsrayeli eRefidimi.
Then the descendants of the Amalek people-group came and fought against the Israeli people at Rephidim.
9 UMozisi wasesithi kuJoshuwa: Sikhethele amadoda, uphume uyekulwa loAmaleki; kusasa ngizakuma engqongeni yoqaqa, lentonga kaNkulunkulu izakuba sesandleni sami.
Moses/I said to Joshua, [who was one of our army/Israeli leaders], “Choose some men to go out and fight against the Amalek people-group tomorrow. I will stand on the top of the hill, holding the stick that God told me to carry.”
10 UJoshuwa wasesenza njengokutsho kukaMozisi kuye, walwa loAmaleki. OMozisi, uAroni loHuri basebesenyukela engqongeni yoqaqa.
So Joshua did what Moses/I told him to do. He took some men to fight against the Amalek people-group. [While they were fighting], Aaron, Hur, and Moses/I went up to the top of the hill [so that they/we could see the whole battle area].
11 Kwasekusithi lapho uMozisi ephakamisa isandla sakhe, uIsrayeli waba lamandla; kodwa lapho wehlisa isandla sakhe, uAmaleki waba lamandla.
Whenever Moses/I lifted up his/my arms, the Israeli men started to win [the battle]. And whenever he/I lowered his/my arms, the Amalek people-group started to win.
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.
But his/my arms became tired. So Aaron and Hur [rolled] a [large] stone for Moses/me to sit on. [While he/I was sitting on it], those two held up his/my arms, [one on one side and the other on the other side]. In that way, they kept his/my arms lifted up, and his/my arms held steady until the sun went down.
13 UJoshuwa wasemchitha uAmaleki labantu bakhe ngobukhali benkemba.
So Joshua and the men with him completely defeated the Amalek people-group, using their swords [to fight against them].
14 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Bhala lokhu egwalweni kube yisikhumbuzo, ukubeke ezindlebeni zikaJoshuwa ukuthi ngokwesula ngizakwesula ukukhunjulwa kukaAmaleki ngaphansi kwamazulu.
Then Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Write an account of this battle, and then read it to Joshua. [Also write that some day] I will completely get rid of the Amalek people-group.”
15 UMozisi wasesakha ilathi, wabiza ibizo lalo ngokuthi: UJehova-nisi;
Then Moses/I built a [stone] altar there and named it ‘Yahweh is [like] my flag’.
16 wathi: Ngoba isandla sisesihlahleni sobukhosi seNkosi, iNkosi izakuba lempi imelene loAmaleki kusukela kusizukulwana kusiya kusizukulwana.
He/I said, “Hold high Yahweh’s flag! Yahweh will continue to fight against the Amalek people-group (forever/in all future generations)!”
