U-Eksodusi 2
1 Kwasekusuka indoda yendlu yakoLevi, yathatha indodakazi yakoLevi.
(There was a man who/My father) was descended from [Jacob’s son] Levi. He married a woman who was [also] descended from Levi.
2 Owesifazana wasethatha isisu, wazala indodana; eseyibonile ukuthi inhle, wayifihla inyanga ezintathu.
She became pregnant and gave birth to (a baby boy/me). When she saw that he/I was a good-looking baby, she hid him/me for three months, [because she was not willing to do what the king commanded].
3 Kwathi engaselakuyifihla wayithathela isitsha semizi, wasibhada ngengcino langethara, wafaka umntwana kuso, wasibeka emihlangeni ekhunjini lomfula.
When she was unable to (hide him/me/keep it a secret) any longer, she got a basket made from tall reeds. She covered the basket with tar ([to make it waterproof/so water could not get in]). Then she put him/me in the basket and put the basket in [the water] in the middle of the tall grass at the edge of the Nile [River].
4 Udadewabo wasezimisa khatshana ukuze azi okuzakwenziwa kuye.
His/My older sister was standing not far away, [watching to see] what would happen to him/me.
5 Kwasekusehla indodakazi kaFaro ukuyageza emfuleni; lamantombazana ayo ahamba eceleni komfula. Isibonile isitsha phakathi kwemihlanga, yathuma incekukazi yayo yasithatha.
[Soon] the king’s daughter went down to the river to bathe. Her female servants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket amid the tall grass [in the river]. So she sent [one of] her servants to get it.
6 Kwathi isivula, yabona umntwana, khangela-ke, umfanyana wakhala inyembezi. Yasimhawukela yathi: Lo ngomunye wabafana bamaHebheru.
When [the servant brought the basket to her], she opened it, and was surprised to see (a baby that was/me), crying. She felt sorry for him/me, and said, “This [must] be one of the Hebrews’ babies.”
7 Udadewabo wasesithi endodakazini kaFaro: Ngihambe yini ngiyekubizela umfazi omunyisayo kumaHebherukazi ukuze akumunyisele umfana?
Then (the baby’s/my) [older] sister [approached] the king’s daughter and said, “Do you want me to go and find someone from among the Hebrew women who will [be able to] nurse the baby for you?”
8 Indodakazi kaFaro yasisithi kuye: Hamba. Intombi yasihamba, yabiza unina womfana.
The king’s daughter said to her, “[Yes], go [and find one].” So the girl went and summoned (the baby’s/my) mother.
9 Indodakazi kaFaro yasisithi kuye: Thatha uhambe lalo umntwana, ungimunyisele yena; njalo mina ngizakupha iholo lakho. Owesifazana wasemthatha umntwana, wammunyisa.
The king’s daughter said to her, “[Please] take this baby and nurse him for me. I will pay you [for doing that].” So (the woman/my mother) took him/me and nursed him/me.
10 Umfana esekhulile, wamletha endodakazini kaFaro, wasesiba yindodana yayo. Yasisitha ibizo layo yathi nguMozisi, yathi: Ngoba ngamkhupha emanzini.
([A few years later]/when (the child/I) grew [older]), she brought him/me to the king’s daughter. She adopted him/me [as though I was] her own son. She named him/me Moses, [which sounds like the Hebrew words ‘pull out’], because she said “I pulled him out of the water.”
11 Kwasekusithi ngalezonsuku, uMozisi esekhulile, waphuma waya kubafowabo, wakhangela imithwalo yabo; futhi wabona umGibhithe etshaya umHebheru kubafowabo.
One day, after Moses/I had grown up, he/I went out [of the palace area] to see his/my people, [the Hebrews]. He/I saw how they were being [forced to work] very hard. He/I [also] saw an Egyptian [man] beating one of his/my Hebrew people.
12 Wathalaza ngapha langapha; esebonile ukuthi kakulamuntu, wamtshaya umGibhithe, wamfihla etshebetshebeni.
He/I looked around [to see if anyone was watching]. Seeing no one, he/I killed the Egyptian man and buried his [body] in the sand.
13 Waphuma langosuku lwesibili, khangela-ke, amaHebheru amabili esilwa; wasesithi kowonileyo: Umtshayelani umakhelwane wakho?
The next day he/I returned [to the same place]. He/I was surprised to see two Hebrew men who were fighting [each other]. He/I said to the man who started the fight, “Why are you (you should not be) striking your fellow [Hebrew].”
14 Wasesithi: Ngubani okubeke ube yisiphathamandla lomahluleli phezu kwethu? Wena uzimisele ukungibulala yini njengalokho ubulele umGibhithe? UMozisi wasesesaba wathi: Isibili udaba luyaziwa.
The man replied, “(Who made you our ruler and judge?/No one made you our ruler and judge!) [RHQ] [You have no right to interfere with us] Are you going to kill me just like you killed that Egyptian man [yesterday]?” Then Moses/I was afraid, [because] he/I thought, “[Since that man knows what I did], surely [other people] know, [too].”
15 Kwathi uFaro eseluzwile udaba, wadinga ukumbulala uMozisi. Kodwa uMozisi wabalekela ubuso bukaFaro, wahlala elizweni leMidiyani; wahlala emthonjeni.
[And that was correct]. The king heard about what he/I had done [to that Egyptian. So he ordered his soldiers to] execute/kill Moses/me. But he/I fled from the king [and left Egypt. He/I traveled east to] the Midian [region] and started to live there.
16 Njalo umpristi weMidiyani wayelamadodakazi ayisikhombisa; eza ukukha, agcwalisa imikolo ukunathisa umhlambi kayise.
The man who was the (priest/one who offered the people’s gifts to God) for the Midian people, [whose name was Jethro], had seven daughters. [One day] as Moses/I sat down beside a well, those girls came [to the well] and got water, and filled the troughs in order to give water to their father’s flock [of sheep].
17 Kwasekufika abelusi, bawaxotsha; kodwa uMozisi wasukuma, wawasiza wanathisa umhlambi wawo.
Some (shepherds/men who took care of other sheep) came and started to chase away the girls. But Moses/I helped/rescued the girls, and got water for their sheep.
18 Lapho efika kuRehuweli uyise, wathi: Kungani libuye masinyane kangaka lamuhla?
When the girls returned to their father [Jethro], [whose other name is] Reuel, he asked them, “How is it that you were able to [give water to the sheep and] come home so quickly today?”
19 Asesithi: Indoda engumGibhithe isophulile esandleni sabelusi; futhi yasikhela lokusikhela, yanathisa umhlambi.
They replied, “A man from Egypt kept [MTY] other shepherds from sending us away. He also got water for us [from the well] and gave water to the flock [of sheep].”
20 Wasesithi emadodakazini akhe: Kambe ingaphi? Kanti liyitshiyeleni indoda? Ibizeni, ukuze idle isinkwa.
He said to his daughters, “Where is he? (Why did you leave him [out there]?/You should not leave him [out there]!) [RHQ] Invite him [in], so he can have something to eat [MTY]!”
21 UMozisi wasevuma ukuhlala lendoda; wasemnika uMozisi uZipora indodakazi yakhe.
[So they did], and Moses/I [accepted and ate with them]. And Moses/I decided to live there. Later Jethro gave him/me his daughter Zipporah [to be his/my wife].
22 Wasezala indodana; wayitha ibizo layo uGereshoma, ngoba wathi: Ngangingowemzini elizweni lemzini.
Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses/I named him Gershom, [which sounds like the Hebrew words that mean ‘foreigner’], because he/I said, “I am living as a foreigner in [this] land.”
23 Kwasekusithi emva kwalezinsuku ezinengi, inkosi yeGibhithe yafa. Labantwana bakoIsrayeli babubula ngenxa yobugqili, bakhala; lokukhala kwabo kwenyukela kuNkulunkulu ngenxa yobugqili.
Many years later the king of Egypt died. The Israeli people [in Egypt] were still groaning because of the [hard work they had to do as] slaves. They called out for [someone to] help them, and God heard them call out [PRS].
24 UNkulunkulu wasesizwa ukububula kwabo, uNkulunkulu wakhumbula isivumelwano sakhe loAbrahama, loIsaka, njalo loJakobe.
He heard them groaning. And he (thought about/did not forget) that he had solemnly promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob [to bless their descendants].
25 UNkulunkulu wasebona abantwana bakoIsrayeli, uNkulunkulu wabazi.
God saw how the Israeli people were [being badly treated], and he was concerned about them.
