U-Eksodusi 3
1 UMozisi wayeselusa-ke umhlambi kaJetro uyisezala, umpristi weMidiyani; waqhuba umhlambi waya ngaphambili kwenkangala waze wafika entabeni kaNkulunkulu, eHorebe.
Moses was a shepherd, looking after the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the Midianite priest. He led the flock far into the wilderness until he came to God's mountain, Mount Horeb.
2 Njalo ingilosi yeNkosi yabonakala kuye elangabini lomlilo liphuma phakathi kwesihlahla; wasebona, khangela-ke, isihlahla sivutha umlilo, kodwa isihlahla sasingapheli.
There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from inside a bush. Moses looked carefully and saw that though the bush was on fire, it wasn't being burned up.
3 UMozisi wasesithi: Ngizaphambuka-ke ngibone lo umbono omkhulu, ukuthi kungani isihlahla singatshi.
“Let me go over and take a look,” Moses said to himself. “It's very odd to see a bush that's not burning up.”
4 Kwathi iNkosi isibonile ukuthi uphambukile ukuyabona, uNkulunkulu wambiza ephakathi kwesihlahla, wathi: Mozisi, Mozisi! Wasesithi: Khangela ngilapha.
When the Lord saw that Moses was coming to take a look, God called to him from inside the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “I'm here,” Moses replied.
5 Wasesithi: Ungasondeli lapha; khupha amanyathela akho enyaweni zakho, ngoba indawo omi kuyo ingumhlabathi ongcwele.
“Don't come any closer!” God told him. “Take off your sandals because you're standing on holy ground.”
6 Wathi futhi: NginguNkulunkulu kayihlo, uNkulunkulu kaAbrahama, uNkulunkulu kaIsaka, loNkulunkulu kaJakobe. UMozisi wasefihla ubuso bakhe, ngoba esesaba ukukhangela uNkulunkulu.
Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses covered his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 INkosi yasisithi: Isibili ngibonile ukuhlupheka kwesizwe sami esiseGibhithe, ngizwile ukukhala kwabo ngenxa yabaqhubi besibhalo babo; ngoba ngiyazazi insizi zabo;
“I'm completely aware of the misery of my people in Egypt,” the Lord told him. “I have heard them crying out because of their taskmasters. I know how much they're suffering.
8 njalo ngehlile ukusikhulula ezandleni zamaGibhithe, lokusenyusa kulelolizwe, ngisise elizweni elihle elibanzi, siye elizweni eligeleza uchago loluju, siye endaweni yamaKhanani lamaHethi lamaAmori lamaPerizi lamaHivi lamaJebusi.
That's why I have come down to rescue them from Egyptian oppression and to take them up from that country to a productive, wide-open land—a land flowing with milk and honey—where currently the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites are living.
9 Khathesi-ke, khangela, ukukhala kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli sekufikile kimi; njalo lami ngibonile ucindezelo amaGibhithe abacindezela ngalo.
Listen! The cries of the Israelites have reached me, and I have seen how badly the Egyptians are mistreating them.
10 Khathesi-ke, woza, ngizakuthuma kuFaro ukuze ukhuphe isizwe sami, abantwana bakoIsrayeli, eGibhithe.
Now you must leave, because I'm sending you to Pharaoh to lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”
11 Kodwa uMozisi wathi kuNkulunkulu: Ngingubani mina ukuthi ngiye kuFaro, lokuthi ngikhuphe abantwana bakoIsrayeli eGibhithe?
But Moses said to God, “Why me? I'm a nobody! I couldn't go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt!”
12 Wasesithi: Isibili ngizakuba lawe; lalokhu kuzakuba yisibonakaliso kuwe sokuthi mina ngikuthumile; lapho ususikhuphile isizwe eGibhithe, lizamkhonza uNkulunkulu kulintaba.
“I'll be with you,” the Lord replied, “and this will be the sign that it is really me who is sending you: when you have led the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.”
13 UMozisi wasesithi kuNkulunkulu: Khangela, nxa ngifika kubantwana bakoIsrayeli ngisithi kubo: UNkulunkulu waboyihlo ungithumile kini; bazakuthi kimi: Ungubani ibizo lakhe? Ngizathini kubo?
Then Moses said to God, “Look! If I were to go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ —then what should I tell them?”
14 UNkulunkulu wasesithi kuMozisi: NGINGUYE ENGINGUYE. Wathi futhi: Uzakutsho njalo kubantwana bakoIsrayeli ukuthi: UNGINGUYE ungithumile kini.
God replied to Moses, “‘I Am’ is who I am. Tell the Israelites this: ‘I Am’ has sent me to you.”
15 UNkulunkulu wasesithi njalo kuMozisi: Uzakutsho njalo kubantwana bakoIsrayeli ukuthi: INkosi uNkulunkulu waboyihlo, uNkulunkulu kaAbrahama, uNkulunkulu kaIsaka, loNkulunkulu kaJakobe ungithumile kini; leli libizo lami kuze kube nininini, njalo lesi yisikhumbuzo sami kusizukulwana kusiya kusizukulwana.
Then God said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my name forever, the name you are to call me for all generations to come.’
16 Hamba, ubuthanise abadala bakoIsrayeli, uthi kubo: INkosi uNkulunkulu waboyihlo ibonakele kimi, uNkulunkulu kaAbrahama, kaIsaka, lokaJakobe, isithi: Ngokulihambela ngilihambele, lalokho elikwenziwe eGibhithe;
Go, and call all the elders of Israel to meet with you. Tell them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, has appeared to me—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He said, “I have paid close attention to what's been happening to you in Egypt.
17 futhi ngathi ngizalenyusa enhluphekweni yeGibhithe, ngilise elizweni lamaKhanani lelamaHethi lelamaAmori lelamaPerizi lelamaHivi lelamaJebusi, liye elizweni eligeleza uchago loluju.
I have decided to take you away from the misery you're having in Egypt and bring you to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”
18 Njalo bazalalela ilizwi lakho. Futhi uzakuya, wena labadala bakoIsrayeli, enkosini yeGibhithe, lithi kuyo: INkosi, uNkulunkulu wamaHebheru, ihlangene lathi; khathesi-ke, ake usiyekele sihambe ummango wensuku ezintathu siye enkangala ukuze sihlabele iNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu.
“The elders of Israel will accept what you say. Then you must go with them to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews has revealed himself to us. So please let us go three days journey into the desert so we can offer sacrifices to the Lord our God there.’
19 Kodwa mina ngiyazi ukuthi inkosi yeGibhithe kayiyikuliyekela lihambe, ngitsho langesandla esilamandla.
But I know that the king of Egypt won't let you go unless he's forced to do so by a power stronger than him.
20 Ngakho ngizakwelula isandla sami ngilitshaye iGibhithe ngezimangaliso zami zonke engizazenza phakathi kwalo; njalo emva kwalokho izaliyekela lihambe.
So I will use my power to inflict on Egypt all the terrifying things that I'm about to do to them. After that he'll let you go.
21 Njalo ngizanika lesisizwe umusa emehlweni amaGibhithe. Kuzakuthi-ke mhla lisukayo, kaliyikusuka lingelalutho,
I will make the Egyptians treat you well as a people, so when you go you won't leave empty-handed.
22 kodwa wonke owesifazana uzacela kumakhelwane wakhe, lakuye ohlezihleziyo endlini yakhe, izinto zesiliva, lezinto zegolide, lemvunulo; lizazifaka emadodaneni enu lemadodakazini enu; lizawaphanga amaGibhithe.
Every woman will ask her neighbor as well as any woman living in her house for silver and gold jewelry and clothing, and put them on your sons and daughters. In this way you will take the wealth of the Egyptians with you.”
