U-Eksodusi 3
1 UMozisi wayeselusa-ke umhlambi kaJetro uyisezala, umpristi weMidiyani; waqhuba umhlambi waya ngaphambili kwenkangala waze wafika entabeni kaNkulunkulu, eHorebe.
Moses/I was taking care of the sheep that belonged to his/my father-in-law Jethro, the priest of the Midian [people]. He/I led the flock across the desert and came to Horeb, [the mountain that was later called Sinai], the (mountain that [had been dedicated to] God/taboo mountain).
2 Njalo ingilosi yeNkosi yabonakala kuye elangabini lomlilo liphuma phakathi kwesihlahla; wasebona, khangela-ke, isihlahla sivutha umlilo, kodwa isihlahla sasingapheli.
[One day] Yahweh (appeared/revealed himself) to him/me, [looking like] an angel. The angel appeared in a flame of fire in the middle of a bush [that was burning]. Moses/I looked at it, and he/I was surprised that the bush was burning, but it was not burning up.
3 UMozisi wasesithi: Ngizaphambuka-ke ngibone lo umbono omkhulu, ukuthi kungani isihlahla singatshi.
Moses/I thought, “I will go closer and try to see this strange sight! Why is the bush not burning up?”
4 Kwathi iNkosi isibonile ukuthi uphambukile ukuyabona, uNkulunkulu wambiza ephakathi kwesihlahla, wathi: Mozisi, Mozisi! Wasesithi: Khangela ngilapha.
When Yahweh saw that he/I had come closer, he called to Moses/me from the middle of the bush, saying, “Moses! Moses!” He/I replied, “[Yes], here I am.”
5 Wasesithi: Ungasondeli lapha; khupha amanyathela akho enyaweni zakho, ngoba indawo omi kuyo ingumhlabathi ongcwele.
Yahweh said, “Do not come closer! [Because I am God], the ground on which you are standing is holy/taboo. So take off your sandals [to show respect to me].”
6 Wathi futhi: NginguNkulunkulu kayihlo, uNkulunkulu kaAbrahama, uNkulunkulu kaIsaka, loNkulunkulu kaJakobe. UMozisi wasefihla ubuso bakhe, ngoba esesaba ukukhangela uNkulunkulu.
Then he said, “I am God, whom your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob [worshiped].” So Moses/I covered his/my face, because he/I was afraid [that God would kill him/me] if he/I looked at him.
7 INkosi yasisithi: Isibili ngibonile ukuhlupheka kwesizwe sami esiseGibhithe, ngizwile ukukhala kwabo ngenxa yabaqhubi besibhalo babo; ngoba ngiyazazi insizi zabo;
Then Yahweh said, “I have seen how cruelly [they are treating] my people in Egypt. I have heard them (wailing/crying out) [for help] because of what the slave-drivers [are forcing them to do]. I know how my people are 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.
So I have come down [from heaven] to rescue them from the Egyptians [SYN]. I have come to bring them up from that land [to the highlands in Canaan]. I will bring them to a land that is good/fertile and that has plenty of space. It will be very good for raising livestock and growing crops [MTY]. It is the land where the descendants of Canaan, Heth, Amor, Periz, Hiv, and Jebus [live].
9 Khathesi-ke, khangela, ukukhala kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli sekufikile kimi; njalo lami ngibonile ucindezelo amaGibhithe abacindezela ngalo.
Truly I have now heard my Israeli people crying [PRS]. I have seen how the Egyptians oppress them.
10 Khathesi-ke, woza, ngizakuthuma kuFaro ukuze ukhuphe isizwe sami, abantwana bakoIsrayeli, eGibhithe.
So you go [back] to Egypt. I am sending you to the king, in order that [he may permit] you to bring my people, the Israeli people, out of Egypt.”
11 Kodwa uMozisi wathi kuNkulunkulu: Ngingubani mina ukuthi ngiye kuFaro, lokuthi ngikhuphe abantwana bakoIsrayeli eGibhithe?
But Moses/I replied, “I am not a well-known person [RHQ]! (I cannot go to the king and [ask him to permit me] to bring the Israeli people out of Egypt!/How can I go to the king and [ask him to allow me to] bring the Israeli people out of Egypt?)” [RHQ]
12 Wasesithi: Isibili ngizakuba lawe; lalokhu kuzakuba yisibonakaliso kuwe sokuthi mina ngikuthumile; lapho ususikhuphile isizwe eGibhithe, lizamkhonza uNkulunkulu kulintaba.
God replied, “I will be with you. And when you bring [my] people out of Egypt, all of you will worship me [right] here on this mountain. That will prove that I am the one who sent you [to them].”
13 UMozisi wasesithi kuNkulunkulu: Khangela, nxa ngifika kubantwana bakoIsrayeli ngisithi kubo: UNkulunkulu waboyihlo ungithumile kini; bazakuthi kimi: Ungubani ibizo lakhe? Ngizathini kubo?
Moses/I said to God, “If I go to the Israeli people and say to them, ‘God, the one your ancestors [worshiped], has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’, what shall I say to them?”
14 UNkulunkulu wasesithi kuMozisi: NGINGUYE ENGINGUYE. Wathi futhi: Uzakutsho njalo kubantwana bakoIsrayeli ukuthi: UNGINGUYE ungithumile kini.
God replied, “I AM who I AM.” And he said, “Tell the Israeli people that the one who is [named] ‘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.
God also said to Moses/me, “Say this to the Israeli people: ‘Yahweh God, the one your ancestors [worshiped], the one that Abraham and Isaac and Jacob [worshiped], has sent me to you.’ This name, [Yahweh], will be my name forever. That is the name that [people in] all future generations [must use when they talk about/to] me.
16 Hamba, ubuthanise abadala bakoIsrayeli, uthi kubo: INkosi uNkulunkulu waboyihlo ibonakele kimi, uNkulunkulu kaAbrahama, kaIsaka, lokaJakobe, isithi: Ngokulihambela ngilihambele, lalokho elikwenziwe eGibhithe;
Go [to Egypt] and gather together the elders/leaders of the Israeli people, and say to them, ‘Yahweh God, the one your ancestors [worshiped], the one Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob [worshiped], appeared to me. He said to him/me, “I have been watching closely what the Egyptian people have done to you.
17 futhi ngathi ngizalenyusa enhluphekweni yeGibhithe, ngilise elizweni lamaKhanani lelamaHethi lelamaAmori lelamaPerizi lelamaHivi lelamaJebusi, liye elizweni eligeleza uchago loluju.
I promise that I will rescue you from being oppressed in Egypt, and [I will take you] to the land where the descendants of Canaan, Heth, Amor, Periz, Hiv, and Jebus [live]. It is a land good for raising livestock and growing crops [MTY].”’
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.
My people will do what you say. Then you and their leaders must go to the king of Egypt, and you must say to him, ‘Yahweh, who is God, the one we Hebrews [worship], has revealed himself to us. So now we ask you to allow us to travel for three days to [a place in] the desert, in order that there we may offer sacrifices to Yahweh, our God.’
19 Kodwa mina ngiyazi ukuthi inkosi yeGibhithe kayiyikuliyekela lihambe, ngitsho langesandla esilamandla.
But I know that the king of Egypt will allow you to go only if he realizes I am [more] powerful [MTY] [than he is].
20 Ngakho ngizakwelula isandla sami ngilitshaye iGibhithe ngezimangaliso zami zonke engizazenza phakathi kwalo; njalo emva kwalokho izaliyekela lihambe.
So I will use my power [MTY] to strike/punish [the people of] Egypt [MTY] by performing many miracles there. Then he will allow you to leave.
21 Njalo ngizanika lesisizwe umusa emehlweni amaGibhithe. Kuzakuthi-ke mhla lisukayo, kaliyikusuka lingelalutho,
[When that happens], I will cause the people of Egypt to respect you. [The result will be that] when you leave Egypt, (you will not go empty-handed/they will give you many [valuable] things to take with you).
22 kodwa wonke owesifazana uzacela kumakhelwane wakhe, lakuye ohlezihleziyo endlini yakhe, izinto zesiliva, lezinto zegolide, lemvunulo; lizazifaka emadodaneni enu lemadodakazini enu; lizawaphanga amaGibhithe.
[At that time], each [Israeli] woman will ask her [Egyptian] neighbors and each [Egyptian] woman who is living in her (OR, her neighbor’s) house to [give her] some silver and gold jewelry and some [nice] clothes. [Each Egyptian woman will give them some], and you will put them on your sons and daughters [to take with you]. In that way you will (take away/confiscate) the wealth of the Egyptian people.”
