U-Eksodusi 4

1 UMozisi wasephendula wathi: Kodwa khangela, kabayikungikholwa, kabayikulilalela ilizwi lami; ngoba bazakuthi: INkosi kayibonakalanga kuwe.

And Moses answered and said: 'But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say: The lord hath not appeared unto thee.'

2 INkosi yasisithi kuye: Kuyini lokho okusesandleni sakho? Wasesithi: Yintonga.

And the LORD said unto him: 'What is that in thy hand?' And he said: 'A rod.'

3 Yasisithi: Iphosele emhlabathini. Waseyiphosela emhlabathini, yasisiba yinyoka. UMozisi waseyibalekela.

And He said: 'Cast it on the ground.' And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

4 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Yelula isandla sakho, uyibambe ngomsila. Waselula isandla sakhe, wayithi xhaka; yasisiba yintonga esandleni sakhe,

And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Put forth thy hand, and take it by the tail — and he put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand —

5 ukuze bakholwe ukuthi ibonakele kuwe iNkosi, uNkulunkulu waboyise, uNkulunkulu kaAbrahama, uNkulunkulu kaIsaka, loNkulunkulu kaJakobe.

that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.'

6 INkosi yasisithi njalo kuye: Ake ufake isandla sakho esifubeni sakho. Wasesifaka isandla sakhe esifubeni sakhe; esesikhuphile, khangela-ke, isandla sakhe sasesilobulephero njengeliqhwa elikhithikileyo.

And the LORD said furthermore unto him: 'Put now thy hand into thy bosom.' And he put his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow.

7 Yasisithi: Buyisela isandla sakho esifubeni sakho. Wasesibuyisela isandla sakhe esifubeni sakhe; esesikhuphile esifubeni sakhe, khangela-ke, sasesiphenduke saba njengenyama yakhe.

And He said: 'Put thy hand back into thy bosom. — And he put his hand back into his bosom; and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. —

8 Njalo kuzakuthi uba bengakukholwa, bengalaleli ilizwi lesibonakaliso sokuqala, bazakholwa ilizwi lesibonakaliso sokucina.

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

9 Kuzakuthi-ke, uba bengakholwa lalezizibonakaliso ezimbili, bengalaleli ilizwi lakho, uzakukha okwamanzi omfula, uwathele emhlabathini owomileyo; njalo kuzakuthi amanzi ozawakha emfuleni azakuba ligazi emhlabathini owomileyo.

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe even these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land; and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.'

10 UMozisi wasesithi eNkosini: Uxolo, Nkosi yami, kangisiso sikhulumi, ngitsho kusukela endulo, ngitsho kusukela usukhulume lenceku yakho; ngoba kunzima emlonyeni wami njalo kunzima olimini.

And Moses said unto the LORD: 'Oh Lord, I am not a man of words, neither heretofore, nor since Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.'

11 INkosi yasisithi kuye: Ngubani owenzela umuntu umlomo? Kumbe ngubani owenza isimungulu, kumbe isacuthe, kumbe obonayo, kumbe isiphofu? Kakusimi yini iNkosi?

And the LORD said unto him: 'Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh a man dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? is it not I the LORD?

12 Khathesi-ke hamba, njalo mina ngizakuba lomlomo wakho, ngikufundise lokho ozakukhuluma.

Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt speak.'

13 Kodwa wathi: Uxolo, Nkosi yami, akuthume ngesandla salowo ozamthuma.

And he said: 'Oh Lord, send, I pray Thee, by the hand of him whom Thou wilt send.'

14 Lwaseluvutha ulaka lweNkosi kuMozisi, yasisithi: Angithi uAroni umLevi ngumnewenu? Ngiyazi ukuthi angakhuluma kuhle. Njalo khangela-ke, uzaphuma ukukuhlangabeza; nxa ekubona, uzathaba enhliziyweni yakhe.

And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: 'Is there not Aaron thy brother the Levite? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee; and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.

15 Njalo uzakhuluma kuye, ufake amazwi emlonyeni wakhe; mina-ke ngizakuba lomlomo wakho lomlomo wakhe, ngizalifundisa lokho elizakwenza.

And thou shalt speak unto him, and put the words in his mouth; and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.

16 Yena-ke uzakhuluma esizweni esikhundleni sakho, kuzakuthi abe ngumlomo kuwe, wena ube njengoNkulunkulu kuye.

And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and it shall come to pass, that he shall be to thee a mouth, and thou shalt be to him in God's stead.

17 Njalo uzathatha lintonga esandleni sakho, ozakwenza izibonakaliso ngayo.

And thou shalt take in thy hand this rod, wherewith thou shalt do the signs.'

18 UMozisi wasehamba wabuyela kuJetro uyisezala, wathi kuye: Ake ungiyekele ngihambe, ngibuyele kubafowethu abaseGibhithe, ngibone ukuthi basaphila yini. UJetro wasesithi kuMozisi: Hamba ngokuthula.

And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said unto him: 'Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren that are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive.' And Jethro said to Moses: 'Go in peace.'

19 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi eMidiyani: Hamba, ubuyele eGibhithe; ngoba wonke amadoda asafa, ayedinga umphefumulo wakho.

And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian: 'Go, return into Egypt; for all the men are dead that sought thy life.'

20 UMozisi wasethatha umkakhe lamadodana akhe, wabakhwelisa phezu kukababhemi, wabuyela elizweni leGibhithe. UMozisi wasethatha intonga kaNkulunkulu esandleni sakhe.

And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt; and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

21 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Ekuhambeni kwakho ubuyela eGibhithe, bona ukuthi, zonke izimangaliso engizibeke esandleni sakho, uzenze phambi kukaFaro. Kodwa ngizakwenza inhliziyo yakhe ibe lukhuni ukuze angasiyekeli isizwe sihambe.

And the LORD said unto Moses: 'When thou goest back into Egypt, see that thou do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in thy hand; but I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go.

22 Njalo uzakuthi kuFaro: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Indodana yami, izibulo lami, nguIsrayeli;

And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh: Thus saith the LORD: Israel is My son, My first-born.

23 njalo sengithe kuwe: Yekela indodana yami ihambe ukuthi ingikhonze; kodwa walile ukuyiyekela ihambe, khangela, ngizabulala indodana yakho, izibulo lakho.

And I have said unto thee: Let My son go, that he may serve Me; and thou hast refused to let him go. Behold, I will slay thy son, thy first-born.' —

24 Kwasekusithi esendleleni, endlini yezihambi, iNkosi yahlangana laye, yadinga ukumbulala.

And it came to pass on the way at the lodging-place, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.

25 UZipora wasethatha insengetshe, waquma ijwabu laphambili lendodana yakhe, walithintisa inyawo zakhe wathi: Isibili ungumyeni wegazi kimi.

Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she said: 'Surely a bridegroom of blood art thou to me.'

26 Yasimyekela. Ngalesosikhathi wathi: Umyeni wegazi, ngenxa yokusoka.

So He let him alone. Then she said: 'A bridegroom of blood in regard of the circumcision.'

27 INkosi yasisithi kuAroni: Hamba, uyehlangabeza uMozisi enkangala. Wahamba-ke, wahlangana laye entabeni kaNkulunkulu, wamanga.

And the LORD said to Aaron: 'Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.' And he went, and met him in the mountain of God, and kissed him.

28 UMozisi wasemtshela uAroni wonke amazwi eNkosi eyayimthumile, lazo zonke izibonakaliso eyayimlaye zona.

And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD wherewith He had sent him, and all the signs wherewith He had charged him.

29 OMozisi loAroni basebehamba, babuthanisa bonke abadala babantwana bakoIsrayeli.

And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.

30 UAroni wasekhuluma amazwi wonke iNkosi eyayiwakhulume kuMozisi, wenza izibonakaliso phambi kwamehlo abantu.

And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.

31 Abantu basebekholwa; bezwa ukuthi iNkosi ihambele abantwana bakoIsrayeli, lokuthi ibonile inhlupheko yabo, bakhothama, bakhonza.

And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had remembered the children of Israel, and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.