U-Eksodusi 4
1 UMozisi wasephendula wathi: Kodwa khangela, kabayikungikholwa, kabayikulilalela ilizwi lami; ngoba bazakuthi: INkosi kayibonakalanga kuwe.
Moses/I replied, “But what if [the Israeli people] (do not believe me/are not convinced) or not do what I tell them? What if they say, ‘Yahweh did not appear to you!’”
2 INkosi yasisithi kuye: Kuyini lokho okusesandleni sakho? Wasesithi: Yintonga.
Yahweh said to him/me, “[Look at] that thing you are holding in your hand. What is it?” He/I replied, “A (walking stick/shepherd’s stick).”
3 Yasisithi: Iphosele emhlabathini. Waseyiphosela emhlabathini, yasisiba yinyoka. UMozisi waseyibalekela.
He said, “Throw it down on the ground!” So, he/I threw it on the ground, and it became a snake! And he/I ran/jumped away from it.
4 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Yelula isandla sakho, uyibambe ngomsila. Waselula isandla sakhe, wayithi xhaka; yasisiba yintonga esandleni sakhe,
But Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Reach down and pick it up by its tail!” So he/I reached down and caught it, and [when he/I picked it up], it became a stick in his/my hand [again.]
5 ukuze bakholwe ukuthi ibonakele kuwe iNkosi, uNkulunkulu waboyise, uNkulunkulu kaAbrahama, uNkulunkulu kaIsaka, loNkulunkulu kaJakobe.
Yahweh said, “[Do the same thing in front of the Israeli people], in order that they may believe that [I], Yahweh God, the one Abraham and Isaac and Jacob worshiped, truly appeared to you.”
6 INkosi yasisithi njalo kuye: Ake ufake isandla sakho esifubeni sakho. Wasesifaka isandla sakhe esifubeni sakhe; esesikhuphile, khangela-ke, isandla sakhe sasesilobulephero njengeliqhwa elikhithikileyo.
Yahweh spoke to Moses/me again, saying “Put your hand inside your robe [MTY]!” He/I did that. And when he/I took it out again, [surprisingly], his/my hand was white. It had a skin disease [that made it] 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.
Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your robe [MTY]!” So he/I did that, and when he/I took it out again, surprisingly, it was normal again, just like the rest of his/my body!
8 Njalo kuzakuthi uba bengakukholwa, bengalaleli ilizwi lesibonakaliso sokuqala, bazakholwa ilizwi lesibonakaliso sokucina.
God said, “[You can do that in front of the Israeli people, too]. If they do not pay attention to what you say because of [seeing] the first miracle, they will (believe [you/be convinced) when you perform] the second miracle.
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.
If they do not believe you or do what you say, even [after you perform] those two miracles, get some water from the Nile [River] and pour it on the ground. [When you do that], the water from the river that you pour on the ground will become blood [MTY] (OR, [red like] blood).”
10 UMozisi wasesithi eNkosini: Uxolo, Nkosi yami, kangisiso sikhulumi, ngitsho kusukela endulo, ngitsho kusukela usukhulume lenceku yakho; ngoba kunzima emlonyeni wami njalo kunzima olimini.
Moses/I replied, “O Yahweh! I am not an eloquent [speaker]! I was not an eloquent speaker before, and I have not become one since you started talking to me! I am not a good speaker [MTY], and I speak very slowly.”
11 INkosi yasisithi kuye: Ngubani owenzela umuntu umlomo? Kumbe ngubani owenza isimungulu, kumbe isacuthe, kumbe obonayo, kumbe isiphofu? Kakusimi yini iNkosi?
Then Yahweh said to him/me, “[You seem to forget] who it is that makes people able to speak [RHQ]! Who is it that enables people to be unable to speak or unable to hear, or able to see or not to see? It is I, Yahweh [RHQ]!
12 Khathesi-ke hamba, njalo mina ngizakuba lomlomo wakho, ngikufundise lokho ozakukhuluma.
So start going [to Egypt], and I will help you to speak [MTY], and I will tell you what you should say.”
13 Kodwa wathi: Uxolo, Nkosi yami, akuthume ngesandla salowo ozamthuma.
But he/I replied, “O, Yahweh, I ask you, please send someone else [instead]!”
14 Lwaseluvutha ulaka lweNkosi kuMozisi, yasisithi: Angithi uAroni umLevi ngumnewenu? Ngiyazi ukuthi angakhuluma kuhle. Njalo khangela-ke, uzaphuma ukukuhlangabeza; nxa ekubona, uzathaba enhliziyweni yakhe.
Then Yahweh became very angry with Moses/me. He said, “[What about] your [older] brother Aaron, who is [also] a descendant of Levi? I know that he is a very good/eloquent speaker. He is actually on his way here [right now], and he will be very happy to see you.
15 Njalo uzakhuluma kuye, ufake amazwi emlonyeni wakhe; mina-ke ngizakuba lomlomo wakho lomlomo wakhe, ngizalifundisa lokho elizakwenza.
You can talk to him and tell him what to say [MTY], and I will help both of you [SYN] to know what to say [MTY]. And I will tell you both what you should do.
16 Yena-ke uzakhuluma esizweni esikhundleni sakho, kuzakuthi abe ngumlomo kuwe, wena ube njengoNkulunkulu kuye.
He will speak for you to the [Israeli] people. He will be (your spokesman/as though he was your mouth) [MET], and you will be to him as though you are [his] god.
17 Njalo uzathatha lintonga esandleni sakho, ozakwenza izibonakaliso ngayo.
[Be sure] to take with you the walking/shepherd’s stick [that is in your hand], because you will perform miracles with it.”
18 UMozisi wasehamba wabuyela kuJetro uyisezala, wathi kuye: Ake ungiyekele ngihambe, ngibuyele kubafowethu abaseGibhithe, ngibone ukuthi basaphila yini. UJetro wasesithi kuMozisi: Hamba ngokuthula.
Moses/I returned to his/my father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Please let me go back to Egypt, to see my fellow Israelis there. I want to know if they are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses/me, “Go, and may [God give you inner] peace.”
19 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi eMidiyani: Hamba, ubuyele eGibhithe; ngoba wonke amadoda asafa, ayedinga umphefumulo wakho.
Yahweh said to Moses/me [before he/I left] Midian, “You can [safely] return to Egypt, because the men who were wanting to kill you [MTY] are [now] dead.”
20 UMozisi wasethatha umkakhe lamadodana akhe, wabakhwelisa phezu kukababhemi, wabuyela elizweni leGibhithe. UMozisi wasethatha intonga kaNkulunkulu esandleni sakhe.
So Moses/I took his/my wife and sons and put them on donkeys, and they/we returned to Egypt. And Moses/I took in his/my hand the stick that God [told him/me to take along].
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.
Yahweh said to Moses/me, “When you return to Egypt, be sure to perform all the miracles that I have given you power [to do], while the king is watching. But I will make him stubborn [IDM], with the result that he will not let the Israeli people leave [Egypt].
22 Njalo uzakuthi kuFaro: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Indodana yami, izibulo lami, nguIsrayeli;
Then say to him, ‘This is what Yahweh says: “The Israeli [people] [MTY] are [as dear to] me as firstborn sons [MET].
23 njalo sengithe kuwe: Yekela indodana yami ihambe ukuthi ingikhonze; kodwa walile ukuyiyekela ihambe, khangela, ngizabulala indodana yakho, izibulo lakho.
I told you to let my people [MTY] leave [Egypt], in order that they may worship me [in the desert]. If you refuse to let them go, I warn you, I will kill your firstborn son!”’”
24 Kwasekusithi esendleleni, endlini yezihambi, iNkosi yahlangana laye, yadinga ukumbulala.
[One night], as they were camping on the way [to Egypt], Yahweh appeared to Moses/me. He wanted/threatened to kill Moses/me [for disobeying his command that boys/sons be circumcised].
25 UZipora wasethatha insengetshe, waquma ijwabu laphambili lendodana yakhe, walithintisa inyawo zakhe wathi: Isibili ungumyeni wegazi kimi.
Then [his/my wife] Zipporah took a flint knife and circumcised her son. Then she touched the boy’s feet (OR, genitals) with the piece of skin [she had cut off], and she said, “The blood [which flowed when I circumcised you] will protect you [from being harmed by Yahweh] [MET].”
26 Yasimyekela. Ngalesosikhathi wathi: Umyeni wegazi, ngenxa yokusoka.
She said to him, “You are safe now [MET] because you have been circumcised.” So Yahweh did not harm her son.
27 INkosi yasisithi kuAroni: Hamba, uyehlangabeza uMozisi enkangala. Wahamba-ke, wahlangana laye entabeni kaNkulunkulu, wamanga.
Yahweh said to Aaron, “Go into the desert to meet/see Moses!” So he went [there from Egypt] and met him/me at [Sinai], the mountain dedicated to God, and [greeted him/me by] kissing him/me [on the cheek].
28 UMozisi wasemtshela uAroni wonke amazwi eNkosi eyayimthumile, lazo zonke izibonakaliso eyayimlaye zona.
Moses/I told Aaron everything that Yahweh had said to him/me when he told him/me to return to Egypt. He/I also told Aaron about all the miracles that Yahweh told him/me to perform.
29 OMozisi loAroni basebehamba, babuthanisa bonke abadala babantwana bakoIsrayeli.
[So Aaron and Moses/I] returned [to Egypt]. There they/we gathered together all the Israeli elders/leaders.
30 UAroni wasekhuluma amazwi wonke iNkosi eyayiwakhulume kuMozisi, wenza izibonakaliso phambi kwamehlo abantu.
Aaron told them everything that Yahweh had told Moses/me, and Aaron performed [all] the miracles as the people watched.
31 Abantu basebekholwa; bezwa ukuthi iNkosi ihambele abantwana bakoIsrayeli, lokuthi ibonile inhlupheko yabo, bakhothama, bakhonza.
They believed [that what they/we were saying was true]. When they heard that Yahweh had seen how the Israeli people were being cruelly oppressed and that he was going to help them, they bowed down and worshiped [Yahweh].
