U-Eksodusi 4
1 UMozisi wasephendula wathi: Kodwa khangela, kabayikungikholwa, kabayikulilalela ilizwi lami; ngoba bazakuthi: INkosi kayibonakalanga kuwe.
Moses answered, “But what if they do not believe me or listen to me but say instead, 'Yahweh has not appeared to you'?”
2 INkosi yasisithi kuye: Kuyini lokho okusesandleni sakho? Wasesithi: Yintonga.
Yahweh said to him, “What is that in your hand?” Moses said, “A staff.”
3 Yasisithi: Iphosele emhlabathini. Waseyiphosela emhlabathini, yasisiba yinyoka. UMozisi waseyibalekela.
Yahweh said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses ran back from it.
4 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Yelula isandla sakho, uyibambe ngomsila. Waselula isandla sakhe, wayithi xhaka; yasisiba yintonga esandleni sakhe,
Yahweh said to Moses, “Reach out and take it by the tail.” So he reached out and took hold of the snake. It became a staff in his hand again.
5 ukuze bakholwe ukuthi ibonakele kuwe iNkosi, uNkulunkulu waboyise, uNkulunkulu kaAbrahama, uNkulunkulu kaIsaka, loNkulunkulu kaJakobe.
“This is so they may believe that Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has 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 also said to him, “Now put your hand inside your robe.” So Moses put his hand inside his robe. When he brought 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.
Yahweh said, “Put your hand inside your robe again.” So Moses put his hand inside his robe, and when he brought it out, he saw that it was made healthy again, like the rest of his flesh.
8 Njalo kuzakuthi uba bengakukholwa, bengalaleli ilizwi lesibonakaliso sokuqala, bazakholwa ilizwi lesibonakaliso sokucina.
Yahweh said, “If they do not believe you—if they do not pay attention to the first sign of my power or believe in it, then they will believe the second 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.
If they do not believe even these two signs of my power, or listen to you, then take some water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water that you take will become blood on 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.
Then Moses said to Yahweh, “Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you spoke to your servant. I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
11 INkosi yasisithi kuye: Ngubani owenzela umuntu umlomo? Kumbe ngubani owenza isimungulu, kumbe isacuthe, kumbe obonayo, kumbe isiphofu? Kakusimi yini iNkosi?
Yahweh said to him, “Who is it who made man's mouth? Who makes a man mute or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh?
12 Khathesi-ke hamba, njalo mina ngizakuba lomlomo wakho, ngikufundise lokho ozakukhuluma.
So now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what to say.”
13 Kodwa wathi: Uxolo, Nkosi yami, akuthume ngesandla salowo ozamthuma.
But Moses said, “Lord, please send anyone else, anyone whom you wish to 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.
Then Yahweh became angry with Moses. He said, “What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Moreover, he is coming to meet you, and when he sees you, 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.
You will speak to him and put the words to say into his mouth. I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will show you both what to do.
16 Yena-ke uzakhuluma esizweni esikhundleni sakho, kuzakuthi abe ngumlomo kuwe, wena ube njengoNkulunkulu kuye.
He will speak to the people for you. He will be your mouth, and you will be to him like me, God.
17 Njalo uzathatha lintonga esandleni sakho, ozakwenza izibonakaliso ngayo.
You will take in your hand this staff. With it you will 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.
So Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me go so I may return to my relatives who are in Egypt and see if they are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
19 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi eMidiyani: Hamba, ubuyele eGibhithe; ngoba wonke amadoda asafa, ayedinga umphefumulo wakho.
Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt, for all the men who were trying to take your life are dead.”
20 UMozisi wasethatha umkakhe lamadodana akhe, wabakhwelisa phezu kukababhemi, wabuyela elizweni leGibhithe. UMozisi wasethatha intonga kaNkulunkulu esandleni sakhe.
Moses took his wife and his sons and put them on a donkey. He returned to the land of Egypt, and he took the staff 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.
Yahweh said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put in your power. 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;
You must say to Pharaoh, 'This is what Yahweh says: Israel is my son, my firstborn,
23 njalo sengithe kuwe: Yekela indodana yami ihambe ukuthi ingikhonze; kodwa walile ukuyiyekela ihambe, khangela, ngizabulala indodana yakho, izibulo lakho.
and I say to you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But since you have refused to let him go, I will certainly kill your son, your firstborn.'”
24 Kwasekusithi esendleleni, endlini yezihambi, iNkosi yahlangana laye, yadinga ukumbulala.
Now on the way, when they stopped for the night, Yahweh met Moses and tried 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 knife and cut off the foreskin of her son, and touched it to his feet. Then she said, “Surely you are a bridegroom to me by blood.”
26 Yasimyekela. Ngalesosikhathi wathi: Umyeni wegazi, ngenxa yokusoka.
So Yahweh let him alone. She said, “You are a bridegroom of blood” because of the circumcision.
27 INkosi yasisithi kuAroni: Hamba, uyehlangabeza uMozisi enkangala. Wahamba-ke, wahlangana laye entabeni kaNkulunkulu, wamanga.
Yahweh said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” Aaron went, met him at the mountain of God, and kissed him.
28 UMozisi wasemtshela uAroni wonke amazwi eNkosi eyayimthumile, lazo zonke izibonakaliso eyayimlaye zona.
Moses told Aaron all the words of Yahweh that he had sent him to say and about all the signs of Yahweh's power that he had commanded him to do.
29 OMozisi loAroni basebehamba, babuthanisa bonke abadala babantwana bakoIsrayeli.
Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the Israelites.
30 UAroni wasekhuluma amazwi wonke iNkosi eyayiwakhulume kuMozisi, wenza izibonakaliso phambi kwamehlo abantu.
Aaron spoke all the words that Yahweh had spoken to Moses. He also displayed the signs of Yahweh's power in the sight of the people.
31 Abantu basebekholwa; bezwa ukuthi iNkosi ihambele abantwana bakoIsrayeli, lokuthi ibonile inhlupheko yabo, bakhothama, bakhonza.
The people believed. When they heard that Yahweh had observed the Israelites and that he had seen their oppression, then they bowed their heads and worshiped him.
