U-Eksodusi 8
1 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Yana kuFaro uthi kuye: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Yekela abantu bami bahambe ukuze bangikhonze.
Then the Lord told Moses, “Go and see Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they can worship me.
2 Uba-ke usala ukubayekela bahambe, khangela, ngizatshaya yonke imingcele yakho ngamaxoxo.
If you refuse to let them leave, I will send a plague of frogs all over your country.
3 Njalo umfula uzanyakazela ngamaxoxo, azakhuphuka, angene endlini yakho, lekamelweni lakho lokulala, laphezu kombheda wakho, lendlini yenceku zakho, laphezu kwesizwe sakho, lemaziko akho, lemiganwini yakho yokuxovela ukudla;
They will swarm out of the Nile, and they will enter your palace and get into your bedroom and jump onto your bed. They will get into the houses of your officials and jump around your people—even into your ovens and breadmaking bowls.
4 lamaxoxo azakhuphukela kuwe, lesizweni sakho lezincekwini zakho zonke.
Frogs will jump all over you, your people, and all your officials.’”
5 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Tshono kuAroni uthi: Yelula isandla sakho ngentonga yakho phezu kwemifula, phezu kwezifula, laphezu kweziziba, wenze amaxoxo akhuphukele elizweni leGibhithe.
The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Hold out your walking stick in your hand over the rivers and canals and ponds, and make frogs spread over Egypt.’”
6 UAroni waseselula isandla sakhe phezu kwamanzi eGibhithe; lamaxoxo akhuphuka, asibekela ilizwe leGibhithe.
So Aaron held out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and frogs came up and covered the land.
7 Labalumbi benza njalo ngamalumbo abo, benza amaxoxo akhuphukela elizweni leGibhithe.
But the Egyptian magicians did the same thing using their magic arts. They brought up frogs in Egypt.
8 UFaro wasebabiza oMozisi loAroni wathi: Ncengani iNkosi ukuthi isuse amaxoxo kimi lesizweni sami; njalo ngizayekela isizwe sihambe ukuthi bahlabele iNkosi.
Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and pleaded with them, “Pray to the Lord, and ask him to take away the frogs from me and my people. Then I will let your people go so they can offer sacrifices to the Lord.”
9 UMozisi wasesithi kuFaro: Woba lodumo ngaphezu kwami. Ngizakuncengela nini lenceku zakho, lesizwe sakho, ukuchitha amaxoxo asuke kuwe lendlini zakho, asale emfuleni kuphela?
“You may have the honor of deciding when I'll pray for you, your officials, and your people that the frogs will be removed from you and your houses. They will remain only in the Nile.”
10 Wasesithi: Kusasa. Wathi-ke: Njengelizwi lakho, ukuze wazi ukuthi kakho onjengeNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu.
“Do it tomorrow,” Pharaoh replied. Moses said, “It will happen as you have requested so you will know that there is no one like the Lord our God.
11 Njalo amaxoxo azasuka kuwe lezindlini zakho lezincekwini zakho lesizweni sakho, asale emfuleni kuphela.
The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people, and they will remain only in the Nile.”
12 UMozisi loAroni basebephuma kuFaro. UMozisi wakhala eNkosini ngenxa yamaxoxo eyayiwabekile phezu kukaFaro.
Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, and Moses pleaded with the Lord about the frogs he had sent against Pharaoh.
13 INkosi yenza-ke njengelizwi likaMozisi; amaxoxo asesifa ephuma ezindlini, emagumeni lemasimini.
The Lord did as Moses asked. The frogs in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields died.
14 Basebewabuthelela inqwaba ngenqwaba; lelizwe laba levumba.
The people collected them in pile upon pile, and the whole country smelled terrible.
15 Kodwa uFaro ebona ukuthi sekungcono, wenza inhliziyo yakhe yaba nzima, ukuthi kabalalelanga, njengokutsho kweNkosi.
But when Pharaoh realized the plague had passed he chose to become hard and stubborn again, wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted.
16 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Tshono kuAroni uthi: Yelula intonga yakho, utshaye uthuli lomhlaba, ukuze lube yimiyane elizweni lonke leGibhithe.
The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Pick up your walking stick and hit the dust of the ground. The dust will become gnats swarming all over Egypt.’”
17 Basebesenza njalo; ngoba uAroni welula isandla sakhe silentonga yakhe, watshaya uthuli lomhlaba; lemiyane yaba khona ebantwini lezifuyweni; lonke uthuli lwaba yimiyane elizweni lonke leGibhithe.
They did what the Lord said. When Aaron lifted up his walking stick and hit the dust of the earth, gnats swarmed over both people and animals. The dust in the whole of Egypt turned into gnats.
18 Labalumbi benza njalo ngamalumbo abo ukuveza imiyane, kodwa babengeke. Ngakho imiyane yaba sebantwini lezifuyweni.
The magicians also tried to make gnats using their magic arts, but they couldn't. The gnats stayed on both people and animals.
19 Labalumbi bathi kuFaro: Lokhu kungumunwe kaNkulunkulu. Kodwa inhliziyo kaFaro yaba lukhuni, kazabezwa, njengokutsho kweNkosi.
“This is an act of God,” the magicians told Pharaoh. But Pharaoh chose to be stubbornly hard-hearted, and he wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted.
20 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Vuka ekuseni kakhulu, uzimise phambi kukaFaro; khangela uphuma esiya emanzini, njalo uthi kuye: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Yekela abantu bami bahambe bangikhonze.
The Lord told Moses, “Tomorrow morning get up early and block Pharaoh's way as he walks down to the river. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they can worship me.
21 Ngoba uba ungasiyekeli isizwe sami sihambe, khangela ngizathumela umtshitshi wezibawu kuwe lezincekwini zakho lesizweni sakho lendlini zakho; lezindlu zamaGibhithe zizagcwala umtshitshi wezibawu futhi lomhlabathi ezikuwo.
If you don't let my people leave, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, and on your people and your houses. Every Egyptian house and even the ground on which they stand will be filled with swarms of flies.
22 Kodwa ngalolosuku ngizakwehlukanisa ilizwe leGosheni esihlala kulo isizwe sami, ukuthi kungabi khona lapho umtshitshi wezibawu, ukuze wazi ukuthi ngiyiNkosi phakathi kwelizwe.
However, on this occasion I will treat the land of Goshen differently—that's where my people live—there won't be any swarms of flies there. This is how you will know that I, the Lord, am here in your country.
23 Njalo ngizamisa umehluko phakathi kwesizwe sami lesizwe sakho; kusasa kuzakuba lesibonakaliso lesi.
I will distinguish my people from your people. You will see this sign that confirms it tomorrow.”
24 INkosi yasisenza njalo; kwasekufika umtshitshi onzima wezibawu endlini kaFaro lezindlini zezinceku zakhe lelizweni lonke leGibhithe; ilizwe lonakala ngenxa yomtshitshi wezibawu.
The Lord did what he had said. Huge swarms of flies swept into Pharaoh's palace and into the houses of his officials. The whole of Egypt was devastated because of these swarms of flies.
25 UFaro wasebabiza oMozisi loAroni, wathi: Hambani, lihlabele uNkulunkulu wenu kulelilizwe.
Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and told them, “Go and offer sacrifices to your God here in this country.”
26 Kodwa uMozisi wathi: Kakulunganga ukwenza njalo, ngoba sizahlabela eNkosini uNkulunkulu wethu okunengekayo kwamaGibhithe; khangela, uba sihlaba okunengekayo kwamaGibhithe phambi kwamehlo awo, kawayikusikhanda ngamatshe yini?
“No, that wouldn't be the right thing to do,” Moses replied. “The sacrifices we offer to the Lord our God would be offensive to Egyptians. If we went ahead and offered sacrifices offensive to Egyptians, they'd stone us!
27 Sizahamba ummango wensuku ezintathu enkangala, sihlabele-ke iNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu njengoba izakutsho kithi.
We must make a three-day journey into the wilderness and offer sacrifices there to the Lord our God as he has told us.”
28 UFaro wasesithi: Mina ngizaliyekela lihambe ukuthi lihlabele iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu enkangala; kodwa lingayi khatshana kakhulu; lingincengele.
“I'll let you go and offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the desert, but don't go very far,” Pharaoh answered. “Now pray for me that this plague ends.”
29 UMozisi wasesithi: Khangela, ngiyasuka kuwe, ngizayincenga iNkosi ukuze umtshitshi wezibawu usuke kuFaro, ezincekwini zakhe, lesizweni sakhe kusasa; kuphela uFaro angaphindi akhohlise ngokungayekeli isizwe sihambe, sihlabele iNkosi.
“As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord,” Moses replied, “and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his people. But Pharaoh should be sure not to be deceitful again and refuse to let the people go and offer sacrifices to the Lord.”
30 UMozisi wasephuma kuFaro, wayincenga iNkosi.
Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord,
31 INkosi yasisenza njengelizwi likaMozisi; yasusa umtshitshi wezibawu kuFaro, ezincekwini zakhe lesizweni sakhe; kakusalanga lesisodwa.
and the Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh and his officials and his people. Not a single fly remained.
32 Kodwa uFaro wenza inhliziyo yakhe yaba nzima langalesisikhathi, kayekelanga isizwe sihambe.
But once again Pharaoh chose to be stubbornly hard-hearted and would not let the people leave.
