U-Eksodusi 1

1 La-ke ngamabizo amadodana kaIsrayeli afika eGibhithe loJakobe; afika, ileyo laleyo lomuzi wayo,

Now these are the names of the children of Israel, who came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.

2 uRubeni, uSimeyoni, uLevi, loJuda,

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

3 uIsakari, uZebuluni, loBhenjamini,

Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,

4 uDani, loNafithali, uGadi, loAsheri.

Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

5 Njalo yonke imiphefumulo eyaphuma ekhalweni lukaJakobe yayiyimiphefumulo engamatshumi ayisikhombisa. Kodwa uJosefa wayeseGibhithe.

And all the souls that descended from Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.

6 UJosefa wasesifa labo bonke abafowabo, lalesosizukulwana sonke.

And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.

7 Njalo abantwana bakoIsrayeli bazalana, baba banengi, banda, baba lamandla kakhulukazi, ilizwe laze lagcwaliswa yibo.

And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and became exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

8 Kwasekuvela inkosi entsha phezu kweGibhithe eyayingamazi uJosefa.

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph.

9 Yasisithi esizweni sayo: Khangela, isizwe sabantwana bakoIsrayeli sinengi, futhi silamandla kulathi.

And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:

10 Wozani, asisihlakanipheleni, hlezi sande, njalo kuzakuthi lapho kusehla impi, laso sihlangane lezitha zethu, silwe simelene lathi, senyuke sisuke elizweni.

Come, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it shall come to pass, that, when war happeneth, they will join with our enemies, and fight against us, and depart from the land.

11 Ngakho bamisa phezu kwaso izinduna zesibhalo ukusihlupha ngemithwalo yabo. Njalo samakhela uFaro imizi eyiziphala, iPithoma leRamesesi.

Therefore they set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.

12 Kodwa kwathi ekusihlupheni kwaso kwang'khona sisanda, kwang'khona sisabalala. Ngakho banengwa ngabantwana bakoIsrayeli.

But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.

13 Njalo amaGibhithe abasebenzisa abantwana bakoIsrayeli ngochuku,

And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:

14 aze enza impilo zabo zababa ngomsebenzi onzima, ngodaka langezitina, langawo wonke umsebenzi emasimini; ngomsebenzi wabo wonke, ababenza bawenza ngodlakela.

And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, in which they made them serve, was with rigour.

15 Inkosi yeGibhithe yasikhuluma lababelethisi amaHebherukazi, obizo lowokuqala lalinguShifira, lebizo lowesibili lalinguPhuwa,

And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:

16 yasisithi: Nxa libelethisa amaHebherukazi, lapho libabona ezihlalweni zokubeletha, uba kuyindodana, liyibulale; kodwa uba kuyindodakazi, iyekeleni iphila.

And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it shall be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it shall be a daughter, then she shall live.

17 Kodwa ababelethisi babemesaba uNkulunkulu, kabenzanga njengalokho yakhuluma kubo inkosi yeGibhithe, kodwa babayekela abafana baphila.

But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the males alive.

18 Inkosi yeGibhithe yasibiza ababelethisi, yathi kubo: Liyenzeleni linto ukuthi liyekele abafana baphile?

And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the males alive?

19 Ababelethisi basebesithi kuFaro: Ngoba amaHebherukazi kawanjengabafazi bamaGibhithe; ngoba alamandla, umbelethisi engakafiki kuwo, asebelethile.

And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in to them.

20 Ngalokhu uNkulunkulu wabenzela ababelethisi okuhle, labantu banda, baba lamandla kakhulu.

Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and became very mighty.

21 Kwasekusithi, ngoba ababelethisi bamesaba uNkulunkulu, wabakhela imizi.

And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he gave them families.

22 UFaro waselaya isizwe sakhe sonke esithi: Yonke indodana ezalwayo liyiphosele emfuleni, kodwa yonke indodakazi liyiyekele iphile.

And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.