UGenesisi 20

1 UAbrahama wasesuka lapho waya elizweni leningizimu, wahlala phakathi kweKadeshi leShuri wahlala njengowezizwe eGerari.

Abraham advanced from there into the southern land, and he lived between Kadesh and Shur. And he sojourned in Gerar.

2 UAbrahama wasesithi ngoSara umkakhe: Ungudadewethu. UAbhimeleki inkosi yeGerari wathuma-ke, wathatha uSara.

And he said about his wife Sarah: “She is my sister.” Therefore, Abimelech, the king of Gerar, sent for her and took her.

3 Kodwa uNkulunkulu weza kuAbhimeleki ephutsheni ebusuku, wathi kuye: Khangela, ufile ngenxa yowesifazana omthetheyo, ngoba uganile endodeni.

Then God came to Abimelech through a dream in the night, and he said to him: “Lo, you shall die because of the woman that you have taken. For she has a husband.”

4 Kodwa uAbhimeleki wayengasondelanga kuye. Ngakho wathi: Nkosi, uzabhubhisa lesizwe esilungileyo yini?

In truth, Abimelech had not touched her, and so he said: “Lord, would you put to death a people, ignorant and just?

5 Kayisuye yini othe kimi: Ungudadewethu? Laye uqobo wasesithi: Ungumnewethu. Ngobuqotho benhliziyo yami langobuhlophe bezandla zami ngikwenzile lokhu.

Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and did she not say, ‘He is my brother?’ In the sincerity of my heart and the purity of my hands, I have done this.”

6 UNkulunkulu wasesithi kuye ephutsheni: Lami sengazile ukuthi ngobuqotho benhliziyo yakho ukwenzile lokhu; lami futhi ngikuvimbele ukuze ungoni kimi; ngenxa yalokhu kangikuvumelanga ukuthi umthinte.

And God said to him: “And I know that you have acted with a sincere heart. And therefore I kept you from sinning against me, and I did not release you to touch her.

7 Ngakho-ke buyisela umfazi wendoda, ngoba ingumprofethi; njalo izakukhulekela ukuze uphile; kodwa uba ungambuyiseli, yazi ukuthi isibili uzakufa wena labo bonke abangabakho.

Now therefore, return his wife to the man, for he is a prophet. And he will pray for you, and you will live. But if you are not willing to return her, know this: you shall die a death, you and all that is yours.”

8 UAbhimeleki wasevuka ekuseni kakhulu, wabiza zonke inceku zakhe, wakhuluma wonke la amazwi endlebeni zazo; njalo amadoda esaba kakhulu.

And immediately Abimelech, rising up in the night, called all his servants. And he spoke all these words in their hearing, and all the men were very afraid.

9 UAbhimeleki wasembiza uAbrahama, wathi kuye: Wenzeni kithi? Ngoneni kuwe ukuthi ungilethele mina lombuso wami isono esikhulu? Wenze kimi izenzo ezingafanelanga ukwenziwa.

Then Abimelech called also for Abraham, and he said to him: “What have you done to us? How have we sinned against you, so that you would bring so great a sin upon me and upon my kingdom? You have done to us what you ought not to have done.”

10 UAbhimeleki wasesithi kuAbrahama: Uboneni, uze wenze into le?

And remonstrating him again, he said, “What did you see, so that you would do this?”

11 UAbrahama wasesithi: Ngoba ngacabanga ukuthi: Isibili ukwesaba uNkulunkulu kakukho kulindawo; njalo bazangibulala ngenxa yomkami.

Abraham responded: “I thought to myself, saying: Perhaps there is no fear of God in this place. And they will put me to death because of my wife.

12 Kanti-ke isibili ungudadewethu, uyindodakazi kababa, kodwa kasiyo indodakazi kamama; wasesiba ngumkami.

Yet, in another way, she is also truly my sister, the daughter of my father, and not the daughter of my mother, and I took her as a wife.

13 Kwasekusithi mhla uNkulunkulu engizulisa ngisuka endlini kababa ngasengisithi kuye: Lo ngumusa ozawenza kimi, kuzo zonke indawo esizafika kuzo, uthi ngami: Ungumnewethu.

Then, after God led me out of my father’s house, I said to her: ‘You will show this mercy to me. In every place, to which we will travel, you will say that I am your brother.’”

14 UAbhimeleki wasethatha izimvu lezinkomo lezinceku lezincekukazi, wapha uAbrahama, wambuyisela uSara umkakhe.

Therefore, Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and men servants and women servants, and he gave them to Abraham. And he returned his wife Sarah to him.

15 UAbhimeleki wasesithi: Khangela, ilizwe lami liphambi kwakho; hlala lapho okuhle khona emehlweni akho.

And he said, “The land is in your sight. Dwell wherever it will please you.”

16 LakuSara wathi: Khangela, ngimnikile umnewenu inhlamvu zesiliva eziyinkulungwane; khangela, uyisisibekelo samehlo kuwe, kuye wonke olawe, labo bonke, njalo ukhuziwe.

Then to Sarah he said: “Behold, I have given your brother one thousand silver coins. This will be for you as a veil for your eyes, to all who are with you and wherever you will travel. And so, remember that you were taken.”

17 UAbrahama wasekhuleka kuNkulunkulu; uNkulunkulu wasemsilisa uAbhimeleki lomkakhe lencekukazi zakhe, ukuze bazale.

Then when Abraham prayed, God healed Abimelech and his wife, and his handmaids, and they gave birth.

18 Ngoba iNkosi yayizivalile ngokupheleleyo izizalo zonke zabendlu kaAbhimeleki ngenxa kaSara umkaAbrahama.

For the Lord had closed every womb of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, the wife of Abraham.