UGenesisi 20
1 UAbrahama wasesuka lapho waya elizweni leningizimu, wahlala phakathi kweKadeshi leShuri wahlala njengowezizwe eGerari.
Abraham traveled towards the Negev, staying between Kadesh and Shur. After that he moved on to live in Gerar.
2 UAbrahama wasesithi ngoSara umkakhe: Ungudadewethu. UAbhimeleki inkosi yeGerari wathuma-ke, wathatha uSara.
During his time there, when Abraham told people about his wife Sarah, he said, “She's my sister.” So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her to become one of his wives.
3 Kodwa uNkulunkulu weza kuAbhimeleki ephutsheni ebusuku, wathi kuye: Khangela, ufile ngenxa yowesifazana omthetheyo, ngoba uganile endodeni.
But God appeared to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “Listen! You're going to die because the woman you've taken is already married—she has a husband.”
4 Kodwa uAbhimeleki wayengasondelanga kuye. Ngakho wathi: Nkosi, uzabhubhisa lesizwe esilungileyo yini?
Abimelech hadn't touched Sarah, and he asked, “Lord, do you kill good people?
5 Kayisuye yini othe kimi: Ungudadewethu? Laye uqobo wasesithi: Ungumnewethu. Ngobuqotho benhliziyo yami langobuhlophe bezandla zami ngikwenzile lokhu.
Didn't Abraham tell me himself, ‘She's my sister,’ and didn't Sarah also say, ‘He's my brother’? I did this in all innocence—my conscience is clear!”
6 UNkulunkulu wasesithi kuye ephutsheni: Lami sengazile ukuthi ngobuqotho benhliziyo yakho ukwenzile lokhu; lami futhi ngikuvimbele ukuze ungoni kimi; ngenxa yalokhu kangikuvumelanga ukuthi umthinte.
God told him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this in all innocence, so I prevented you from sinning against me. That's why I didn't let you 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.
Send the man's wife back to him. He's a prophet. He will pray for you, and you will live. But if you don't send her back to him, you should know for sure that you and all your family will die.”
8 UAbhimeleki wasevuka ekuseni kakhulu, wabiza zonke inceku zakhe, wakhuluma wonke la amazwi endlebeni zazo; njalo amadoda esaba kakhulu.
Abimelech got up early in the morning and called all his servants together. He explained everything that had happened, and they were all terrified.
9 UAbhimeleki wasembiza uAbrahama, wathi kuye: Wenzeni kithi? Ngoneni kuwe ukuthi ungilethele mina lombuso wami isono esikhulu? Wenze kimi izenzo ezingafanelanga ukwenziwa.
Then Abimelech summoned Abraham and asked him “What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you should treat me like this, bringing this terrible sin on me and my kingdom? You've done things to me that no one should ever do!”
10 UAbhimeleki wasesithi kuAbrahama: Uboneni, uze wenze into le?
Then Abimelech asked Abraham “What were you thinking when you did this?”
11 UAbrahama wasesithi: Ngoba ngacabanga ukuthi: Isibili ukwesaba uNkulunkulu kakukho kulindawo; njalo bazangibulala ngenxa yomkami.
“Well, I thought to myself, ‘Nobody respects God in this place. They'll kill me just to get my wife,’” Abraham replied.
12 Kanti-ke isibili ungudadewethu, uyindodakazi kababa, kodwa kasiyo indodakazi kamama; wasesiba ngumkami.
“Anyway, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father but not my mother, and I married her.
13 Kwasekusithi mhla uNkulunkulu engizulisa ngisuka endlini kababa ngasengisithi kuye: Lo ngumusa ozawenza kimi, kuzo zonke indawo esizafika kuzo, uthi ngami: Ungumnewethu.
Since my God made me move far away from my family home, I told her, ‘If you really love me, then wherever you go with me you must tell people: He's my brother.’”
14 UAbhimeleki wasethatha izimvu lezinkomo lezinceku lezincekukazi, wapha uAbrahama, wambuyisela uSara umkakhe.
Then Abimelech gave Abraham gifts of sheep, cattle, and male and female slaves, and returned his wife Sarah to him.
15 UAbhimeleki wasesithi: Khangela, ilizwe lami liphambi kwakho; hlala lapho okuhle khona emehlweni akho.
Abimelech told him, “Look over my land. You can choose to live anywhere you like.”
16 LakuSara wathi: Khangela, ngimnikile umnewenu inhlamvu zesiliva eziyinkulungwane; khangela, uyisisibekelo samehlo kuwe, kuye wonke olawe, labo bonke, njalo ukhuziwe.
Abimelech also told Sarah, “Notice that I'm giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver. This is to compensate you for the wrong done to you in the eyes of everyone with you, and to make sure that your name is publicly cleared.”
17 UAbrahama wasekhuleka kuNkulunkulu; uNkulunkulu wasemsilisa uAbhimeleki lomkakhe lencekukazi zakhe, ukuze bazale.
Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female slaves, so that they could have children again.
18 Ngoba iNkosi yayizivalile ngokupheleleyo izizalo zonke zabendlu kaAbhimeleki ngenxa kaSara umkaAbrahama.
For the Lord had made all the women unable to have children because Abraham's wife, Sarah, had been taken.
