UGenesisi 20
1 UAbrahama wasesuka lapho waya elizweni leningizimu, wahlala phakathi kweKadeshi leShuri wahlala njengowezizwe eGerari.
Abraham left Mamre and moved southwest to the Negev desert and lived in a place named Gerar, between Kadesh and Shur.
2 UAbrahama wasesithi ngoSara umkakhe: Ungudadewethu. UAbhimeleki inkosi yeGerari wathuma-ke, wathatha uSara.
While he was there, he told people that Sarah was his sister, not his wife. Then King Abimelech of Gerar sent some of his men to Sarah, and they brought her to him to be his wife.
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 during the night and said to him, “Listen to me! You are going to die because the woman you took is another man’s wife.”
4 Kodwa uAbhimeleki wayengasondelanga kuye. Ngakho wathi: Nkosi, uzabhubhisa lesizwe esilungileyo yini?
But Abimelech had not had sex [EUP] with her, so he said, “God, since the people of my nation and I am innocent; will you kill me?
5 Kayisuye yini othe kimi: Ungudadewethu? Laye uqobo wasesithi: Ungumnewethu. Ngobuqotho benhliziyo yami langobuhlophe bezandla zami ngikwenzile lokhu.
He told me, ‘She is my sister,’ and she also said, ‘He is my brother.’ I did this with pure motives and I [SYN] have not done anything wrong yet.”
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 said to him in another dream, “Yes, I know that your motives were pure. That is why I truly prevented you from sinning against me. I did not allow you to have sex [EUP] with 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, return this man’s wife to her husband, because he is (a prophet/a man who receives messages from me). He will pray for you, and you will (remain alive/not die). But if you do not return her to him, you will certainly die, and all the members of your household will also certainly die.”
8 UAbhimeleki wasevuka ekuseni kakhulu, wabiza zonke inceku zakhe, wakhuluma wonke la amazwi endlebeni zazo; njalo amadoda esaba kakhulu.
Early the next morning, Abimelech summoned all his officials, and told them everything that had happened. When they heard that [MTY], his men were very afraid [that God would punish them].
9 UAbhimeleki wasembiza uAbrahama, wathi kuye: Wenzeni kithi? Ngoneni kuwe ukuthi ungilethele mina lombuso wami isono esikhulu? Wenze kimi izenzo ezingafanelanga ukwenziwa.
Abimelech then summoned Abraham, and said to him, “You should not have done that to us [RHQ]! Did I do something wrong to you, with the result that you are causing me and the people in [MTY] my kingdom to be guilty of committing a great sin [RHQ]? You have done things to me that (should not be done/you should not have done)!”
10 UAbhimeleki wasesithi kuAbrahama: Uboneni, uze wenze into le?
Abimelech asked Abraham, “What was your reason for doing this?”
11 UAbrahama wasesithi: Ngoba ngacabanga ukuthi: Isibili ukwesaba uNkulunkulu kakukho kulindawo; njalo bazangibulala ngenxa yomkami.
Abraham replied, “I said that because I thought, ‘They certainly do not respect God in this place. If they don’t respect God, they will not respect relationships with others. [If I say she is my sister, they will try to pay me a bride price] to get her. But if I say she is my wife, they will kill me to get her.’
12 Kanti-ke isibili ungudadewethu, uyindodakazi kababa, kodwa kasiyo indodakazi kamama; wasesiba ngumkami.
Besides, she really [can be considered] my sister, because she is the daughter of my father, although she is not the daughter of my mother. She is the daughter of another woman, 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.
Later, when God told me to move away from my father’s household, I said to her, ‘This is the way you can show that you love me: Everywhere we go, say about me, “This is my brother.”’”
14 UAbhimeleki wasethatha izimvu lezinkomo lezinceku lezincekukazi, wapha uAbrahama, wambuyisela uSara umkakhe.
So Abimelech brought some sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and 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 Abimelech said to him, “Look! All my land is here in front of you. Live in whatever place you like!”
16 LakuSara wathi: Khangela, ngimnikile umnewenu inhlamvu zesiliva eziyinkulungwane; khangela, uyisisibekelo samehlo kuwe, kuye wonke olawe, labo bonke, njalo ukhuziwe.
And he said to Sarah, “Look here, I am giving 1,000 pieces of silver to your brother. This is to insure that no one will [bring up this matter again and] say that I have done something wrong. [EUP, IDM]”
17 UAbrahama wasekhuleka kuNkulunkulu; uNkulunkulu wasemsilisa uAbhimeleki lomkakhe lencekukazi zakhe, ukuze bazale.
Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech’s wife and his slave girls so that they could become pregnant.
18 Ngoba iNkosi yayizivalile ngokupheleleyo izizalo zonke zabendlu kaAbhimeleki ngenxa kaSara umkaAbrahama.
This was because Yahweh had caused it to be impossible for any of the women in Abimelech’s household to bear children, because Abimelech had taken Abraham’s wife Sarah.
