UGenesisi 35
1 UNkulunkulu wasesithi kuJakobe: Sukuma, yenyukela eBhetheli, uhlale khona; umenzele lapho ilathi uNkulunkulu owabonakala kuwe mhla ubaleka ebusweni bukaEsawu umnewenu.
About this time, God said to Jacob, “Arise and go up to Bethel, and live there, and make an altar to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”
2 UJakobe wasesithi kundlu yakhe lakubo bonke ababelaye: Susani onkulunkulu bezizwe abaphakathi kwenu, lizihlambulule, lintshintshe izembatho zenu.
In truth, Jacob, having called together all his house, said: “Cast away the foreign gods that are in your midst and be cleansed, and also change your garments.
3 Asisukume senyukele eBhetheli, ngimenzele khona uNkulunkulu ilathi owangiphendula ngosuku lokuhlupheka kwami, njalo waba lami endleleni engahamba kuyo.
Arise, and let us go up to Bethel, so that we may make an altar there to God, who heeded me in the day of my tribulation, and who accompanied me on my journey.”
4 Basebenika uJakobe bonke onkulunkulu bezizwe ababesesandleni sabo, lamacici ayesezindlebeni zabo; uJakobe wasekufihla ngaphansi kwesihlahla se-okhi eliseShekema.
Therefore, they gave him all the foreign gods which they had, and the earrings which were in their ears. And then he buried them under the terebinth tree, which is beyond the city of Shechem.
5 Basebehamba; lokwesabeka kukaNkulunkulu kwakuphezu kwemizi eyayibazingelezele, njalo kabawaxotshanga amadodana kaJakobe.
And when they had set out, the terror of God invaded all the surrounding cities, and they dared not pursue them as they withdrew.
6 UJakobe wasefika eLuzi, eselizweni leKhanani, eyiBhetheli, yena labantu bonke ababelaye.
And so, Jacob arrived at Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, also named Bethel: he and all the people with him.
7 Wasesakha khona ilathi, wayibiza indawo ngokuthi iEli-Bhetheli, ngoba lapho uNkulunkulu wabonakala kuye ekubalekeleni ubuso bomnewabo.
And he built an altar there, and he called the name of that place, ‘House of God.’ For there, God appeared to him when he fled from his brother.
8 Njalo uDebora umlizane kaRebeka wafa, wangcwatshwa ezansi kweBhetheli ngaphansi kwesihlahla se-okhi, ngakho wasitha ibizo laso iAloni-Bakuthi.
About the same time, Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, died, and she was buried at the base of Bethel, under an oak tree. And the name of that place was called, ‘Oak of Weeping.’
9 UNkulunkulu wasebuya wabonakala kuJakobe evela ePadani-Arama, wambusisa.
Then God appeared again to Jacob, after he returned from Mesopotamia of Syria, and he blessed him,
10 UNkulunkulu wasesithi kuye: Ibizo lakho nguJakobe; ibizo lakho kalisayikuthiwa nguJakobe, kodwa uIsrayeli kuzakuba libizo lakho. Wabiza ibizo lakhe ngokuthi uIsrayeli.
saying: “You will no longer be called Jacob, for your name shall be Israel.” And he called him Israel,
11 UNkulunkulu wasesithi kuye: NginguNkulunkulu uSomandla; zala wande; isizwe, yebo ibandla lezizwe kuzavela kuwe; lamakhosi azaphuma ekhalweni lwakho.
and he said to him: “I am Almighty God: increase and multiply. Tribes and peoples of nations will be from you, and kings will go forth from your loins.
12 Lelizwe engalinika uAbrahama loIsaka ngizalinika wena, lenzalweni yakho emva kwakho ngizayinika ilizwe.
And the land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to you, and to your offspring after you.”
13 UNkulunkulu wasesenyuka esuka kuye endaweni lapho ayekhuluma laye khona.
And he withdrew from him.
14 UJakobe wasemisa insika endaweni lapho ayekhuluma laye khona, insika yelitshe. Wathululela phezu kwayo umnikelo wokunathwayo, wathela phezu kwayo amagcobo.
In truth, he set up a monument of stone, in the place where God had spoken to him, pouring out libations over it, and pouring oil,
15 UJakobe waseyitha ibizo lendawo, lapho uNkulunkulu ayekhulume laye khona, iBhetheli.
and he called the name of that place, ‘Bethel.’
16 Basebehamba besuka eBhetheli; kwathi kusesengummango ukuya eEfrathi, uRasheli wabeletha, wayelobunzima ekubeletheni.
Then, departing from there, he arrived in springtime at the land that leads to Ephrath. And there, when Rachel was giving birth,
17 Kwasekusithi ekubeletheni kwakhe nzima, umbelethisi wathi kuye: Ungesabi, ngoba lalo uzakuba yindodana yakho.
because it was a difficult birth, she began to be in danger. And the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you will have this son also.”
18 Kwasekusithi umphefumulo wakhe usuphuma, ngoba esesifa, wayitha ibizo layo uBenoni; kodwa uyise wayibiza ngokuthi nguBhenjamini.
Then, when her life was departing because of the pain, and death was now imminent, she called the name of her son Benoni, that is, the son of my pain. Yet truly, his father called him Benjamin, that is, the son of the right hand.
19 URasheli wasesifa, wangcwatshwa endleleni eya eEfrathi, eyiBhethelehema.
And so Rachel died, and she was buried in the way that leads to Ephrath: this place is Bethlehem.
20 UJakobe wasemisa insika phezu kwengcwaba lakhe; le yinsika yengcwaba likaRasheli kuze kube lamuhla.
And Jacob erected a monument over her sepulcher. This is the monument to Rachel’s tomb, even to the present day.
21 UIsrayeli wasehamba, wamisa ithente lakhe ngaphambili komphotshongo weEderi.
Departing from there, he pitched his tent beyond the Tower of the Flock.
22 Kwasekusithi uIsrayeli ehlala kulelolizwe, uRubeni waya walala loBiliha umfazi omncinyane kayise; uIsrayeli wasekuzwa. Amadodana kaJakobe-ke ayelitshumi lambili;
And when he was living in that region, Reuben went out, and he slept with Bilhah the concubine of his father, which was not such a small matter as to be hidden from him. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
23 amadodana kaLeya: Izibulo likaJakobe, uRubeni, loSimeyoni loLevi loJuda loIsakari loZebuluni;
The sons of Leah: Reuben the first born, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun.
24 amadodana kaRasheli: OJosefa loBhenjamini;
The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
25 lamadodana kaBiliha, incekukazi kaRasheli: ODani loNafithali;
The sons of Bilhah, handmaid of Rachel: Dan and Naphtali.
26 lamadodana kaZilipa, incekukazi kaLeya: OGadi loAsheri; la ngamadodana kaJakobe azalelwa yena ePadani-Arama.
The sons of Zilpah, handmaid of Leah: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Mesopotamia of Syria.
27 UJakobe wasefika kuIsaka uyise eMamre, eKiriyathi-Arba, eyiHebroni, lapho uAbrahama ahlala khona njengowezizwe, loIsaka.
And then he went to his father Isaac in Mamre, the city of Arba: this place is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.
28 Lensuku zikaIsaka zaziyiminyaka elikhulu lamatshumi ayisificaminwembili.
And the days of Isaac were completed: one hundred and eighty years.
29 UIsaka wasehodoza, wafa, wabuthelwa ezizweni zakibo, emdala, enele ngensuku. Amadodana akhe uEsawu loJakobe asemngcwaba.
And being consumed by old age, he died. And he was placed with his people, being old and full of days. And his sons, Esau and Jacob, buried him.
