UGenesisi 35
1 UNkulunkulu wasesithi kuJakobe: Sukuma, yenyukela eBhetheli, uhlale khona; umenzele lapho ilathi uNkulunkulu owabonakala kuwe mhla ubaleka ebusweni bukaEsawu umnewenu.
[Some time later] God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel, and live there. Build an altar to worship me, God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your older brother Esau.”
2 UJakobe wasesithi kundlu yakhe lakubo bonke ababelaye: Susani onkulunkulu bezizwe abaphakathi kwenu, lizihlambulule, lintshintshe izembatho zenu.
So Jacob said to his household and to all the others who were with him, “Get rid of the idols you brought from Mesopotamia. Also, bathe yourselves and put on clean clothes.
3 Asisukume senyukele eBhetheli, ngimenzele khona uNkulunkulu ilathi owangiphendula ngosuku lokuhlupheka kwami, njalo waba lami endleleni engahamba kuyo.
Then we will get ready and go up to Bethel. There I will make an altar to worship God. He is the one who helped me at the time when I was greatly distressed and afraid, and he has been with me wherever I have gone.”
4 Basebenika uJakobe bonke onkulunkulu bezizwe ababesesandleni sabo, lamacici ayesezindlebeni zabo; uJakobe wasekufihla ngaphansi kwesihlahla se-okhi eliseShekema.
So they gave to Jacob all the idols that they had brought, and all their earrings. Jacob buried them in the ground under the big oak tree that was near Shechem [town].
5 Basebehamba; lokwesabeka kukaNkulunkulu kwakuphezu kwemizi eyayibazingelezele, njalo kabawaxotshanga amadodana kaJakobe.
As they prepared to leave there, God caused the people who lived in the cities around them to be extremely afraid of Jacob’s family [PRS], so that they did not pursue and attack them.
6 UJakobe wasefika eLuzi, eselizweni leKhanani, eyiBhetheli, yena labantu bonke ababelaye.
Jacob and all those who were with him came to Luz, which is now called Bethel, in the Canaan region.
7 Wasesakha khona ilathi, wayibiza indawo ngokuthi iEli-Bhetheli, ngoba lapho uNkulunkulu wabonakala kuye ekubalekeleni ubuso bomnewabo.
There he built an altar. He named the place El-Bethel, [which means ‘God of Bethel]’, because it was there that God revealed himself to Jacob when he was fleeing from his older brother Esau.
8 Njalo uDebora umlizane kaRebeka wafa, wangcwatshwa ezansi kweBhetheli ngaphansi kwesihlahla se-okhi, ngakho wasitha ibizo laso iAloni-Bakuthi.
Deborah, who had taken care of Isaac’s wife Rebekah when Rebekah was a small girl, was now very old. She died and was buried under an oak tree south of Bethel. So they named that place Allon-Bacuth, [which means ‘oak of weeping’].
9 UNkulunkulu wasebuya wabonakala kuJakobe evela ePadani-Arama, wambusisa.
After Jacob and his family returned from Paddan-Aram/Mesopotamia, while they were still at Bethel, God appeared to Jacob again and blessed him.
10 UNkulunkulu wasesithi kuye: Ibizo lakho nguJakobe; ibizo lakho kalisayikuthiwa nguJakobe, kodwa uIsrayeli kuzakuba libizo lakho. Wabiza ibizo lakhe ngokuthi uIsrayeli.
God said to him again, “Your name will no longer be Jacob. It will be Israel.” So Jacob was then called ‘Israel’.
11 UNkulunkulu wasesithi kuye: NginguNkulunkulu uSomandla; zala wande; isizwe, yebo ibandla lezizwe kuzavela kuwe; lamakhosi azaphuma ekhalweni lwakho.
Then God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Produce many children. Your descendants will become many nations, and some of your descendants will be kings.
12 Lelizwe engalinika uAbrahama loIsaka ngizalinika wena, lenzalweni yakho emva kwakho ngizayinika ilizwe.
The land that I promised to give to [your grandfather] Abraham and [your father] Isaac, I will give to you. I will also give it to your descendants.”
13 UNkulunkulu wasesenyuka esuka kuye endaweni lapho ayekhuluma laye khona.
When God finished talking there with Jacob, he left him.
14 UJakobe wasemisa insika endaweni lapho ayekhuluma laye khona, insika yelitshe. Wathululela phezu kwayo umnikelo wokunathwayo, wathela phezu kwayo amagcobo.
Jacob set up a large stone at the place where God had talked with him. He poured some wine and some [olive] oil on it to dedicate it to God.
15 UJakobe waseyitha ibizo lendawo, lapho uNkulunkulu ayekhulume laye khona, iBhetheli.
Jacob named that place Bethel, [which means ‘house of God]’, because God had spoken to him there.
16 Basebehamba besuka eBhetheli; kwathi kusesengummango ukuya eEfrathi, uRasheli wabeletha, wayelobunzima ekubeletheni.
Jacob and his family left Bethel and traveled south toward Ephrath [town]. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to have severe childbirth pains.
17 Kwasekusithi ekubeletheni kwakhe nzima, umbelethisi wathi kuye: Ungesabi, ngoba lalo uzakuba yindodana yakho.
When her pain was the most severe, the (midwife/woman who helped her to give birth) said to Rachel, “Do not be afraid, because now you have given birth to another son!”
18 Kwasekusithi umphefumulo wakhe usuphuma, ngoba esesifa, wayitha ibizo layo uBenoni; kodwa uyise wayibiza ngokuthi nguBhenjamini.
But she was dying, and with her last breath she said, “Name him Benoni,” [which means ‘son of my sorrow]’, but his father named him Benjamin, [which means ‘son of my right hand]’.
19 URasheli wasesifa, wangcwatshwa endleleni eya eEfrathi, eyiBhethelehema.
After Rachel died, she was buried alongside the road to Ephrath, which is [now called] Bethlehem.
20 UJakobe wasemisa insika phezu kwengcwaba lakhe; le yinsika yengcwaba likaRasheli kuze kube lamuhla.
Jacob set up a large stone over her grave, and it is still there, showing where Rachel’s grave is.
21 UIsrayeli wasehamba, wamisa ithente lakhe ngaphambili komphotshongo weEderi.
Jacob, whose new name was Israel, continued traveling with his family, and he set up his tents on the south side of the watchtower at Eder [town].
22 Kwasekusithi uIsrayeli ehlala kulelolizwe, uRubeni waya walala loBiliha umfazi omncinyane kayise; uIsrayeli wasekuzwa. Amadodana kaJakobe-ke ayelitshumi lambili;
While they were living in that area, Jacob’s son Reuben had sex [EUP] with Bilhah, one of his father’s (concubines/female slaves whom he had taken as a secondary wife). Someone told Jacob about it, and it made him very angry. (I will now give you/Here is) a list of Jacob’s twelve sons.
23 amadodana kaLeya: Izibulo likaJakobe, uRubeni, loSimeyoni loLevi loJuda loIsakari loZebuluni;
The sons of Leah were Reuben, who was Jacob’s oldest son, then Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulon.
24 amadodana kaRasheli: OJosefa loBhenjamini;
The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
25 lamadodana kaBiliha, incekukazi kaRasheli: ODani loNafithali;
The sons of Rachel’s female slave Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.
26 lamadodana kaZilipa, incekukazi kaLeya: OGadi loAsheri; la ngamadodana kaJakobe azalelwa yena ePadani-Arama.
The sons of Leah’s female slave Zilpah were Gad and Asher. All those sons of Jacob, except Benjamin, were born while he was living in Paddan-Aram/Mesopotamia.
27 UJakobe wasefika kuIsaka uyise eMamre, eKiriyathi-Arba, eyiHebroni, lapho uAbrahama ahlala khona njengowezizwe, loIsaka.
Jacob had returned back home to see his father Isaac at Mamre, which is also named Kiriath-Arba, and which is now named Hebron. Isaac’s father Abraham had also lived there.
28 Lensuku zikaIsaka zaziyiminyaka elikhulu lamatshumi ayisificaminwembili.
Isaac lived until he was 180 years old.
29 UIsaka wasehodoza, wafa, wabuthelwa ezizweni zakibo, emdala, enele ngensuku. Amadodana akhe uEsawu loJakobe asemngcwaba.
He was very old when he died, joining his ancestors who had died previously. His sons Esau and Jacob buried his body.
