Amanani 11
1 Kwasekusithi abantu besola kwakukubi endlebeni zeNkosi. Kwathi iNkosi isikuzwile, ulaka lwayo lwavutha, lomlilo weNkosi wavutha phakathi kwabo, waqothula emngceleni wenkamba.
One day the people complained to Yahweh about their troubles. When Yahweh heard what they were saying, he became angry. So he sent a fire which burned among the people at the edge of their camp.
2 Abantu basebekhala kuMozisi; uMozisi wasekhuleka eNkosini, lomlilo wadeda.
Then the people cried out to Moses/me, and he/I prayed to Yahweh. Then the fire stopped burning.
3 Ngakho wabiza ibizo laleyondawo iTabera, ngoba umlilo weNkosi wavutha phakathi kwabo.
So they called that place Taberah, [which means ‘burning’], because the fire from Yahweh had burned among them.
4 Ududu lwabantu olwaluphakathi kwabo lwaloyisa isiloyiso; ngakho labantwana bakoIsrayeli baphinde bakhala inyembezi, bathi: Ngubani ozasipha inyama ukuthi sidle?
Then some troublemakers from other people-groups [who were traveling] with the Israelis began to want better food. And [when they started complaining] the Israeli people also started to complain.
5 Siyazikhumbula inhlanzi esasizidla ngesihle eGibhithe, amakhomane, lamakhabe, lamaliki, lesandindima, legalikhi.
They said, “We wish we had some meat!
6 Kodwa khathesi umphefumulo wethu womile, kakulalutho ngitsho, ngaphandle kwale imana phambi kwamehlo ethu.
We remember the fish that we ate while we were in Egypt, fish that was given to us without (cost/asking us to pay for it). And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic [that we wanted]. But now we do not have any desire to eat, because all we have to eat is this manna!”
7 Njalo imana yayinjengenhlanyelo yekhoriyanderi, lokukhangeleka kwayo kwakunjengokukhangeleka kwebedola.
The manna resembled small white seeds.
8 Abantu bahambahamba bayibutha bayichola ematsheni okuchola, loba bayigiga engigeni, bayipheka ezimbizeni, benza amaqebelengwana ngayo; lokunambitheka kwayo kwakunjengokunambitheka komhluzi wamafutha.
[Each morning] the people would go out and gather some [from the surface of the ground]. Then they made flour by grinding it or pounding it with stones. Then they [added water and] boiled it in a pot, or they made flat cakes with it [and baked them]. The cakes tasted like bread that was baked with [olive] oil.
9 Lapho amazolo esehlela phezu kwenkamba ebusuku, imana yehla phezu kwawo.
Each night the manna came down on their ground where their tents were, like dew [from the sky].
10 Njalo uMozisi wezwa abantu bekhala inyembezi ngokwensapho zabo, ngulowo lalowo emnyango wethente lakhe. Lolaka lweNkosi lwavutha kakhulu; futhi kwaba kubi emehlweni kaMozisi.
Moses/I heard all the Israeli people complaining as they were standing in the entrances of their tents. Yahweh became very angry, and Moses/I was also very perturbed.
11 UMozisi wasesithi eNkosini: Wenzeleni okubi encekwini yakho? Njalo kungani ngingatholanga umusa emehlweni akho ukuthi ubeke umthwalo walababantu bonke phezu kwami?
He/I [went into the Sacred Tent and] asked Yahweh, “Why have you caused me, your servant, to experience this trouble [RHQ]? Act mercifully to me! What wrong have I done, with the result that you have appointed me to take care of all of these people [RHQ]?
12 Mina ngakhulelwa yibo bonke lababantu yini? Kumbe mina ngabazala yini, ukuze uthi kimi: Basingathe esifubeni sakho, njengomlizane owesilisa esingatha umntwana omunyayo, kuze kube selizweni owalifungela oyise?
(I am not their father./Am I their father?) [RHQ] Why have you told me to take care of them like a woman carries around her baby and (nurses it/gives it her milk) [MET, RHQ]? How can I take them to the land that you promised to give to our ancestors [RHQ]?
13 Ngingayithatha ngaphi inyama ukuthi ngibaphe bonke lababantu? Ngoba bayakhala inyembezi kimi besithi: Siphe inyama ukuze sidle.
Where can I get meat to feed all these people? They keep complaining to me, saying, ‘Give us some meat to eat!’
14 Mina kangilamandla okuthwala bonke lababantu ngedwa, ngoba kunzima kakhulu kimi.
I cannot carry all these people’s burdens by myself! [They are like a heavy load [MET], and] I cannot carry this very heavy load any more.
15 Uba-ke usenza njalo kimi, ake ungibulale lokungibulala, uba ngithole umusa emehlweni akho, njalo kangingaboni usizi lwami.
If you intend to act like this toward me, kill me now. If you are really concerned about me, be kind to me and [kill me to] end my misery [of trying to take care of them]!”
16 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Buthela kimi amadoda angamatshumi ayisikhombisa abadala bakoIsrayeli, owaziyo ngawo ukuthi angabadala babantu lenduna zabo, uwalethe ethenteni lenhlangano ukuze eme khona lawe.
Then Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Summon 70 men whom you know are leaders among the Israeli people. Tell them to stand with you in front of the Sacred Tent.
17 Njalo ngizakwehla, ngikhulume lawe khona; ngizagodla okomoya ophezu kwakho ngikufake phezu kwabo; njalo bazathwala kanye lawe umthwalo wabantu, ukuze ungawuthwali wedwa.
I will come down and talk with you there. Then I will take some of [the power of] my Spirit that you have, and I will put [that power] on them also. They will help you to take care of some of the things that the people are concerned about, in order that you will not need to do it alone.
18 Tshono-ke ebantwini uthi: Zingcweliseleleni ikusasa, lizakudla inyama; ngoba likhalile inyembezi endlebeni zeNkosi lisithi: Ngubani ozasipha inyama ukuze sidle? Ngoba kwakukuhle kithi eGibhithe. Ngakho iNkosi izalipha inyama njalo lidle.
“Furthermore, say to the people, ‘Make yourselves acceptable to me, and tomorrow you will have meat to eat. You were complaining, and Yahweh heard you when you were saying, “We want some meat to eat. We had better food in Egypt!” Now Yahweh will give you some meat, and you will eat it.
19 Kaliyikudla usuku olulodwa, loba insuku ezimbili, loba insuku ezinhlanu, loba insuku ezilitshumi, kumbe insuku ezingamatshumi amabili,
You will eat meat not only for one or two days, nor only for five or ten or 20 days.
20 kuze kube yinyanga yonke, ize iphume emakhaleni enu, ilitshiphele, ngenxa yokuthi liyalile iNkosi ephakathi kwenu, lakhala inyembezi phambi kwayo lisithi: Kanti saphumelani eGibhithe?
[You will eat meat every day] for one month, and then you will loathe/despise it, and it will cause you to want to vomit. [This will happen] because you have rejected Yahweh who is here among you, and you have wailed in his presence, saying [“We would have had better food to eat] if we had not left Egypt [RHQ].”’”
21 Kodwa uMozisi wathi: Abantu abahamba ngenyawo engiphakathi kwabo bazinkulungwane ezingamakhulu ayisithupha; wena-ke uthe: Ngizabanika inyama ukuze badle inyanga yonke.
But Moses/I replied to Yahweh, “There are 600,000 men [plus women and children] here with me, so ([why] do you say ‘I will give them plenty of meat every day for a month!’?/it does not seem right for you to say ‘I will give them plenty of meat every day for a month!’) [RHQ]
22 Bazahlatshelwa izimvu lezinkomo yini ukuze zibanele? Loba bazabuthelwa yini inhlanzi zonke zolwandle ukuze zibanele?
Even if we killed all the sheep and cattle, that would not [RHQ] be enough [to provide meat for all of them] Even if we caught all the fish in the sea [and gave it to them], that would not be enough [RHQ]!”
23 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Isandla seNkosi sifinyeziwe yini? Khathesi uzabona ukuthi ilizwi lami lizakwenzeka kuwe kumbe hatshi.
But Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Do you think that I [SYN] have no power? You will now see if I can do what I say I will do.”
24 UMozisi wasephuma, wabatshela abantu amazwi eNkosi; wabutha amadoda angamatshumi ayisikhombisa ebadaleni babantu, wawamisa ehanqe ithente.
So Moses/I went out [from the Sacred Tent] and told the people what Yahweh had said. Then he/I gathered together the 70 leaders and told them to stand around the Sacred Tent.
25 INkosi yasisehla ngeyezi, yakhuluma kuye, yagodla okomoya ophezu kwakhe, yakubeka phezu kwamadoda angamatshumi ayisikhombisa, abadala. Kwasekusithi lapho uMoya ehlala phezu kwabo, baprofetha, kodwa kabakuphindanga.
Then Yahweh came down in the cloud [that was above the tent] and spoke to Moses/me. He took some of [the power of] the Spirit that he had given to Moses/me and gave it to the 70 leaders. By means of the power of the Spirit within them, they (prophesied/spoke messages that Yahweh gave them), but they did that only once.
26 Njalo kwakusele amadoda amabili enkambeni, ibizo lenye lalinguElidadi lebizo lenye linguMedadi; loMoya wahlala phezu kwawo. Njalo ayephakathi kwalabo ababhaliweyo, kodwa kawaphumanga ukuya ethenteni, njalo aprofetha enkambeni.
Two of the leaders whom Moses/I appointed, Eldad and Medad, were not there when the rest of them gathered together. They had not left [their tents] to go and stand around the Sacred Tent. But Yahweh’s Spirit came on them also, and they started to (prophesy/speak messages from Yahweh).
27 Kwagijima ijaha labika kuMozisi lathi: UElidadi loMedadi bayaprofetha enkambeni.
So a young man ran and told Moses/me, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in all their tents!”
28 UJoshuwa indodana kaNuni, inceku kaMozisi, omunye wabatsha bakhe, wasephendula wathi: Nkosi yami, Mozisi, benqabele.
Joshua, who had helped Moses/me since he was a young man, said, “Sir, tell them to stop doing that!”
29 Kodwa uMozisi wathi kuye: Ulobukhwele ngenxa yami yini? Kungathi bonke abantu beNkosi bangaba ngabaprofethi, ukuze iNkosi ifake uMoya wayo phezu kwabo!
But Moses/I replied, “(Are you worried that they might injure my reputation/Do you think that I want to be the only one who prophesies) [RHQ]? I wish that all Yahweh’s people could (prophesy/speak messages from Yahweh). I wish that Yahweh would give the power of his Spirit to all of them!”
30 UMozisi wasezibuthela enkambeni, yena labadala bakoIsrayeli.
Then Moses/I and all the leaders went back to their/our tents.
31 Kwasekusuka umoya ovela eNkosini, waletha izagwaca zivela elwandle, wazehlisela phezu kwenkamba, phose uhambo losuku ngapha, njalo phose uhambo losuku ngapha, zizingelezele inkamba, njalo okungaba zingalo ezimbili phezu komhlabathi.
Then Yahweh sent a strong wind from the sea. It blew quail into the area all around the camp for miles in every direction, [and caused the quail to fall onto the ground]. They were piled up on the ground about (3 feet/1 meter) high!
32 Abantu basebesukuma lolosuku lonke, lobusuku bonke, losuku lonke olulandelayo, bebutha izagwaca. Lowo owayelezinlutshwana wayebuthe amahomeri alitshumi; bazichayela zona inhlangothi zonke zenkamba.
So the people went out and gathered up the quail all that day, and all that night, and all of the following day. [It seemed as though] everyone gathered at least 50 bushels! They spread the quail out on the ground all around the camp, [so that the quail would dry out].
33 Inyama isesephakathi kwamazinyo abo ingakahlafunwa, intukuthelo yeNkosi yabavuthela abantu, njalo iNkosi yabatshaya abantu ngenhlupheko enkulu kakhulu.
[Then they cooked them and started to eat them]. But while they were still eating the meat [MTY], Yahweh [showed that he] was very angry with them. He struck them with a severe plague/sickness, [and many people died].
34 Ngakho ibizo laleyondawo lathiwa yiKibirothi-Hathava, ngoba lapho bangcwaba abantu abakhanukayo.
The people who died and were buried were the ones who had said they wanted to eat meat [like they had formerly eaten in Egypt]. So they called that place Kibroth-Hattaavah, [which means ‘graves of those who craved’].
35 Abantu basuka eKibirothi-Hathava baya eHazerothi; bahlala eHazerothi.
From there, the Israelis continued walking [east] until they arrived at Hazeroth [town], where they stopped and stayed [for a long time].
