Amanani 17

1 INkosi yasikhuluma kuMozisi isithi:

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

2 Tshono kubantwana bakoIsrayeli, njalo uthathe induku kulowo lalowo wabo, ngokwendlu kayise, kuzo zonke iziphathamandla zabo, ngokwezindlu zaboyise, induku ezilitshumi lambili. Bhala ibizo laleyo laleyondoda endukwini yayo,

“Speak to the sons of Israel, and receive from each of them a rod by their kinships, from all the leaders of the tribes, twelve rods, and write the name of each one on his rod.

3 ubhale ibizo likaAroni endukwini kaLevi. Ngoba induku eyodwa izakuba ngeyenhloko yendlu yaboyise.

But the name of Aaron shall be for the tribe of Levi, and one rod separately shall contain all their families.

4 Njalo uzazibeka ethenteni lenhlangano phambi kobufakazi, lapho engizahlangana lawe khona.

And you shall place these in the tabernacle of the covenant before the testimony, where I will speak to you.

5 Kuzakuthi-ke induku yendoda engizayikhetha izahluma; njalo ngizathulisa kusuke kimi ukusola kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli, abalisola ngakho.

Whomever of these I will choose, his rod will germinate, and so shall I restrain the complaints of the sons of Israel before me, by which they murmur against you.”

6 UMozisi wasekhuluma ebantwaneni bakoIsrayeli; zonke-ke iziphathamandla zabo zamnika izinduku, yabanye kuleso lalesosiphathamandla, njengezindlu zaboyise, induku ezilitshumi lambili; lenduku kaAroni yayiphakathi kwenduku zazo.

And Moses spoke to the sons of Israel. And all the leaders gave him rods, one for each tribe. And there were twelve rods, aside from the rod of Aaron.

7 UMozisi wasezibeka induku phambi kweNkosi ethenteni lobufakazi.

And when Moses had placed these before the Lord, in the tabernacle of the testimony,

8 Kwasekusithi kusisa uMozisi wangena ethenteni lobufakazi, khangela-ke, induku kaAroni eyendlu kaLevi yayihlumile, yakhupha amahlumela, yakhahlela impoko, yathela ama-alimondi.

returning on the following day, he found that the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi, had germinated, and that the swelling buds had opened into flowers, which, spreading their petals, were formed into those of an almond tree.

9 UMozisi wasezikhuphela phandle zonke induku zivela phambi kweNkosi, kubo bonke abantwana bakoIsrayeli; basebekhangela, bathatha ngulowo lalowo induku yakhe.

Therefore, Moses brought out all the rods, from the sight of the Lord, to all the sons of Israel. And they saw, and each one received their rods.

10 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Buyisela induku kaAroni phambi kobufakazi, igcinwe, ibe yisibonakaliso kwabahlamukayo, ukuze ususe ukusola kwabo kimi, ukuze bangafi.

And the Lord said to Moses: “Carry back the rod of Aaron into the tabernacle of the testimony, so that it may be kept there as a sign of the rebellion of the sons of Israel, and so that their complaints may be quieted before me, lest they die.”

11 UMozisi wasesenza; njengalokho iNkosi yamlaya, wenza njalo.

And Moses did just as the Lord had instructed.

12 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebekhuluma kuMozisi besithi: Khangela, siyafa, siyabhubha, sonke siyabhubha!

Then the sons of Israel said to Moses: “Behold, we have been consumed; we have been ruined.

13 Wonke osondela lokusondela ethabhanekeleni leNkosi uzakufa. Sizaphela ngokufa yini?

Whoever approaches to the tabernacle of the Lord dies. Will we all be wiped away, even to total annihilation?”