< Amanani 22 >
1 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebesuka, bamisa inkamba emagcekeni akoMowabi, nganeno kweJordani, eJeriko.
Then the Israelis traveled west to the area of Moab that was in the valley of the Jordan [River], across the river from Jericho [city].
2 UBalaki indodana kaZipori wasebona konke uIsrayeli ayekwenze kumaAmori.
But King Balak, the son of Zippor, who ruled Moab, found out what the Israelis had done to the Amor people-group.
3 UMowabi wasesesaba kakhulu ubuso babantu, ngoba babebanengi. UMowabi wasetshaywa luvalo ngenxa yabantwana bakoIsrayeli.
[When he saw that] the Israelis were very numerous, he and his people became terrified.
4 UMowabi wasesithi ebadaleni beMidiyani: Khathesi lelibandla lizakhotha konke okusihanqileyo, njengenkabi ikhotha utshani bedlelo. Njalo uBalaki indodana kaZipori wayeyinkosi yakoMowabi ngalesosikhathi.
So the king of Moab [went to] the leaders of the Midian people-group and said to them, “This huge group [of Israelis] will (wipe out/destroy) everything around them, like an ox devours grass!” Balak was the king of Moab.
5 Wasethuma izithunywa kuBalami indodana kaBeyori ePethori eliseduze lomfula welizwe labantwana babantu bakhe, ukumbiza, esithi: Khangela, abantu baphumile eGibhithe. Khangela, basibekele ubuso bomhlaba, futhi sebehlala maqondana lami.
He sent messengers to [a prophet named] Balaam, who was living in his own area, in Pethor [town], near the [Euphrates] River. He sent this message to request that Balaam would come [to help him]: “A huge group of people has arrived here from Egypt. [It looks like] they are covering the entire land! And they have begun to live close to us.
6 Khathesi-ke, ake uze, ngiqalekisela lababantu, ngoba balamandla kulami; mhlawumbe ngingaba lamandla okuthi sibatshaye, lokuthi ngibaxotshe elizweni, ngoba ngiyazi ukuthi lowo ombusisayo ubusisiwe, lalowo omqalekisayo uqalekisiwe.
Because they are very powerful/numerous, [we are afraid of them. So] please come and curse them for me. Then my army may be able to defeat them and expel them from the land [where they are now living]. I know that good things will happen to the people whom you bless, and disasters will happen to the people whom you curse.”
7 Abadala beMowabi labadala beMidiyani basebehamba belembadalo yokuvumisa esandleni sabo; bafika kuBalami, bakhuluma kuye amazwi kaBalaki.
[Balak’s messengers, who were] leaders of both the Moab and Midian people-groups, took money with them to pay Balaam in order that he would [come and] curse the Israelis. They went to Balaam and told him what Balak had said.
8 Wasesithi kubo: Lalani lapha lobubusuku, njalo ngizalilethela ilizwi, njengalokhu iNkosi ezakutsho kimi. Iziphathamandla zakoMowabi zasezihlala loBalami.
Balaam said, “Stay here tonight. [Tomorrow morning] I will tell you whatever Yahweh tells me that I should say to you.” So the leaders from Moab stayed there that night.
9 UNkulunkulu wasefika kuBalami, wathi: Ngobani lamadoda alawe?
During the night, God appeared to Balaam and asked him, “(Who are/Tell me about) these men who are staying with you.”
10 UBalami wasesithi kuNkulunkulu: UBalaki, indodana kaZipori, inkosi yakoMowabi, ungithumele esithi:
Balaam replied, “Balak, the king of Moab, sent these men to tell me this:
11 Khangela, abantu baphumile eGibhithe basibekele ubuso bomhlaba; woza khathesi, ungiqalekisele bona; mhlawumbe ngingaba lamandla okulwa labo, ngibaxotshe.
‘A huge group of people has come from Egypt, and they have spread all over this area. Please come immediately to curse them. Then I may be able to defeat them and expel them [from this area].’”
12 UNkulunkulu wasesithi kuBalami: Ungahambi labo; ungabaqalekisi labobantu, ngoba babusisiwe.
God replied to Balaam, “Do not go with them! I have blessed those people, so you must not curse them!”
13 UBalami wasevuka ekuseni, wathi kuziphathamandla zikaBalaki: Yanini elizweni lakini, ngoba iNkosi iyala ukungivumela ukuhamba lani.
The next morning, Balaam got up and told Balak’s men, “Go back home. [But go by yourselves, because] Yahweh is not allowing me to go with you.”
14 Ngakho iziphathamandla zakoMowabi zasukuma, zaya kuBalaki, zathi: UBalami uyala ukuhamba lathi.
So the men from Moab returned to King Balak and they reported to him, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15 UBalaki wasebuya wathuma njalo iziphathamandla, ezinengi ezidumileyo kulalezo.
But Balak sent another [group of] leaders to Balaam. It was a group that was larger and they were more important [than the men in the first group].
16 Zasezifika kuBalami zathi kuye: Utsho njalo uBalaki indodana kaZipori uthi: Ake ungavinjwa yilutho ukuza kimi.
They went to Balaam and told him this: “This is what King Balak says: ‘Please do not allow anything to hinder you from coming here.
17 Ngoba ngizakuhlonipha lokukuhlonipha kakhulu, lakho konke ongitshela khona ngizakwenza. Ngakho ake uze, ngiqalekisela lababantu.
I will pay you (a lot of money/very well) [if you come], and I will do anything that you ask me to do. Just come and curse these [Israeli] people for me!’”
18 Kodwa uBalami waphendula wathi encekwini zikaBalaki: Uba uBalaki ebezangipha indlu yakhe igcwele isiliva legolide, bengingayikweqa umlayo weNkosi uNkulunkulu wami ukwenza okukhulu kumbe okuncinyane.
But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak would give me a palace filled with silver and gold, I would not do anything to disobey Yahweh, (my God/the God whom I [worship]).
19 Khathesi-ke, ake lihlale lapha lani lobubusuku, ukuze ngazi ukuthi iNkosi izakuthini kimi futhi.
But stay here one more night, like the other messengers did, and I will find out if Yahweh has anything more to say to me.”
20 UNkulunkulu wasesiza kuBalami ebusuku wathi kuye: Uba amadoda efika ukukubiza, sukuma uhambe lawo; kodwa kuphela lelolizwi engizalikhuluma kuwe, lona uzalenza.
That night God appeared to Balaam again and said to him, “These men have come to request that you go back with them, so you may go with them, but do only what I tell you [to do]!”
21 UBalami wasesukuma ekuseni, wabophela isihlalo kubabhemikazi wakhe, wahamba leziphathamandla zakoMowabi.
So the next morning, Balaam put a saddle on his donkey and he departed [with two of his servants] along with the men from Moab.
22 Ulaka lukaNkulunkulu lwavutha ngoba wahamba; ingilosi yeNkosi yayakuma endleleni ukuba yisitha esimelane laye. Njalo wayegade ubabhemikazi wakhe, lenceku zakhe ezimbili zilaye.
[Even though God had given Balaam permission to go, he was still angry]. So he sent one of his angels to Balaam. This angel stood in the road to block Balaam’s path. As Balaam and the two servants were riding on their donkeys,
23 Ubabhemi waseyibona ingilosi yeNkosi imi endleleni, lenkemba ehwatshiweyo isesandleni sayo; lobabhemikazi waphambuka endleleni, wangena ensimini. UBalami wasemtshaya ubabhemi ukumphendulela endleleni.
Balaam’s donkey saw the angel. The angel was standing in the road and was holding a sword in his hand, [but Balaam did not see him]. Balaam’s donkey turned off the road into a field. So Balaam struck the donkey and forced it to go back onto the road.
24 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasisima endleleni eminyeneyo yezivini, umduli ngapha lomduli ngapha.
Then the angel stood in a place where the road was very narrow, between two vineyards, with walls on each side of the road.
25 Lapho ubabhemikazi ebona ingilosi yeNkosi wazibandezela emdulini, wabandezela unyawo lukaBalami emdulini; wasemtshaya futhi.
When the donkey saw the angel standing there, it walked very close to the wall [to try to get past the angel]. As a result, it bashed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam struck the donkey again.
26 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasiqhubeka, yema endaweni eminyeneyo, lapho okwakungelandlela yokuphendukela ngakwesokunene kumbe ngakwesokhohlo.
Then the angel went further along the road and stood at a place that was extremely narrow, with the result that the donkey could not get past at all.
27 Lapho ubabhemikazi ebona ingilosi yeNkosi, walala ngaphansi kukaBalami. Ulaka lukaBalami lwaseluvutha, wasemtshaya ubabhemi ngenduku.
This time, when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down [on the ground] with Balaam sitting on top of it. Balaam became extremely angry, and he struck the donkey again with his walking stick.
28 INkosi yasivula umlomo kababhemikazi, wasesithi kuBalami: Ngenzeni kuwe ukuthi ungitshaye okwalezizikhathi ezintathu?
Then Yahweh enabled the donkey to speak! It said to Balaam, “What bad thing have I done to you that caused you to strike me three times?”
29 UBalami wasesithi kubabhemikazi: Ngoba ungenze inhlekisa. Kungathi ngabe kulenkemba esandleni sami, ngoba bengizakubulala khathesi.
Balaam shouted, “I struck you because you have caused me to appear to be foolish! If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!”
30 Ubabhemikazi wasesithi kuBalami: Angisuye yini ubabhemi wakho omgade kusukela ngisengowakho kuze kube lamuhla? Ngake ngejwayela ukwenza kanje kuwe yini? Wasesithi: Hatshi.
But the donkey answered, “I am your own donkey [RHQ], the one that you have always ridden! Have I ever done anything like this previously?” Balaam said, “No.”
31 INkosi yasivula amehlo kaBalami, wasebona ingilosi yeNkosi imi endleleni, lenkemba yayo ihwatshiwe isesandleni sayo; wakhothama wathi mbo ngobuso bakhe phansi.
Then Yahweh enabled Balaam to see the angel standing on the road, holding a sword in his hand. Balaam [realized that it was an angel and] prostrated himself on the ground in front of the angel.
32 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasisithi kuye: Umtshayeleni ubabhemikazi wakho okwalezizikhathi ezintathu? Khangela, mina ngiphumile ukumelana lawe, ngoba indlela yakho iphambukile kimi;
The angel asked him, ‘(Why did you strike your donkey three times?/ You should certainly not have struck the donkey three times! [RHQ] I have come to block your path because what you are planning to do is wrong.
33 njalo ubabhemikazi wangibona, waphambuka phambi kwami lezizikhathi ezintathu. Ngaphandle kokuthi ephambukile phambi kwami, ngeqiniso khathesi ngabe ngikubulele lawe, ngamgcina yena ephila.
Three times your donkey saw me and turned away from me. If it had not done that, I would certainly have killed you already, but I would have allowed the donkey to live.”
34 UBalami wasesithi engilosini yeNkosi: Ngonile, ngoba bengingazi ukuthi umi endleleni ukumelana lami. Ngakho-ke uba kukubi emehlweni akho, ngizabuyela futhi.
Then Balaam said to the angel, “I have sinned. But I did not realize that you were standing there, trying to block my path. So if you do not want me to continue going, I will return home.”
35 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasisithi kuBalami: Hamba lalawomadoda; kodwa kuphela ilizwi engizalikhuluma kuwe, yilo ozalikhuluma. UBalami wasehamba leziphathamandla zikaBalaki.
But the angel replied, “I will allow you to go with these men, but you must say only what I tell you to say!” So Balaam went on with the leaders whom Balak [had sent].
36 UBalaki esezwile ukuthi uBalami uyeza, waphuma ukuyamhlangabeza emzini wakoMowabi, osemngceleni weArinoni, osekucineni komngcele.
When King Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went to meet him at a Moab town alongside the Arnon [River] that was at the border of his own land.
37 UBalaki wasesithi kuBalami: Kangithumanga yini lokuthuma kuwe ukukubiza? Kungani ungafikanga kimi? Isibili kangilamandla okukunika udumo yini?
[When he arrived where] Balaam was, he said to him, “I sent you [RHQ] a message saying that you should come immediately [RHQ]! Why did you not come immediately? [Did you think that] I was not able to pay you a lot of money for coming?”
38 UBalami wasesithi kuBalaki: Khangela, ngifikile kuwe. Khathesi ngilamandla isibili okukhuluma loba yini na? Ilizwi uNkulunkulu alifaka emlonyeni wami, yilo engizalikhuluma.
Balaam replied, “I have come here now, but I am not able to say anything [that I want to]. I will say only the words that God tells me to say [MTY].”
39 UBalami wasehamba loBalaki, basebefika eKiriyathi-Huzothi.
Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath-Huzoth [town].
40 UBalaki wasehlaba izinkabi lezimvu, wathumela kuBalami lakuziphathamandla ezazilaye.
There Balak killed some cattle and sheep as sacrifices, and offered [parts of the meat] to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.
41 Kwasekusithi ekuseni uBalaki wamthatha uBalami, wamenyusela endaweni eziphakemeyo zikaBhali, ukuthi abone elapho ukucina kwabantu.
[They slept there], and the next morning Balak took Balaam part way up [the mountain] to Bamoth-Baal [village]. From there, they could see some of the Israeli people who were down below.