< Kutoka 2 >

1 Basi mtu mmoja wa nyumba ya Lawi akaoa mwanamke Mlawi,
Now a man of the house of Levi married a daughter of Levi,
2 naye mwanamke huyo akapata mimba, akazaa mtoto wa kiume. Alipoona mtoto huyo ni mzuri, akamficha kwa miezi mitatu.
and she conceived and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him for three months.
3 Lakini alipoona hawezi kumficha zaidi, akamtengenezea kisafina cha mafunjo, akakipaka lami. Kisha akamweka huyo mtoto ndani yake, akakificha katikati ya matete kando ya ukingo wa Mto Naili.
But when she could no longer hide him, she got him a papyrus basket and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in the basket and set it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.
4 Dada ya huyo mtoto akasimama mbali ili kuona kitakachompata mtoto.
And his sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
5 Ndipo binti Farao akateremka mtoni Naili kuoga, nao wahudumu wake wakawa wanatembea ukingoni mwa mto. Binti mfalme akaona kisafina katikati ya manyasi, akamtuma mmoja wa watumwa wake wa kike kukichukua.
Soon the daughter of Pharaoh went down to bathe in the Nile, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. And when she saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maidservant to retrieve it.
6 Alifungua kisafina akaona mtoto ndani yake. Mtoto alikuwa akilia, akamhurumia. Akasema, “Huyu ni mmoja wa watoto wa Kiebrania.”
When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the little boy was crying. So she had compassion on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrew children.”
7 Ndipo dada wa huyo mtoto akamuuliza binti Farao, “Je, niende nikakutafutie mmoja wa wanawake wa Kiebrania akulelee huyu mtoto?”
Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?”
8 Binti Farao akamjibu, “Ndiyo, nenda.” Yule msichana akaenda akamleta mama wa mtoto.
“Go ahead,” Pharaoh’s daughter told her. And the girl went and called the boy’s mother.
9 Binti Farao akamwambia, “Mchukue huyu mtoto unisaidie kumlea, nami nitakulipa.” Basi yule mwanamke akamchukua mtoto na kumlea.
Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages.” So the woman took the boy and nursed him.
10 Mtoto alipokua, akampeleka kwa binti Farao, naye akawa mwanawe. Akamwita jina lake Mose akisema, “Nilimtoa kwenye maji.”
When the child had grown older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses and explained, “I drew him out of the water.”
11 Siku moja, baada ya Mose kukua, akaondoka kwenda walikokuwa watu wake, na akachunguza jinsi walivyokuwa wakifanya kazi ngumu. Akamwona Mmisri akimpiga Mwebrania, mmojawapo wa watu wake.
One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people and observed their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.
12 Mose akatazama huku na huko asione mtu yeyote, akamuua yule Mmisri, akamficha mchangani.
After looking this way and that and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.
13 Kesho yake akatoka, akaona Waebrania wawili wakipigana. Akamuuliza yule aliyekosa, “Mbona unampiga Mwebrania mwenzako?”
The next day Moses went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you attacking your companion?”
14 Yule mtu akamjibu, “Ni nani aliyekufanya mtawala na mwamuzi juu yetu? Je, unataka kuniua kama ulivyomuua yule Mmisri?” Ndipo Mose akaogopa na kuwaza, “Jambo lile nililofanya lazima limefahamika.”
But the man replied, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “This thing I have done has surely become known.”
15 Farao aliposikia jambo hili, alijaribu kumuua Mose, lakini Mose akamkimbia Farao na kwenda kuishi katika nchi ya Midiani, akaketi kando ya kisima.
When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, where he sat down beside a well.
16 Kuhani wa Midiani alikuwa na binti saba, nao wakaja kisimani ili kuchota maji na kujaza hori kwa ajili ya kunyweshea mifugo ya baba yao.
Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock.
17 Baadhi ya wachungaji wakaja wakawafukuza hao wasichana. Ndipo Mose akainuka, akawasaidia na kunywesha mifugo yao.
And when some shepherds came along and drove them away, Moses rose up to help them and watered their flock.
18 Hao wasichana waliporudi nyumbani kwa Reueli baba yao, akawauliza, “Imekuwaje leo mmerudi mapema hivyo?”
When the daughters returned to their father Reuel, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?”
19 Wakamjibu, “Mmisri mmoja alituokoa kutoka mikononi mwa wachungaji. Pia mtu huyo alituchotea maji na kunywesha mifugo.”
“An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they replied. “He even drew water for us and watered the flock.”
20 Akawauliza binti zake, “Yuko wapi? Mbona mmemwacha? Mkaribisheni ale chakula.”
“So where is he?” their father asked. “Why did you leave the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat.”
21 Mose akakubali kukaa kwa huyo mtu, ambaye alimpa Mose binti yake aliyeitwa Sipora amwoe.
Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage.
22 Sipora alizaa mtoto wa kiume, naye Mose akamwita Gershomu, akisema, “Nimekuwa mgeni katika nchi ya kigeni.”
And she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.”
23 Baada ya muda mrefu, mfalme wa Misri akafa. Waisraeli wakalia kwa huzuni katika utumwa wao, walilia na kilio chao cha kutaka msaada kwa ajili ya utumwa kikamfikia Mungu.
After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned and cried out under their burden of slavery, and their cry for deliverance from bondage ascended to God.
24 Mungu akasikia kilio chao cha huzuni, akakumbuka Agano alilofanya na Abrahamu pamoja na Isaki na Yakobo.
So God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
25 Kwa hiyo Mungu akawaangalia Waisraeli na kuwahurumia.
God saw the Israelites and took notice.

< Kutoka 2 >