Mwanzo 26
1 Basi njaa kubwa ikawa katika nchi hiyo, kuliko ile njaa iliyotangulia iliyotokea wakati wa Abrahamu. Isaki akamwendea Abimeleki mfalme wa Wafilisti huko Gerari.
Some time later there was a severe (famine/scarcity of food) there. That was different from the famine that occurred when Abraham was alive. So Isaac went [southeast] to Gerar [town, to talk] to Abimelech, the king of the Philistine people-group. [What happened was this: Isaac considered going to Egypt],
2 Bwana akamtokea Isaki, akamwambia, “Usiende Misri, bali ukae katika nchi nitakayokuambia.
but Yahweh appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt! Live in the land where I will tell you to go!
3 Kaa katika nchi hii kwa kitambo, mimi nitakuwa pamoja na wewe na nitakubariki. Kwa maana nitakupa wewe na uzao wako nchi hizi zote na nitatimiza kiapo nilichomwapia Abrahamu baba yako.
Stay in this land for a while, and I will help you and bless you, because it is to you and your descendants that I will give all these lands, and I will do what I solemnly promised to your father.
4 Nitafanya wazao wako kuwa wengi kama nyota za angani, nami nitawapa nchi hizi zote na kutokana na uzao wako mataifa yote yatabarikiwa,
I will cause your descendants to be as numerous as the stars in the sky. I will give to your descendants all these lands, and I will cause your descendants to be a blessing to the people of [MTY] all nations on the earth.
5 kwa sababu Abrahamu alinitii mimi akatunza kanuni zangu na maagizo yangu, amri zangu pamoja na sheria zangu.”
I will do that because your father Abraham obeyed me. He obeyed everything that I told him to do, everything that I declared and all the laws that I gave him.” So Isaac [went and asked King Abimelech if he would permit him to live in the Gerar area. The king said, “Okay,”]
6 Hivyo Isaki akaishi huko Gerari.
[so Isaac] stayed there [along with his wife and sons].
7 Watu wa mahali pale walipomuuliza habari za mke wake, akasema, “Huyu ni dada yangu,” kwa sababu aliogopa kusema, “Huyu ni mke wangu.” Alifikiri, “Watu wa mahali pale wataweza kumuua kwa sababu ya Rebeka, kwa kuwa alikuwa mzuri wa sura.”
When the men in Gerar [town] asked who Rebekah was, Isaac said, “She is my sister.” He said that because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “Rebekah is very beautiful, so they will want her. [If I say that she is my sister, they know they will have to negotiate about a bride price because I am her older brother; but if I say that she is my wife, no negotiation will be possible]. They will just kill me to get her.”
8 Wakati Isaki alipokuwa amekaa huko siku nyingi, Abimeleki mfalme wa Wafilisti akachungulia dirishani, akaona jinsi Isaki alivyomkumbatia Rebeka mke wake.
When Isaac had been there a long time, one day Abimelech, the king of the Philistine people-group, looked down from a window [in his palace] and was surprised to see Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.
9 Abimeleki akamwita Isaki akamwambia, “Hakika huyu ni mke wako! Mbona uliniambia, ‘Huyu ni dada yangu?’” Isaki akamjibu, “Kwa sababu nilifikiri ningeweza kuuawa kwa sababu yake.”
So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said to him, “Now I realize that she is really your wife! So why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied to him, “I said that because I thought that someone here might kill me to get her.”
10 Ndipo Abimeleki akamjibu, “Ni nini hiki ulichotufanyia? Ingewezekana mtu yeyote akawa amekutana kimwili na mke wako, nawe ungeleta hatia juu yetu.”
Abimelech said, “(You should not have done this to us!/Why did you do this?) [RHQ] One of our people might have (had sex with/slept with) [EUP] your wife, and you would have caused us to be guilty of a great sin!”
11 Hivyo Abimeleki akatoa amri kwa watu wote, akisema, “Yeyote atakayemnyanyasa mtu huyu au mkewe hakika atauawa.”
Then Abimelech commanded all his people, saying, “Do not harm/molest this man or his wife! Anyone who does that will surely be executed!”
12 Isaki akapanda mazao katika nchi hiyo, kwa mwaka huo huo, akavuna mara mia, kwa sababu Bwana alimbariki.
Isaac planted grain in that land that year, and he harvested a very large crop, because Yahweh blessed him.
13 Isaki akawa tajiri, mali zake zikaendelea kuongezeka mpaka akawa tajiri sana.
Isaac continued to acquire more and more possessions, until finally he became very wealthy.
14 Akawa na mifugo ya kondoo na ngʼombe, na watumishi wengi sana, kiasi kwamba Wafilisti wakamwonea wivu.
He had large herds of sheep and goats and cattle, and many slaves. Because of that, the Philistine people envied him.
15 Kwa hiyo visima vyote vilivyochimbwa na watumishi wakati wa Abrahamu baba yake, Wafilisti wakavifukia, wakavijaza udongo.
So all the wells that the servants of his father Abraham had dug during the time when he was alive, the people filled up with dirt.
16 Ndipo Abimeleki akamwambia Isaki, “Ondoka kwetu, kwa maana umetuzidi nguvu sana.”
Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “You people have become more numerous than we are, so I want you to get out of our area.”
17 Basi Isaki akatoka huko akajenga kambi katika Bonde la Gerari, akaishi huko.
So Isaac [and his family] moved from there. They set up their tents in Gerar Valley [and started to live there].
18 Ndipo Isaki akavichimbua tena vile visima vya maji ambavyo vilichimbwa siku zile za Abrahamu baba yake, ambavyo Wafilisti walivifukia baada ya kufa Abrahamu, akavipa majina yale yale ambayo baba yake alikuwa amevipa.
There were several wells in that area that had been dug when Isaac’s father Abraham was living, but Philistine people had filled them up [with dirt] after Abraham died. Now Isaac and his servants removed the dirt, and Isaac gave the wells the same names that his father had given to them.
19 Watumishi wa Isaki wakachimba katika lile bonde wakagundua huko kisima chenye maji safi.
Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water.
20 Lakini wachungaji wa Gerari wakagombana na wachungaji wa Isaki wakisema, “Maji haya ni yetu!” Ndipo akakiita kile kisima Eseki, kwa sababu waligombana naye.
But other men who lived in Gerar [Valley] who took care of their animals argued/quarreled with the men who took care of Isaac’s animals, and said, “The water in this well is ours!” So Isaac named the well Esek, which means ‘dispute’, because they disputed about who owned it.
21 Kisha wakachimba kisima kingine, lakini hata hicho pia wakakigombania, akakiita Sitna.
Then Isaac’s servants dug another well, but they quarreled about who owned that one also. So Isaac named it Sitnah, [which means ‘opposition]’.
22 Akaondoka huko, akachimba kisima kingine, wala hakuna yeyote aliyekigombania. Akakiita Rehobothi, akisema, “Sasa Bwana ametufanyia nafasi, nasi tutastawi katika nchi.”
They moved on from there and dug another well, but this time no one quarreled about who owned it. So Isaac named it Rehoboth, [which means ‘uninhabited place’], saying, “Yahweh has given us an uninhabited place to live in, a place that is not wanted by other people, and we will become very prosperous here.”
23 Kutoka pale akaenda Beer-Sheba.
From there Isaac went up to Beersheba.
24 Usiku ule Bwana akamtokea, akamwambia, “Mimi ndimi Mungu wa Abrahamu baba yako. Usiogope, kwa maana mimi niko pamoja nawe, nitakubariki na kuongeza idadi ya wazao wako kwa ajili ya Abrahamu mtumishi wangu.”
The first night that he was there, Yahweh appeared to him and said, “I am God, whom your father Abraham worshiped. Do not be afraid of anything. I will help you and bless you, and because of what I promised my servant Abraham, I will greatly increase the number of your descendants.”
25 Isaki akajenga madhabahu huko, akaliitia jina la Bwana. Akapiga hema lake huko, nao watumishi wake wakachimba kisima.
So Isaac built a stone altar there [and offered a sacrifice] to worship Yahweh. He [and his servants] set up their tents there, and his servants started to dig a well.
26 Wakati huo, Abimeleki alikuwa amemjia kutoka Gerari, akifuatana na Ahuzathi mshauri wake, pamoja na Fikoli jemadari wa majeshi yake.
[While they were digging the well], King Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar, along with Ahuzzath, his advisor, and Phicol, the commander of his army.
27 Isaki akawauliza, “Mbona mmekuja kwangu na ninyi mlinichukia na kunifukuza?”
Isaac asked them, “You (acted in a hostile way toward me/treated me like an enemy) before, and sent me away. So why have you come to me now?”
28 Wakamjibu, “Tuliona wazi kuwa Bwana alikuwa pamoja nawe, kwa hiyo tukasema, ‘Inabidi kuwe na kiapo cha mapatano kati yetu, kati yetu na wewe. Na tufanye mkataba pamoja nawe
One of them answered, “We have seen that Yahweh helps you. So we said to each other, ‘We should have an agreement between us and you. We should make a peace treaty with you,
29 kwamba hutatudhuru, kama jinsi nasi hatukuwanyanyasa bali tuliwatendea mema wakati wote na kuwaondoa kwetu kwa amani. Tena sasa umebarikiwa na Bwana.’”
stating that you will not harm us, in the same way that we did not molest [EUP] you.’ We always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now Yahweh is blessing you.”
30 Basi Isaki akawaandalia karamu, nao wakala na kunywa.
So Isaac made a feast for them, and they all ate and drank.
31 Kesho yake asubuhi na mapema, wakaapizana wao kwa wao. Kisha Isaki akawaruhusu waende zao, wakamwacha Isaki kwa amani.
Early the next morning they all (swore/solemnly promised) each other that they would do what they had promised. Then Isaac sent them home peacefully.
32 Siku hiyo watumishi wa Isaki wakaja wakampa habari kuhusu kisima walichokuwa wamekichimba, wakamwambia, “Tumepata maji!”
That day Isaac’s servants came to him and told him about the well that they had finished digging. They said, “We found water in the well!”
33 Naye akakiita Shiba, mpaka leo mji huo unaitwa Beer-Sheba.
Isaac named the well Shibah, [which sounds like the Hebrew word that means ‘oath’]. To the present time the town there has the name Beersheba [which means ‘Friendship Agreement Well’].
34 Esau alipokuwa na umri wa miaka arobaini, akamwoa Yudithi binti Beeri Mhiti, kisha akamwoa Basemathi binti Eloni Mhiti.
When Esau was 40 years old, he married Judith, the daughter of Beeri, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon. Both of those women were descendants of Heth, [not from Isaac’s clan].
35 Hawa walikuwa chanzo cha huzuni ya Isaki na Rebeka.
Esau’s two wives made life miserable for Isaac and Rebekah.
