Kutoka 1
1 Haya ndiyo majina ya wana wa Israeli waliokuja Misri pamoja na Yakobo kila moja na familia yake:
These were the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob) who came with him to Egypt along with their families:
2 Rubeni, Simioni, Lawi, na Yuda,
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;
3 Isakari, Zebuluni, na Benjamini,
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
4 Dani, Naftali, Gadi, na Asheri.
Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
5 Jumla ya watu wa ukoo wa Yakobo walikuwa sabini. Yusufu alikuwa Misri tayari.
Jacob had 70 descendants there, including Joseph who was already in Egypt.
6 Ndipo Yusufu, pamoja na kaka zake wote, na kizazi chote wakafa.
Eventually Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died.
7 Waisraeli walifanikiwa sana, wakaongezeka sana idadi yao, na wakawa na nguvu maana nchi ilijazwa na wao.
However, the Israelites had many children and their numbers increased rapidly. In fact there were so many of them that they became very powerful—the country was full of them.
8 Wakati huu sasa mfalme mpya asiyemjua Yusufu aliinuka katika Misri.
Then a new king came to power who didn't know anything about Joseph.
9 Akawaambia watu wake, “Tazama, hawa Waisraeli ni wengi na wenye nguvu kuliko sisi.
He conferred with his fellow Egyptians and said, “Look at these Israelites—there are more than them than us, and they're more powerful than us.
10 Njooni na tukae nao kwa akili, ama sivyo wataendelea kuongezeka na kama vita ikiibuka, wataungana na adui zetu, watapigana nasi, na kisha wataondoka.”
We've got to make plan to deal with them before they become so many that if there's a war they'll side with our enemies and fight us, and flee the country.”
11 Hivyo wakawekea walinzi ambao waliwatesa kwa kuwatumikisha kazi ngumu. Waisraeli walijenga maghala ya miji kwa ajili ya Farao: Pishoni na Ramsei.
So the Egyptians made them do forced labor and put taskmasters in charge of them. They used them to build the storage towns of Pithom and Rameses.
12 Lakini kadiri Wamisri walivyowatesa, ndivyo Waisraeli waliendelea kuongezeka na kusambaa. Hivyo Wamisri wakaanza kuwaogopa Waisraeli.
But the more the Israelites were mistreated, the more they grew in numbers and spread out—and the more the Egyptians detested them.
13 Wamisri waliwafanya Waisraeli wafanye kazi kwa nguvu nyingi.
The Egyptians worked the Israelites brutally,
14 Waliyafanya maisha yao kuwa machungu kwa kuwafanyisha kazi ngumu kwa vinu na matofali na kwa kila aina ya kazi za shambani. Kazi zao zote zilikuwa ngumu.
making their lives a misery. They made them do hard labor, building with mortar and brick, and all kind of heavy work in the fields. In all of this hard labor they treated them brutally.
15 Kisha mfalme wa Misri akawaambia wakunga wa Kiebrania; mmoja wao aliitwa jina lake Shifra, na mwingine aliitwa Puha.
Then the king gave orders to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah.
16 Akasema, “Wakati mnapowasaidia wanawake wa Kiebrania wanapojifungua, chunguzeni wanapozaa. Ikiwa ni mtoto wa kiume, basi muueni; bali ikiwa ni mtoto wa kike, basi mwacheni aishi.”
He told them, “When you assist the Hebrew women during childbirth, if you see it's a boy, kill him; but if it's a girl, let her live.”
17 Lakini wale Wakunga walimwogopa Mungu na hawakufanya kama mfalme wa Misri alivyowaagiza; badala yake waliwaacha watoto wa kiume waishi.
But because the midwives revered God, they didn't do what the king of Egypt had ordered. They let the boys live as well.
18 Mfalme wa Misri akawaita Wakunga na kuwaambia, “Kwanini mmefanya haya, na kuwaacha watoto wa kiume wakaishi?”
The king of Egypt called the midwives in and demanded to know, “Why have you done this— letting the male children live?”
19 Wale Wakunga wakamjibu Farao, “Hawa wanawake wa Kiebrania siyo kama wanawake wa Kimisri. Hawa wana nguvu na jasiri sana maana wao humaliza kuzaa kabla hata mkunga hajafika.”
“Hebrew women aren't like Egyptian women,” the midwives told Pharaoh. “They give birth more easily—they have them before we midwives arrive.”
20 Mungu aliwalinda hawa Wakunga. Watu waliongezeka kwa idadi na kuwa na nguvu sana.
God treated the midwives well, and the people increased in number so there were even more of them.
21 Kwa sababu wale Wakunga walimwogopa Mungu, aliwapa familia.
Because the midwives revered God, he gave them families of their own.
22 Farao akawaagiza watu wote, “Lazima mmutupe kila mtoto wa kiume anayezaliwa katika mto, lakini kila mtoto wa kike wamwache aishi.”
Then Pharaoh issued this order to all his people: “Throw every Hebrew boy that's born into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
