Mwanzo 26
1 Basi njaa ikatokea katika nchi, mbali na njaa ya kwanza iliyotokea siku za Ibrahimu. Isaka akaenda kwa Abimeleki, mfalme wa Wafilisiti 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 Basi Yahwe akamtokea na kumwambia, “Usishuke kwenda Misri; kaa katika nchi niliyokuambia.
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 hii niliyokuambia, nami nitakuwa pamoja nawe na kukubariki; kwani kwako wewe na uzao wako, nitawapa nchi hii yote, nami nitatimiza kiapo nilichomwapia Ibrahimu 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 Nitauzidisha uzao wako kama nyota za mbinguni, nami nitawapa uzao wako nchi hizi zote. Kupitia uzao wako mataifa yote ya dunia 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 Nitalifanya hili kwa sababu Ibrahimu aliitii sauti yangu na kutunza maelekezo yangu, amri zangu 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 Isaka akakaa Gerari.
[so Isaac] stayed there [along with his wife and sons].
7 Watu wa eneo hilo walipomwuliza juu ya mke wake, alisema, “Yeye ni dada yangu.” Aliogopa kusema, “Yeye ni mke wangu,” kwa kuwa alidhani, “Watu wa nchi hii wataniua ili wamchukue Rebeka, kwa kuwa ni mzuri wa uso.”
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 Baada ya Isaka kuwa amekaa pale kwa muda mrefu, Ikatukia kwamba Abimeleki mfalme wa Wafilisiti alichungulia katika dirisha. Tazama, akamwona Isaka akimpapasa 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 Isaka kwake na kusema, “Tazama, kwa hakika yeye ni mke wako. Kwa nini ulisema, 'Yeye ni dada yangu?” Isaka akamwambia, “Kwa sababu nilidhani mtu mmoja aweza kuniua ili amchukue.”
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 Abimeleki akamwambia, “Ni jambo gani hili ulilotufanyia? Mmojawapo wa watu angeweza bila shaka kulala na mke wako, nawe ungeweza kuleta 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 akawaonya watu wote na kusema, “Mtu yeyote atakayemgusa mtu huyu au mke wake atauwawa.”
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 Isaka akapanda mazao katika nchi hiyo na kuvuna mwaka huo vipimo mia, kwa kuwa Yahwe alimbariki.
Isaac planted grain in that land that year, and he harvested a very large crop, because Yahweh blessed him.
13 Mtu huyo akawa tajiri, naye akaongezeka zaidi hata akawa mkuu sana.
Isaac continued to acquire more and more possessions, until finally he became very wealthy.
14 Alikuwa na kondoo na ngombe na familia kubwa. Wafilisiti wakamwonea wivu.
He had large herds of sheep and goats and cattle, and many slaves. Because of that, the Philistine people envied him.
15 Basi visima vyote watumishi wa baba yake walikuwawamevichimba katika siku za Ibrahimu baba yake, Wafilisiti wakavikatalia kwa kwa kuvijaza kifusi.
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 Abimeleki akamwambia Isaka, “Ondoka kati yetu, kwa kuwa wewe una nguvu kuliko sisi.”
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 Hivyo Isaka akaondoka pale na kukaa katika bonde la Gerari, na kuishi pale.
So Isaac [and his family] moved from there. They set up their tents in Gerar Valley [and started to live there].
18 Kwa mara nyingine tena Isaka akachimba visima vya maji, vilivyokuwa vimechimbwa siku za Ibrahimu baba yake. Wafilisiti walikuwa wamevizuia baada ya kufa kwake Ibrahimu. Isaka akaviita visima kwa majina aliyokuwa ameviita baba yake.
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 Isaka walipochimba katika bonde, wakaona kisima cha maji yaliyokuwakuwa yakibubujika.
Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water.
20 Wachungaji wa Gerari wakagombana na wachungaji wa Isaka, na kusema, “Haya ni maji yetu.”Hivyo Isaka akakiita kisima hicho “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 Wakachimba kisima kingine, wakakigombania hicho nacho, hivyo akakiita “Sitina.”
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 Akatoka hapo na akachimba kisima kingine, lakini hicho hawakukigombania. Hivyo akakiita Rehobothi, na akasema, “Sasa Yahwe ametufanyia nafasi, na tutafanikiwa 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 Kisha Isaka akaenda Beersheba.
From there Isaac went up to Beersheba.
24 Yahwe akamtokea usiku huohuo na akasema, “Mimi ni Mungu wa Ibrahimu baba yako. Usiogope, kwa maana mimi nipo pamoja nawe na nitakubariki na kuvidisha vizazi vyako, kwa ajili ya mtumishi wangu Ibrahimu.”
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 Isaka akajenga madhabahu pale na akaliita jina la Yahwe. Akapiga hema yake pale, na 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 Kisha Abimeleki akamwendea kutoka Gerari, pamoja na Ahuzathi, rafiki yake, na Fikoli, jemedari wa jeshi.
[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 Isaka akawambia, “Kwa nini mmekuja kwangu, kwani mlinichukia na kunifukuza kwenu.
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 Nao wakasema, “Tumeona yakini kwamba Yahwe amekuwa nawe. Hivyo tukaamua kwamba kuwe na kiapo kati yetu, ndiyo, kati yetu nawe. Hivyo na tufanye agano 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 hautatudhuru, kama ambavyo sisi hatukukudhuru, na kama sisi tulivyokutendea vema wewe na tumekuacha uondoke kwa amani. Kwa kweli, Yahwe amekubariki.”
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 Hivyo Isaka akawaandalia sherehe, na wakala na kunywa.
So Isaac made a feast for them, and they all ate and drank.
31 Wakaamuka mapema asubuhi na wakaapiana kiapo. Kisha Isaka akawaruhusu kuondoka, nao wakamwacha katika 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 hiyohiyo watumishi wake wakaja na kumwambia juu ya kisima walichokuwa wamekichimba. Wakasema, “Tumeona 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 Akakiita kile kisima Shiba, hivyo jina la mji ule ni Beersheba hata leo.
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, akajitwalia mke, Yudithi binti Beeri Mhiti, na 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 Wakamhuzunisha Isaka na Rebeka.
Esau’s two wives made life miserable for Isaac and Rebekah.
