< Genesis 3 >

1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?”
Inyoka yayiliqili ukwedlula zonke izinyamazana zeganga uThixo uNkulunkulu ayezenzile. Yathi kowesifazane, “Kambe uNkulunkulu watsho ngeqiniso ukuthi, ‘Lingadli noma yisiphi isihlahla esivandeni’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden,
Owesifazane wathi enyokeni, “Singadla izithelo zezihlahla esivandeni,
3 but not the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it. You shall not touch it, lest you die.’”
kodwa uNkulunkulu wathi, ‘Lingazidli izithelo zesihlahla esiphakathi laphakathi kwesivande, njalo lingasithinti, hlezi life.’”
4 The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t really die,
Inyoka yathi kowesifazane, “Kalisoze life ngempela.
5 for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Ngoba uNkulunkulu uyazi ukuthi lingasidla amehlo enu azavuleka, beselisiba njengoNkulunkulu, lazi okuhle lokubi.”
6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took some of its fruit, and ate. Then she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it, too.
Kwathi owesifazane ngokubona ukuthi izithelo zesihlahla leso zaziyikudla okuhle njalo zibukeka emehlweni, njalo kudingeka ukuzuza ukuhlakanipha, wakha ezinye wadla. Wapha njalo ezinye indoda yakhe ayelayo khonapho, layo yadla.
7 Their eyes were opened, and they both knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made coverings for themselves.
Amehlo abo bobabili asevuleka, basebenanzelela ukuthi babenqunu; yikho basebethungela ndawonye amahlamvu omkhiwa bazenzela izembatho ngawo.
8 They heard Yahweh God’s voice walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.
Indoda lomkayo basebesizwa umsindo kaThixo uNkulunkulu ehamba esivandeni ilanga selithambeme, basebemcatshela uThixo uNkulunkulu phakathi kwezihlahla zesivande.
9 Yahweh God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”
Kodwa uThixo uNkulunkulu wayimemeza indoda wathi, “Ungaphi?”
10 The man said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
Yaphendula yathi, “Ngikuzwile esivandeni, ngesaba ngoba benginqunu; yikho ngasengicatsha.”
11 God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
Wasesithi, “Ngubani okutshelileyo ukuthi unqunu? Usudlile yini isihlahla engalilaya ukuthi lingasidli?”
12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
Indoda yathi, “Umfazi owangipha yena, ungiphile ezinye izithelo zesihlahla ngazidla.”
13 Yahweh God said to the woman, “What have you done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Ngakho uThixo uNkulunkulu wathi kowesifazane, “Kuyini lokhu osukwenzile na?” Owesifazane wathi, “Inyoka ingikhohlisile, ngadla.”
14 Yahweh God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed above all livestock, and above every animal of the field. You shall go on your belly and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.
Ngakho uThixo uNkulunkulu wasesithi enyokeni, “Ngoba usukwenzile lokhu, Uqalekisiwe ngaphezu kwezifuyo zonke kanye lezinyamazana zonke zeganga! Uzahuba phansi ngesisu sakho njalo uzakudla uthuli zonke insuku zokuphila kwakho.
15 I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.”
Njalo ngizafaka ubutha phakathi kwakho lowesifazane, laphakathi kwenzalo yakho leyowesifazane; uzacobodisa ikhanda lakho, njalo wena uzagamula isithende sakhe.”
16 To the woman he said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth. You will bear children in pain. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
Kowesifazane wathi, “Ngizakwandisa ngokuphindiweyo inhlungu zakho nxa ubeletha; ngobuhlungu uzazala abantwana. Inkanuko yakho izakuba sendodeni yakho, njalo yona izabusa phezu kwakho.”
17 To Adam he said, “Because you have listened to your wife’s voice, and have eaten from the tree, about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ the ground is cursed for your sake. You will eat from it with much labor all the days of your life.
Ku-Adamu wathi, “Ngoba ulalele umkakho wadla isihlahla engakulaya ngathi, ‘Ungasidli,’ Uqalekisiwe umhlabathi ngenxa yakho; ngokusebenza nzima uzakudla okuphuma kuwo zonke insuku zokuphila kwakho.
18 It will yield thorns and thistles to you; and you will eat the herb of the field.
Uzamila ameva lezihlahlakazana zameva azahlaba wena, njalo uzakudla izihlahla zeganga.
19 You will eat bread by the sweat of your face until you return to the ground, for you were taken out of it. For you are dust, and you shall return to dust.”
Ngezithukuthuku zebunzi lakho uzakudla ukudla kwakho uze ubuyele emhlabathini, njengoba wathathwa kuwo; ngoba uluthuli njalo uzabuyela othulini.”
20 The man called his wife Eve because she would be the mother of all the living.
U-Adamu wamutha umkakhe wathi ngu-Eva, ngoba wayezakuba ngunina wabo bonke abaphilayo.
21 Yahweh God made garments of animal skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them.
UThixo uNkulunkulu wenza imvunulo yesikhumba, wenzela u-Adamu lomkakhe, wabagqokisa.
22 Yahweh God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand, and also take of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever—”
Njalo uThixo uNkulunkulu wathi, “Umuntu manje usenjengomunye wethu, usekwazi okuhle lokubi. Kangavunyelwa ukuthi elule isandla sakhe akhe njalo isihlahla sokuphila adle, aphile laphakade.”
23 Therefore Yahweh God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.
Ngakho uThixo uNkulunkulu wamxotsha eSivandeni se-Edeni ukuthi asebenze umhlabathi ayethethwe kuwo.
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Esemxotshile umuntu wamisa ngempumalanga kweSivande se-Edeni amakherubhi lenkemba ebhebhayo, iphazima isiyale lale ukulinda indlela eya esihlahleni sokuphila.

< Genesis 3 >