Exodus 7
1 The Lord told Moses, “Look, I will make you seem like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.
UThixo wasesithi kuMosi, “Khangela, sengikwenze wafana loNkulunkulu kuFaro, njalo umfowenu u-Aroni uzakuba ngumphrofethi wakho.
2 You are to repeat everything that I tell you to say, and your brother Aaron must repeat it to Pharaoh so that he will let the Israelites leave his country.
Uzakhuluma konke engizakulaya khona njalo umfowenu u-Aroni uzatshela uFaro ukuthi avumele abako-Israyeli ukuba basuke elizweni lakhe.
3 But I will give Pharaoh a stubborn attitude, and though I will perform many signs and wonders in Egypt, he won't listen to you.
Kodwa ngizakwenza inhliziyo kaFaro ibe lukhuni, njalo lanxa ngizakwandisa izimangaliso zami elizweni laseGibhithe,
4 Then I will attack Egypt, imposing heavy punishments on them, and I will lead out by their tribes my people the Israelites.
kasoze alilalele. Sekunjalo ngizakwelula isandla sami phezu kweGibhithe, njalo ngezenzo zami zokwahlulela ezilamandla, ngizakwahlukanisa abantu.
5 In this way the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord—when I take action against Egypt and lead the Israelites out of the country.”
Njalo abantu baseGibhithe bazakwazi ukuthi ngempela mina nginguThixo lapho sengiselula isandla sami phezu kweGibhithe, besengikhupha abako-Israyeli kulelolizwe.”
6 Moses and Aaron did exactly as the Lord had ordered.
UMosi lo-Aroni benza njengokulaywa kwabo nguThixo.
7 Moses was eighty and Aaron was eighty-three when they went and spoke to Pharaoh.
UMosi wayeleminyaka engamatshumi ayisificaminwembili ubudala, u-Aroni wayeleminyaka engamatshumi ayisificaminwembili lantathu ngesikhathi bekhuluma loFaro.
8 The Lord told Moses and Aaron,
UThixo wathi kuMosi lo-Aroni,
9 “When Pharaoh asks you, ‘Why don't you perform a miracle, then?’ tell Aaron, ‘Take your walking stick and throw it down in front of Pharaoh,’ and it will turn into a snake.”
“Nxa uFaro angathi kini limenzele isimangaliso, wena uzakuthi ku-Aroni, ‘Thatha intonga yakho uyiphose phambi kukaFaro,’ izaphenduka ibe yinyoka.”
10 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what the Lord had ordered. Aaron threw down his staff in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it turned into a snake.
Ngakho uMosi lo-Aroni baya kuFaro. Bafika benza njengokulaywa kwabo nguThixo. U-Aroni waphosa intonga yakhe phansi phambi kukaFaro lezikhulu zakhe, yaphenduka yaba yinyoka.
11 But Pharaoh called in wise men and sorcerers, and these Egyptian magicians did the same thing using their magic arts.
UFaro wasebiza izanuse lezinyanga zaseGibhithe. Lazo zenza izimanga ngendlela efanayo.
12 Each of them threw down their walking sticks and they also turned into snakes, but Aaron's walking stick swallowed up all their walking sticks.
Bonke baphosela intonga zabo phansi zaphenduka zaba zinyoka. Kodwa inyoka ka-Aroni yaziginya zonke izinyoka.
13 But Pharaoh had a hard, stubborn attitude, and he wouldn't listen to them, as the Lord had predicted.
Kodwa-ke, lanxa kwabanjalo, inhliziyo kaFaro yala ilokhu ilukhuni; njengoba uThixo wayetshilo.
14 The Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh has a stubborn attitude—he's refusing to let the people go.
UThixo wasesithi kuMosi, “Inhliziyo kaFaro ilukhuni; uyala ukuthi abantu bahambe.
15 So tomorrow morning go to Pharaoh as he walks down to the river. Wait to meet him on the bank of the Nile. Take with you the walking stick that turned into a snake.
Yana kuFaro ekuseni, ngesikhathi esehlela emfuleni. Ubokuma okhunjini lomfula uNayili, umhlangabeze uphethe intonga eyaphenduka yaba yinyoka.
16 Tell him: The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you, ‘Let my people go, so that they can worship me in the desert. But you have not listened up until now.
Ubokuthi kuye, ‘uThixo, uNkulunkulu wamaHebheru ungithumile njalo kuwe ukuba ngizekutshela ukuthi: Vumela abantu bami ukuthi bahambe, ukuze bayengikhonza enkangala. Kodwa kuze kube khathesi kawukalaleli.
17 This is what the Lord is now telling you: This is how you will know that I am the Lord.’” “Watch! Using the walking stick I'm holding, I'm going to hit the water of the Nile, and it will turn to blood.
UThixo uthi, Ngalokhu uzakwazi ukuthi nginguThixo: Ngentonga esesandleni sami ngizatshaya amanzi kaNayili njalo azaphenduka abe ligazi.
18 The fish in the Nile will die, the river will smell, and the Egyptians won't be able to drink any of its water.”
Inhlanzi kuNayili zizakufa, amanzi omfula azanuka athi phu, ngakho abantu baseGibhithe abangeke babe besawanatha.’”
19 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your walking stick in your hand and hold it out over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers and canals and ponds and pools, so that they will turn to blood. There will be blood through all of Egypt, even in containers made of wood and stone.’”
UThixo wasesithi kuMosi, “Tshela u-Aroni uthi ‘thatha intonga yakho welulele isandla sakho phezu kwamanzi eGibhithe, lakuyo yonke imifula yakhona lemisele yamanzi, amaxhaphozi, lamachibi, wonke amanzi alapho azaphenduka abe ligazi.’ Igazi lizagcwala eGibhithe lasezinkonxeni zezigodo lasezitsheni zamatshe.”
20 Moses and Aaron did exactly as the Lord had ordered. While Pharaoh and all his officials watched, Aaron lifted up his walking stick and hit the water of the Nile. Immediately the whole river turned to blood!
UMosi lo-Aroni benza njengokulaywa kwabo nguThixo. Waphakamisa intonga yakhe phambi kukaFaro lezikhulu zakhe watshaya amanzi kaNayili aphenduka aba ligazi.
21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so awful that the Egyptians could not drink its water. There was blood through all of Egypt!
Inhlanzi zikaNayili zafa. Umfula wanuka kubi okokuthi abaseGibhithe babengeke bawanathe amanzi akhona. Igazi laseligcwele indawo yonke.
22 But the Egyptian magicians did the same thing using their magic arts. Pharaoh maintained his stubborn attitude and he wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted.
Kodwa izanuse zaseGibhithe lazo ngemilingo yazo zenza izimanga ezifananayo. Ngalokho inhliziyo kaFaro yala ilokhu ilukhuni. Kabalalelanga oMosi lo-Aroni njengoba uThixo wayevele etshilo.
23 Pharaoh went back to his palace and didn't pay any attention to what had happened.
UFaro wabuyela esigodlweni sakhe engakunaki lokho.
24 All the Egyptians dug alongside the Nile because they couldn't drink its water.
Sekunjalo abaseGibhithe bemba imithombo okhunjini lomfula uNayili ukuba bathole amanzi okunatha, ngoba babengeke babe besawanatha awomfula.
25 Seven days went by after the Lord hit the Nile.
Kwedlula insuku eziyisikhombisa ngemva kokuba uThixo enze amanzi kaNayili aba ligazi.
