I-Eksodusi 8

8 ¹UBaba wethu wathi kuMose: “Hamba uye kuFaro, umtshele uthi: ‘Nakhu okushiwo nguBaba wethu: Yekela abantu bami bahambe, ukuze bangikhonze. ²Kodwa uma wenqaba ukubayeka bahambe, bheka, ngizolihlupha lonke izwe lakho ngamaxoxo. ³INayile iyogcwala amaxoxo ayokwenyuka angene endlini yakho, egumbini lakho lokulala, nasembhedeni wakho, nasezindlini zezinceku zakho nezabantu bakho, nasemazikweni akho nasemiganwini yakho yokuxovela inhlama. ⁴Amaxoxo ayokwenyukela phezu kwakho, naphezu kwabantu bakho, naphezu kwazo zonke izinceku zakho.’” ⁵UBaba wethu wathi kuMose: “Tshela u-Aroni uthi: ‘Yelulela isandla sakho noludondolo lwakho phezu kwemifula, nemisele, namachibi, wenyuse amaxoxo phezu kwezwe laseGibhithe.’”

⁶U-Aroni welulela isandla sakhe phezu kwamanzi aseGibhithe, enyuka amaxoxo asibekela izwe laseGibhithe. ⁷Kodwa izinyanga nazo zenza okufanayo ngemilingo yazo, zenyusa amaxoxo phezu kwezwe laseGibhithe.

⁸UFaro wabiza uMose no-Aroni wathi: “Ncengani uNkulunkulu ukuba asuse amaxoxo kimi nakubantu bami, ngizobe sengiyabayeka abantu bahambe bayohlabela uNkulunkulu.”

⁹UMose wathi kuFaro: “Udumo lungolwakho—zibekele wena isikhathi: ngikukhulekele nini wena, nezinceku zakho, nabantu bakho, ukuba amaxoxo aqedwe kuwe nasezindlini zakho, asale eNayile kuphela?”

¹⁰Wathi: “Kusasa.” UMose waphendula wathi: “Makube njengokusho kwakho, ukuze wazi ukuthi akekho onjengoBaba wethu.

¹¹Amaxoxo ayosuka kuwe, nasezindlini zakho, nasezincekwini zakho, nakubantu bakho, asale eNayile kuphela.”

¹²UMose no-Aroni basuka kuFaro, uMose wakhala kuBaba wethu ngenxa yamaxoxo uBaba wethu ayewalethele uFaro. ¹³UBaba wethu wenza njengesicelo sikaMose. Amaxoxo afa ezindlini, nasemagumeni, nasemasimini. ¹⁴Bawaqoqa aba yizinqwaba ngezinqwaba, izwe lanuka. ¹⁵Kepha uFaro ebona ukuthi sekukhona ukuphumula, wayenza lukhuni inhliziyo yakhe, akabalalela, njengoba uBaba wethu ayeshilo.

Imiyane Evela Othulini

¹⁶UBaba wethu wathi kuMose: “Tshela u-Aroni uthi: Yelula udondolo lwakho ushaye uthuli lomhlabathi, luyophenduka imiyane kulo lonke izwe laseGibhithe.”

¹⁷Benza kanjalo. U-Aroni welula isandla sakhe noludondolo lwakhe, washaya uthuli lomhlabathi, kwavela imiyane kubantu nasezilwaneni. Lonke uthuli lomhlabathi lwaphenduka imiyane kulo lonke izwe laseGibhithe. ¹⁸Izinyanga zazama ngemilingo yazo ukwenza imiyane, kodwa zahluleka. Imiyane yasibekela abantu nezilwane. ¹⁹Izinyanga zathi kuFaro: “Lona umunwe kaNkulunkulu.” Kodwa inhliziyo kaFaro yaqhubeka ilukhuni; akabalalela, njengoba uBaba wethu ayeshilo.

Umugqa Odwetshwe eGosheni

²⁰UBaba wethu wathi kuMose: “Vuka ekuseni kakhulu ume phambi kukaFaro lapho ephuma eya emanzini. Umtshele uthi: ‘Nakhu okushiwo nguBaba wethu: Yekela abantu bami bahambe, ukuze bangikhonze.

²¹“Uma ungavumi ukuyeka abantu bami bahambe, ngizothumela imitshitshi yezimpukane phezu kwakho, naphezu kwezinceku zakho, nabantu bakho, nasezindlini zakho. Izindlu zamaGibhithe ziyogcwala izimpukane, ngisho nomhlabathi abakuwo. ²²Ngalolo suku ngizolihlukanisa izwe laseGosheni, lapho abantu bami behlala khona, ukuze kungabikho mpukane lapho, ukuze wazi ukuthi mina, uBaba wakho, ngiphakathi nezwe. ²³Ngizokwenza umehluko phakathi kwabantu bami nabantu bakho. Kusasa lesi sibonakaliso siyokwenzeka.’”

²⁴UBaba wethu wenza kanjalo. Imitshitshi eminingi yezimpukane yagcwala endlini kaFaro nasezindlini zezinceku zakhe; kulo lonke izwe laseGibhithe, izwe lonakaliswa yimitshitshi yezimpukane.

²⁵UFaro wabiza uMose no-Aroni wathi: “Hambani, nihlabele uNkulunkulu wenu kuleli zwe.”

²⁶Kodwa uMose wathi: “Akusoze kwaba kuhle lokho—lokho esikuhlabela uBaba wethu kuyisinengiso kumaGibhithe. Uma sihlaba lokho okunengekayo kuwo phambi kwamehlo awo, awayikusikhanda ngamatshe yini? ²⁷Kufanele sihambe uhambo lwezinsuku ezintathu siye ehlane siyohlabela uBaba wethu, njengoba esiyalile.”

²⁸UFaro wathi: “Ngizonivumela nihambe niyohlabela uSimakade uNkulunkulu wenu ehlane—kodwa ningahambi niye kude kakhulu. Ningincengele.”

²⁹UMose wathi: “Ngokushesha nje lapho ngisuka kuwe, ngizomncenga uBaba wethu, kuthi kusasa imitshitshi yezimpukane isuke kuFaro, nasezincekwini zakhe, nakubantu bakhe. Kodwa uFaro makangabe esakhohlisa futhi ngokwenqaba ukuyeka abantu bahambe bayohlabela uBaba wethu.” ³⁰UMose waphuma kuFaro, wamncenga uBaba wethu. ³¹UBaba wethu wenza njengesicelo sikaMose, wasusa imitshitshi yezimpukane kuFaro, nasezincekwini zakhe, nakubantu bakhe—akusalanga nelilodwa. ³²Kodwa uFaro wayenza lukhuni inhliziyo yakhe nangalesi sikhathi, akavuma ukuyeka abantu bahambe.