I-Eksodusi 9

9 ¹Khona-ke uBaba wethu wathi kuMose: “Hamba uyotshela uFaro uthi: ‘Nakhu okushiwo uBaba wamaHebheru: “Yekela abantu bami bahambe bayongikhonza. ²Ngokuba uma wala ukubayeka bahambe, ulokhu ubabamba, ³isandla sikaBaba wethu siyokuba phezu kwemfuyo yakho esesigangeni: amahhashi, izimbongolo, amakamela, imihlambi yezinkomo neyezimvu—isifo esinzima kakhulu. ⁴Kodwa uBaba wethu uyokwenza umehluko phakathi kwemfuyo yakwa-Israyeli neyaseGibhithe, ukuze kungafi lutho lwakwa-Israyeli.”’” ⁵UBaba wethu wamisa isikhathi, wathi: “Kusasa ngiyokwenza lokhu ezweni.”

⁶Ngakusasa uBaba wethu wakwenza lokhu: yonke imfuyo yaseGibhithe yafa, kodwa imfuyo yakwa-Israyeli—akufanga noyedwa. ⁷UFaro wathumela ukuba kuhlolwe: kwakungekho namunye wezilwane zakwa-Israyeli esasifile. Kodwa inhliziyo kaFaro yaqina, wenqaba ukuyekela abantu bahambe.

Amathumba Kuwo Wonke umGibhithe

⁸Khona-ke uBaba wethu wathi kuMose no-Aroni: “Thathani izandla ezigcwele umlotha wesithando, uMose awusakaze ebhekisa esibhakabhakeni phambi kukaFaro. ⁹Uyophenduka uthuli olucolekileyo phezu kwalo lonke iGibhithe, luqhume lube ngamathumba abhibhayo ebantwini nasezilwaneni kulo lonke iGibhithe.”

¹⁰Bathatha umlotha wesithando bema phambi kukaFaro. UMose wawuphonsa esibhakabhakeni, kwaqhuma amathumba, abhibha ebantwini nasezilwaneni. ¹¹Abalumbi behluleka ukuma phambi kukaMose, ngokuba amathumba ayesekubo nakubo bonke abaseGibhithe. ¹²Kodwa uBaba wethu wayenza lukhuni inhliziyo kaFaro; akabalalela, njengoba uBaba wethu wayeshilo kuMose.

Isixwayiso Ngaphambi Kwesiphepho

¹³Khona-ke uBaba wethu wathi kuMose: “Vuka ekuseni kakhulu, ume phambi kukaFaro, uthi kuye: ‘Nakhu okushiwo uBaba wamaHebheru: “Yekela abantu bami bahambe bayongikhonza. ¹⁴Kulokhu ngithumela zonke izifo zami kuwe, kuzikhulu zakho nakubantu bakho, ukuze wazi ukuthi akekho onjengami emhlabeni wonke. ¹⁵Kuze kube manje ngangingaselula isandla sami ngakushaya wena nabantu bakho ngesifo, nganisusa emhlabeni. ¹⁶Kodwa ngakuvusa ukuze ngikubonise amandla ami, nokuba igama lami limenyezelwe emhlabeni wonke. ^a a v16 UPawulu ucaphuna leli vesi kweyabaseRoma 9:17 — ngisho nokuhlubuka kukaFaro kwasiza injongo kaBaba wethu yokwenza igama lakhe laziwe emhlabeni wonke. ¹⁷Usazibeka ngokumelene nabantu bami, wenqaba ukubayekela bahambe. ¹⁸Kusasa ngalesi sikhathi ngiyokwehlisa isichotho esinzima kangangokuthi akukaze kube khona esinjengaso eGibhithe kusukela ekusungulweni kwalo kuze kube manje. ¹⁹Manje thumela: letha imfuyo yakho nakho konke onakho ensimini endaweni ephephileyo, ngokuba isichotho siyokwehlela kuwo wonke umuntu nesilwane esisele ensimini, esingalethwanga ngaphakathi, bese kuyafa.”’”

²⁰Labo phakathi kwezikhulu zikaFaro ababelesaba izwi likaBaba wethu bashesha baletha izinceku zabo nemfuyo yabo ngaphakathi, ²¹kodwa owanganakanga izwi likaBaba wethu washiya izinceku zakhe nemfuyo yakhe ensimini.

²²Khona-ke uBaba wethu wathi kuMose: “Yelulela isandla sakho esibhakabhakeni, bese isichotho sehlela kulo lonke iGibhithe—phezu kwabantu, izilwane nazo zonke izimila zasensimini, kulo lonke iGibhithe.”

²³UMose welulela induku yakhe esibhakabhakeni, uBaba wethu wathumela ukuduma nesichotho, nomlilo wagijimela emhlabathini. UBaba wethu wehlisa isichotho ezweni laseGibhithe. ²⁴Kwaba khona isichotho, nomlilo ophazimayo njalonjalo phakathi kwesichotho, sinzima kangangokuthi akuzange kwenzeke okunjengakho ezweni lonke laseGibhithe selokhu laba yisizwe. ²⁵Kulo lonke iGibhithe isichotho sashaya konke okusensimini, abantu nezilwane; sashaya zonke izimila zasensimini, saphihliza yonke imithi yasensimini. ²⁶Kwakungekho sichotho ezweni laseGosheni kuphela, lapho ababehlala khona abantu bakwa-Israyeli.

²⁷UFaro wathumela wabiza uMose no-Aroni, wathi: “Kulokhu ngonile. UNkulunkulu ulungile; mina nabantu bami sinephutha. ²⁸Ncenga uBaba wakho—sekwanele ukuduma nesichotho sikaNkulunkulu. Ngiyakuyekela nihambe; ningabe nisahlala.”

²⁹UMose wathi kuye: “Lapho sengiphumile emzini, ngiyokwelula izandla zami kuBaba wethu. Ukuduma kuyothula, nesichotho siphele, ukuze wazi ukuthi umhlaba ungokaBaba wethu. ³⁰Kodwa wena nezikhulu zakho, ngiyazi ukuthi nisengakamesabi uBaba wethu.”

³¹(Ifilakisi nebhali kwalinyazwa, ngokuba ibhali laliseveze izikhwebu, nefilakisi laliseqhakazile. ³²Kodwa ukolweni nospelite akuzange kulinyazwe, ngokuba kuvuthwa emuva.). ³³UMose wamshiya uFaro, waphuma emzini, welula izandla zakhe kuBaba wethu. Ukuduma nesichotho kwathula, nemvula ayisanetha emhlabeni. ³⁴Kwathi uFaro ebona ukuthi imvula, isichotho nokuduma kuphelile, waphinda wona, wayenza lukhuni inhliziyo yakhe—yena nezikhulu zakhe. ³⁵Ngakho inhliziyo kaFaro yaqina; wenqaba ukuyekela u-Israyeli ahambe, njengoba uBaba wethu wayeshilo ngoMose.