IGenesisi 21

21 ¹UBaba wethu wamvakashela uSara njengoba ayeshilo, wamenzela lokho ayekuthembisile. ²USara wakhulelwa, wazalela u-Abrahama indodana ebudaleni bakhe, ngesikhathi esimisiwe uBaba wethu ayemthembise sona. ³U-Abrahama wayetha indodana ayeyizalelwe nguSara igama lokuthi u-Isaka. ⁴U-Abrahama wayisoka indodana yakhe u-Isaka inezinsuku eziyisishiyagalombili, njengoba uBaba wethu ayemyalile. ⁵U-Abrahama wayeneminyaka eyikhulu lapho ezalelwa indodana yakhe u-Isaka. ⁶USara wathi: “UBaba wethu ungenze ngahleka; wonke umuntu ozwayo uyakuhleka nami.” ^a a v6 U-Isaka usho ukuthi ‘uyahleka’ ngesiHebheru — ukuhleka kukaSara ngesithembiso esasingenakwenzeka kwaba yigama lakhe uqobo. ⁷Wengeza wathi: “Ngubani obengatshela u-Abrahama ukuthi uSara uyakuncelisa abantwana? Kodwa sengimzalele indodana ebudaleni bakhe.”

Idili lika-Isaka

⁸Umntwana wakhula, walunyulwa; ngosuku u-Isaka alunyulwa ngalo, u-Abrahama wenza idili elikhulu. ⁹Kodwa uSara wabona indodana uHagari umGibhithe ayeyizalele u-Abrahama, iklolodela. ¹⁰Wathi ku-Abrahama: “Xosha le ncekukazi nendodana yayo; indodana yale ncekukazi ayisoze yadla ifa kanye nendodana yami u-Isaka.”

¹¹Lokhu kwamkhathaza kakhulu u-Abrahama, ngokuba kwakuphathelene nendodana yakhe.

¹²Kodwa uBaba wethu wathi ku-Abrahama: “Ungakhathazeki ngomfana nangencekukazi yakho. Lalela uSara kukho konke akutshela khona, ngokuba inzalo yakho iyakubizwa ngo-Isaka. ¹³Nayo indodana yencekukazi ngiyakuyenza isizwe, ngokuba iyinzalo yakho.”

¹⁴Ekuseni kakhulu ngakusasa u-Abrahama wathatha isinkwa nesigubhu samanzi, wakunika uHagari, wakubeka ehlombe lakhe kanye nomntwana, wamkhipha. Wahamba, wazulazula ehlane laseBherishebha. ¹⁵Kwathi lapho amanzi esigujini esephelile, wabeka umfana ngaphansi kwesinye sezihlahla. ¹⁶Wahamba wahlala phansi bucishe ibanga elingangokuphonswa komcibisholo, ngokuba wathi: “Ngingeke ngikubukele umfana efa.” Wahlala lapho, waphakamisa izwi lakhe, wakhala.

¹⁷UBaba wethu wezwa izwi lomfana; isithunywa sakhe samemeza uHagari sisezulwini, sathi: “Kwenzenjani, Hagari? Ungesabi — uBaba wethu uzwile izwi lomfana lapho elele khona. ¹⁸Vuka, phakamisa umfana umbambe ngesandla, ngokuba ngiyakumenza isizwe esikhulu.”

¹⁹UBaba wethu wawavula amehlo akhe; wabona umthombo wamanzi, wahamba wagcwalisa isigubhu, wamphuzisa umfana.

²⁰UBaba wethu wayenomfana ngesikhathi ekhula. Wahlala ehlane, waba ngumcibisheli. ²¹Wahlala ehlane lasePharani, unina wamthathela umfazi waseGibhithe.

Isifungo sika-Abimeleki

²²Ngaleso sikhathi, u-Abimeleki noFikoli, induna yempi yakhe, bathi ku-Abrahama: “UNkulunkulu unawe kukho konke okwenzayo. ²³Manje funga kimi lapha ngoNkulunkulu ukuthi ngeke ungikhohlise mina, nabantwana bami, nenzalo yami. Ngenzele mina naleli zwe obuhlala kulo njengowezizwe umusa ofanayo nalowo engikwenzele wona.”

²⁴U-Abrahama wathi: “Ngiyafunga.” ²⁵U-Abrahama wasola u-Abimeleki ngomthombo wamanzi izinceku zika-Abimeleki ezaziwuthumbile. ²⁶U-Abimeleki waphendula wathi: “Angazi ukuthi ngubani owenze lokhu. Awungitshelanga, nami ngikuzwa namuhla kuphela.”

²⁷U-Abrahama wathatha izimvu nezinkomo, wazinika u-Abimeleki, laba ababili benza isivumelwano. ²⁸U-Abrahama wahlukanisa amawundlu ensikazi ayisikhombisa emhlambini, ²⁹u-Abimeleki wabuza u-Abrahama: “Asho ukuthini la mawundlu ensikazi ayisikhombisa owahlukanisile?”

³⁰Waphendula wathi: “Yamukela la mawundlu ensikazi ayisikhombisa kimi, ukuze abe ubufakazi bokuthi ngimbe lo mthombo.” ³¹Ngakho leyo ndawo yabizwa ngokuthi iBherishebha, ngokuba khona lapho bobabili bafunga isifungo. ^b b v31 IBherishebha inencazelo ekabili ethi ‘umthombo wesikhombisa’ nethi ‘umthombo wesifungo’ — zombili lezi zincazelo ziyalifanela leli zehlakalo lapho u-Abrahama afunga khona isifungo eceleni komthombo. ³²Ngakho benza isivumelwano eBherishebha. U-Abimeleki noFikoli, induna yempi yakhe, babuyela ezweni lamaFilisti. ³³U-Abrahama watshala isihlahla somtamariski eBherishebha, khona lapho wabiza igama likaBaba wethu, u-El Olami—uBaba wethu waphakade. ^c c v33 U-El Olami usho ukuthi ‘uNkulunkulu ohlala kuze kube phakade.’ U-Abrahama wanika uBaba wethu leli gama eBherishebha — ongunaphakade ozithembiso zakhe zesivumelwano zimiyo kuzo zonke izizukulwane. ³⁴U-Abrahama wahlala ezweni lamaFilisti isikhathi eside.