IGenesisi 31

31 ¹UJakobe wezwa amadodana kaLabani ethi: “UJakobe uthathe konke ubaba wethu abenakho; kulokho okwakungokukababa wethu wenze yonke le ngcebo.” ²UJakobe wabona ubuso bukaLabani, futhi babungasabheke kuye njengakuqala.

³UBaba wethu wathi kuJakobe: “Buyela ezweni laboyihlo nasemndenini wakho; ngiyakuba nawe.”

⁴UJakobe wathumela ukubiza uRaheli noLeya ukuba beze endle, emhlambini wakhe. ⁵Wathi kubo: “Ngibona ubuso bukayihlo bungasabheke kimi njengakuqala, kodwa uNkulunkulu kababa uhlale enami. ⁶Niyazi ukuthi ngimkhonzile uyihlo ngawo wonke amandla ami. ⁷Uyihlo ungikhohlisile, washintsha inkokhelo yami izikhathi eziyishumi, kodwa uBaba wethu akamvumelanga ukuba angilimaze. ⁸Uma ethi, ‘Okumabalabala kuyinkokhelo yakho,’ wonke umhlambi wazala okumabalabala; uma ethi, ‘Okunemivimbo kuyinkokhelo yakho,’ wonke umhlambi wazala okunemivimbo. ⁹Kanjalo uBaba wethu uzithathile izifuyo zikayihlo wazinika mina. ¹⁰Ngaphakamisa amehlo ephusheni ngesikhathi somhlambi wokukhwelana ngabona izimpongo ezazikhwela umhlambi zinemivimbo, zimabalabala, zinamachashaza. ¹¹Isithunywa sikaBaba sathi kimi ephusheni: ‘Jakobe,’ ngathi, ‘Ngilapha.’ ¹²Wathi: ‘Phakamisa amehlo ubone: zonke izimpongo ezikhwela umhlambi zinemivimbo, zinamachashaza, zimabalabala—ngokuba ngikubonile konke uLabani akwenza kuwe. ¹³Mina nginguBaba waseBethele, lapho wagcoba khona insika wenza isifungo kimi. Manje sukuma, phuma kuleli zwe, ubuyele ezweni lezihlobo zakho.’”

¹⁴URaheli noLeya baphendula bathi: “Sisenaso yini isabelo noma ifa endlini kababa wethu? ¹⁵Akasibheki yini njengabezizwe? Usithengisile futhi uyiqedile nya nemali yethu. ¹⁶Konke uBaba wethu akuthathe kuLabani kungokwethu nokwabantwana bethu. Manje yenza konke uBaba wethu akutshele khona.”

¹⁷UJakobe wasukuma wakhweza amadodana akhe nabafazi bakhe emakamelini. ¹⁸Wathatha zonke izifuyo zakhe nayo yonke impahla yakhe ayeyizuzile, izifuyo ayezizuzile ePhadani-aramu, ukuba aye ku-Isaka uyise ezweni laseKhanani. ¹⁹ULabani wayegunda izimvu zakhe, uRaheli weba onkulunkulu bendlu kayise. ²⁰UJakobe wamkhohlisa uLabani umAramu ngokungamtsheli ukuthi uyabaleka. ²¹Wabaleka nakho konke abenakho, wasuka, wawela umfula i-Ewufrathe, wabhekisa ubuso bakhe ezintabeni zaseGileyadi.

ULabani Uyamsukela

²²Ngosuku lwesithathu uLabani watsheliwa ukuthi uJakobe ubalekile. ²³Wathatha izihlobo zakhe, wamsukela izinsuku eziyisikhombisa, wamfica ezintabeni zaseGileyadi.

²⁴Kodwa uBaba wethu weza kuLabani umAramu ephusheni ebusuku wathi: “Qaphela ungakhulumi noJakobe, okuhle noma okubi.”

²⁵ULabani wamfica uJakobe, osemise itende lakhe ezintabeni; uLabani nezihlobo zakhe bamisa maqondana naye ezintabeni zaseGileyadi. ²⁶ULabani wathi kuJakobe: “Wenzeni na? Ungikhohlisile wawaqhuba amadodakazi ami njengezithunjwa zempi. ²⁷Ubalekeleni ngasese wangikhohlisa, ungangitshelanga? Bengizakukuphelezela ngenjabulo, ngezingoma, ngesigubhu, nangechacho. ²⁸Awungivumelanga ngani ukuba ngange amadodana ami namadodakazi ami ngibavalelise? Manje wenze ngobuwula.

²⁹Nginawo amandla okukulimaza, kodwa uNkulunkulu kayihlo ungitshelile izolo ebusuku: ‘Ziqaphele—ungasho lutho kuJakobe, okuhle noma okubi.’

³⁰Manje usuhambile ngempela ngokuba ulangazelele kakhulu indlu kayihlo—pho, ubeleni onkulunkulu bami?”

³¹UJakobe waphendula uLabani wathi: “Bengisaba, ngokuba bengicabanga ukuthi uzongaphuca amadodakazi akho ngenkani. ³²Lowo omfica enonkulunkulu bakho makafe. Khomba lokho okungokwakho phambi kwezihlobo zethu, ukuthathe.” UJakobe wayengazi ukuthi uRaheli ubebile.

³³ULabani waphenya itende likaJakobe, itende likaLeya, netende lezincekukazi zombili, akatholanga lutho, waphuma kwelikaLeya, wangena etendeni likaRaheli. ³⁴URaheli wayethathe izithombe zasekhaya, wazifaka esihlalweni sekamela, wahlala phezu kwazo. ULabani waphenya itende lonke kodwa akatholanga lutho. ³⁵Wathi kuyise: “Ungathukutheli, nkosi yami—angikwazi ukusukuma phambi kwakho, ngokuba ngisesikhathini sabesifazane.” Waphenya kodwa akaze abathola onkulunkulu bendlu.

³⁶UJakobe wathukuthela waxabana noLabani. UJakobe waphendula uLabani wathi: “Liyini icala lami? Siyini isono sami, ukuba ungisukele kangaka? ³⁷Usuyiphenyile yonke impahla yami—utholeni kuyo yonke impahla yendlu yakho? Kubeke lapha phambi kwezihlobo zami nezakho; mazahlulele phakathi kwethu sobabili.

³⁸Iminyaka engamashumi amabili ngibe nawe: izimvukazi zakho nezimbuzikazi zakho aziphunzanga, futhi angizange ngidle izinqama zomhlambi wakho. ³⁹Izilwane ezidwengulweyo angizange ngizilethe kuwe; mina ngazibekela ukulahlekelwa. Wakufuna esandleni sami, okwebiwe emini, okwebiwe ebusuku. ⁴⁰Nganginjalo: emini ukushisa kwangiqeda, namakhaza ebusuku, ubuthongo babaleka emehlweni ami. ⁴¹Iminyaka engamashumi amabili endlini yakho—eyishumi nane ngikhonzela amadodakazi akho omabili, eyisithupha ngikhonzela umhlambi wakho—futhi washintsha inkokhelo yami izikhathi eziyishumi. ⁴²Ukuba uNkulunkulu kababa, uNkulunkulu ka-Abhrahama, noMesabeki ka-Isaka, ubengenami, ngempela ubuzakungimukisa ngize manje. UBaba wethu ubone ukuhlupheka kwami nomsebenzi wezandla zami, wakuxwayisa izolo ebusuku.” ^a a v42 “UMesabeki ka-Isaka” yigama elikhethekile likaJakobe likaBaba wethu — uNkulunkulu uyise u-Isaka ayemhlonipha ngokwesaba okujulileyo kwesivumelwano. Ukubiza uBaba ngale ndlela kungukumbiza ngamehlo endodana ethembekileyo.

⁴³ULabani waphendula uJakobe wathi: “Amadodakazi ngawami, abantwana ngabami, imihlambi ngeyami—konke okubonayo kungokwami. Kodwa ngingenzani namuhla ngamadodakazi ami, noma ngabantwana ababazeleyo? ⁴⁴Woza, masenze isivumelwano, mina nawe; masibe ngufakazi phakathi kwami nawe.”

⁴⁵UJakobe wathatha itshe walimisa laba insika. ⁴⁶UJakobe wathi kwezihlobo zakhe: “Buthani amatshe.” Zathatha amatshe, zenza inqwaba, zadla khona eceleni kwenqwaba. ⁴⁷ULabani wayiqamba ngokuthi iJegari-sahadutha, kodwa uJakobe wayiqamba ngokuthi iGaleyedi. ⁴⁸ULabani wathi: “Le nqwaba ingufakazi phakathi kwami nawe namuhla.” Ngakho-ke wayiqamba ngokuthi iGaleyedi, ⁴⁹neMispha, ngokuba wathi: “UNkulunkulu makaqaphe phakathi kwami nawe lapho sehlukene. ⁵⁰Uma uphatha kabi amadodakazi ami noma uthatha abanye abafazi ngaphandle kwawo, nakuba kungekho muntu lapha, uNkulunkulu ungufakazi phakathi kwami nawe.” ⁵¹ULabani wathi kuJakobe: “Bheka le nqwaba nale nsika engiyimisile phakathi kwami nawe. ⁵²Le nqwaba ingufakazi, le nsika ingufakazi: angiyikweqa le nqwaba ngize kuwe, nawe awuyikweqa le nqwaba nale nsika uze kimi, ngenjongo yokulimaza. ⁵³UNkulunkulu ka-Abhrahama noNkulunkulu kaNahori, uNkulunkulu kayise wabo, makahlulele phakathi kwethu.” UJakobe wafunga ngoMesabeki kayise u-Isaka. ⁵⁴UJakobe wenza umhlatshelo entabeni, wabiza izihlobo zakhe ukuba zidle isinkwa; zadla isinkwa zalala ubusuku entabeni. ⁵⁵ULabani wavuka ekuseni kakhulu, wanga abazukulu bakhe namadodakazi akhe, wababusisa, wahamba, wabuyela ekhaya.