AbakwaIsrayeli bayanda eGibithe
1Lawa angamagama amadodana kaIsrayeli afika eGibithe noJakobe; yileyo naleyo yafika nomuzi wayo:
2ngoRubeni, noSimeyoni, noLevi, noJuda,
3noIsakare, noZebuloni, noBenjamini,
4noDani, noNafetali, noGadi, noAsheri.
5Bonke abantu abaphuma okhalweni lukaJakobe babengabantu abangamashumi ayisikhombisa; uJosefa wayeseGibithe.
6UJosefa wafa, nabo bonke abafowabo, naso sonke lesosizukulwane.
7Abantwana bakwaIsrayeli bazala, bachuma, banda, baba-baningi; izwe lagcwala bona.
AbakwaIsrayeli baphenduka izigqila
8Kwavela inkosi entsha eGibithe eyayingamazi uJosefa.
9Yathi kubantu bayo: Bhekani, abantu babantwana bakwaIsrayeli baningi, futhi banamandla kunathi;
10masizihlakaniphele maqondana nabo, funa bande, kuze kuthi lapho kuphuma impi, bahlangane nezitha zethu, balwe nathi, bamuke ezweni.
11Kwase kubekwa phezu kwabo izinduna zokubasebenzisa ezabahlupha ngemithwalo yazo. Bamakhela uFaro imizi yokubekelela, iPitomu neRamesesi.
12Kepha ngokubahlupha kwazo kwaba-yikhona banda, basabalala; baba-novalo ngabantwana bakwaIsrayeli.
13AbaseGibithe babakhonzisa abantwana bakwaIsrayeli ngamandla.
14Benza ukuphila kwabo kwabamunyu ngemisebenzi esindayo odakeni nasezitinini, nangemisebenzi yonke yasendle, yebo, yonke imisebenzi yabo ababebakhonzisa ngayo.
15Inkosi yaseGibithe yakhuluma kubabelethisi bamaHeberukazi, igama lomunye wabo linguShifira, elomunye linguPhuwa,
16yathi: Nxa nibelethisa amaHeberukazi, niwabona esesihlalweni sokubeletha, uma kuyindodana, anoyibulala, kepha uma kuyindodakazi, izakuphila.
17Kodwa ababelethisi babemesaba uNkulunkulu, abenzanga njengalokho yasho kubo inkosi yaseGibithe, babasindisa abafana.
18Inkosi yaseGibithe yayisibiza ababelethisi, yathi kubo: Nenzeleni lokhu, nasindisa abafana, na?
19Ababelethisi bathi kuFaro: Kungokuba amaHeberukazi engenjengabaseGibithe; anamandla, abeletha, engakafiki umbelethisi kuwo.
20UNkulunkulu wabenzela ababelethisi okuhle; abantu banda, baba-baningi kakhulu.
21Kwathi ngokuba ababelethisi bamesaba uNkulunkulu, wabavusela imizi.
22UFaro wayesebayala abantu bakhe bonke, ethi: Bonke abafana abazalwayo anobaphonsa emfuleni, kepha amantombazana niwasindise onke.