8 – UIsake nokuvavanywa kuka-Abraham

₁*UNdikhoyo wamenzela isisa uSara ngokuthi asizalisekise isithembiso sakhe. ₂USara wakhulelwa, waza wazala umntwana oyinkwenkwe, sele aluphele uAbraham. Wamzala kanye ngelaa xesha wayelixelile uThixo. ₃Wamthiya igama loo mntwana uAbraham, wathi nguIsake. ₄Uthe ke akuba ntsuku zisibhozo ezelwe, wamalusa uAbraham ngokomyalelo kaThixo. ₅UAbraham wayeselenekhulu leminyaka ukuzalwa kukaIsake. ₆Wada wathi uSara: “UThixo undenze ndakwazi ukuhleka, yaye wonke ubani oyivayo le nto wohleka kunye nam.” ₇Uqokele wathi: “Ibingubani kakade obenokuthi kuAbraham ndiza kuba ngumdlezana owanyisayo? Naku ke kodwa ndizele umntwana wakhe, eyinkothovu yexhego enjalo!”

₈Lwakhula usana lwada lwalunyulwa. Wenza elikhulu lona itheko uAbraham ukulunyulwa kwaloo mntwana.

₉Ngaminazana ithile uSara wabona umntakaHagare umJiputakazi, lowa uHagare wamfumana kuAbraham, edlala ngoIsake. ₁₀Waya kuthi kuAbraham: “Wethu, sikhuphele ngaphandle esi sicakazana kunye nomntwana waso. Andiyi kuyivumela yona into yokuba lo mntwana wesi sicakazana sahlulelane ngelifa kunye noIsake umntwana wam!”

₁₁Le nto yamkhathaza gqitha uAbraham, kuba noIshmayeli lowo wayengumntwana wakhe. ₁₂Wavakala esithi uThixo kuye: “Hayi, sukuzikhathaza ngenxa yalo mntwana nesicakazana sakho. Yenza loo nto ithethwa nguSara wena, kuba kaloku abazukulwana bakho boba yinzala kaIsake. ₁₃Ewe, nonyana wesicakazana lo uya kuzala isizwe esikhulu, kuba kaloku naye ngumntwana wakho ncam.”

₁₄Kwakusasa ngengomso uAbraham wavuka wathatha ukutya kunye nentsuba ezele ngamanzi, wazinika uHagare, wamthwalisa, wathi makahambe nomntwana wakhe. Wemka ke uHagare, wahamba ebhadula kuloo ntlango iyiBheshebha. ₁₅Akuphela amanzi awayewaphethe, wamqhusheka etyholweni umntwana, ₁₆wemka wathi qelele, wahlala phantsi. Watsho esithi: “Andinakuyinyamezela into yokubona umntwana wam esifa.” Uthe ehleli apho zehla iinyembezi.

₁₇UThixo wamva ekhala umntwana, kwavakala ilizwi lesithunywa livela ezulwini, lisithi kuHagare: “Ukhathazwa yintoni, Hagare? Sukoyika. UThixo umvile umntwana wakho kulaa ndawo umbeke kuyo. ₁₈Hamb' uye kumthatha umthuthuzele. Úya kuba ngunozala wesizwe esikhulu.” ₁₉UThixo wawavula amehlo kaHagare, nako kubonakala umthombo. Waya kuzalisa loo ntsuba, waseza nomntwana wakhe. _20-21UThixo wamgcina loo mntwana, wakhula ehlala kuloo ntlango yaseParan. Waba yincutshe yomzingeli. Unina wamthathela intombi engumJiputakazi.

₂₂Ngelo xesha kwafika uAbhimeleki ehamba noPikoli umphathi-mkhosi, wathi kuAbraham: “Yonke into oyenzayo inesandla sikaThixo kuyo, Abraham. ₂₃Ngoko ke khawufunge ngoku apha phambi koThixo ukuba akusokuze undixokise mna nabantwana bam kunye nabazukulwana bam. Mna ndinyanisekile kuwe, nawe ke ndithembise ukuba uya kunyaniseka kum nakubemi beli lizwe uhlala kulo.”

₂₄UAbraham wathi ukuphendula: “Ndiyathembisa.”

₂₅UAbraham wavakalisa kwanesikhalazo awayenaso kuAbhimeleki, esiphathelele nomthombo owahluthwa zizicaka zika-Abhimeleki. ₂₆Wathi uAbhimeleki: “Bendingazi ukuba ukho owenze loo nto; nawe ngokwakho akuzange wandixelela nokundixelela. Ndiyaqala namhlanje ukuyiva into enjalo.”

₂₇UAbraham ke wakhupha iinkomo neegusha, wazinika uAbhimeleki, baza benza imvumelwano. ₂₈UAbraham wakhetha amatakane asixhenxe kuloo mhlambi, ₂₉waza uAbhimeleki wathi kuAbraham: “Ngawantoni la matakane asixhenxe uwakhethileyo?”

₃₀Wathi uAbraham: “Wathathe la matakane asixhenxe. Ngokwenjenjalo ungqina ukuba lo mthombo wembiwa ndim.” ₃₁Yaba ke loo ndawo kuthiwa yiBheshebha ukubizwa kwayo, kuba kaloku kulapho loo madoda avumelana khona efunga.

₃₂Emva koko uAbhimeleki noPikoli babuyela kwakwelamaFilistiya. ₃₃UAbraham watyala umthi apho eBheshebha. Apho ke wamnqula *uNdikhoyo uThixo uSonini-nanini. ₃₄Wahlala kwelo lizwe lamaFilistiya ixesha elide.

₁Ekuhambeni kwexesha uThixo wamvavanya uAbraham. Wambiza wathi: “Abraham!”

Wasabela uAbraham wathi: “Ndim lo, Mhlekazi!”

₂Uthe uThixo: “Thatha unyana wakho uIsake, lo kanye usenyongweni kuwe, uye naye eMoriya. Uya kufika apho ke, kuloo nduli ndiza kukubonisa yona, umnikele khona abe lidini elitshiswayo.”

₃Kwakusasa ngengomso uAbraham wavuka, wabopha idonki yakhe, wabiza izicaka zazibini kunye noIsake, bacanda iinkuni zokubasa umlilo wedini, banduluka baya kuloo ndawo bekuthiwe ze baye kuyo nguThixo. ₄Ngosuku lwesithathu wayibona isekude loo ndawo uAbraham. ₅Wathi kuloo madoda wayehamba nawo: “Salani apha nina nale donki, mna nale nkwenkwe siza kuya phaya. Sakuthi sakugqiba ukunqula, sibuye.”

₆UAbraham wamthwalisa emagxeni uIsake ezo nkuni, yena waphatha amalahle nemela. Benjenjeya bobabini.

₇Endleleni uthe uIsake kuyise: “Tata!”

UAbraham wathi: “Thetha, nyana!”

UIsake wathi: “Nanku umlilo, nanzi neenkuni; liphi ke lona ixhwane ledini?”

_8-9Uthe ukuphendula uAbraham: “Iya kubonwa nguThixo loo nto, mfo wam.”

Batsho bahamba besiya kuloo ndawo yayalathwe nguThixo. Bakufika apho, uAbraham wenza iqonga lamadini, wabeka iinkuni ezo phezu kwalo, wambopha uIsake unyana wakhe, wambeka phezu kwezo nkuni. ₁₀Uthathe imela ukuze ambulale unyana wakhe. ₁₁Suka kwavakala isithunywa *sikaNdikhoyo simemeza sisezulwini sisithi: “Abraham! Abraham!”

Yena ke uthe: “Ndim lo!”

Sathi isithunywa kuye: ₁₂“Uze ungayenzakalisi loo nkwenkwe, ungayithi cha nakancinci! Ngoku ndiyazi ukuba uThixo uyamoyika; kaloku akwalanga nonyana wakho oyintandane ekuphela kwakhe.”

₁₃UAbraham wabheka-bheka, wabona inkunzi yegusha ibambeke ngeempondo etyholweni. Waya kuyirhola, wenza ngayo idini endaweni yonyana wakhe. ₁₄UAbraham wathi loo ndawo yiYawe-yire. Unangoku kusathiwa xa kuthethwayo: “UNdikhoyo uyabonelela endulini yakhe.”

₁₅Siphindile savakala sithetha ezulwini isithunywa, sisithi kuAbraham: ₁₆“Uthi uNdikhoyo: ‘Mna ngokwam ndiyafunga; ndithi ngenxa yale nto uyenzileyo, akwala ukuncama intandane ekuphela kwayo, ₁₇ndiza kukuthamsanqelisa kanobom, ndikuphe inzala eninzi, ibe ngangeenkwenkwezi ezisesibhaka-bhakeni nentlabathi eselunxwemeni lolwandle ubuninzi bayo. Abazukulwana bakho boyithimba imihlaba yeentshaba zabo. ₁₈Zonke izizwe emhlabeni zothamsanqeliswa ngenzala yakho. Iyonke loo nto kungenxa yokundithobela kwakho.’ ”

₁₉UAbraham wabuyela kwizicaka zakhe, bonke baphindela eBheshebha apho waba ngummi khona.