Chapter 1
1 Ngawo la ke amagama oonyana bakaSirayeli, ababefike eYiputa noYakobi; beza elowo nendlu yakhe:
2 uRubhen, uSimon, uLevi noYuda;
3 uIsakare, uZebhulon noBhenjamin;
4 uDan noNafetali, uGadi noAshere.
5 Iyonke imiphefumlo eyaphumayo esinqeni sikaYakobi yayiyimiphefumlo emashumi asixhenxe; uYosefu yena ubeseleseYiputa.
6 Wafa ke uYosefu nabazalwana bakhe bonke, neso sizukulwana sonke.
7 Oonyana bakaSirayeli baqhama, banyakazela, banda, baba namandla kakhulu kunene; lazala ilizwe ngabo.
8 Kwavela ukumkani omtsha phezu kweYiputa, owayengamazi uYosefu.
9 Wathi ebantwini bakhe, Yabonani, abantu oonyana bakaSirayeli baninzi, banamandla kunathi.
10 Yizani sibalumkise, hleze bande; bathi, xenikweni kuthe kwehla imfazwe, bathelele nabo kwiintshaba zethu, balwe nathi, banyuke baphume ezweni.
11 Bamisa ke phezu kwabo abathetheli bokubafaka uviko, ukuze babacinezele ngemithwalo yabo. Bamakhela ke uFaro imizi enoovimba, iPitom neRameses.
12 Okukhona babacinezelayo, kokukhona bandayo, kokukhona baphangalalayo; bakruquka ngabo oonyana bakaSirayeli.
13 AmaYiputa ke abakhonzisa oonyana bakaSirayeli ngokutyumzayo;
14 abenza bakrakra ubomi babo ngomsebenzi olukhuni, ngodaka nangezitena, nangeentlobo zonke zomsebenzi wasendle; yonke imisebenzi abasetyenziswa yona yayiyetyumzayo.
15 Ke kaloku ukumkani waseYiputa wathetha kubazalisikazi abangamaHebherekazi, igama lomnye linguShifra, igama lomnye linguPuwa;
16 wathi, Ekuzaliseni kwenu amaHebherekazi, khangelani xa azalayo: ukuba ithe yayinkwenkwe, noyibulala; ukuba ithe yayintombi, yodla ubomi.
17 Abazalisikazi boyika uThixo, abenza ngoko wathetha ngako kubo ukumkani waseYiputa, bawasindisa amakhwenkwe.
18 Wababiza ukumkani waseYiputa abazalisikazi, wathi kubo, Kungani na ukuba nenze le nto yokuwasindisa amakhwenkwe?
19 Bathi abazalisikazi kuFaro, AmaHebherekazi akanjengabafazi bamaYiputa, kuba omelele; azala engekangeni kuwo umzalisikazi.
20 Ngoko uThixo wabenzela okulungileyo abazalisikazi. Banda abantu, banamandla kakhulu.
21 Kwathi, kuba abazalisikazi babemoyika uThixo, wazisikelela izindlu zabo.
22 UFaro wabawisela umthetho abantu bakhe bonke, wathi, Bonke oonyana abathe bazalwa, baphoseni emlanjeni; ke zonke iintombi zisindiseni.