Genesis 31:1-55
31 Ekuhambeni kwexesha uYakobi wayiva into eyayithethwa ngoonyana bakaLabhan, besithi: “UYakobi uthathe yonke into katata, yaye bonke ubutyebi bakhe ubuqwebe ngezinto zikatata.”+
2 Wathi uYakobi akujonga ubuso bukaLabhan, waqaphela ukuba akasamjongi ngala ndlela wayemjonga ngayo ekuqaleni.+
3 Ekugqibeleni uYehova wathi kuYakobi: “Buyela elizweni likatata wakho nakwizizalwana zakho,+ ndiza kuhlala ndinawe.”
4 UYakobi wathumela ukuba kubizwe uRakeli noLeya, beze entsimini emhlambini wakhe,
5 wathi kubo:
“Ndiqaphele ukuba itshintshile indlela utata wenu andijonga ngayo,+ kodwa uThixo katata uye wanam.+
6 Nani niyazi ukuba ndimsebenzele ngamandla am onke utata wenu.+
7 Kodwa yena uzame ukundiqhatha, wade wawutshintsha kalishumi umvuzo wam; sekunjalo uThixo khange amvumele ukuba andenzakalise.
8 Xa ethe, ‘Ezinamachokoza ziza kuba ngumvuzo wakho,’ umhlambi wonke ubuzala ezinamachokoza; kodwa xa ethe, ‘Ezinemigca ziza kuba ngumvuzo wakho,’ umhlambi wonke ubuzala ezinemigca.+
9 UThixo waqhubeka ewuthatha umhlambi katata wenu, wawunika mna.
10 Ngenye imini, xa umhlambi wawudumbile, ndawaphakamisa amehlo am, ndabona ephupheni ukuba iinkunzi zeebhokhwe ezazikhwela umhlambi zazinemigca, zinamachokoza, yaye zinamabala.+
11 Ingelosi kaThixo wokwenene yathi kum ephupheni, ‘Yakobi!’ mna ndathi, ‘Ndim lo.’
12 Yathi, ‘Ndicela uphakamise amehlo akho, ubone ukuba zonke iinkunzi zeebhokhwe ezikhwela umhlambi zinemigca, zinamachokoza yaye zinamabala, kuba ndiyibonile yonke le nto akwenza yona uLabhan.+
13 NdinguThixo wokwenene owabonakala kuwe eBheteli,+ apho wathambisa khona intsika nalapho wandenzela khona isifungo.+ Phakama ke, umke kweli lizwe uze ubuyele kwilizwe owazalelwa kulo.’ ”+
14 URakeli noLeya bamphendula bathi: “Isekho na into esenokuba lilifa lethu endlini katata?
15 Asingobantu basemzini na kuye, ekubeni esithengisile yaye sele eyitya naloo mali sathengwa ngayo?+
16 Bonke ubutyebi abuthathileyo uThixo kutata, bobethu nabantwana bethu.+ Yenze yonke into uThixo athe yenze.”+
17 Emva koko uYakobi wakhwelisa abantwana bakhe nabafazi bakhe ezinkameleni,+
18 wawuqhuba wonke umhlambi wakhe nazo zonke izinto awayeziqokelele,+ imfuyo awayeyifumene ePadan-aram, ukuze aye kutata wakhe uIsake kwilizwe lakwaKanan.+
19 ULabhan wayeyokucheba iigusha zakhe, waza uRakeli weba izithixo zekhaya+ zikatata wakhe.+
20 UYakobi wamqhatha uLabhan umAram, kuba zange amxelele ukuba uyemka.
21 Wabaleka wawuwela uMlambo,*+ yena nayo yonke into awayenayo. Emva koko waya ngakummandla weentaba waseGiliyadi.+
22 Ngosuku lwesithathu, waxelelwa uLabhan ukuba uYakobi ubalekile.
23 Ngoko wahamba nabantakwabo,* bamleqa iintsuku ezisixhenxe, bamfumana kummandla weentaba waseGiliyadi.
24 Ngoko uThixo weza kuLabhan umAram+ ngephupha ebusuku,+ wathi kuye: “Uze uyigade into oyithetha kuYakobi, nokuba yelungileyo nokuba yembi.”*+
25 ULabhan wasondela kuYakobi, njengoko uYakobi wayemise intente yakhe entabeni, yena uLabhan nabantakwabo bemise eyabo inkampu kummandla weentaba waseGiliyadi.
26 Wathi uLabhan kuYakobi: “Yintoni le uyenzileyo? Kutheni ukhethe ukundiqhatha, wemka neentombi zam ngathi ngabathinjwa aboxuthwe ngekrele?
27 Undiqhatheleni, waqhwesha ungandixelelanga? Ukuba ubundixelele, bendiza kukukhulula ndivuya, ngeengoma, ngegubu nangohadi.
28 Khange undinike nethuba lokuphuza abazukulwana* bam neentombi zam. Bubudenge ke noko obu ubenzileyo.
29 Ndinganenzakalisa ndithanda, kodwa uThixo katata wakho uthethe nam kobu busuku bayizolo, esithi, ‘Uze uyigade into oyithetha kuYakobi, nokuba yelungileyo nokuba yembi.’+
30 Ngoku uhambile kuba kudala ufuna ukubuyela endlini katata wakho, kodwa ubabeleni ke bona oothixo bam?”+
31 UYakobi wathi kuLabhan: “Bendisoyika, kuba ndiye ndacinga ukuba mhlawumbi ungazoxutha iintombi zakho.
32 Nabani na obafumene kuye oothixo bakho akazukuphila. Fanisa into yakho ekum apha phambi kwabantakwethu, uze uyithathe.” UYakobi wayengazi ukuba babebiwe nguRakeli.
33 ULabhan wangena ententeni kaYakobi nasententeni kaLeya nasententeni yamakhobokazana omabini,+ kodwa zange abafumane. Waphuma ententeni kaLeya, wangena kwekaRakeli.
34 Ngelo xesha uRakeli wayezithathile ezi zithixo zekhaya, wazifaka kwisali yabafazi yenkamela, waza wahlala phezu kwazo. ULabhan wazibhuqa kuyo yonke loo ntente kodwa akazifumana.
35 URakeli wathi kutata wakhe: “Ungabi namsindo nkosi yam, ngenxa yokuba ndingakwazi ukuphakama phambi kwakho, kuba ndifikelwe yile nto yabafazi.”+ ULabhan wazikhangelisisa kodwa akazifumana izithixo zekhaya.+
36 Waba nomsindo uYakobi, wamgxeka uLabhan. Wathi uYakobi kuLabhan: “Yintoni embi endiyenzileyo, yaye sesiphi esi sono ndisenzileyo le nto ude undileqe kangaka?
37 Ekubeni uzipeculule zonke izinto zam, yintoni oyifumeneyo eyeyendlu yakho? Yibeke apha phambi kwabantakwethu, bagqibe ngathi sobabini.
38 Kule minyaka iyi-20 bendikunye nawe, iigusha zakho neebhokhwe zakho khange ziphume zisu,+ khange ndizitye neenkunzi zeegusha zomhlambi wakho.
39 Khange ndikuzisele silwanyana siqwengwe zizilwanyana zasendle.+ Bendisibhatala ngokwam. Nokuba isilwanyana sibiwe emini okanye ebusuku, ubufuna ndisibhatale ngokwam.
40 Ndifunyenwe bubushushu emini, ndatyiwa yingqele ebusuku, ndaphelelwa nabubuthongo.+
41 Ndihleli iminyaka eyi-20 endlini yakho. Ndikusebenzele iminyaka eyi-14 ukuze ndifumane iintombi zakho ezimbini, ndakusebenzela iminyaka eyi-6 ngenxa yomhlambi wakho, yaye wena uwutshintshe kalishumi umvuzo wam.+
42 Ukuba uThixo katata,+ uThixo ka-Abraham, lowo woyikwa nguIsake*+ ebengekho kwicala lam, ngewundikhulule ndingaphethanga kwanto. UThixo uyibonile inkxwaleko yam nomsebenzi onzima wezandla zam, yiloo nto eye wakukhalimela izolo ebusuku.”+
43 ULabhan wathi kuYakobi: “Ezi ntombi ziintombi zam, aba bantwana ngabantwana bam nalo mhlambi ngumhlambi wam, yonke into oyibonayo apha yeyam neentombi zam. Ndingathini ke ukuzijikela namhlanje, ndijikele nabantwana bazo ezibazeleyo?
44 Yiza ke, senze isivumelwano mna nawe, yaye siza kuba lingqina phakathi kwethu.”
45 Ngoko uYakobi wathatha ilitye waza walimisa layintsika.+
46 Wathi uYakobi kubantakwabo: “Cholani amatye!” Bawaqokelela bawenza ayimfumba, baza batyela kuyo.
47 ULabhan wayibiza ngokuba yiYegare-sahaduta,* kodwa yena uYakobi wathi yiGaledi.*
48 Wathi uLabhan: “Le mfumba yamatye ilingqina phakathi kwam nawe namhlanje.” Yiloo nto wayibiza ngokuba yiGaledi,+
49 nokuba yiNqaba Yoonogada, kuba wathi: “UYehova makahlale esigadile xa singasabonani.
50 Ukuba uye waziphatha kakubi iintombi zam, yaye ukuba uye wathatha abanye abafazi, nangona kungekho mntu ulingqina lesi sivumelwano sethu, uze ukhumbule ukuba uThixo uza kuba lingqina phakathi kwam nawe.”
51 ULabhan waphinda wathi kuYakobi: “Nantsi imfumba yamatye, nantsi nentsika endiyimisileyo phakathi kwam nawe.
52 Le mfumba yamatye lingqina, nale ntsika bubungqina+ bokuba andizukudlula kule mfumba yamatye ukuze ndikwenzakalise, nawe awuzukudlula kule mfumba yamatye nakule ntsika ukuze undenzakalise.
53 UThixo ka-Abraham+ noThixo kaNahore, uThixo katata wabo, makagwebe phakathi kwethu.” UYakobi wafunga ngalowo woyikwa ngutata wakhe uIsake.*+
54 UYakobi wanikela umbingelelo kuloo ntaba, wamema abantakwabo ukuze bazokutya isonka. Batya ke baza bachitha ubusuku kuloo ntaba.
55 Yena ke uLabhan wavuka ekuseni, waphuza abazukulwana*+ bakhe neentombi zakhe, wabasikelela.+ Emva koko uLabhan wemka, wabuyela ekhaya.+
Umbhalo osemazantsi
^ Oko kukuthi, umEfrate.
^ Okanye “nezizalwana zakhe.”
^ Ngokoqobo, “Uze ulumke ungathethi nto kuYakobi, nokuba yelungileyo nokuba yembi.”
^ Ngokoqobo, “oonyana.”
^ Ngokoqobo, “noloyiko lukaIsake.”
^ Intetho yesiAram ethetha ukuthi “Imfumba Elingqina.”
^ Intetho yesiHebhere ethetha ukuthi “Imfumba Elingqina.”
^ Ngokoqobo, “ngoloyiko lukayise uIsake.”
^ Ngokoqobo, “oonyana.”
