Moses and Aaron before the King of Egypt
1 Then Moses and Aaron went to the king of Egypt and said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Let my people go, so that they can hold a festival in the desert to honor me.’”
2 “Who is the Lord?” the king demanded. “Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord; and I will not let Israel go.”
3 Moses and Aaron replied, “The God of the Hebrews has revealed himself to us. Allow us to travel three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. If we don't do so, he will kill us with disease or by war.”
4 The king said to Moses and Aaron, “What do you mean by making the people neglect their work? Get those slaves back to work! 5 You people have become more numerous than the Egyptians. And now you want to stop working!”
6 That same day the king commanded the Egyptian slave drivers and the Israelite foremen: 7 “Stop giving the people straw for making bricks. Make them go and find it for themselves. 8 But still require them to make the same number of bricks as before, not one brick less. They don't have enough work to do, and that is why they keep asking me to let them go and offer sacrifices to their God! 9 Make them work harder and keep them busy, so that they won't have time to listen to a pack of lies.”
10 The slave drivers and the Israelite foremen went out and said to the Israelites, “The king has said that he will not supply you with any more straw. 11 He says that you must go and get it for yourselves wherever you can find it, but you must still make the same number of bricks.” 12 So the people went all over Egypt looking for straw. 13 The slave drivers kept trying to force them to make the same number of bricks every day as they had made when they were given straw. 14 The Egyptian slave drivers beat the Israelite foremen, whom they had put in charge of the work. They demanded, “Why aren't you people making the same number of bricks that you made before?”
15 Then the foremen went to the king and complained, “Why do you do this to us, Your Majesty? 16 We are given no straw, but we are still ordered to make bricks! And now we are being beaten. It is your people that are at fault.”
17 The king answered, “You are lazy and don't want to work, and that is why you ask me to let you go and offer sacrifices to the Lord. 18 Now get back to work! You will not be given any straw, but you must still make the same number of bricks.” 19 The foremen realized that they were in trouble when they were told that they had to make the same number of bricks every day as they had made before.
20 As they were leaving, they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them. 21 They said to Moses and Aaron, “The Lord has seen what you have done and will punish you for making the king and his officers hate us. You have given them an excuse to kill us.”
Moses Complains to the Lord
22 Then Moses turned to the Lord again and said, “Lord, why do you mistreat your people? Why did you send me here? 23 Ever since I went to the king to speak for you, he has treated them cruelly. And you have done nothing to help them!”
Moses naAaron koshipala shomukwaniilwa gwaEgipiti
1 Moses naAaron oya yi komukwaniilwa gwaEgipiti noya ti: “Omuwa Kalunga kaIsrael ota ti: ‘Etha aantu yandje ya ka dhanene ndje oshituthi mombuga nokugalikana ndje.’ ”
2 Omukwaniilwa okwa ti: “Omuwa olye, ndi pulakene ewi lye nondi laleke Aaisraeli ya ye? Omuwa ngoka kandi mu shi noite laleke Aaisraeli.”
3 Moses naAaron oya yamukula ya ti: “Kalunga kAahebeli okwe tu ihololele. Tu zimina, tu ye ko ondjenda yomasiku gatatu mombuga, tu ka yambele Omuwa, Kalunga ketu, omafikilondjambo. Ngele itatu shi ningi, ote tu dhipaga po nuuvu nenge niita.”
4 Omukwaniilwa okwa ti kuMoses naAaron: “Omolwashike tamu kateke aantu, sho tamu tonyalitha aantu miilonga yawo? Indeni kiilonga yeni! 5 Aantu yeni oyi indjipala ye vule Aayegipiti. Ngashingeyi omwa hala mu kankeke iilonga!”
6 Esiku tuu ndyoka omukwaniilwa okwa lombwele aalongithi yaapika naawiliki yiilonga Aaisraeli ta ti: 7 “Etheni okupa aantu omwiidhi gwokutholomitha oondhopi. Naa ke gu ikongele yo yene. 8 Ihe naa gwanithe omwaalu gwoondhopi ngaashi shito, itapu kala nando ondhopi yimwe inaayi gwanithwa. Oyo aananyalo unene, nomolwashoka taa pula ndje, ndi ya laleke, ya ka yambele Kalunga kawo omafikilondjambo. 9 Iilonga yaantu mbaka yi ningeni oyindji, opo yi itule mo, yaa kale ye na olweedhe lwokupulakena oohapu dhiifundja.”
10 Aalongithi yaapika naawiliki Aaisraeli oya yi e taa lombwele Aaisraeli taa ti: “Omukwaniilwa ota ti, ite mu kwatha we omwiidhi gwokutholoma. 11 Indeni mu ki ikongele omwiidhi mpoka tamu gu mono, ihe omwaalu gwoondhopi omu na oku gu gwanitha.” 12 Aantu noya andjalala Egipiti alihe taa kongo omwiidhi. 13 Aalongithi yaapika oya dhiginine oku ya thiminika, ya gwanithe omwaalu gwoondhopi esiku kehe, ngaashi ya li haa ningi shito, sho ya li haa pewa omwiidhi. 14 Aalongithi yaapika Aayegipiti oya dhenge aawiliki Aaisraeli ya li haa tonatele iilonga. Oya ti: “Omolwashike aantu yeni inaa gwanitha omwaalu gwoondhopi, ngaashi haa ningi shito?”
15 Nena aawiliki oya yi komukwaniilwa noya yemata ya nyenyeta taa ti: “Nkeyama, omolwashike to tu ningi ngeyi? 16 Itatu pewa omwiidhi, ndele otatu lombwelwa, tu tholome oondhopi! Nongashingeyi otatu dhengwa, nando ombedhi oyi li koshigwana shoye.”
17 Omukwaniilwa okwa yamukula a ti: “One aananyalo. Inamu hala okulonga, nomolwashoka hamu pula ndje, ndi mu laleke, mu ka yambele Omuwa omafikilondjambo. 18 Shuneni kiilonga yeni! Itamu pewa we omwiidhi, ihe otamu gwanitha omwaalu gwoondhopi.” 19 Aawiliki oya dhimbulula kutya ngashingeyi oye li muudhigu, sho ya lombwelwa kutya otaa tholoma omwaalu gwoondhopi gu thike pungoka haa tholoma shito.
20 Sho ya zi po, oya tsakaneke Moses naAaron, mboka ya li ye ya tegelela. 21 Oya lombwele Moses naAaron ya ti: “Omuwa okwa mono shoka mwa ningi note ke mu geela, oshoka omwe tu tonditha komukwaniilwa nomalenga ge. Omwe ya pe egongamwele, ye tu dhipage.”
Moses ta nyenyetele Omuwa
22 Nena Moses okwa shuna kOmuwa e ta ti: “Omuwa, omolwashike to hepeke aantu yoye? Omolwashike wa tumu ndje huno? 23 Okuza mpoka nda yile komukwaniilwa ndi mu lombwele medhina lyoye, okwa hepeke aantu yoye nonyanya. Ihe ngoye ino ninga sha u ya kwathe.”
