Moses na Aron komurungu wa Farao
1 Nu kombunda yanao ooMoses na Aron otji va ya ku Farao nave katja: “Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel, ma tja nai: ‘Tji esa otjiwaṋa tjandje tji tjinde, tji kendjitjitire omukandi mokuti onguza okundjiyozika.’”
2 Nu Farao a tja: “Muhona ouṋe? Okutjavi tji mbi sokuzuva ku ye nokuisa Ovaisrael ve yende? Omuhona ngo hi mu i, nami hi nokuisa Ovaisrael ve yende.”
3 Nowo va tja: “Ndjambi wOvaheberi wa hakaene na eṱe. Tu yandjera okuyenda ouyenda woure womayuva yetatu, kokure mokuti onguza okukapunguhira Muhona Ndjambi wetu kutja e he tu zepa nomutjise poo nengaruvyo.”
4 Nombara ya Engipte ye ve zira ai tja: “Hapo Moses na Aron, eṋe tji mamu vanga okutjaera otjiwaṋa koviungura vyatjo mwa hapa vi? Twendeye koviungura vyeṋu vyouhuura!” 5 Noyo ya ryama komurungu ai tja ku wo: “Tara, nambano otjiwaṋa hi tja takavarera ko, neṋe mamu tji tjaerere tjike okuungura?”
6 Eyuva tjingero ndo Farao otja rakiza kovatatumise novatjevere mokati kotjiwaṋa, a tja: 7 “Otjiwaṋa amu tji pe omahozu rukwao okuungura na wo ozohima, tjimuna erero nererona. Ngave yende, ve kawonge oveni! 8 Nungwari otjivaro tjozohima nḓu va ungurire erero nererona nga rire tji mwe ve zikamisire, nokuhinakuisa ko, orondu ve notjirweyo. Opu mave zu okurokoha, amave tja: ‘Tu esa tu kapunguhire Ndjambi wetu.’ 9 Oviungura ngavi rire ovizeuzeu kovarumendu mba kutja ve ha munu oruveze rokupuratene komambo omanavizeze.”
10 Novatatumise votjiwaṋa novatjevere vatjo arire tji va i, nave katja kotjiwaṋa: “Ombara mai tja kai nokumupa omahozu rukwao. 11 Twendeye, mu keripahereye ehozu oveni ngamwa akuhe ku mamu ke rimuna, nungwari eṋe ungureye otjivarero tjingetjo tjozohima.” 12 Notjiwaṋa tja rimbara mehi ra Engipte arihe okuwonga oviyaya vyehozu. 13 Imba ovevetatumise ve ve hinga nave tja: “Yeneneiseye oviungura vyeṋu otja pu mape vangwa eyuva arihe tjimuna otja tjiyamu pewa omahozu.” 14 Novatjevere vOvaisrael, mba zikwa i ovatatumise va Farao kombanda yOvaisrael ovakwao otjaave ve tono nouti, amave tja: “Okutjavi, erero na ndino tji mu ha yenenisire otjivaro tjozohima tjimuna ndi rukuru?”
15 Ovatjevere vOvaisrael opu va ira ku Farao nozondjemeno, nave katja: “Okutjavi tji mo tjiti nao kovakarere voye? 16 Eṱe katu pewa ehozu, nu tu rakiziwa kutja tu ungure ozohima. Nu noho tu tonwa. Indji kandjo ye tu nungwari ondjo yovandu woye.”
17 Nungwari Ombara ya zira ai tja: “Oweṋe ovanatjirweyo nu kamu vanga okuungura, opu mu za okundjiningira kutja mbi mu ese mu yende okukapunguhira Muhona ozombunguhiro. 18 Nambano twendeye koviungura! Indi ehozu kamaamu pewa. Nungwari yeneniseye otjivaro tjozohima tji tja tuwa po!”
19 Ovatjevere imba vOvaisrael va muna kutja owo ve ri moumba indu tji va raerwa kutja nga ve ungure otjivarero tjozohima tjingetjo otja tji tja tuwa po eyuva arihe. 20 Nu tji va za ku Farao, va hakaena nooMoses na Aron, ava kurama mbo amave undju, 21 nave tja ku wo: “Muhona nge mu mune nu nge mu pangure, orondu eṋe mwe tu tondisa ku Farao na kovatarere ve; pa sana aayo tjimuna mwa yandja engaruvyo momake wawo okutuzepa.”
Ndjambi ma raere onguturiro
22 Tjazumba Moses wa yaruka rukwao ku Muhona na tja: “Muhona, okutjavi tji wa tjiti navi nai kotjiwaṋa hi? Okutjavi, arikana, tji wa tuma ami? 23 Tji mba za nokuyenda ku Farao okukahungira mena roye, eye opa utira okutatumisira ko otjiwaṋa hi, nu vari ove ko kuturire otjiwaṋa tjoye.” 24 Nu Muhona wa zira Moses nai: “Nambano mo munu ihi tji me tjiti ku Farao. Eye meve tjindisa, e ri kehi yeke enamasa. Ii, eye ma ṋiṋikiziwa i eke enamasa okuveramba kutja ve pite mehi.”
Moses and Aaron Go to the King of Egypt
1 Moses and Aaron went to the king of Egypt and told him, “The Lord God says, ‘Let my people go into the desert, so they can honor me with a celebration there.’ ”
2 “Who is this Lord and why should I obey him?” the king replied. “I refuse to let you and your people go!”
3 They answered, “The Lord God of the Hebrews has appeared to us. Please let us walk three days into the desert where we can offer sacrifices to him. If you don't, he may strike us down with terrible troubles or with war.”
4-5 The king said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you keeping these people from working? Look how many you are keeping from doing their work. Now everyone get back to work!”
6 That same day the king gave orders to his Egyptian slave bosses and to the Israelite men directly in charge of the Israelite slaves. He told them:
7 Don't give the slaves any more straw to put in their bricks. Force them to find their own straw wherever they can, 8 but they must make the same number of bricks as before. They are lazy, or else they would not beg me to let them go and sacrifice to their God. 9 Make them work so hard that they won't have time to listen to these lies.
10 The slave bosses and the men in charge of the slaves went out and told them, “The king says he will not give you any more straw. 11 Go and find your own straw wherever you can, but you must still make as many bricks as before.”
12 The slaves went all over Egypt, looking for straw. 13 But the slave bosses were hard on them and kept saying, “Each day you have to make as many bricks as you did when you were given straw.” 14 The bosses beat the men in charge of the slaves and said, “Why didn't you force the slaves to make as many bricks yesterday and today as they did before?”
15 Finally, the men in charge of the slaves went to the king and said, “Why are you treating us like this? 16 No one brings us any straw, but we are still ordered to make the same number of bricks. We are beaten with whips, and your own people are to blame.”
17 The king replied, “You are lazy—nothing but lazy! That's why you keep asking me to let you go and sacrifice to your Lord. 18 Get back to work! You won't be given straw, but you must still make the same number of bricks.”
19 The men knew they were in deep trouble when they were ordered to make the same number of bricks each day. 20 After they left the king, they went to see Moses and Aaron, who had been waiting for them. 21 Then the men said, “We hope the Lord will punish both of you for making the king and his officials hate us. Now they even have an excuse to kill us.”
The Lord's Promise to Moses
22 Moses left them and prayed, “Our Lord, why have you brought so much trouble on your people? Is that why you sent me here? 23 Ever since you told me to speak to the king, he has caused nothing but trouble for these people. And you haven't done a thing to help.”
