Genesis 31

UJakhobe Ubalekela uLabani

1UJakhobe wezwa ukuthi amadodana kaLabani ayesithi, “UJakhobe usethethe konke ubaba ayelakho njalo usezuze yonke inotho ebingekababa.” 2Njalo uJakhobe wananzelela ukuthi uLabani wayengasamphathi njengakuqala.

3UJehova wasesithi kuJakhobe, “Buyela elizweni laboyihlo lasezihlotsheni zakho, mina ngizakuba lawe.”

4Yikho uJakhobe wasethumela ilizwi kuRakheli loLeya ukuthi beze egangeni lapho imihlambi yakhe eyayikhona.

5Wathi kubo, “Sengibona ukuthi uyihlo kasangiphathi njengakuqala, kodwa uNkulunkulu kababa ube lami. 6Liyakwazi ukuthi ngamsebenzela uyihlo ngamandla ami wonke, 7kodwa uyihlo ungidlelezele ngokuguqula umholo wami okwezikhathi ezilitshumi. Kodwa uNkulunkulu kamvumelanga ukuthi angilimaze. 8Kwakusithi angathi, ‘Ezimafahlafahla ngezakho, ezomholo,’ imihlambi yonke izale ifehleze; kuthi angathi, ‘Ezingamaqamule zizakuba ngumholo wakho,’ yonke imihlambi izale amazinyane angamaqamule. 9Ngaleyondlela uNkulunkulu usethethe imihlambi kayihlo wayipha mina.

10“Ngesikhathi sokuxotsha lokumitha kwemihlambi, ngaba lephupho lapho okwathi ngikhangela ngabona ukuthi izimpongo ezazixotsha umhlambi zazingamaqamule, kumbe zingamafahlafahla kumbe zilamabala.

11Ingilosi kaNkulunkulu yathi kimi kulelophupho, ‘Jakhobe.’ Ngasabela ngathi, “Ngilapha.’ 12Yathi, ‘Khangela ukuthi zonke izimpongo ezixotsha umhlambi ngezingamaqamule, ngezingamafahlafahla kumbe ngezilamabala, ngoba ngikubonile konke lokho uLabani abekwenza kuwe.

13NginguNkulunkulu waseBhetheli, lapho owagcoba khona insika njalo lapho owenza khona isifungo kimi. Suka kulelilizwe khona manje ubuyele elizweni lakini.’ ”

14URakheli loLeya baphendula bathi, “Sivele siseselesabelo selifa likababa na? 15Kasevele esesibona njengabemzini na? Kakusikho kodwa ukuthi walobolisa ngathi, kodwa lalawomalobolo sewawadla. 16Ngempela yonke inotho uNkulunkulu ayemuka ubaba ngeyethu labantwabethu. Ngakho yenza loba yini uNkulunkulu akutshele yona.”

17UJakhobe wasekhweza abantwabakhe labomkakhe emakamelweni, 18waziqhuba zonke izifuyo zakhe zahamba phambili, kanye lezimpahla zonke ayezizuzile ePhadani Aramu, esebuyela kuyise u-Isaka elizweni laseKhenani.

19Kwathi uLabani ehambile eyogunda izimvu zakhe, uRakheli weba izithombe zikayise.

20Phezu kwalokho uJakhobe wakhohlisa uLabani ngokungamtsheli ukuthi yena wayesebaleka. 21Ngakho wabaleka lakho konke okwakungokwakhe wachapha umfula iYufrathe walubangisa elizweni lamaqaqa eleGileyadi.

ULabani Uxotshana loJakhobe

22Ngosuku lwesithathu uLabani watshelwa ukuthi uJakhobe wayesebalekile. 23Wathatha izihlobo zakhe bangena emzileni kaJakhobe okwezinsuku eziyisikhombisa baze bayambamba elizweni lamaqaqa eleGileyadi.

24UNkulunkulu weza kuLabani umAramu ephutsheni ebusuku wathi kuye, “Unanzelele ukuthi ungaze watsho lutho kuJakhobe, loba lungoluhle kumbe lungolubi.”

25UJakhobe wayemise ithente lakhe elizweni lamaqaqa eGileyadi eficwa nguLabani, uLabani laye lezihlobo zakhe bakha izihonqo khonapho.

26Yikho uLabani wasesithi kuJakhobe, “Wenzeni manje? Ungikhohlisile, njalo uthumbe amadodakazi ami njengezithunjwa empini.

27Kungani ubalekile wanyenya wangikhohlisa na? Ngani ungangazisanga, ukuze ngikuvalelise ngentokozo langokutshaya izigubhu lamachacho? 28Kawuzange ume ukuthi ngange abazukulu bami lamadodakazi ami ngibavalelise. Wenze into eyibuthutha.

29Ngilamandla okukulimaza; kodwa kulobu ubusuku obudluleyo uNkulunkulu kayihlo uthe kimi, ‘Unanzelele ungaze watsho lutho kuJakhobe, loba ngoluhle kumbe ngolubi.’

30Manje ususukile ngoba ubulangazela ukubuyela emzini kayihlo. Kodwa kungani webe izithombe zami na?”

31UJakhobe wamphendula uLabani wathi, “Bengisesaba ukuthi uzangemuka amadodakazi akho ngamandla. 32Kodwa uma ufumana loba ngubani olezithombe zakho, kayikuphila. Ake ubone, lezihlobo zakho zikhona, ingabe kulolutho lwakho yini lapha kimi; nxa lukhona, luthathe.” UJakhobe wayengazi ukuthi uRakheli wayezebile izithombe.

33Ngakho uLabani wangena ethenteni likaJakhobe lethenteni likaLeya lethenteni lezincekukazi zombili, kodwa kafumananga lutho. Ephuma ethenteni likaLeya, wangena ethenteni likaRakheli.

34URakheli wayethethe izithombe lezo wazitshwathika phakathi kwesihlalo sekamela lakhe wasehlala phezu kwakho. ULabani wabhudula kukho konke ethenteni, waswela.

35URakheli wathi kuyise, “Ungazondi, nkosi yami, ukuthi kungani ngingakusukumeli, kungenxa yokuba ngisemfuleni.” Ngakho wabhudula kodwa kaze azifumana izithombe zangekhaya.

36UJakhobe wazonda kubi wamthwalisa nzima uLabani. Wambuza wathi, “Icala lami kuyini? Ngenze sono bani ukuze ungizingele kanje?

37Njengoba usungiguduzile zonke izimpahla zami, kuyini osukufumene okungokomuzi wakho na? Kubeke khonapha phambi kwezihlobo zakho lezami batsho okuyikho phakathi kwethu sobabili.

38“Sengibe lawe okweminyaka engamatshumi amabili. Izimvu zakho lezimbuzi zakho kazizange ziphunze, njalo kangizange ngizihlabele izinqama emihlambini yakho.

39Kangizange ngizokutshengisa izifuyo ezidatshulwe yizilo; yimi engathwala lokho kulahlekelwa ngazihlawula. Njalo wafuna inhlawulo yalezo ezazebiwe emini loba ebusuku. 40Impilo yami yayinje: ukutshisa kwakungiqeda emini, ebusuku umqando ungihwahwathe, ubuthongo babaleka emehlweni ami. 41Kwakunjalo okweminyaka engamatshumi amabili ngisemzini wakho. Ngakusebenzela okweminyaka elitshumi lane ngisebenzela amadodakazi akho womabili njalo okweminyaka eyisithupha ngisebenzela imihlambi yakho, njalo wena waguqula imbadalo yami okwezikhathi ezilitshumi. 42Aluba kungayisikuthi uNkulunkulu kababa, uNkulunkulu ka-Abhrahama loNgukwesaba kuka-Isaka, ubengelami, wawuzangixotsha nje ngingaphathanga lutho. Kodwa uNkulunkulu ububonile ubunzima bami lokusebenza nzima kwezandla zami, yikho ekukhuzile izolo ebusuku.”

43ULabani wamphendula uJakhobe wathi, “Abesifazane ngamadodakazi ami, abantwana ngabantwabami, lemihlambi yimihlambi yami. Kodwa kuyini engingakwenza lamuhla ngala amadodakazi ami, kumbe ngabantwana ababazeleyo na? 44Zwana-ke, kasenze isivumelwano, wena lami, sibe ngufakazi phakathi kwethu.”

45Yikho uJakhobe wasethatha ilitshe walimisa laba yinsika. 46Wasesithi ezihlotsheni zakhe, “Buthelelani amatshe.” Yikho bawathatha amatshe bawabuthelela aba yinqwaba, basebedlela khonapho eceleni kwenqwaba.

47ULabani wayibiza ngokuthi yiJegari Sahadutha, uJakhobe yena wathi yiGaledi.

48ULabani wathi, “Inqwaba ingufakazi phakathi kwami lawe lamuhla.” Yikho yabizwa ngokuthi yiGaledi. 49Yabizwa njalo ngokuthi yiMizipha, ngokuba wathi, “Sengathi uJehova angalinda phakathi kwakho lami nxa sikhatshana omunye komunye. 50Ungaze uphathe kubi amadodakazi ami, loba ungaze uthathe abanye abafazi ngaphandle kwamadodakazi ami, loba kungekho omunye umuntu olathi, khumbula ukuthi uNkulunkulu ungufakazi phakathi kwakho lami.”

51ULabani wathi njalo kuJakhobe, “Nansi inqwaba le, njalo nansi insika engiyimise phakathi kwakho lami.

52Inqwaba le ingufakazi, kanye lensika le ingufakazi wokuthi kangisoze ngiyidlule inqwaba le ngize kwelakho icele ngizekonela lokuthi lawe kawuyikudlula kule inqwaba lensika uze kwelami icele uzengonela.

53Sengathi uNkulunkulu ka-Abhrahama, loNkulunkulu kaNahori, uNkulunkulu kayise wabo angehlulela phakathi kwethu.” Yikho uJakhobe wenza isifungo ebizweni likaMesatshwa kayise u-Isaka.

54Wenza umhlatshelo khonapho elizweni lamaqaqa wanxusa izihlobo zakhe ekudleni. Sebedlile, balala khonapho.

55Ekuseni kakhulu ngosuku olulandelayo uLabani wanga abazukulu bakhe lamadodakazi akhe wababusisa. Wasefulathela wabuyela ekhaya.