Naphtali, the eighth son of Jacob and Bilhah. The Runner. A lesson in physiology.

2. ISAHLUKO 1
u-Isakare, indodana yesihlanu
kaJakobe noLeya. Ingane engenasono
yokuqashwa ngamamandragora.
Unxusa ukuba kube lula.
1 Ikhophi yamazwi ka-Isakare.
2 Wabiza amadodana akhe, wathi
kuwo: “Yizwani, bantwana bami, u-
Isakare uyihlo; beka indlebe emazwini
othandiweyo weNkosi.
3 Ngizalelwe uJakobe indodana
yesihlanu ngenkokhelo
yamamandragora.
4 URubeni umfowethu waletha
amamandragora evela endle, uRaheli
wamhlangabeza, wawathatha.
5 URubeni wakhala izinyembezi,
ngezwi lakhe uLeya umama waphuma.
6 Lawo mamandragora ayengama-apula
anephunga elimnandi akhiqizwa ezweni
laseHarana ngaphansi komfula
wamanzi.
7 Wathi uRaheli: "Angiyikukunika
bona, kepha bayakuba ngabami
esikhundleni sabantwana."
8 Ngoba iNkosi ingidelile, njalo
kangizalelanga uJakobe abantwana.
9 Kwakukhona-ke ama-apula amabili;
uLeya wathi kuRaheli: “Makube-senele
ukuthi uthathile umyeni wami;
10 URaheli wasesithi kuye: Uzamthatha
uJakobe ngalobubusuku
ngamamandragora endodana yakho.
11 ULeya wathi kuye: "Ngowami
uJakobe, ngokuba ngingumkami
wobusha bakhe."
12 Kepha uRaheli wathi: "Ungazigabisi,
ungazigabisi; ngokuba ubengimisele
phambi kwakho, wakhonza ubaba
iminyaka eyishumi nane ngenxa yami.
13 Futhi ukube ubungandile emhlabeni
nobubi babantu buqhubeka, ngabe
anizange nibubone ubuso bukaJakobe.
14 Ngokuba awusiye umkakhe, kodwa
ngobuqili wathathwa esikhundleni sami.
15 Ubaba wangikhohlisa, wangisusa
ngalobo busuku, akamvumelanga
uJakobe ukuba angibone; ngoba ngabe
ngangikhona, lokhu kwakungeke
kwenzeke kuye.
16 Nokho, ngenxa yamamandragora
ngiqasha uJakobe kuwe ubusuku
obubodwa.
17 UJakobe wamazi uLeya;
wakhulelwa, wangizala; ngenxa
yenkokhelo ngabizwa ngokuthi u-
Isakare.
18 Khona-ke yabonakala kuJakobe
ingelosi yeNkosi, yathi: "URaheli
uyozala abantwana ababili, njengoba
enqabile ukuzihlanganisa nomyeni
wakhe, futhi ukhethe ukuba yizwekazi."
19 Futhi ukuba uLeya umama akazange
awakhokhele ama-apula amabili ngenxa
yeqembu lakhe, wayeyozala amadodana
ayisishiyagalombili; ngalokho wazala
abayisithupha, uRaheli wabazala
bobabili, ngokuba uJehova
wamhambela ngenxa yamamandragora.
20 Ngoba wayekwazi ukuthi ngenxa
yabantwana wayefisa ukuzihlanganisa
loJakobe, hatshi ngenxa yenkanuko.
21 Ngoba ngangomuso wabuye
wamnikela uJakobe.
22 Ngakho, ngenxa yamamandragora,
uJehova wamlalela uRaheli.
23 Ngokuba noma ezifisa, akazidlanga,
kepha wazinikela endlini kaJehova,
wazibeka kumpristi woPhezukonke
owayekhona ngaleso sikhathi.
24 Ngakho-ke, lapho ngikhula,
bantwana bami, ngahamba ngobuqotho
benhliziyo, futhi ngaba umlimi kababa

3. nabafowethu, futhi ngiletha izithelo
ensimini ngesikhathi sazo.
25 Futhi ubaba wangibusisa, ngokuba
wabona ukuthi ngahamba ngobuqotho
phambi kwakhe.
26 Futhi ngangingeyena umuntu
ongenela ezenzweni zami, noma
ngingeyena umhawu noma onenzondo
ngomakhelwane wami.
27 Angizange nginyundele muntu, futhi
angizange ngisole ukuphila komuntu,
njengoba ngahamba ngeso elilodwa.
28 Ngakho-ke, lapho ngineminyaka
engamashumi amathathu nanhlanu
ubudala, ngazithathela umfazi, ngokuba
umshikashika wami waqeda amandla
ami, futhi angizange ngicabange
ukuzijabulisa nabesifazane; kodwa
ngenxa yokukhandleka kwami
ubuthongo bangehlula.
29 Futhi ubaba wajabula njalo
ngobuqotho bami, ngokuba nganikela
ngompristi eNkosini zonke izithelo
zokuqala; bese kubaba futhi.
30 INkosi yandisa izinzuzo zayo
ngokuphindwe kazinkulungwane
eziyishumi ezandleni zami; kanye
noJakobe, ubaba, wayazi ukuthi
uNkulunkulu wasiza ukungashadi
kwami.
31 Ngokuba phezu kwabo bonke
abampofu nabacindezelweyo ngeneka
okuhle komhlaba ngobuqotho
benhliziyo yami.
32 Manje, bantwana bami, ngizweni,
nihambe ngobuqotho benhliziyo yenu,
ngokuba ngibonile kukho konke
okuthandeka kuJehova. '
33 Umuntu onhliziyonye akafisi igolide,
akamcindezeli umakhelwane wakhe;
34 Akafisi ukuphila isikhathi eside,
kodwa ulindele intando kaNkulunkulu
kuphela.
35 Futhi imimoya yenkohliso ayinawo
amandla ngokumelene naye, ngokuba
akabuki ubuhle babesifazane, funa
angcolise ingqondo yakhe ngokonakala.
36 Akukho mhawu emicabangweni
yakhe;
37 Ngokuba uhamba ngobuqotho
bomphefumulo, futhi ubona zonke
izinto ngobuqotho benhliziyo, egwema
amehlo enziwe amabi ngokuduka
kwezwe, funa abone ukuhlanekezelwa
kwanoma yimuphi wemithetho
yeNkosi.
38 Ngakho-ke, gcinani, bantwana bami,
umthetho kaNkulunkulu, futhi nizuze
ukungashadi, futhi nihambe ngokungabi
nacala, ningagaxeki ngezindaba
zomakhelwane wenu, kodwa thandani
iNkosi nomakhelwane wenu,
nihawukele abampofu
nababuthakathaka.
39 Gobisani umhlane wenu ekulimeni,
nisebenze kanzima ekulimeni yonke
inhlobo, ninikela ngezipho eNkosini
ngokubonga.
40 Ngokuba uJehova uyakukubusisa
ngezithelo zokuqala zomhlaba,
njengalokho yababusisa bonke
abangcwele kusukela ku-Abela kuze
kube manje.
41 Ngokuba kawuphiwanga esinye
isabelo ngaphandle kokuvunda
komhlaba, izithelo zawo zivuswa
ngokukhandleka.
42 Ngoba ubaba wethu uJakhobe
wangibusisa ngezibusiso zomhlaba
lezolibo.
43 Futhi uLevi noJuda bakhazinyuliswa
yiNkosi ngisho naphakathi
kwamadodana kaJakobe; ngokuba
uJehova wabanika ifa, noLevi wanika
ubupristi, noJuda umbuso.

4. 44 Ngakho-ke lalelani, futhi nihambe
ngobuqotho bukayihlo; ngokuba uGadi
unikiwe ukuba abhubhise amabutho
abehlela u-Israyeli.
ISAHLUKO 2
1 Yazini-ke, bantwana bami, ukuthi
ngesikhathi sokugcina amadodana enu
ayakushiya ukungashadi, anamathele
esifisweni esinganeliseki.
2 futhi beshiya ukungabi nankohliso,
bayosondela ebubini; futhi beshiya
imiyalelo yeNkosi, bayonamathela
kuBeliyari.
3 Futhi beshiya ukulima, bayolandela
amaqhinga abo amabi, futhi
bayohlakazwa phakathi kwabeZizwe,
futhi bayokhonza izitha zabo.
4 Ngakho-ke nikelani le miyalo
kubantwana benu, ukuze, uma bona,
babuyele ngokushesha eNkosini;
Ngokuba unomusa, futhi uyobakhulula,
ngisho ukubabuyisela ezweni labo.
5 Ngakho-ke, bhekani, njengoba
nibona, ngineminyaka eyikhulu
namashumi amabili nesithupha ubudala
futhi anginasazela ngokwenza noma
yisiphi isono.
6 Ngaphandle komkami kangimazi
owesifazane. Angizange ngenze
ubufebe ngokuphakamisa amehlo ami.
7 Angiphuzanga iwayini ukuba
ngidukiswe ngalo;
8 Angizange ngifise noma iyiphi into
efiselekayo eyayikamakhelwane wami.
9 Akuvelanga inkohliso enhliziyweni
yami;
10 Amanga awadlulanga emlonyeni
wami.
11 Uma umuntu ecindezelekile
ngangihlanganisa ukububula kwami
kanye nokwakhe,
12 Futhi ngahlanganyela isinkwa sami
nabampofu.
13 Ngenza ukuhlonipha uNkulunkulu,
zonke izinsuku zami ngangigcina
iqiniso.
14 Ngayithanda iNkosi; ngokunjalo
futhi wonke umuntu ngenhliziyo yami
yonke.
15 Yenzani kanjalo nani lezi zinto,
bantwana bami, futhi yonke imimoya
kaBeliar iyonibalekela, futhi asikho
isenzo somubi esiyobusa phezu kwenu;
16 Futhi niyozinqoba zonke izilwane
zasendle, njengoba nina noNkulunkulu
wezulu nomhlaba kanye nani futhi
nihamba nabantu ngobuqotho
benhliziyo.
17 Eseshilo lokho wayala amadodana
akhe ukuba amkhuphulele eHebroni,
amngcwabe khona emhumeni
nawoyise.
18 Welula izinyawo zakhe, wafa
esemdala; ngayo yonke imisindo
yezitho, futhi ngamandla anganqamuki,
walala ubuthongo baphakade.