Suencuek 37
1 Jakob ngawn tah a napa kah lampahnah khohmuen Kanaan kho ah kho a sak.
Jacob continued to live in the Canaan region where his father had lived previously.
2 Jakob kah a rhuirhong he tah, Joseph kum hlai rhih a lo ca vaengah a maya rhoek taengah boiva a luem puei. Te vaengah anih te a napa yuu Bilhah ca rhoek nen khaw, Zilpah ca rhoek nen khaw cadong hmaih van. Tedae Joseph loh amih kah theetnah te a napa taengah a thae la a puen pah.
(This is/I will now tell you) what happened to Jacob’s family. When his son Joseph was 17 years old, he was taking care of the flocks of sheep and goats with some of his older brothers. They were sons of his father’s (concubines/female slaves that he had taken to be his secondary wives). Joseph sometimes told his father about bad things that his brothers were doing.
3 Tedae Joseph te tah a patong soi kah a ca van oeh dongah a ca rhoek boeih lakah anih te Israel loh a lungnah tih pendum angkidung khaw a saii pah.
Jacob loved Joseph more than he loved any of his other children, because Joseph had been born when Jacob was an old man. Jacob made for Joseph a long pretty robe that had long sleeves.
4 Tedae a maya rhoek boeih lakah a napa loh anih a lungnah te a maya rhoek loh a hmuh uh vaengah amah a hmuhuet uh. Te dongah anih rhoepnah neh voek ham khaw coeng uh pawh.
When Joseph’s older brothers realized that their father loved him more than he loved any of them, they hated him. They never spoke kindly to him.
5 Te vaengah Joseph loh mang a man tih a maya rhoek taengla a puen hatah a maya rhoek kah a hmuhuet uh te koep a khoep.
One night Joseph had a dream. He told his brothers about the dream.
6 Te vaengah a maya rhoek la, “Hnatun uh laeh, he tlam he mang ka man.
He said to them, “Listen to the dream I had!
7 Lohma li kah cangpa te mamih loh n'tum uh hatah kai kah cangpa te thoo tih pai. Te vaengah nangmih kah cangpa loh a vael uh tih kai kah cangpa taengah bakop uh,” a ti nah
In the dream, we were tying up bundles of wheat in the field. Suddenly my bundle stood up straight, and surprisingly, your bundles gathered around my bundle and bowed down to it!”
8 Te dongah anih te a maya rhoek loh, “Kaimih soah manghai la na manghai vetih kaimih soah na boei khaw na boei tang venim?,” a ti na uh. Anih a hmuhuet uh te a mang, a olka neh koep a khoep.
His brothers said to him, “Do you think that some day you will rule over us? Are you [saying that some day] you are going to be our king?” [RHQ] They hated him even more than before because of what he had told them about his dream.
9 Te phoeiah mang a tloe koep a man tih a maya rhoek taengah, “Mang koep ka man hatah khomik neh hla neh aisi hlai at loh kai taengah tarha bakop uh,” a ti nah tih a doek.
Later he had another dream, and again he told his older brothers about it. He said, “Listen to this! I had another dream. In this dream, the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me!”
10 A napa neh a maya rhoek taengah a doek bal dongah amah vik te a napa loh, “Mang na man te ba ham lae? Nang hmaiah diklai la bakop ham kai neh na nu neh na maya rhoek loh ka lo khaw ka lo uh a ya?,” a ti nah tih a ho.
He also told his father about it. His father rebuked him, saying “What are you suggesting by that dream [RHQ]? Do you think it means that your mother and I and your older brothers will some day bow down to the ground in front of you?” [RHQ]
11 Te dongah anih te a maya rhoek thatlai uh. Tedae a napa long tah olka te a kuem.
Joseph’s older brothers were furious/angry with him, but his father just kept thinking about what the dream meant.
12 Tedae a maya rhoek tah Shekhem ah a napa kah boiva luem sak ham a caeh cet.
One day Joseph’s older brothers went to take care of their father’s sheep and goats that were eating grass near Shechem.
13 Te vaengah Israel loh Joseph la, “Na maya rhoek, te Shekhem ah luem uh pawt nim? Halo lamtah nang man amih taengla kan tueih pawn ve,” a ti nah. Te dongah amah te, “Ka om ngawn he,” a ti nah.
Some time later, Jacob said to Joseph, “Your brothers are taking care of the sheep and goats near Shechem [RHQ]. I am going to send you there to see them.” Joseph replied, “Okay.”
14 Te dongah Joseph la,” Tahae ah cet lamtah, na maya rhoek kah sading sathal neh boiva kah sading sathal khaw na hmuh phoeiah kai taengah ol koep ham voei,” a ti nah. Te phoeiah Hebron kol lamkah Shekhem la a tueih tih Joseph khaw cet van.
Jacob said, “Go and see if they are doing okay, and if the flocks are doing okay. Then come back and give me a report.” So Jacob sent Joseph from [the valley where they were living], the valley where Hebron is located, [to go north] to find his brothers. When Joseph arrived near Shechem [city],
15 Te vaengah lohma ah aka khohmang hlang te lawt a hmuh hatah tekah hlang loh, “Balae na tlap dae? a ti nah tih a dawt.
while he was wandering around in the fields looking/searching for his brothers, a man saw him and asked him, “Whom are you looking/searching for?”
16 Te vaengah Joseph loh, “Ka maya rhoek ni ka tlap. Mela a luem uh khaw han thui lah saw,” a ti nah.
Joseph replied, “I am looking for my older brothers. Can you tell me where they are taking care of their sheep and goats?”
17 Te dongah tekah hlang long te, “He lamloh puen uh, “Dothan la cet sih,” a ti uh khaw ka yaak ta,” a ti nah. Te dongah Joseph loh a maya rhoek hnukah cet tih amih te Dothan ah a hmuh.
The man replied, “They are not here any more. I heard one of them saying, ‘Let’s take the sheep and goats and go to Dothan [town].’” So Joseph left there and went north, and found his older brothers near Dothan.
18 Tedae anih te a hla lamkah a hmuh uh tih amih taeng a pha hlan ah mah ngawn ham anih te a rhaithi uh.
But they saw him when he was still far away, and they decided to kill him.
19 Te dongah a maya rhoek loh khat neh khat taengah, “Mang boei halo ke!
They said to each other [things like], “Here comes that dreamer!”
20 Halo uh laeh, anih ke ngawn uh sih lamtah tangrhom pakhat khuila voei uh sih. 'Boethae mulhing loh a ngaeh coeng,’ ti na uh sih. A mang te metlam nim a om ve so uh sih,” a ti uh.
and “Hey, let’s kill him, and then throw his body into one of the pits/cisterns. Then we will tell people that a ferocious/wild animal attacked and killed him and ate him. And then we will (find out whether his dreams come true/make sure that his dreams do not come true)!”
21 Tedae Reuben loh a yaak vaengah amih kut lamkah Joseph te a huul tih, “A kah hinglu he ngawn uh boel sih,” a ti nah.
Reuben heard what they were saying, so he tried to persuade them not to kill [MTY] Joseph. He said, “No, we should not kill him.
22 Reuben loh amih taengah, “Anih te thii long sak boeh, khosoek kah tangrhom khuila voei uh mai, anih soah kut hlah uh boel mai,” a ti nah. Te vaengah anih te amih kut lamloh huul ham neh a napa taengla mael puei ham a ngaih.
Do not even shed his blood! We can throw him into this pit/cistern in the desert, but we should not harm him [MTY].” He said that, and then left them, planning to rescue Joseph later and take him back to his father.
23 Te dongah Joseph loh a maya rhoek taengla apha vaengah Joseph kah angkidung neh a pum dongkah pendum angkidung te a pit pauh.
So when Joseph arrived where his older brothers were, they seized him and ripped off his pretty robe with long sleeves.
24 Te phoeiah Joseph te a khuen uh tih tangrhom khuiah a voeih uh. Tangrhom te khaw hoeng tih tui om pawh.
Then they took him and threw him into the pit/cistern. But the pit/cistern was dry; there was no water in it.
25 Tedae buh ca la a ngol uh vaengah a dan uh hatah Gilead lamkah Ishmael lambong aka lo te lawt a hmuh uh. Te vaengah Ishmael rhoek loh Egypt la suntlak puei ham kalauk dongah anhoi, thingpi neh myrrh a phueih uh tih cet uh.
After they sat down to eat some food, they looked up and saw a (caravan/group [of traders]), descendants of Ishmael, coming from the Gilead area. Their camels were loaded with bags of spices and nice-smelling resins. They were going down to Egypt to sell those things there.
26 Tedae Judah loh a manuca rhoek la, “Mah manuca te mueluemnah neh n'ngawn uh mai cakhaw a thii loh m'bueih ni.
Judah said to his [older and younger] brothers, “If we kill our younger brother and hide his body, (what will we gain?/we will not gain anything!) [RHQ]
27 Halo uh, anih he Ishmael taengah yoi uh sih. Ning kah a saa, manuca oeh dongah anih soah kut hlah thil boel sih,” a ti nah hatah a manuca rhoek long khaw a rhoi uh.
So, instead of harming him, let’s sell him to these men who are descendants of Ishmael. Don’t forget, he is our own younger brother!” So they all agreed to do that.
28 Te dongah Median hlang, thimpom rhoek halo neh Joseph te a doek uh tih tangrhom lamloh a khuen uh. Te phoeiah Joseph te Ishmael taengah tangka baelthong la a yoih uh. Te dongah Joseph te Egypt la a khuen uh.
When those traders from the Midian area came near, Joseph’s brothers pulled him up out of the pit/cistern. Then they sold him to the men from Midian for 20 pieces of silver. The traders then took Joseph to Egypt.
29 Tedae Reuben loh tangrhom taengla a bal vaengah tangrhom khuikah Joseph te hah a sawt dongah a himbai te a phen.
When Reuben returned to the pit/cistern, he saw that his younger brother was not there. He was so grieved that he tore his clothes.
30 Te phoeiah a manuca rhoek te a paan tih, “Camoe te a om pawt dongah kai melam ka mael eh?,” a ti nah.
He went back to his [younger] brothers and said, “The boy is not in the pit/cistern! What can I do now?” [RHQ]
31 Te phoeiah Joseph kah angkidung te a loh uh. Maae tal a ngawn uh kah thii dongah angkidung te a nuem uh.
[Joseph’s brothers did not dare to tell their father what they had done. So, they decided to invent a story about what had happened]. They got Joseph’s robe. Then they killed a goat and dipped the robe in the goat’s blood.
32 Pendum angkidung te khaw a loh uh tih a napa taengla a khuen uh phoeiah, “Hekah angkidung ka hmuh uh he na capa kah himbai neh himbai pawt khaw hmat lah,” a ti na uh.
They took that pretty robe back to their father and said, “We found this robe! Look at it. Is it your son’s robe?”
33 Te vaengah himbai te a hmat tih, “Ka capa kah angkidung la he, Joseph te mulhing boethae loh pat pat a ngaeh coini,” a ti.
He recognized it, and he said, “Yes, it is my son’s robe! Some ferocious/wild animal must have attacked and killed him! I am sure that the animal has torn Joseph to pieces!”
34 Jakob loh a himbai te a phen, a cinghen ah tlamhni a naak tih a capa ham hnin takuem puet nguekcoi.
Jacob was so grieved that he tore his clothes. He put on (sackcloth/clothes that people wear when they are mourning for someone who has died). He mourned/cried for his son for many days.
35 Te phoeiah anih aka hloep la a ca tongpa rhoek boeih neh a ca huta rhoek boeih khaw halo uh dae a hloep ham khaw a aal. “Ka capa taengah saelkhui la rhahdoe cangpoem neh ka suntla ni,” a ti nah tih Joseph kah a napa te rhap. (Sheol h7585)
All of his children came to try to comfort him, but he did not pay attention to what they said. He said, “No, I will still be mourning/crying when I die and go to be with my son.” So Joseph’s father continued to cry because of what had happened to his son. (Sheol h7585)
36 Median hoel long khaw Joseph te Egypt kah imtawt mangpa Pharaoh imkhoem Potiphar taengla a yoih uh.
In the meantime, the men/traders from Midian took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, who was one of the king’s officials. He was the captain of the soldiers who protected the king.
