Genesis 42
1 When Jacob found out grain was available in Egypt, he asked his sons, “Why do you keep on looking at each other to do something?
Kwathi uJakhobe esezwile ukuthi amabele ayekhona eGibhithe wathi emadodaneni akhe, “Kungani likhangelana nje?”
2 I've heard there's grain in Egypt. Go there and buy some for us so we can stay alive—if not, we're going to die!”
Waqhubeka wathi, “Sengizwile ukuthi amabele akhona eGibhithe. Yehlani liye khona liyesithengela wona ukuze siphile singafi.”
3 So ten of Joseph's brothers went to Egypt to buy grain.
Ngakho abanewabo bakaJosefa behla bayathenga amabele eGibhithe.
4 But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his other brothers, for he said, “I'm afraid something bad might happen to him.”
Kodwa uJakhobe kamthumanga labanye uBhenjamini, umnawakhe kaJosefa ngoba wesaba ukuthi angaqabuka ewelwa yingozi.
5 So Israel's sons went to buy grain along with everyone else, because there was famine in Canaan too.
Kungakho amadodana ka-Israyeli ayeludwendwe lunye lalabo ababesiyathenga amabele njengoba indlala yayikhona laselizweni leKhenani.
6 Joseph was the governor of the country and he sold grain to all the people there. So Joseph's brothers went to him, and bowed low before him with their faces to the ground.
Ngalesosikhathi uJosefa wayengumbusi welizwe, enguye othengisela abantu bonke amabele. Ngakho abafowabo bakaJosefa bathi befika khona bamkhothamela, bathi mbo ngobuso phansi.
7 Joseph recognized them as soon as he saw them, but he acted like a stranger towards them and spoke to them in a severe way, saying, “Where are you from?” “From the country of Canaan,” they replied. “We've come to buy food.”
UJosefa wonela ukubabona abafowabo, wabazi, kodwa wazitshaya owezizweni, wabakhulumisa ngokubakhahlameza. Wababuza wathi, “Livela ngaphi?” Baphendula bathi, “Sivela elizweni laseKhenani ukuzathenga ukudla.”
8 Even though Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn't recognize him.
Lanxa uJosefa wabazi abafowabo, bona kabamazanga.
9 Joseph thought back to the dreams he'd had about them, and told them, “No! You're spies! You've come to discover our country's weaknesses!”
Ngakho wasekhumbula amaphupho akhe ngabo wasesithi kubo, “Lizinhloli! Lilande ukuzabona lapho ilizwe lethu elingavikelekanga khona.”
10 “That's not true, my lord!” they responded. “We, your servants, have just come to buy food.
Baphendula bathi, “Hatshi, nkosi yethu. Izinceku zakho zize ukuzothenga ukudla.
11 We're all the sons of one man and we're honest. We're not spies!”
Singamadodana endoda yinye sonke. Izinceku zakho zingabantu abaqotho, kazisizo zinhloli.”
12 “No! You've come to find our country's weaknesses!” he insisted.
Wathi kubo, “Hatshi! Lize ukuzabona lapho ilizwe lethu elingavikelekanga khona.”
13 “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man living in the country of Canaan,” they explained. “The youngest is right now with our father, and one has passed away.”
Kodwa baphendula bathi, “Izinceku zakho zaziyizelamani ezilitshumi lambili, engamadodana endoda yinye, ehlala elizweni laseKhenani. Icinathunjana lisele lobaba, ikanti eyodwa kayisekho.”
14 “As I said before, you're spies!” Joseph declared.
UJosefa wathi kubo, “Kunjengoba ngilitshelile: Lizinhloli!
15 “This is how your story will be checked. I swear on Pharaoh's life that you'll never leave this country unless your younger brother comes here.
Manje-ke lizahlolwa kanje: Ngifunga uFaro, kaliyikusuka lapha ngaphandle kokuthi umfowenu omncinyane afike lapha.
16 One of you go back and bring your other brother here. The others of you will be kept here in prison until it's clear that you're telling the truth. If not, then I swear on Pharaoh's life it proves you're spies!”
Thumani omunye wenu amlande umfowenu; lonke abanye lizagcinwa entolongweni, ukuze amazwi enu ahlolisiswe ukuthi lingabe likhuluma iqiniso yini. Nxa kungenjalo, ngifunga uFaro, lizinhloli!”
17 So Joseph put all of them in prison for three days.
Wasebafaka entolongweni bonke okwensuku ezintathu.
18 On the third day he told them, “Since I'm someone who respects God, do as I tell you and you'll live.
Ngosuku lwesithathu uJosefa wathi kubo, “Yenzani lokhu ukuze lisile, ngoba mina ngesaba uNkulunkulu:
19 If you're truly honest, choose one of your brothers to stay here in prison. The rest of you can go back home with grain for your hungry families.
Nxa lingabantu abaqotho, omunye wenu kahlale lapha entolongweni, kuthi lina abanye libuyele lihambisele izimuli zenu amabele esezibulawa yindlala.
20 But you must bring your youngest brother here to me to prove what you're saying is true. If not, you will all die.” They agreed to do this.
Kodwa limlethe lapha kimi umnawenu omncane ukuze amazwi enu aqiniseke, njalo ukuze lingafi.” Bakwenza lokho.
21 “Clearly we're being punished for what we did to our brother,” they said to each other. “We watched him in agony pleading with us for mercy, but we refused to listen to him. That's why we're in all this trouble.”
Basebekhulumisana bathi, “Ngempela sijeziselwa umfowethu. Sambona ukuthi wayekhathazeke kangakanani esincenga, ezincengela impilo yakhe, kodwa kasaze samlalela; kungakho sisehlelwa luhlupho lolu.”
22 Reuben said to them, “Didn't I tell you, ‘Don't harm the boy!’ But you didn't listen to me. Now we're paying the price for what we did to him.”
URubheni waphendula wathi, “Kodwa kangilitshelanga yini ukuthi lingenzi isono emfaneni lina laqinisa amakhanda? Nanku-ke sesimele sifakaze ngegazi lakhe.”
23 They didn't realize that Joseph understood what they were saying because they were talking to him through an interpreter.
Babengakunanzeleli ukuthi uJosefa wayeluzwa ulimi lwabo njengoba wayelomtolikelayo.
24 Joseph stepped away from them because he started crying. He came back when he was able to speak to them again. He chose Simeon and had him tied up as they watched.
Wabafulathela wachiphiza izinyembezi, kodwa waphenduka wakhuluma labo. Wathi kuthathwe uSimiyoni kubo owahle wabotshwa phambi kwabo.
25 Joseph gave the order to fill up their sacks with grain, and also to return the money they had paid by placing it in the sacks as well. He also ordered that they should be provided with food for their journey home. All this was done.
UJosefa waselaya ukuthi kugcwaliswe amabele emasakeni abo, kubuyiselwe imali yalowo lalowo ifakwe phakathi kwesaka lakhe njalo baphiwe umphako wendlela. Sebekwenzelwe konke lokho,
26 The brothers loaded the grain onto their donkeys and then set off.
betshata amasaka abo kubobabhemi bahamba.
27 On their way they stopped for the night, and one of them opened up his sack to give his donkey something to eat and saw his money there at the top of the sack.
Endaweni lapho abema khona ngalobubusuku omunye wabo wavula isaka lakhe ukuthathela ubabhemi wakhe ukudla, wasebona imali yakhe yesiliva emlonyeni wesaka.
28 He told his brothers, “My money's been returned to me. It's right here at the top of my sack!” They were horrified! Trembling with fear they asked each other, “What is this that God's done to us?”
Wathi kubafowabo, “Isiliva sami sibuyiselwe. Nansi lapha phakathi kwesaka lami.” Zatshona inhliziyo zabo bakhangelana bethuthumela bathi, “Kuyini kambe lokhu uNkulunkulu asekwenzile kithi?”
29 When they arrived home in Canaan, they told their father Jacob everything that had happened.
Bathi sebefike kuyise uJakhobe elizweni laseKhenani bamtshela konke lokho okwakwenzakele kubo. Bathi,
30 “The man who is the country's governor spoke to us in a severe way, and accused us of spying on the land,” they explained.
“Indoda eyinkosi yelizwe isikhulumise ngokusihalada, yasiphatha kwangathi sizinhloli elizweni.
31 “We told him, ‘We are honest men. We're not spies!
Kodwa sathi kuyo, ‘Singamadoda aqotho; kasisizonhloli thina.
32 We are twelve brothers, the sons of one father. One has passed away and the youngest is right now with our father in the country of Canaan.’
Sasiyizelamani ezilitshumi lambili, amadodana endoda yinye. Omunye sowedlula, kuthi icinathunjana lisele lobaba eKhenani.’
33 Then the man who is the country's governor said to us, ‘This is how I'll find out if you're telling the truth: you are to leave one of your brothers here with me while the rest take grain home for your hungry families.
Ngakho umuntu oyinkosi yalelolizwe wasesithi kithi, ‘Nanku okuzangenza ngazi ukuthi lingabantu abaqotho: Tshiyani omunye umfowenu lapha kimi, lithathe ukudla kwezimuli zenu ezilambayo lihambe.
34 Then bring your youngest brother to me. That way I'll know you're not spies but you're telling the truth. I'll release your brother to you, and you can stay in the country and trade.’”
Kodwa umnawenu limlethe kimi khona ngizakwazi ukuthi kalisizinhloli, kodwa lingabantu abaqotho. Lapho-ke ngizambuyisela kini umfowenu, lani selingazithengisela phakathi kwelizwe.’”
35 As they emptied their sacks, each one's money bag was there in his sack! When they and their father saw the money bags, they were horrified.
Bathi sebethulula amasaka abo, babona umxhaka wesiliva waleyo laleyo ndoda esakeni layo! Kwathi bona ngokwabo kanye loyise bebona imixhaka yemali besaba.
36 Jacob their father accused them, “You have taken Joseph from me—he's gone! Simeon is gone too! Now you want to take Benjamin away! I'm the one who's suffering from all of this!”
Uyise uJakhobe wathi kubo, “Selingephuce abantwabami. UJosefa kasekho, loSimiyoni kasekho; manje selifuna ukuthatha uBhenjamini. Yonke into iyangihlamukela!”
37 “You can kill my two sons if I don't bring him back to you,” Reuben assured him. “Trust me with him, and I will bring him home to you myself.”
URubheni wasesithi kuyise, “Ungawabulala womabili amadodana ami nxa ngingangambuyisi kuwe. Mnikele ezandleni zami, mina ngizambuyisa.”
38 “My son won't go there with you!” Jacob declared. “His brother is dead, and he's the only one I have left. If anything bad happens to him on the journey you're planning, you'll send this old man to his grave in grief.” (Sheol h7585)
Kodwa uJakhobe wathi, “Indodana yami kayiyikuhamba lani khonale; umnewabo sewafa, usenguye yedwa oseleyo. Nxa evelelwa ngokubi kuloluhambo lwenu lizakwenza ukuthi ikhanda lami eliyimpunga liye engcwabeni lidabukile.” (Sheol h7585)
