Genesis 47
1 Joseph went to report to Pharaoh and told him, “My father and brothers, along with their flocks and herds and all their possessions, have arrived from the land of Canaan and now they're here in Goshen.”
UJosefa wahamba wayatshela uFaro wathi, “Ubaba labafowethu, kanye lemihlambi yabo yezimvu lenkomo, kanye lakho konke abalakho sebefikile bevela elizweni laseKhenani, okwamanje sebeseGosheni.”
2 Joseph took five of his brothers to go with him and introduced them to Pharaoh.
Wakhetha abafowabo abahlanu wabethula kuFaro.
3 Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What work do you do?” “Your servants are shepherds, just like our fathers before us,” they replied.
UFaro wababuza abafowabo laba wathi, “Umsebenzi wenu ngowani na?” Baphendula uFaro bathi, “Izinceku zakho zingabelusi, njengalokho ababeyikho okhokho bethu.”
4 “We have come to live in Egypt because there's no grass left in Canaan for our flocks to eat,” they explained. “The famine is really bad in Canaan. So we would like to please ask permission to live in Goshen.”
Babuya bathi kuye, “Size ukuzohlala lapha okwesikhathi esithile, ngoba indlala inkulu kakhulu eKhenani, njalo lemihlambi yezinceku zakho kayilamadlelo. Manje-ke sicela ukuthi uvumele izinceku zakho zakhe eGosheni.”
5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Now that your father and brothers have arrived to join you,
UFaro wathi kuJosefa, “Uyihlo labafowenu beze kuwe,
6 you can choose wherever you like in Egypt, the best place, for them to live. Let them live in Goshen. If you know any of them who are good at what they do, put them in charge of my livestock as well.”
lelizwe laseGibhithe uyalibona; hlalisa uyihlo labafowenu endaweni enhle kakhulu yelizwe. Wothi bahlale eGosheni. Njalo nxa bekhona abanye babo abalolwazi oluqakathekileyo, kabakhangele imihlambi yami.”
7 Then Joseph went with his father Jacob and introduced him Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh,
Ngakho uJosefa waseletha uyise uJakhobe wamethula kuFaro. UJakhobe esembusisile uFaro,
8 Pharaoh asked him, “So how long have you lived?”
uFaro wambuza wathi, “Usumdala kangakanani na?”
9 “I have been wandering for 130 years,” Jacob replied. “My life has been short and difficult—I have not lived as long as my forefathers who also wandered from place to place.”
UJakhobe wathi kuFaro, “Iminyaka yokuhamba kwami ilikhulu lamatshumi amathathu. Iminyaka yami ibimilutshwana njalo ibinzima, njalo kayifiki iminyaka yokuhamba kwabokhokho bami.”
10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh again before leaving him.
UJakhobe wasembusisa uFaro, uFaro wasesuka kuye.
11 So Joseph arranged for his father and brothers to live in Egypt and gave them land in the best part near Rameses, as Pharaoh had ordered.
Ngakho uJosefa wasehlalisa uyise labafowabo eGibhithe, wabapha indawo enhle kulazo zonke elizweni, esiqintini saseRamesesi, njengokulaya kukaFaro.
12 He also provided food for all of them—his father, his brothers, and his father's whole household—depending on family size.
UJosefa waphinda wapha uyise labafowabo kanye lendlu yonke kayise ukudla, kusiya ngobunengi babantwababo.
13 No food was left in the whole country because the famine had become so bad. Throughout Egypt and Canaan people were starving.
Kwakungelakudla elizweni lonke ngoba indlala yayibhahile; iGibhithe leKhenani womabili amazwe esevuthuzekile ngenxa yendlala.
14 By selling grain Joseph collected all the money in Egypt and Canaan, and placed it in Pharaoh's treasury.
UJosefa wayiqoqa yonke imali eyayitholakala eGibhithe laseKhenani eyayingeyokuthenga amabele, wayiletha esigodlweni sikaFaro.
15 Once the money from Egypt and Canaan had run out, the Egyptians all came to Joseph and demanded, “Give us food! Do you want us to die right in front of you? All our money is gone!”
Kwathi imali yabantu baseGibhithe labaseKhenani isiphelile, abaseGibhithe bonke beza kuJosefa bathi, “Siphe ukudla. Singafelani kambe phambi kwamehlo akho? Imali yethu isiphelile.”
16 “Bring me your livestock,” Joseph told them. “I'll give you grain in exchange for your livestock if you've run out of money.”
UJosefa wathi, “Lethani izifuyo zenu. Ngizalithengisela ukudla libhadale ngezifuyo zenu, njengoba imali yenu isiphelile.”
17 So they brought Joseph their livestock, and he provided them with grain in exchange for their horses, sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys. He gave them grain in return for their livestock during that year.
Ngakho basebeletha izifuyo zabo kuJosefa, wabapha ukudla bebhadala ngamabhiza abo, lezimvu kanye lembuzi zabo, lenkomo kanye labobabhemi babo. Wabaphutshisa lowomnyaka ngokudla bekubhadala ngezifuyo zabo.
18 But when that year was over, they came to him the next year and said, “My lord, we can't hide from you the fact that our money is gone and that you now own our livestock. All we have left to give you are our bodies and our land.
Lowomnyaka usuphelile, beza kuye ngomnyaka olandelayo bathi, “Ngeke sayifihlela inkosi yethu ukuthi njengoba imali yethu isiphelile, ikanti lezifuyo zethu ngezakho, kakusekho okusayisalele inkosi yethu ngaphandle kwemizimba yethu leziqinti zethu kuphela.
19 Do you want us to die right in front of you? So buy us and our land in return for food. Then our land will belong to Pharaoh, and we'll be his slaves. Just give us grain so we can live and won't die, and so the land won't be abandoned.”
Kambe sesingaze sife nje usikhangele, thina kanye lelizwe lethu lalo? Sithenge kanye lelizwe lethu usiphe ukudla, kuzakuthi thina kanye lelizwe lethu sibe sebugqilini kuFaro. Siphe inhlanyelo ukuze siphile, singafi, njalo ukuze ilizwe lingabi yinkangala.”
20 So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. Each and every Egyptian sold their fields, because the famine was hurting them so badly. The land ended up being owned by Pharaoh,
Ngakho-ke uJosefa waselithengela uFaro lonke ilizwe laseGibhithe. AmaGibhithe wonke athengisa amasimu awo ngoba indlala yayisiwabhahele okubi. Ilizwe laselisiba ngelikaFaro,
21 and all the people became his slaves, from one end of Egypt to the other.
uJosefa wasebagqilaza abantu, kusukela ngapha kwelizwe laseGibhithe kusiya ngale kwalo.
22 The only land he didn't buy belonged to the priests because they had a food allowance provided to them by Pharaoh, so they didn't have to sell their land.
Kodwa kayithenganga indawo yabaphristi, ngoba babephiwa isabelo nguFaro, yikho babelakho ukudla okwaneleyo kusuka kuFaro. Yikho bengawuthengisanga owabo umhlaba.
23 Then Joseph told the people, “Listen to me! Now that I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh, I'm giving you some seed for you to sow the fields.
UJosefa wathi ebantwini, “Njengoba sengilithengile lina lomhlaba wenu lamuhla ukuba libe ngabakaFaro, nansi inhlanyelo ukuze lihlanyele emhlabathini.
24 However, when it's harvested, you have to give one fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you can keep as seed for the fields and as food for you, your households, and your children.”
Kodwa nxa amabele eseqoqwa phanini okobuhlanu bawo kuFaro. Ezinye izingxenye ezine kwezinhlanu lizigcinele inhlanyelo yamasimu njalo kube yikudla kwenu, lemizi yenu kanye labantwabenu.”
25 “You've saved our lives,” they declared. “May you continue to treat us well, my lord, and we'll be Pharaoh's slaves.”
Bathi, “Uzisindisile impilo zethu. Sengathi singathola umusa enkosini yethu; sizakuba yizigqili kuFaro.”
26 So Joseph made it a law for Egypt which is still is in effect today that one fifth of all produce from the land belongs to Pharaoh. Only the priests' land was exempt since it did not belong to Pharaoh.
Kunjalo uJosefa wakumisa kwaba ngumthetho eGibhithe mayelana lomhlaba, okulokhu kulandelwa lalamuhla, ukuthi ingxenye eyodwa kokuhlanu ngekaFaro. Kwakungumhlaba wabaphristi kuphela ongazange ube ngokaFaro.
27 The Israelites settled in Goshen in Egypt where they became prosperous landowners and rapidly increased in number.
Ngalesosikhathi abako-Israyeli bazinza eGibhithe esigodini saseGosheni. Bazuza izifuyo ezinengi khona njalo bazalana kakhulu banda ngobunengi.
28 Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years, so he lived in total 137 years.
UJakhobe wahlala eGibhithe okweminyaka elitshumi lesikhombisa, iminyaka yokuphila kwakhe yaba likhulu lamatshumi amane lesikhombisa.
29 When the time came for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If you think well of me, place your hand under my thigh and promise to treat me with trustworthy love and faithfulness. Don't bury me here in Egypt.
Kwathi isikhathi sesisondele ukuba u-Israyeli afe, wabiza indodana yakhe uJosefa wathi kuyo, “Uba ngifumene umusa kuwe, beka isandla sakho ngaphansi kwethangazi lami uthembise ukuthi uzangenzela umusa lokuthembeka. Ungangingcwabi eGibhithe,
30 When I die, bury me with my forefathers. You must take my body from Egypt to the family tomb and bury me with them.” “I will do as you say,” Joseph promised.
kodwa nxa sengiphumule labokhokho bami, ungithwale ngisuke eGibhithe uyongimbela lapho abalele khona.” Wathi, “Ngizakwenza njengoba usitsho.”
31 “Swear to me that you will,” he said. Joseph swore that he would. Israel bowed in worship at the head of his bed.
Wathi, “Funga kimi.” Ngakho uJosefa wafunga kuye, u-Israyeli wasekhothamela emakhanda ombheda wakhe.
