Mose 1 42
1 Esi Yakob se be bli nɔ Egipte la, egblɔ na viawo be, “Nu ka ta miele afi sia le mia nɔewo kpɔm ɖo?
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?
2 Mese be bli le Egipte. Miyi afi ma miaƒle bli vɛ hafi dɔ nawu mí míaku.”
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!”
3 Ale Yosef nɔviŋutsu ewo yi Egipte be yewoaƒle bli.
So ten of Joseph's brothers went to Egypt to buy grain.
4 Ke Yakob mena Yosef nɔvi suetɔ Benyamin yi kpli wo o, elabena evɔ̃ be nya aɖe ava adzɔ ɖe edzi abe ale si wòdzɔ ɖe Yosef dzi ene.
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.”
5 Ale Israel ƒe viwo kple ame bubuwo tso anyigba geɖewo dzi va ɖo Egipte be yewoaƒle bli, elabena dɔwuame la nu sesẽ le Kanaan abe teƒe ɖe sia ɖe ene.
So Israel's sons went to buy grain along with everyone else, because there was famine in Canaan too.
6 Esi wònye Yosef tututue nye dziɖula le Egipte katã, eye wònye eyae le blia dzi kpɔm ta la, eya gbɔe nɔviawo yi, eye wodze klo, de ta agu nɛ.
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.
7 Yosef dze si wo enumake, gake ewɔ abe ɖe menya wo kura o ene. Eblu ɖe wo ta kple biabia sia be, “Afi ka mietso?” Woɖo eŋu be, “Míetso Kanaanyigba dzi; míeva bli ƒle ge.”
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.”
8 Togbɔ be Yosef kpɔ nɔviawo dze sii hã la, woawo ya mekpɔe dze sii o.
Even though Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn't recognize him.
9 Tete wòɖo ŋku eƒe drɔ̃e siwo wòku tso wo ŋu la dzi, eye wògblɔ na wo be, “Ŋkutsalawoe mienye! Ɖe mieva be yewoakpɔ afi si toƒe le le anyigba la ŋu.”
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!”
10 Wogblɔ be, “Kpao! Amegã, nuɖuɖu ƒle ge ko míeva;
“That's not true, my lord!” they responded. “We, your servants, have just come to buy food.
11 nɔviwo mí katã míenye. Nuteƒewɔlawo míenye. Menye ŋkutsalawoe míenye o!”
We're all the sons of one man and we're honest. We're not spies!”
12 Etee ɖe wo dzi be, “Ɛ̃, ŋkutsalawoe mienye. Mieva be yewoakpɔ ale si nu te mía ŋui la ɖa.”
“No! You've come to find our country's weaknesses!” he insisted.
13 Woɖe wo ɖokuiwo nu be, “Amegã, míele nɔviŋutsu wuieve; mía fofo le Kanaan. Mía nɔviŋutsu suetɔ le afi ma le mía fofo gbɔ, eye mía nɔviŋutsu ɖeka ku.”
“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.”
14 Yosef yi edzi be, “Nenema? Nu ka esia fia? Efia be ŋkutsalawoe mienye.
“As I said before, you're spies!” Joseph declared.
15 Mɔ si dzi mato ado miaƒe nya la ƒe nyateƒenyenye kpɔe nye esi: meta Farao ƒe agbe na mi be miadzo le Egipte akpɔ o va se ɖe esime mia nɔvi suetɔ nava afi sia.
“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.
16 Mia dometɔ ɖeka neyi wòakplɔ mia nɔvia vɛ! Made mi ame mamlɛawo gaxɔ me. Ekema míanya ne miaƒe nya la nye nyateƒe alo aʋatso. Ne eva eme be nɔviŋutsu suetɔ aɖeke mele mia si o la, ekema manya be ŋkutsalawoe mienye.”
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!”
17 Ale wode wo gaxɔ me ŋkeke etɔ̃.
So Joseph put all of them in prison for three days.
18 Le ŋkeke etɔ̃a gbe la, Yosef gblɔ na wo be, “Mawuvɔ̃lae menye. Mana mɔnukpɔkpɔ mi be miana nyateƒe la nadze.
On the third day he told them, “Since I'm someone who respects God, do as I tell you and you'll live.
19 Metsɔe be mienye nuteƒewɔlawo; mia dometɔ ɖeka koe atsi gaxɔ me le afi sia; ame bubuawo atsɔ bli ayi mia de na miaƒe ƒometɔwo.
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.
20 Ke ele be miakplɔ mia nɔvi suetɔ vɛ nam be manya nenye nyateƒe tom miele, eye makpɔ nublanui na mi.” Wolɔ̃ ɖe ɖoɖo sia dzi.
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.
21 Wogblɔ na wo nɔewo be, “Vavãe wole to hem na mí ɖe nu si míewɔ ɖe mía nɔvia ŋuti la ta. Míekpɔ ale si wòxaxae esi wònɔ kuku ɖem na mí ɖe eƒe agbe ta, gake míedo tokui, eya tae xaxa sia va mía dzi ɖo.”
“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.”
22 Ruben gblɔ be, “Nyemegblɔe na mi be migawɔe oa? Miegbe toɖoɖom. Azɔ la, míele kuku ge, elabena míewui.”
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.”
23 Womenya be Yosef se nya siwo gblɔm yewole le esime wòtsi tsitre ɖe wo gbɔ la gɔme o, elabena eƒoa nu na wo to nyagɔmeɖela aɖe dzi.
They didn't realize that Joseph understood what they were saying because they were talking to him through an interpreter.
24 Edzo le wo gbɔ yi teƒe aɖe, afi si wòate ŋu afa avi le. Esi wòtrɔ gbɔ la, etɔ asi Simeon dzi, eye wòna woblae le eŋkume.
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.
25 Emegbe la, Yosef ɖe gbe na eƒe subɔlawo be woade bli ameawo ƒe kotokuwo me, ke egagblɔ na wo le adzame be woatsɔ fe si wo dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe xe la ade eƒe nuɖuɖu dzi le kotokua me! Etsɔ nu si woaɖu le mɔa dzi la hã na wo.
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.
26 Ale wodo agba na woƒe tedziwo, eye wodze aƒemɔ dzi.
The brothers loaded the grain onto their donkeys and then set off.
27 Ke esi wotɔ ɖe afi aɖe, eye wo dometɔ ɖeka ʋu eƒe kotoku be yeaɖe blia ƒe ɖe na tedziawo la, ekpɔ eƒe ga le eƒe kotokua me!
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.
28 Edo ɣli gblɔ na nɔviawo be, “Mikpɔ nam ɖa! Nye gae nye esi le kotokua me!” Vɔvɔ̃ ɖo wo. Wode asi dzodzo me nyanyanya, eye wogblɔ na wo nɔewo be, “Nu kae nye esi Mawu wɔ na mí?”
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?”
29 Ale wova ɖo wo fofo, Yakob gbɔ le Kanaan, eye wogblɔ nu siwo katã dzɔ la nɛ.
When they arrived home in Canaan, they told their father Jacob everything that had happened.
30 Wogblɔ nɛ be, “Fia la ƒe kpeɖeŋutɔ blu ɖe mía ta, eye wòtsɔ mí abe ŋkutsalawo ene.
“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.
31 Míegblɔ nɛ be, ‘Gbeɖe, nuteƒewɔlawo míenye, menye ŋkutsalawo míenye o.
“We told him, ‘We are honest men. We're not spies!
32 Míegagblɔ nɛ hã be nɔviŋutsu wuievee míenye, fofo ɖeka ƒe viwo; ɖeka ku, eye suetɔ le mía fofo gbɔ le Kanaanyigba dzi.’
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.’
33 Ŋutsu la gblɔ na mi be, ‘Mɔ si dzi mato anya ne mienye nu si miebe yewonye le nyateƒe me lae nye esi: Migblẽ mia nɔvi ɖeka ɖe gbɔnye le afi sia, eye miatsɔ bli ayi aƒee na miaƒe ƒometɔwo,
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.
34 gake mikplɔ mia nɔvi suetɔ vɛ nam. Ekema manya nenye ŋkutsalawo mienye loo alo nuteƒewɔlawo mienye. Ne miete ŋu ɖe nu si miebe yewonye fia la, ekema maɖe asi le mia nɔvia ŋu na mi, eye miate ŋu ava aƒle bli le afi sia ɣe sia ɣi si mielɔ̃ la.’”
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.’”
35 Esi wotrɔ bli la le kotokuawo me la, wokpɔ ga si woxe ɖe blia ta le kotokuawo me! Vɔvɔ̃ ɖo wo kple wo fofo siaa.
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.
36 Tete Yakob do ɣli be, “Miena vinyewo le bubum ɖem. Yosef metrɔ gbɔ o; Simeon hã yi, eye azɔ miedi be yewoakplɔ Benyamin hã ayii! Nu sia nu tsi tsitre ɖe ŋunye!”
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!”
37 Ruben gblɔ na fofoa be, “Ne nyemekplɔ Benyamin gbɔe o la, ekema, wu vinye ŋutsuvi eveawo. Makpɔ Benyamin dzi wòanɔ dedie.”
“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.”
38 Ke Yakob ɖo eŋu be, “Vinye Benyamin mayi kpli mi o, elabena nɔvia Yosef ku, eye Benyamin koe nye dadaa ƒe vi si susɔ. Ne nane wɔe la, ku ko maku.” (Sheol h7585)
“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)
