Mose 1 44
1 Esi nɔviawo ƒe dzodzoɣi ɖo la, Yosef gblɔ na eƒe aƒedzikpɔla la be wòade bli woƒe kotokuwo katã me, ɖe sia ɖe nayɔ abe ale si wòate ŋu atsɔ ene, eye wòatsɔ ga si ame sia ame xe ɖe blia ta la ade eƒe kotoku me!
When his brothers were ready to return home, Joseph said to the man who was in charge of things in his house, “Fill the sacks of those men with as much grain as they can carry [on their donkeys]. And put in the top of each man’s sack the silver that he paid for the grain.
2 Egblɔ nɛ hã be wòatsɔ ye ŋutɔ yeƒe klosalokplu ade Benyamin ƒe kotoku me, kpe ɖe bliƒlega la ŋu. Ale aƒedzikpɔla la wɔ ɖe nu siwo Yosef gblɔ nɛ la dzi.
Then put my silver cup in the top of the youngest brother’s sack, along with the silver that he paid for the grain.” So the servant did what Joseph told him to do.
3 Nɔviawo fɔ fɔŋli, eye wodze mɔ kple woƒe tedziawo.
The next morning at dawn the men started on the way home with their donkeys.
4 Ke esi wodo go le dua me teti ko la, Yosef gblɔ na eƒe aƒedzikpɔla la be, “Dze wo yome kaba; na woatɔ, eye nàbia wo be nu ka ta wowɔ nu sia tɔgbi esime menyo dɔ me na wo nenema mahã?
When they had not gone far from the city, Joseph said to the servant in charge of things in his house, “Pursue those men immediately. When you catch up to them, say to them, ‘We did good things for you! Why have you paid us back by doing something bad to us?
5 Bia wo be, ‘Nu ka ta miefi nye aƒetɔ ƒe klosalokplu si me wònoa nu le, eye wògawɔa eŋu dɔ hena nukaka mahã? Nu vɔ̃ɖi kae nye esi miewɔ?’”
[You have stolen the cup] that my master drinks from [RHQ]! It is the cup that he uses to find out things that nobody knows! What you did was very wicked!’”
6 Aƒedzikpɔla la yi ɖatu wo, eye wòƒo nu na wo abe ale si woɖo nɛ tututu ene.
The servant [left immediately and] when he caught up with them, he told them what Joseph had told him to say.
7 Wobiae be, “Ao, aƒetɔ, nya ka tututu gblɔm nèle? Nu sia wɔwɔ nade megbe xaa tso wò dɔlawo gbɔ.
But one of them replied to him, “Sir, why do you say such things? We are your servants, and we would never do anything like that!
8 Ɖe míetrɔ ga si míekpɔ le míaƒe blikotokuwo me le Kanaan la vɛ oa? Nu ka ta míafi klosalo alo sika le wò aƒetɔ ƒe aƒe me ɖo?
We even brought back to you from Canaan land the silver that we found inside the tops of our sacks! So (we certainly would not steal silver or gold from your master’s house!/Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?) [RHQ]
9 Ne èkpɔ eƒe kplu le mía dometɔ aɖe ƒe kotoku me la, ekema na ame ma naku, eye nàna mí ame mamlɛawo katã miazu kluviwo na wò aƒetɔ tegbetegbe.”
If you discover that any of us has that cup, you can execute him, and the rest of us will become your slaves.”
10 Aƒedzikpɔla la gblɔ be, “Enyo nenema, gake ame si fii la koe azu kluvi, eye ame bubuawo ate ŋu adzo faa.”
The man replied, “Okay, I will do what you say. But the one who has the cup will not be executed. Instead, he will become my slave, and the rest of you may return home.”
11 Woɖe woƒe kotokuawo le woƒe tedziwo dzi kaba, eye woʋu wo nu.
Each of the men quickly lowered his sack down from the donkey to the ground and opened it.
12 Edze kplua didi le kotokuawo me gɔme tso nɔvi tsitsitɔ dzi nɔ yiyim ɖe tsitsi nu va se ɖe esime wòva ɖo ɖevitɔ dzi. Tete wòkpɔ kplu la le Benyamin ƒe kotoku me!
Then the servant started to search for the cup in each sack. He started with the oldest brother’s sack and ended with the youngest one’s sack. And he found the cup in Benjamin’s sack and showed it to them.
13 Wodze woƒe awuwo le dziɖeleameƒo ta. Wogado agba na woƒe tedziwo, eye wogatrɔ yi dua me.
The brothers tore their clothes [because they were so dismayed]. They loaded the sacks on the donkeys again and returned to the city.
14 Yosef ganɔ eƒe aƒe me esime Yuda kple nɔviawo trɔ va ɖo, eye wodze klo de ta agu nɛ.
When Judah and his [older and younger] brothers entered Joseph’s house, Joseph was still there. The servant told Joseph what had happened. Then the brothers threw themselves down on the ground in front of Joseph.
15 Yosef bia be, “Nu ka miete kpɔ be yewoawɔ? Ɖe mienya be ame abe nye ene anya ame si fii oa?”
He said to them, “Why did you do this? Do you not know that a man like me can find out things that nobody knows?” [RHQ]
16 Yuda gblɔ be, “O, nu ka magblɔ na nye aƒetɔ? Kuku ka míate ŋu aɖe? Aleke míate ŋu aɖe míaƒe fɔmaɖimaɖi afiae? Mawu le to hem na mí ɖe míaƒe nu vɔ̃wo ta. Aƒetɔ, mí katã míetrɔ va be míazu wò kluviwo, míawo kple ame si ƒe kotoku me wokpɔ kplu la le siaa.”
Judah replied, “Sir, what can we say? How can we prove that we (are innocent/did not steal the cup)? God has (paid us back/punished us) for the sins [we committed many years ago]. So now we will become your slaves—both we and the one in whose sack the cup was found.”
17 Yosef gblɔ be, “Ao, ame si fi kplu la koe anye nye kluvi. Mi ame mamlɛawo ya, miyi mia de le mia fofo gbɔ.”
But Joseph replied, “No, I could never do anything like that. Only the man in whose sack the cup was found will become my slave. The rest of you can return to your father peacefully.”
18 Tete Yuda te ɖe eŋu gblɔ be, “O, nye aƒetɔ, ɖe mɔ nam magblɔ nya ɖeka sia ko na wò. Gbɔ dzi ɖi nam vie, elabena menya be àte ŋu awɔ nu sia nu le aɖabaƒoƒo ɖeka me abe wòe nye Farao ene.
Then Judah came near to Joseph and said, “Sir, please let me say something to you. You are equal to the king himself, so you could command that I be executed; but do not be angry with me for speaking to you.
19 “Aƒetɔ, èbia mí be mía fofo alo mía nɔvi aɖe li mahã,
You asked us, ‘Is your father still living, and do you have another brother?’
20 eye míegblɔ be, ‘Ɛ̃, mía fofo, amegãɖeɖi li, eye eƒe tsitsimevi, ŋutsuvi sue aɖe hã li. Dadavia ɖekɛ la ku; eya koe susɔ le dadaa ƒe viwo dome, eye fofoa lɔ̃e ŋutɔ.’
We answered, ‘Our father is alive, but he is an old man. He has a young son who was born after our father became an old man. That son had an [older] brother, who is now dead. So the youngest son is the only one of his mother’s sons who is still alive, and his father loves him very much.’
21 Ègblɔ na mí be, ‘Mikplɔe va afi sia be makpɔe ɖa.’
Then you said to us, ‘The next time you come here, bring your younger brother down to me, so that I can see him.’
22 Ke megblɔ na wò be, ‘Aƒetɔ, ɖevi la mate ŋu adzo le fofoa gbɔ o, elabena eƒe dzodzo ana fofoa naku.’
We said to you, ‘No, we cannot do that, because the boy cannot leave his father. If he leaves his father, his father will die from sorrow.’
23 Ke ègblɔ na mí be, ‘Ne mia nɔvi suetɔ manɔ mia dome o la, ekema migava afi sia azɔ o.’
But you told us, ‘If your youngest brother does not come back with you, I will not let you see me again!’
24 Ale míetrɔ yi wò dɔla mía fofo gbɔ, eye míegblɔ nu si wò nye aƒetɔ gblɔ la nɛ.
When we returned to our father, we told him what you said.
25 Esi wògblɔ na mí be, ‘Migayi miaƒle nuɖuɖu vɛ’ la,
[Months later] our father said, ‘Go back to Egypt and buy some more grain!’
26 míegblɔ be, ‘Míate ŋu ayi o, negbe ɖeko nàɖe mɔ na mí míakplɔ mía nɔvi suetɔ ɖe asi hafi. Eya ko hafi míate ŋu ayi.’
But we said, ‘We cannot go back by ourselves. We will go only if our youngest brother is with us. We will not be able to see the man who sells grain if our youngest brother is not with us.’
27 “Ale mía fofo gblɔ na mí be, ‘Mienya be viŋutsu evee dadaa dzi nam,
Our father replied, ‘You know that my wife [Rachel] gave birth to two sons for me.
28 eye ɖeka megatrɔ gbɔ o: lã aɖe anya lée kokoko; nyemegakpɔe kpɔ tso ɣe ma ɣi o.
One of them disappeared, and I said, “A wild animal has surely torn him to pieces.” And I have not seen him since then.
I am an old gray-haired man. If you take this other one from me, too, and something harms him, you would cause me to die because of my sorrow.’ (Sheol h7585)
30 Ke azɔ la, aƒetɔ, ne matrɔ ayi fofonye gbɔ, nyemakplɔ ɖevi la ɖe asi o, esi menya be fofonye melɔ̃a nu le ɖevi la gbɔ o,
“So please listen. My father will remain alive only if his youngest son remains alive.
31 ne ekpɔ be ɖevi la megbɔ kpli mí o la, mía fofo aku, eye wòazu be míawoe na wòyi yɔ me kple nuxaxa. (Sheol h7585)
If he sees that the boy is not with us when we return to him, he will die. We will cause our gray-haired father to die because of his sorrow. (Sheol h7585)
32 Aƒetɔ, meɖe adzɔgbe na fofonye be makpɔ ɖevi la dzi nyuie. Megblɔ nɛ be, ‘Ne nyemekplɔ ɖevi la gbɔe o la, fɔɖiɖi sia nanɔ dzinye tegbee!’
I guaranteed/promised to my father that the boy would return safely. I told him, ‘You can require me to do what I am promising. If I do not bring him back to you, you can say forever that (I am to blame/it is my fault) [for not bringing him back to you].’
33 Meɖe kuku na wò, na matsi afi sia abe wò kluvi ene ɖe ɖevi la teƒe, eye nàna ɖevi la natrɔ kple nɔvia bubuawo.
“So, please let me remain here as your slave instead of my youngest brother, and let the boy return home with his other older brothers.
34 Aleke mate ŋu atrɔ ayi fofonye gbɔ esime nyemakplɔ ɖevi la ɖe asi o? Nyemate ŋu akpɔ nu si nu sia awɔe la teƒe o.”
(I cannot return to my father if the boy is not with me!/How can I return to my father if the boy is not with me?) [RHQ] I do not want to see how miserable/sad my father would become!”
