Jenesis 47
1 Josef gara gwa Fero sị, “Nna m na ụmụnne m ejirila igwe ewu na atụrụ ha, igwe ehi ha na ihe niile ha nwere site nʼala Kenan bịa nʼebe a. Ha nọ nʼala Goshen.”
Joseph chose five of his [older] brothers to go with him to talk to the king. He introduced his [older] brothers to the king, and then he said, “My father and my [older] brothers [and younger brother] have come from the Canaan region. They have brought all their sheep and goats and cattle and everything else that they own, and they are living now in Goshen region.”
2 Mgbe ọ gara ịgwa Fero okwu, o duuru mmadụ ise nʼetiti ụmụnne ya ndị ikom gosi ha Fero.
3 Fero jụrụ ụmụnne ya ajụjụ sị ha, “Gịnị bụ ọrụ aka unu?” Ha zara sị ya, “Ndị ohu gị bụ ndị ọzụzụ atụrụ dịka nna nna anyị ha.”
The king asked the brothers, “What work do you do?” They replied, “We are shepherds, just as our ancestors were.”
4 Ha kwukwara sị, “Anyị bịara ịnọ dịka ọbịa nʼala a nʼihi na ụnwụ a siri oke ike nʼala Kenan. O nweghị nri igwe ewu na atụrụ anyị nwere iri nʼala ahụ. Ya mere, anyị na-arịọ ka i nye ndị ohu gị ike ka ha biri nʼala Goshen.”
They also said to him, “We have come here to live for a while in this land, because the famine is very severe in Canaan, and our animals have no (pasture/grass to eat) there. So now, please let us live in the Goshen region.”
5 Fero gwara Josef sị, “Nna gị na ụmụnne gị abịakwutela gị. Ha biri nʼala Goshen.
The king said to Joseph, “I am happy that your father and your [older] brothers [and younger brother] have come to you.
6 Ala Ijipt dịkwa gị nʼihu. Họrọ ebe ọbụla masịrị gị nke dịkwa ezi mma nye nna gị na ụmụnne gị ka ha biri. Ka ha biri na Goshen. Ọ bụrụkwa na ị maara ndị ikom nʼetiti ha ndị nwere ike, mee ha ndị na-elekọta igwe anụ ụlọ m.”
They can live wherever you want in the whole country of Egypt. Give your father and your brothers the best part of the land. They can live in Goshen. And if you know that any of them have any special ability to work with livestock, have them be in charge of my own livestock, too.”
7 Josef kpọtara nna ya Jekọb, mee ka o guzo nʼihu Fero. Jekọb nọ nʼebe ahụ gọzie Fero.
Then Joseph brought his father Jacob [into the palace] and introduced him to the king. Jacob asked God to bless the king.
8 Fero jụrụ Jekọb sị, “Ị gbaala afọ ole ugbu a?”
Then the king asked Jacob, “How old are you?”
9 Jekọb zara Fero sị ya: “Ebiela m dịka onye ọbịa narị afọ na iri afọ atọ. Ọnụọgụgụ afọ ndị a ehighị nne, ma ha jupụtara nʼahụhụ na nsogbu. Ma a nọrubeghị m ọnụọgụgụ afọ nna m ha gbara mgbe ha biri nʼụwa dịka ọbịa.”
Jacob replied, “I have been traveling around for 130 years. I have not lived as long as my ancestors, but my life has been full of troubles.”
10 Jekọb gọziri Fero, site nʼihu ya pụọ.
Then Jacob again [asked God to] bless the king, and left him.
11 Ya mere, Josef mere ka nna ya na ụmụnne ya biri nʼala Ijipt. O nyere ha ala kachasị mma nʼala ahụ na mpaghara Ramesis, dịka Fero nyere nʼiwu.
[That is how Joseph enabled his father and older] brothers [and younger brother] to start living in Egypt. As the king had commanded, he gave them property in the best part of the land, in [Goshen, which is now called] Rameses.
12 Josef nyere nna ya na ụmụnne ya na ezinaụlọ nna ya nri dịka ọnụọgụgụ nke ụmụ ha si dị.
Joseph also provided food for all his father’s family. The amounts that he gave them were according to how many children each of them had.
13 Ma nri adịghị nʼala ahụ niile nʼihi na ụnwụ ahụ dị nnọọ njọ. Ihe siri ike nʼala Ijipt ma nʼala Kenan nʼihi ụnwụ a.
There were no crops growing in the whole region, because the famine was very severe. The people of Egypt and Canaan [MTY] became weak because they did not have enough food to eat.
14 Josef chịkọtara ego niile dị nʼala Ijipt, na nʼala Kenan, nke ndị mmadụ ji kwụọ ụgwọ nri ha zụrụ webata ha nʼụlọeze Fero.
Joseph collected all the money that the people in Egypt and Canaan paid for the grain they were buying from him, and he brought the money to the king’s palace.
15 Mgbe ego niile dị ndị mmadụ nʼaka gwụchara nʼala Ijipt ma nʼala Kenan, ndị Ijipt niile bịakwutere Josef sị ya, “Nye anyị nri, gịnị mere anyị ga-eji nwụọ nʼihu gị? Ego anyị agwụla.”
When the people of Egypt and Canaan had spent all their money for grain, they all kept coming to Joseph and saying, “Please give us some food! If you do not give us grain, we will die [RHQ]! We have used all our money to buy food, and we have no money left!”
16 Mgbe ahụ Josef zara sị ha: “Jirinụ anụ ụlọ unu kwụọ ụgwọ nri m ga-enye unu, ebe ọ bụ na ego unu agwụla.”
Joseph replied, “Since your money is all gone, bring me your livestock. If you do that, I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.”
17 Ya mere, ha kpụtaara Josef anụ ụlọ ha. Josef nyere ha nri nʼọnọdụ ịnyịnya ha, na atụrụ ha, na ewu ha, na ehi, na ịnyịnya ibu ha. O were nri zụọ ha nʼafọ ahụ nʼọnọdụ anụ ụlọ ha niile.
So they brought their livestock to Joseph. He gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle, and their donkeys.
18 Mgbe afọ ahụ gafesịrị, ha bịakwutekwara ya nʼafọ nke ọzọ sị ya, “Anyị agaghị ezoro onyenwe anyị na ego anyị agwụla, na igwe anụ ụlọ anyị bụkwa nke gị. O nweghị ihe ọzọ fọdụrụ anyị karịa ahụ anyị na ala anyị.
The next year they came to him again and said, “We cannot hide this from you: We have no more money, and now our livestock belongs to you. We have only our bodies and our land to give to you. We have nothing else left.
19 Gịnị mere anyị ga-eji nọọ nʼagụụ nʼihu gị? Zụrụ anyị na ala anyị nʼọnọdụ ụgwọ anyị ga-akwụ maka nri ị ga-enye anyị. Ka anyị na ala anyị bụrụ ndị ohu Fero. Nye anyị mkpụrụ ubi ka anyị dịrị ndụ ghara ịnwụ, ka ala a ghara ịbụ ihe tọgbọrọ nʼefu.”
(If you do not give us some food, we will die!/Do you want to watch us die?) [RHQ] If you do not give us seeds, our fields will become useless [IDM]. Buy us and our land in exchange for food. Then we will be the king’s slaves, and he will own the land. Give us seeds that we can plant and grow food, in order that we will not die, and in order that our land will not become like a desert.”
20 Ya mere, Josef zụtaara Fero ala Ijipt niile. Ndị Ijipt niile nʼotu nʼotu rere ala ha nʼihi oke ụnwụ ahụ dakwasịrị ha. Mgbe ahụ, ala ha niile ghọrọ nke Fero.
So Joseph bought all the farms in Egypt for the king. The people of Egypt each sold their land to him because the famine was very severe, [and they had no other way to get money to buy food]. So all the farms became the king’s farms.
21 Ya mere, Josef si otu a mee ka ndị Ijipt niile ghọọ ndị ohu Fero, site nʼotu obodo nʼala ahụ ruo na nke ọzọ ya.
As a result, Joseph caused all the people from one border of the country to the other to become the king’s slaves.
22 Ala nke Josef na-azụtaghị nʼoge a bụ naanị ala ndị nchụaja. Nʼihi na ndị nchụaja si nʼaka Fero na-enweta nri ha site nʼoge ruo nʼoge. Ha nwekwara nri na-ezuru ha site na oke ahụ Fero na-enye ha. Ya mere ha ereghị ala ha.
But he did not buy the priests’ land, because they received food from the king regularly, so the food that the king gave them was enough for them. That is the reason they did not sell their land to him.
23 Mgbe ahụ, Josef gwara ndị mmadụ ahụ niile okwu sị, “Lee, azụọla unu taa, zụkwaa a ala unu nye Fero.
Joseph said to the people [who sold themselves and their land to him], “Listen to me! Today I have bought you and your land for the king. So here are seeds for you so that you can plant them in the ground.
24 Nʼoge owuwe ihe ubi, otu ụzọ nʼime ụzọ ise nke ihe unu nwetara nʼubi unu bụ nke Fero. Deberenụ onwe unu ụzọ anọ fọdụrụ ka ọ bụrụ ihe unu ga-akụ nʼubi na ihe unu ga-eri na ihe ndị ezinaụlọ unu, na nke ụmụntakịrị unu ga-eri.”
But when you harvest the crop, you must give one-fifth of the crop to the king. The rest of the crop you can keep, to be seed to plant in the fields, and to be food for you and your children and for everyone else in your household to eat.”
25 Ha zara sị ya, “Ị zọpụtala ndụ anyị. Ka anyị hụta amara nʼihu nna anyị ukwu. Anyị ga-abụ ndị ohu Fero.”
They replied, “You have saved our lives! We want you to be pleased with us. And we will be the king’s slaves.”
26 Josef mere ka nke a bụrụ iwu nʼala Ijipt niile ruo taa, na Fero ga-ewe otu ụzọ nʼime ụzọ ise nke ihe ọbụla si nʼala. Naanị ihe si nʼala ndị nchụaja bụ nke na-esoghị nʼiwu a.
So Joseph made a law about all the land in Egypt, stating that one-fifth of the crops that are harvested belongs to the king. That law still exists. Only the land that belonged to the priests did not become the king’s land.
27 Izrel biri na Goshen nke dị nʼala Ijipt. Ha kpatara akụ hie nne, mụbaa nʼọmụmụ, ma nʼọnụọgụgụ.
Jacob and his family started to live in Egypt, in the Goshen region. They acquired property there. Many children were born to them there. As a result, their population increased greatly.
28 Jekọb biri nʼala Ijipt afọ iri na asaa. Ya mere, afọ niile Jekọb gbara bụ narị afọ na iri afọ anọ na asaa.
Jacob lived in Egypt 17 years. Altogether he lived 147 years.
29 Mgbe ụbọchị ọnwụ Izrel na-abịaru nso, ọ kpọrọ Josef nwa ya sị ya, “Ọ bụrụ na m ahụtala amara nʼihu gị, tinye aka gị nʼokpuru apata m, kwee m nkwa na ị ga-egosi m obi ebere na ezi ntụkwasị obi. Elila m nʼala nʼIjipt.
When it was almost time for him to die, he summoned his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have pleased you, make a solemn promise that you will be kind to me and faithfully do what I am now asking you: When I die, do not bury me here in Egypt.
30 Kama, mgbe m nwụrụ, site nʼala Ijipt bupụ m. Buru ozu m gaa lie ya ebe e liri nna m ha.” Ọ zara, “Aga m eme dịka i kwuru.”
Instead, take my body out of Egypt, and bury it in Canaan where my ancestors are buried.” Joseph replied, “I will do that.”
31 Ọ sịrị ya, “Ṅụọrọ m iyi na ị ga-eme ya.” Josef ṅụọrọ ya iyi. Izrel nʼonwe ya, kpọrọ isiala dịka ọ dabere nʼelu mkpanaka ya.
Jacob said, “(Swear/Solemnly promise) to me that you will do it!” So Joseph swore to do it. Then Jacob turned over in bed, bowed his head, and worshiped God.
