Ebandeli 42
1 Tango Jakobi ayokaki ete ble ezali na Ejipito, alobaki na bana na ye ya mibali: « Mpo na nini bozali kotalana bino na bino?
When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?”
2 Nayoki ete ble ezali na Ejipito. Bokende kuna mpe bosomba ndambo mpo na biso mpo ete towumela na bomoi mpe tokufa te na nzala. »
“Look,” he added, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”
3 Bandeko mibali zomi ya Jozefi bakendeki na Ejipito mpo na kosomba ble.
So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.
4 Kasi Jakobi atikaki te Benjame, ndeko ya Jozefi ya mobali, ete akende elongo na bango, pamba te azalaki kobanga ete likama ekweyela ye.
But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “I am afraid that harm might befall him.”
5 Kati na bato oyo bakendeki kosomba ble na Ejipito, bana mibali ya Isalaele mpe bazalaki; pamba te nzala makasi ekotaki mpe na mokili ya Kanana.
So the sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, since the famine had also spread to the land of Canaan.
6 Jozefi azalaki moyangeli ya mokili. Ye nde azalaki koteka ble epai ya bato na ye nyonso. Bongo tango bandeko ya Jozefi bakomaki, bagumbamaki liboso na ye mpe bakitisaki mito na se.
Now Joseph was the ruler of the land; he was the one who sold grain to all its people. So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.
7 Tango kaka Jozefi amonaki bango, asosolaki mbala moko ete bazali bandeko na ye. Kasi asalaki lokola nde azali mopaya liboso na bango mpe azalaki na maloba makasi epai na bango. Atunaki bango: — Bowuti wapi? Bazongisaki: — Towuti na mokili ya Kanana; toyei nde kosomba biloko ya kolia.
And when Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We are here to buy food.”
8 Atako Jozefi asosolaki ete bazali bandeko na ye, kasi bango basosolaki ye te.
Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.
9 Bongo Jozefi akanisaki ndoto oyo alotaki na tina na bango mpe alobaki na bango: — Bino bozali penza banongi! Boyei nde kotala bisika nini mokili na biso ebatelami malamu te!
Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said, “You are spies! You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”
10 Bazongisaki: — Te nkolo na ngai, basali na yo bayei nde kosomba biloko ya kolia.
“Not so, my lord,” they replied. “Your servants have come to buy food.
11 Tozali biso nyonso bana ya moto moko. Basali na yo bazali bato ya sembo, kasi bazali banongi te.
We are all sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”
12 Alobaki na bango: — Te! Boyei na mokili na biso mpo na kotala bisika oyo ebatelami malamu te!
“No,” he told them. “You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”
13 Kasi bango bazongisaki: — Basali na yo bazalaki bandeko mibali zomi na mibale; tozali bana ya moto moko oyo azali kovanda na mokili ya Kanana. Mwana ya suka azali sik’oyo elongo na tata na biso, mpe mosusu azalaka lisusu te.
But they answered, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”
14 Kasi Jozefi alobaki na bango: — Ezali ndenge kaka nalobaki na bino: bozali banongi.
Then Joseph declared, “Just as I said, you are spies!
15 Tala ndenge nakomeka bino: Na kombo ya Faraon, bokolongwa na esika oyo te soki leki na bino ya suka akomi awa te!
And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
16 Botinda moko kati na bino ete akende kozwa ndeko na bino ya mobali; mpe bino oyo bokotikala, bokozala na boloko mpo na komeka maloba na bino mpe kotala soki bolobi solo. Soki te, na kombo ya Faraon, bozali banongi!
Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be confined so that the truth of your words may be tested. If they are untrue, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”
17 Atiaki bango nyonso na boloko mikolo misato.
So Joseph imprisoned them for three days,
18 Na mokolo ya misato, Jozefi ayebisaki bango: — Nazali moto oyo abangaka Nzambe. Bosala oyo nazali koloba mpe bokozala na bomoi.
and on the third day he said to them, “I fear God. So do this and you will live:
19 Soki bozali bato ya sembo, tika ete moko kati na bino atikala awa kati na boloko; bongo bino bamosusu bokende, bomema ble oyo esengeli mpo na mabota na bino, oyo ezali na nzala makasi.
If you are honest, leave one of your brothers in custody while the rest of you go and take back grain to relieve the hunger of your households.
20 Kasi bomemela ngai leki na bino ya suka. Yango ekolakisa ete bolobaki solo mpe bokokufa te. Basalaki bongo.
Then bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be verified, that you may not die.” And to this they consented.
21 Balobanaki bango na bango: — Solo, tozwi etumbu mpo na makambo oyo tosalaki ndeko na biso; pamba te tomonaki pasi na ye tango azalaki kobondela biso, kasi toyokaki ye te. Yango wana pasi oyo ekomeli biso.
Then they said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”
22 Ribeni alobaki na bango: — Nayebisaki bino ete bosala mwana wana mabe te? Kasi boyokelaki ngai te. Sik’oyo tosengeli kofuta makila na ye!
And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”
23 Bayebaki te ete Jozefi akokaki kososola maloba na bango, mpo ete azalaki kosalela molimboli mpo na kosolola na bango.
They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them.
24 Jozefi apesaki mokongo, apusanaki mosika mpe abandaki kolela. Bongo azongelaki bango mpe asololaki lisusu na bango. Azwaki Simeoni kati na bango mpe akangaki ye na miso na bango.
And he turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes.
25 Jozefi apesaki mitindo ete batondisa ble na basaki na bango, bazongisa mbongo ya moto na moto na saki na ye mpe bapesa bango bilei mpo na nzela. Esalemelaki bango bongo.
Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man’s silver to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out,
26 Batiaki ble na bango likolo ya ba-ane na bango mpe bakendeki.
and they loaded the grain on their donkeys and departed.
27 Na esika oyo batelamaki mpo na kolekisa butu, moko na bango afungolaki saki na ye mpo na koleisa ane na ye mpe amonaki mbongo na ye na moto ya saki na ye.
At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of the sack.
28 Ayebisaki bandeko na ye: — Bazongiseli ngai mbongo na ngai, tala yango oyo na saki na ngai! Mitema na bango ebetaki mpe babandaki kolenga, balobanaki bango na bango: — Likambo nini oyo Nzambe asali biso!
“My silver has been returned!” he said to his brothers. “It is here in my sack.” Their hearts sank, and trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”
29 Tango bakomaki epai ya tata na bango Jakobi na mokili ya Kanana, bayebisaki ye makambo nyonso oyo ekomelaki bango. Balobaki:
When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they described to him all that had happened to them:
30 — Moto oyo azali mokonzi ya mokili alobelaki biso na maloba makasi. Azwaki biso lokola banongi.
“The man who is lord of the land spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country.
31 Kasi tolobaki na ye: « Tozali bato ya sembo, tozali banongi te.
But we told him, ‘We are honest men, not spies.
32 Tozalaki bandeko mibali zomi na mibale, bana ya tata moko. Moko azalaka lisusu te mpe oyo ya suka azali sik’oyo elongo na tata na biso, na mokili ya Kanana. »
We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’
33 Na boye, moto oyo azali mokonzi ya mokili azongiselaki biso: « Tala lolenge nakoyeba ete bozali bato ya sembo: ‹ Botikela ngai awa ndeko moko kati na bino. Bozwa biloko ya kolia oyo esengeli mpo na mabota na bino oyo ezali na nzala makasi mpe bokende.
Then the man who is lord of the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest: Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go.
34 Boyela ngai leki na bino ya suka. Na bongo, nakoyeba ete bozali banongi te, kasi bato ya sembo; mpe ngai nakozongisela bino ndeko na bino, sima nakotika bino mpo ete bokoka kosala mombongo na mokili. › »
But bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’”
35 Tango bafungolaki basaki na bango, moko na moko amonaki mbongo na ye na saki. Bango na tata na bango bamonaki mbongo mpe bango nyonso babangaki.
As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! And when they and their father saw the bags of silver, they were dismayed.
36 Tata na bango Jakobi alobaki na bango: — Bozangisi ngai bana na ngai mibale ya mibali: Jozefi azali lisusu te, Simeoni mpe azali lisusu te. Mpe sik’oyo bolingi kozwa lisusu Benjame! Makambo oyo nyonso ezali kokweyela kaka ngai!
Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my sons. Joseph is gone and Simeon is no more. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is going against me!”
37 Ribeni alobaki na tata na ye: — Pesa ngai Benjame, mpe nakomemela yo ye. Soki namemeli yo ye te, boma bana na ngai mibale ya mibali.
Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I fail to bring him back to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him.”
38 Jakobi azongisaki: — Te! Mwana na ngai akokende elongo na bino te. Ndeko na ye ya mobali akufa; natikala kaka na ye. Soki likama ekweyeli ye na mobembo oyo bozali kokende, wana bokoboma ngai na pasi, na kimobange na ngai! (Sheol h7585)
But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.” (Sheol h7585)
