UGenesisi 37
1 UJakhobe wahlala elizweni lapho uyise laye ahlala kulo, ilizwe laseKhenani.
Jacob continued to live in the Canaan region where his father had lived previously.
2 Lo ngumlando wosendo lukaJakhobe. UJosefa ijaha elalileminyaka elitshumi lesikhombisa, wayeselusa imihlambi yezimvu labanewabo, amadodana kaBhiliha lamadodana kaZilipha, abafazi bakayise, wasebaceba kuyise.
(This is/I will now tell you) what happened to Jacob’s family. When his son Joseph was 17 years old, he was taking care of the flocks of sheep and goats with some of his older brothers. They were sons of his father’s (concubines/female slaves that he had taken to be his secondary wives). Joseph sometimes told his father about bad things that his brothers were doing.
3 U-Israyeli wasuka wamthanda uJosefa ukwedlula wonke amanye amadodana akhe, ngoba wamzala eseluphele; yikho wamenzela ijazi eliceciswe kakhulu.
Jacob loved Joseph more than he loved any of his other children, because Joseph had been born when Jacob was an old man. Jacob made for Joseph a long pretty robe that had long sleeves.
4 Kwathi abafowabo bebona ukuthi uyise wayemthanda ukwedlula bonke abanye bamzonda kabazange bamkhulumise ngothando.
When Joseph’s older brothers realized that their father loved him more than he loved any of them, they hated him. They never spoke kindly to him.
5 UJosefa waphupha, wathi esebatshelile ngephupho lakhe bamzonda ngokwedlulisileyo.
One night Joseph had a dream. He told his brothers about the dream.
6 Wathi kubo, “Zwanini iphupho engibe lalo:
He said to them, “Listen to the dream I had!
7 besibopha izithungo zamabele sisemasimini lapho okuthe masinyane esami isithungo saphakama sema saqonda, kwathi ezenu izithungo zasigombolozela esami, zasikhothamela phansi.”
In the dream, we were tying up bundles of wheat in the field. Suddenly my bundle stood up straight, and surprisingly, your bundles gathered around my bundle and bowed down to it!”
8 Abanewabo bathi kuye. “Ufisa ukubusa phezu kwethu na? Ungasibusa ngempela na?” Basebemzonda ngamandla ngenxa yephupho lakhe lalokho ayekutshilo.
His brothers said to him, “Do you think that some day you will rule over us? Are you [saying that some day] you are going to be our king?” [RHQ] They hated him even more than before because of what he had told them about his dream.
9 Waphinda waba lelinye iphupho, walitshela abanewabo. Wathi, “Lalelani, ngibe lalo elinye iphupho, kuleli, ilanga lenyanga kanye lezinkanyezi ezilitshumi lanye bezingikhothamela phansi.”
Later he had another dream, and again he told his older brothers about it. He said, “Listen to this! I had another dream. In this dream, the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me!”
10 Wathi eselitshele uyise njalo labanewabo uyise wamkhalimela wathi, “Liphupho bani leli oliphuphileyo? Utsho ukuthi unyoko lami labanewenu sizaguqa phansi emhlabathini sibili siguqela wena?”
He also told his father about it. His father rebuked him, saying “What are you suggesting by that dream [RHQ]? Do you think it means that your mother and I and your older brothers will some day bow down to the ground in front of you?” [RHQ]
11 Abanewabo babalomona ngaye, kodwa uyise wayigcina engqondweni yakhe indaba le.
Joseph’s older brothers were furious/angry with him, but his father just kept thinking about what the dream meant.
12 Abanewabo basuka bahamba lemihlambi kayise emadlelweni eduze kweShekhemu.
One day Joseph’s older brothers went to take care of their father’s sheep and goats that were eating grass near Shechem.
13 U-Israyeli wathi kuJosefa, “Njengoba usazi abanewenu basemadlelweni lemihlambi eduze kweShekhemu. Lalela-ke, ngifuna ukukuthuma kubo.” Waphendula wathi, “Kulungile.”
Some time later, Jacob said to Joseph, “Your brothers are taking care of the sheep and goats near Shechem [RHQ]. I am going to send you there to see them.” Joseph replied, “Okay.”
14 Ngakho wasesithi kuye, “Hamba uyebona ingabe abafowenu bayaphila yini kanye lemihlambi, ukuze ubuye uzongazisa.” Lakanye wamvalelisa esuka esigodini saseHebhroni. UJosefa esefikile eShekhemu,
Jacob said, “Go and see if they are doing okay, and if the flocks are doing okay. Then come back and give me a report.” So Jacob sent Joseph from [the valley where they were living], the valley where Hebron is located, [to go north] to find his brothers. When Joseph arrived near Shechem [city],
15 wafunyanwa yindoda ezula egangeni yambuza yathi, “Udingani?”
while he was wandering around in the fields looking/searching for his brothers, a man saw him and asked him, “Whom are you looking/searching for?”
16 Waphendula wathi, “Ngidinga abafowethu. Kambe ungangitshela ukuthi belusela ngaphi imihlambi yabo na?”
Joseph replied, “I am looking for my older brothers. Can you tell me where they are taking care of their sheep and goats?”
17 Indoda yaphendula yathi, “Sebesukile lapha. Ngabezwa besithi, ‘Kasiyeni eDothani.’” Ngakho uJosefa wabalandela abafowabo wayabafumana eduze kweDothani.
The man replied, “They are not here any more. I heard one of them saying, ‘Let’s take the sheep and goats and go to Dothan [town].’” So Joseph left there and went north, and found his older brothers near Dothan.
18 Kodwa bambona esesekude, wathi engakafiki kubo, bakhanda icebo lokumbulala.
But they saw him when he was still far away, and they decided to kill him.
19 Batshelana bathi, “Nanguyana umphuphi lowana esiza.
They said to each other [things like], “Here comes that dreamer!”
20 Zwanini, kasimbulaleni simphosele kwelinye lamagodi la besesisithi udliwe yisilo esesabekayo. Besesibona-ke ukuthi azaphelela ngaphi amaphupho akhe.”
and “Hey, let’s kill him, and then throw his body into one of the pits/cisterns. Then we will tell people that a ferocious/wild animal attacked and killed him and ate him. And then we will (find out whether his dreams come true/make sure that his dreams do not come true)!”
21 Kwathi uRubheni esekuzwile lokhu, wazama ukuthi amlamulele ezandleni zabo. Wathi, “Kasingacimi impilo yakhe.
Reuben heard what they were saying, so he tried to persuade them not to kill [MTY] Joseph. He said, “No, we should not kill him.
22 Lingachithi gazi. Mphoseleni emgodini lo lapha enkangala, kodwa lingambeki isandla.” URubheni watsho lokhu ukuze amlamulele kubo abesembuyisela kuyise.
Do not even shed his blood! We can throw him into this pit/cistern in the desert, but we should not harm him [MTY].” He said that, and then left them, planning to rescue Joseph later and take him back to his father.
23 Ngakho kwathi uJosefa efika kubafowabo, bamhlubula ijazi lakhe, elalibalazwe kakuhle ayeligqokile,
So when Joseph arrived where his older brothers were, they seized him and ripped off his pretty robe with long sleeves.
24 bamthatha bayamphosela emgodini. Umgodi lo wawungela lutho, kungelamanzi phakathi kwawo.
Then they took him and threw him into the pit/cistern. But the pit/cistern was dry; there was no water in it.
25 Bathi sebehlezi phansi ukuthi badle, bathi baphosa amehlo babona udwendwe lwama-Ishumayeli luvelela eGiliyadi. Amakamela abo ayethwaliswe iziyoliso, ibhami lemure, konke lokhu bekusa eGibhithe.
After they sat down to eat some food, they looked up and saw a (caravan/group [of traders]), descendants of Ishmael, coming from the Gilead area. Their camels were loaded with bags of spices and nice-smelling resins. They were going down to Egypt to sell those things there.
26 UJuda wathi kubafowabo, “Sizazuzani nxa sibulala umfowethu sigqibele igazi lakhe na?
Judah said to his [older and younger] brothers, “If we kill our younger brother and hide his body, (what will we gain?/we will not gain anything!) [RHQ]
27 Zwanini, kasimthengiseni kuma-Ishumayeli thina singambeki sandla; kambe yena evele engumfowethu, eyinyama yethu legazi lethu.” Abafowabo bavuma.
So, instead of harming him, let’s sell him to these men who are descendants of Ishmael. Don’t forget, he is our own younger brother!” So they all agreed to do that.
28 Ngakho kwathi abathengisi bamaMidiyani besedlula abafowabo bamkhupha uJosefa emgodini bamthengisa ngamashekeli esiliva angamatshumi amabili kuma-Ishumayeli, amthatha aya laye eGibhithe.
When those traders from the Midian area came near, Joseph’s brothers pulled him up out of the pit/cistern. Then they sold him to the men from Midian for 20 pieces of silver. The traders then took Joseph to Egypt.
29 URubheni wathi esebuyela emgodini wafumana uJosefa engasekho, wasedabula izigqoko zakhe ngokudabuka.
When Reuben returned to the pit/cistern, he saw that his younger brother was not there. He was so grieved that he tore his clothes.
30 Wabuyela kubafowabo wathi, “Umfana kasekho! Sengizakwenzanjani manje?”
He went back to his [younger] brothers and said, “The boy is not in the pit/cistern! What can I do now?” [RHQ]
31 Basebethatha ijazi likaJosefa, babulala imbuzi basebegxamuza ijazi lelo egazini.
[Joseph’s brothers did not dare to tell their father what they had done. So, they decided to invent a story about what had happened]. They got Joseph’s robe. Then they killed a goat and dipped the robe in the goat’s blood.
32 Balithatha ijazi lokuceciswa babuyela lalo kuyise bathi, “Silidobhile. Ake ulikhangele kuhle kumbe lijazi lendodana yakho.”
They took that pretty robe back to their father and said, “We found this robe! Look at it. Is it your son’s robe?”
33 Lakanye walibona liyilo wathi, “Lijazi lendodana yami. Udliwe yisilo esesabekayo. Ngempela uJosefa usedlithizwe waba yizicucu.”
He recognized it, and he said, “Yes, it is my son’s robe! Some ferocious/wild animal must have attacked and killed him! I am sure that the animal has torn Joseph to pieces!”
34 UJakhobe wasedabula izigqoko zakhe, wagqoka ezamasaka walilela indodana yakhe okwensuku ezinengi.
Jacob was so grieved that he tore his clothes. He put on (sackcloth/clothes that people wear when they are mourning for someone who has died). He mourned/cried for his son for many days.
35 Wonke amadodana akhe lamadodakazi beza ukuzamduduza, kodwa kavumanga ukududuzeka. Wathi, “Hatshi, ngizakuya ethuneni ngilila nginje, ngiye endodaneni yami.” Uyise wamkhalela kanjalo. (Sheol h7585)
All of his children came to try to comfort him, but he did not pay attention to what they said. He said, “No, I will still be mourning/crying when I die and go to be with my son.” So Joseph’s father continued to cry because of what had happened to his son. (Sheol h7585)
36 Kusenjalo, amaMidiyani amthengisa uJosefa eGibhithe kuPhothifa, omunye wezikhulu zikaFaro, owayengumlawuli wabalindi.
In the meantime, the men/traders from Midian took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, who was one of the king’s officials. He was the captain of the soldiers who protected the king.
