UGenesisi 47
1 UJosefa wahamba wayatshela uFaro wathi, “Ubaba labafowethu, kanye lemihlambi yabo yezimvu lenkomo, kanye lakho konke abalakho sebefikile bevela elizweni laseKhenani, okwamanje sebeseGosheni.”
THEN Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen.
2 Wakhetha abafowabo abahlanu wabethula kuFaro.
And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh.
3 UFaro wababuza abafowabo laba wathi, “Umsebenzi wenu ngowani na?” Baphendula uFaro bathi, “Izinceku zakho zingabelusi, njengalokho ababeyikho okhokho bethu.”
And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers.
4 Babuya bathi kuye, “Size ukuzohlala lapha okwesikhathi esithile, ngoba indlala inkulu kakhulu eKhenani, njalo lemihlambi yezinceku zakho kayilamadlelo. Manje-ke sicela ukuthi uvumele izinceku zakho zakhe eGosheni.”
They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.
5 UFaro wathi kuJosefa, “Uyihlo labafowenu beze kuwe,
And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee:
6 lelizwe laseGibhithe uyalibona; hlalisa uyihlo labafowenu endaweni enhle kakhulu yelizwe. Wothi bahlale eGosheni. Njalo nxa bekhona abanye babo abalolwazi oluqakathekileyo, kabakhangele imihlambi yami.”
The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.
7 Ngakho uJosefa waseletha uyise uJakhobe wamethula kuFaro. UJakhobe esembusisile uFaro,
And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
8 uFaro wambuza wathi, “Usumdala kangakanani na?”
And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou?
9 UJakhobe wathi kuFaro, “Iminyaka yokuhamba kwami ilikhulu lamatshumi amathathu. Iminyaka yami ibimilutshwana njalo ibinzima, njalo kayifiki iminyaka yokuhamba kwabokhokho bami.”
And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.
10 UJakhobe wasembusisa uFaro, uFaro wasesuka kuye.
And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.
11 Ngakho uJosefa wasehlalisa uyise labafowabo eGibhithe, wabapha indawo enhle kulazo zonke elizweni, esiqintini saseRamesesi, njengokulaya kukaFaro.
And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
12 UJosefa waphinda wapha uyise labafowabo kanye lendlu yonke kayise ukudla, kusiya ngobunengi babantwababo.
And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to their families.
13 Kwakungelakudla elizweni lonke ngoba indlala yayibhahile; iGibhithe leKhenani womabili amazwe esevuthuzekile ngenxa yendlala.
And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.
14 UJosefa wayiqoqa yonke imali eyayitholakala eGibhithe laseKhenani eyayingeyokuthenga amabele, wayiletha esigodlweni sikaFaro.
And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.
15 Kwathi imali yabantu baseGibhithe labaseKhenani isiphelile, abaseGibhithe bonke beza kuJosefa bathi, “Siphe ukudla. Singafelani kambe phambi kwamehlo akho? Imali yethu isiphelile.”
And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.
16 UJosefa wathi, “Lethani izifuyo zenu. Ngizalithengisela ukudla libhadale ngezifuyo zenu, njengoba imali yenu isiphelile.”
And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.
17 Ngakho basebeletha izifuyo zabo kuJosefa, wabapha ukudla bebhadala ngamabhiza abo, lezimvu kanye lembuzi zabo, lenkomo kanye labobabhemi babo. Wabaphutshisa lowomnyaka ngokudla bekubhadala ngezifuyo zabo.
And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.
18 Lowomnyaka usuphelile, beza kuye ngomnyaka olandelayo bathi, “Ngeke sayifihlela inkosi yethu ukuthi njengoba imali yethu isiphelile, ikanti lezifuyo zethu ngezakho, kakusekho okusayisalele inkosi yethu ngaphandle kwemizimba yethu leziqinti zethu kuphela.
When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:
19 Kambe sesingaze sife nje usikhangele, thina kanye lelizwe lethu lalo? Sithenge kanye lelizwe lethu usiphe ukudla, kuzakuthi thina kanye lelizwe lethu sibe sebugqilini kuFaro. Siphe inhlanyelo ukuze siphile, singafi, njalo ukuze ilizwe lingabi yinkangala.”
Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.
20 Ngakho-ke uJosefa waselithengela uFaro lonke ilizwe laseGibhithe. AmaGibhithe wonke athengisa amasimu awo ngoba indlala yayisiwabhahele okubi. Ilizwe laselisiba ngelikaFaro,
And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s.
21 uJosefa wasebagqilaza abantu, kusukela ngapha kwelizwe laseGibhithe kusiya ngale kwalo.
And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.
22 Kodwa kayithenganga indawo yabaphristi, ngoba babephiwa isabelo nguFaro, yikho babelakho ukudla okwaneleyo kusuka kuFaro. Yikho bengawuthengisanga owabo umhlaba.
Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.
23 UJosefa wathi ebantwini, “Njengoba sengilithengile lina lomhlaba wenu lamuhla ukuba libe ngabakaFaro, nansi inhlanyelo ukuze lihlanyele emhlabathini.
Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.
24 Kodwa nxa amabele eseqoqwa phanini okobuhlanu bawo kuFaro. Ezinye izingxenye ezine kwezinhlanu lizigcinele inhlanyelo yamasimu njalo kube yikudla kwenu, lemizi yenu kanye labantwabenu.”
And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.
25 Bathi, “Uzisindisile impilo zethu. Sengathi singathola umusa enkosini yethu; sizakuba yizigqili kuFaro.”
And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.
26 Kunjalo uJosefa wakumisa kwaba ngumthetho eGibhithe mayelana lomhlaba, okulokhu kulandelwa lalamuhla, ukuthi ingxenye eyodwa kokuhlanu ngekaFaro. Kwakungumhlaba wabaphristi kuphela ongazange ube ngokaFaro.
And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh’s.
27 Ngalesosikhathi abako-Israyeli bazinza eGibhithe esigodini saseGosheni. Bazuza izifuyo ezinengi khona njalo bazalana kakhulu banda ngobunengi.
And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.
28 UJakhobe wahlala eGibhithe okweminyaka elitshumi lesikhombisa, iminyaka yokuphila kwakhe yaba likhulu lamatshumi amane lesikhombisa.
And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.
29 Kwathi isikhathi sesisondele ukuba u-Israyeli afe, wabiza indodana yakhe uJosefa wathi kuyo, “Uba ngifumene umusa kuwe, beka isandla sakho ngaphansi kwethangazi lami uthembise ukuthi uzangenzela umusa lokuthembeka. Ungangingcwabi eGibhithe,
And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:
30 kodwa nxa sengiphumule labokhokho bami, ungithwale ngisuke eGibhithe uyongimbela lapho abalele khona.” Wathi, “Ngizakwenza njengoba usitsho.”
But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.
31 Wathi, “Funga kimi.” Ngakho uJosefa wafunga kuye, u-Israyeli wasekhothamela emakhanda ombheda wakhe.
And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head.
