UGenesisi 37
1 UJakobe wasehlala elizweni uyise ayehlala kilo njengowezizwe, ilizwe leKhanani.
Jacob continued to live in the Canaan region where his father had lived previously.
2 Lezi zindaba zezizukulwana zikaJakobe. UJosefa, eleminyaka elitshumi lesikhombisa, wayeselusa umhlambi labafowabo, wayengumfana, elamadodana kaBiliha, lamadodana kaZilipa, omkayise; uJosefa waseletha kuyise imibiko emibi ngabo.
(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 Njalo uIsrayeli wayemthanda uJosefa kulawo wonke amadodana akhe, ngoba wayeyindodana yobudala bakhe; wamenzela isigqoko esilemibalabala.
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 sebebonile ukuthi uyise uyamthanda kulabo bonke abafowabo, bamzonda, babengelakukhuluma kuye ngokuthula.
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 wasephupha iphupho, walazisa abafowabo; ngakho baqhubeka bemzonda kakhulu.
One night Joseph had a dream. He told his brothers about the dream.
6 Wasesithi kibo: Ake lizwe leliphupho engiliphuphileyo.
He said to them, “Listen to the dream I had!
7 Khangelani-ke, besibopha izithungo phakathi kwensimu, njalo khangelani, isithungo sami sema saqonda futhi, khangelani-ke, izithungo zenu zazingelezela, zasikhothamela isithungo sami.
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 Abafowabo basebesithi kuye: Kanti ukubusa uzasibusa, ukulawula uzasilawula yini? Ngakho baqhubeka bemzonda kakhulu, ngenxa yamaphupho akhe langenxa yamazwi akhe.
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 Wasebuya futhi waphupha elinye iphupho, walilandisela abafowabo, wathi: Khangelani, ngiphuphe futhi iphupho; khangelani-ke, ilanga lenyanga lenkanyezi ezilitshumi lanye zingikhothamela.
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 Waselandisela uyise labafowabo. Uyise wasemsola wathi kuye: Liyini leliphupho oliphuphileyo? Ukuza sizakuza, mina lonyoko labafowenu, sikhothamele emhlabathini phambi kwakho yini?
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 Abafowabo-ke baba lomona ngaye, kodwa uyise waligcina lelilizwi.
Joseph’s older brothers were furious/angry with him, but his father just kept thinking about what the dream meant.
12 Abafowabo basebesiyalagisa umhlambi kayise eShekema.
One day Joseph’s older brothers went to take care of their father’s sheep and goats that were eating grass near Shechem.
13 UIsrayeli wasesithi kuJosefa: Abafowenu kabalagisi eShekema yini? Woza, ngikuthume kibo. Wasesithi kuye: Khangela ngilapha.
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 Wasesithi kuye: Hamba-ke, ubone ukuthi baphila kuhle yini abafowenu, lokuthi uyaphila umhlambi, ungibuyisele ilizwi. Wasemthuma esuka esigodini iHebroni wasefika eShekema.
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 Indoda yamfica, ngoba khangela wayezula egangeni; indoda yasimbuza 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 Wasesithi: Ngidinga abafowethu; ake ungazise ukuthi balagise ngaphi.
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 yasisithi: Basukile lapha, ngoba ngibezwile besithi: Asiye eDothani. UJosefa wasebalandela abafowabo, wabathola eDothani.
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 Basebembona esekhatshana. Njalo engakasondeli kubo, bamenzela ugobe lokuthi bambulale.
But they saw him when he was still far away, and they decided to kill him.
19 Bakhulumisana besithi: Khangela, lo umphuphi uyeza;
They said to each other [things like], “Here comes that dreamer!”
20 khathesi-ke, wozani simbulale, simphosele komunye wemigodi, besesisithi: Isilo esibi simdlile. Khona sizabona ukuthi amaphupho akhe azakuba yini.
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 URubeni wasekuzwa, wamophula esandleni sabo, wathi: Asingatshayi impilo.
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 URubeni wasesithi kubo: Lingachithi igazi, mphoseleni kulumgodi osenkangala, lingeluleli isandla kuye; ukuze amkhulule esandleni sabo, ukuze ambuyisele 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 Kwasekusithi uJosefa esefikile kubafowabo, bamhlubula uJosefa isigqoko sakhe, isigqoko esilemibalabala, ayesigqokile;
So when Joseph arrived where his older brothers were, they seized him and ripped off his pretty robe with long sleeves.
24 basebemthatha, bamphosela emgodini; kodwa umgodi wawungelalutho, kungelamanzi kuwo.
Then they took him and threw him into the pit/cistern. But the pit/cistern was dry; there was no water in it.
25 Basebehlala phansi ukudla isinkwa. Baphakamisa amehlo abo babona, khangela-ke, udwendwe lwamaIshmayeli luvela eGileyadi, lamakamela awo ethwele isinongo lenhlaka lemure, ehamba ukukwehlisela 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 wasesithi kubafowabo: Yinzuzo bani uba simbulala umfowethu, sifihle igazi lakhe?
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 Wozani, simthengise kumaIshmayeli, lesandla sethu kasingabi phezu kwakhe, ngoba umgumfowethu, inyama yethu. Abafowabo basebelalela.
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 Kwasekudlula amaMidiyani angabathengiselani; basebemdonsa bamphakamisa uJosefa emgodini, bathengisa uJosefa kumaIshmayeli ngenhlamvu zesiliva ezingamatshumi amabili. Amusa-ke 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 Kwathi uRubeni ebuyela emgodini, khangela-ke, uJosefa wayengekho emgodini, wadabula izembatho zakhe.
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 Wasebuyela kubafowabo wathi: Umfana kakho; mina-ke, ngizakuya ngaphi?
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 isigqoko sikaJosefa, bahlaba izinyane lembuzi, bagxamuza isigqoko 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 Basebethumela isigqoko esilemibalabala, basisa kuyise, bathi: Lokhu sikuficile; akunanzelele ukuthi lesi yisigqoko sendodana yakho yini, loba hatshi.
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 Wasinanzelela wathi: Yisigqoko sendodana yami! Isilo esibi simdlile, isibili udatshulwe uJosefa.
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 UJakobe wasedabula izembatho zakhe, wafaka isaka ekhalweni lwakhe, wayililela indodana yakhe insuku 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 Njalo wonke amadodana akhe lamadodakazi akhe asukuma ukumduduza, kodwa wala ukududuzwa, wathi: Ngoba ngizakwehlela engcwabeni endodaneni yami ngilila. Uyise wamlilela njalo. (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 AmaMidiyani asemthengisa eGibhithe kuPotifa, umphathi kaFaro, induna yabalindi.
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.
