UGenesisi 42
1 UJakobe esebonile ukuthi kukhona amabele eGibhithe, uJakobe wathi emadodaneni akhe: Kungani likhangelana?
When Jacob found out grain was available in Egypt, he asked his sons, “Why do you keep on looking at each other to do something?
2 Wathi futhi: Khangelani, sengizwile ukuthi kukhona amabele eGibhithe; yehlani liye khona, lisithengele khona, ukuze siphile, singafi.
I've heard there's grain in Egypt. Go there and buy some for us so we can stay alive—if not, we're going to die!”
3 Abafowabo bakaJosefa abalitshumi basebesehla ukuthenga amabele eGibhithe.
So ten of Joseph's brothers went to Egypt to buy grain.
4 Kodwa uBhenjamini, umfowabo kaJosefa, uJakobe kamthumanga labafowabo, ngoba wathi: Hlezi ehlelwe yingozi.
But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his other brothers, for he said, “I'm afraid something bad might happen to him.”
5 Amadodana kaIsrayeli asefika ukuthenga phakathi kwababesiza, ngoba indlala yayikhona elizweni leKhanani.
So Israel's sons went to buy grain along with everyone else, because there was famine in Canaan too.
6 Njalo uJosefa wayengumbusi phezu kwelizwe; wathengisela abantu bonke belizwe; bafika-ke abafowabo bakaJosefa, bamkhothamela ngobuso emhlabathini.
Joseph was the governor of the country and he sold grain to all the people there. So Joseph's brothers went to him, and bowed low before him with their faces to the ground.
7 UJosefa esebabonile abafowabo, wabazi, kodwa wazitshaya owemzini kubo, wakhuluma labo izinto ezilukhuni wathi kubo: Livela ngaphi? Bathi: Elizweni leKhanani, ukuthenga ukudla.
Joseph recognized them as soon as he saw them, but he acted like a stranger towards them and spoke to them in a severe way, saying, “Where are you from?” “From the country of Canaan,” they replied. “We've come to buy food.”
8 UJosefa wasebazi abafowabo, kodwa bona kabamazanga.
Even though Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn't recognize him.
9 UJosefa wasekhumbula amaphupho awaphupha ngabo, wathi kibo: Lizinhloli, ukuzabona ubunqunu belizwe lizile.
Joseph thought back to the dreams he'd had about them, and told them, “No! You're spies! You've come to discover our country's weaknesses!”
10 Basebesithi kuye: Hatshi, nkosi yami; kodwa inceku zakho zize ukuthenga ukudla.
“That's not true, my lord!” they responded. “We, your servants, have just come to buy food.
11 Thina sonke singamadodana andodanye; singabaqotho, inceku zakho kazisizo inhloli.
We're all the sons of one man and we're honest. We're not spies!”
12 Wasesithi kubo: Hatshi, kodwa ukuzabona ubunqunu belizwe lizile.
“No! You've come to find our country's weaknesses!” he insisted.
13 Basebesithi: Thina, izinceku zakho, siyizelamani ezilitshumi lambili, amadodana andodanye elizweni leKhanani; khangela-ke, icinathunjana likubaba lamuhla, enye kayisekho.
“Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man living in the country of Canaan,” they explained. “The youngest is right now with our father, and one has passed away.”
14 UJosefa wasesithi kubo: Yikho lokho engikutsho kini, ukuthi: Lizinhloli.
“As I said before, you're spies!” Joseph declared.
15 Kulokhu lizahlolwa; ngempilo kaFaro! kalisoze liphume lapha, ngaphandle kokuthi kufike umfowenu olicinathunjana lapha.
“This is how your story will be checked. I swear on Pharaoh's life that you'll never leave this country unless your younger brother comes here.
16 Thumani omunye wenu, amlande umfowenu; kodwa lina lizabotshwa, ukuze kuhlolwe amazwi enu, ukuthi iqiniso likini yini; kodwa uba hatshi, impilo kaFaro! lizinhloli.
One of you go back and bring your other brother here. The others of you will be kept here in prison until it's clear that you're telling the truth. If not, then I swear on Pharaoh's life it proves you're spies!”
17 Wasebafaka esitokisini insuku ezintathu.
So Joseph put all of them in prison for three days.
18 UJosefa wasesithi kubo ngosuku lwesithathu: Yenzani lokhu ukuze liphile. Ngiyamesaba uNkulunkulu.
On the third day he told them, “Since I'm someone who respects God, do as I tell you and you'll live.
19 Uba lingabaqotho, kabotshwe omunye wabafowenu endlini yokulondolozwa kwenu, kodwa lina hambani, libuyele lamabele endlala ezindlu zenu,
If you're truly honest, choose one of your brothers to stay here in prison. The rest of you can go back home with grain for your hungry families.
20 lilethe umnawenu olicinathunjana kimi; khona amazwi enu ezaqiniswa, ukuze lingafi. Basebesenza njalo.
But you must bring your youngest brother here to me to prove what you're saying is true. If not, you will all die.” They agreed to do this.
21 Basebekhulumisana besithi: Isibili silecala ngomfowethu, ngoba sabona usizi lomphefumulo wakhe, nxa wasincenga, kodwa kasilalelanga; ngenxa yalokho sehlelwe yikuhlupheka lokhu.
“Clearly we're being punished for what we did to our brother,” they said to each other. “We watched him in agony pleading with us for mercy, but we refused to listen to him. That's why we're in all this trouble.”
22 URubeni wasebaphendula wathi: Kangitshongo yini ukuthi: Lingoni kumfana? Kodwa kalilalelanga. Ngakho legazi lakhe, khangelani, liyabizwa.
Reuben said to them, “Didn't I tell you, ‘Don't harm the boy!’ But you didn't listen to me. Now we're paying the price for what we did to him.”
23 Njalo bona babengazi ukuthi uJosefa uyezwa, ngoba kwakulomtoliki phakathi kwabo.
They didn't realize that Joseph understood what they were saying because they were talking to him through an interpreter.
24 Njalo wabafulathela, wakhala inyembezi; wasetshibilikela kubo, wakhuluma kubo; wasethatha uSimeyoni kubo, wambopha phambi kwamehlo abo.
Joseph stepped away from them because he started crying. He came back when he was able to speak to them again. He chose Simeon and had him tied up as they watched.
25 UJosefa waselaya ukuthi bagcwalise amasaka abo ngamabele, lokuthi babuyisele imali yabo, ngulowo lalowo esakeni lakhe, lokuthi babanike umphako wendlela; basebesenza njalo kubo.
Joseph gave the order to fill up their sacks with grain, and also to return the money they had paid by placing it in the sacks as well. He also ordered that they should be provided with food for their journey home. All this was done.
26 Basebesethwesa obabhemi babo amabele abo, basuka lapho.
The brothers loaded the grain onto their donkeys and then set off.
27 Kwathi omunye evula isaka lakhe ukuze anike ubabhemi wakhe ukudla endlini yezihambi, wabona imali yakhe, ngoba khangela, yayisemlonyeni wesaka lakhe.
On their way they stopped for the night, and one of them opened up his sack to give his donkey something to eat and saw his money there at the top of the sack.
28 Wasesithi kubafowabo: Imali yami ibuyiselwe; futhi khangelani, isesakeni lami. Inhliziyo yabo yasisehluleka, bathuthumela, omunye komunye besithi: Kuyini lokhu uNkulunkulu akwenze kithi?
He told his brothers, “My money's been returned to me. It's right here at the top of my sack!” They were horrified! Trembling with fear they asked each other, “What is this that God's done to us?”
29 Basebesiza kuJakobe uyise elizweni leKhanani, bamazisa konke abahlangene lakho, besithi:
When they arrived home in Canaan, they told their father Jacob everything that had happened.
30 Indoda, umbusi walelolizwe, wasihalada, wasithatha njengenhloli zelizwe.
“The man who is the country's governor spoke to us in a severe way, and accused us of spying on the land,” they explained.
31 Kodwa sathi kuye: Singabaqotho; kasisizo izinhloli;
“We told him, ‘We are honest men. We're not spies!
32 sasiyizelamani ezilitshumi lambili, amadodana kababa; enye kayisekho, lecinathunjana lamuhla likubaba elizweni leKhanani.
We are twelve brothers, the sons of one father. One has passed away and the youngest is right now with our father in the country of Canaan.’
33 Lendoda, umbusi welizwe, wathi kithi: Ngalokhu ngizakwazi ukuthi lingabaqotho; tshiyani omunye wabafowenu kimi, lithathele indlala yezindlu zenu, lihambe,
Then the man who is the country's governor said to us, ‘This is how I'll find out if you're telling the truth: you are to leave one of your brothers here with me while the rest take grain home for your hungry families.
34 lilethe umnawenu olicinathunjana kimi; khona ngizabona ukuthi kalisizo izinhloli kodwa lingabaqotho, ngilinike umfowenu, lithengiselane elizweni.
Then bring your youngest brother to me. That way I'll know you're not spies but you're telling the truth. I'll release your brother to you, and you can stay in the country and trade.’”
35 Kwasekusithi sebethulula amasaka abo, khangela-ke, isikhwama semali salowo lalowo sisesakeni lakhe. Lapho bebona izikhwama zemali yabo, bona loyise, besaba.
As they emptied their sacks, each one's money bag was there in his sack! When they and their father saw the money bags, they were horrified.
36 UJakobe uyise wasesithi kubo: Liyangemuka abantwana; uJosefa kasekho loSimeyoni kakho, loBhenjamini lizamthatha; zonke lezizinto zimelane lami.
Jacob their father accused them, “You have taken Joseph from me—he's gone! Simeon is gone too! Now you want to take Benjamin away! I'm the one who's suffering from all of this!”
37 URubeni wasekhuluma kuyise esithi: Bulala ababili kumadodana ami, uba ngingambuyisi kuwe; mnikele esandleni sami, futhi mina ngizambuyisela kuwe.
“You can kill my two sons if I don't bring him back to you,” Reuben assured him. “Trust me with him, and I will bring him home to you myself.”
38 Kodwa wathi: Indodana yami kayiyikwehla lani, ngoba umfowabo ufile, futhi yena usele yedwa; uba esehlelwa yingozi endleleni elihamba kuyo, lizakwehlisela engcwabeni izimvu zami ngosizi. (Sheol h7585)
“My son won't go there with you!” Jacob declared. “His brother is dead, and he's the only one I have left. If anything bad happens to him on the journey you're planning, you'll send this old man to his grave in grief.” (Sheol h7585)
