UGenesisi 43
1 Indlala yasisiba nzima elizweni.
Now the famine was still severe in the land.
2 Kwasekusithi sebeqedile ukudla ababebuye lakho eGibhithe, uyise wathi kubo: Buyelani, lisithengele ukudla okulutshwana.
So when Jacob’s sons had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”
3 UJuda wasekhuluma kuye wathi: Leyondoda yasiqonqosela yathi: Kalisoze libubone ubuso bami ngaphandle kokuthi umnawenu libe laye.
But Judah replied, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’
4 Uba uthuma umnawethu lathi, sizakwehla siyekuthengela ukudla,
If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you.
5 kodwa uba ungamthumi, kasiyikwehla, ngoba leyondoda yathi kithi: Kalisoze libubone ubuso bami ngaphandle kokuthi umnawenu lilaye.
But if you will not send him, we will not go; for the man told us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’”
6 UIsrayeli wasesithi: Lenzelani okubi kimi ngokuyazisa leyondoda ukuthi liselomnawenu?
“Why did you bring this trouble upon me?” Israel asked. “Why did you tell the man you had another brother?”
7 Basebesithi: Leyondoda yabuzisisa mayelana lathi langezihlobo zethu, isithi: Uyihlo usaphila yini? Lilomnawenu yini? Sayilandisela ngalawomazwi; ukwazi sasikwazi yini ukuthi izakuthi: Yehlani lomnawenu?
They replied, “The man questioned us in detail about ourselves and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”
8 UJuda wasesithi kuIsrayeli uyise: Thuma umfana lami; besesisukuma sihambe, ukuze siphile singafi, lathi, lawe, labantwanyana bethu.
And Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will go at once, so that we may live and not die—neither we, nor you, nor our children.
9 Mina ngizakuba yisibambiso sakhe; uzambiza esandleni sami; uba ngingambuyisi kuwe ngimbeke phambi kwakho, ngizakuba lecala kuwe zonke izinsuku.
I will guarantee his safety. You may hold me personally responsible. If I do not bring him back and set him before you, then may I bear the guilt before you all my life.
10 Isibili uba besingalibalanga, qotho ngabe khathesi sesibuyile kabili.
If we had not delayed, we could have come and gone twice by now.”
11 UIsrayeli uyise wasesithi kubo: Uba kunjalo khathesi, yenzani lokhu; thathani okwezithelo ezikhethiweyo zelizwe ezitsheni zenu, liyehlisele leyondoda isipho, inhlaka eyingcosana, loluju oluyingcosana, isinongo, lemure, imkelu yepistakiyo, lama-alimondi;
Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and carry them down as a gift for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds.
12 lithathe imali iphindwe kabili esandleni senu; futhi imali eyabuyiselwayo emlonyeni wamasaka enu liyibuyisele esandleni senu, mhlawumbe kwaba yisiphosiso.
Take double the silver with you so that you may return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake.
13 Lithathe futhi umfowenu, lisukume, libuyele kuleyondoda.
Take your brother as well, and return to the man at once.
14 UNkulunkulu uSomandla kaliphe isihawu phambi kwaleyondoda, ukuze alikhululele omunye umfowenu loBhenjamini. Mina-ke, uba ngemukwa abantwana, ngiyemukwa.
May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother along with Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
15 Amadoda asethatha lesosipho, athatha imali ephindwe kabili esandleni sawo loBhenjamini; asukuma ehlela eGibhithe, ema phambi kukaJosefa.
So the men took these gifts, along with double the amount of silver, and Benjamin as well. Then they hurried down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.
16 Kwathi uJosefa embona uBhenjamini elabo, wathi kumphathi wendlu yakhe: Ngenisa lamadoda endlini, uhlabe isifuyo, ulungise, ngoba lamadoda azakudla lami emini.
When Joseph saw Benjamin with his brothers, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for they shall dine with me at noon.”
17 Indoda yenza njengoba uJosefa etshilo, lendoda yawangenisa amadoda endlini kaJosefa.
The man did as Joseph had commanded and took the brothers to Joseph’s house.
18 Amadoda asesesaba, ngoba engeniswe endlini kaJosefa; athi: Singenisiwe ngenxa yemali eyabuyiselwa emasakeni ethu kuqala, ukuze asijume ehlele phezu kwethu, asithathe sibe yizigqili, labobabhemi bethu.
But the brothers were frightened that they had been taken to Joseph’s house. “We have been brought here because of the silver that was returned in our bags the first time,” they said. “They intend to overpower us and take us as slaves, along with our donkeys.”
19 Asesondela endodeni eyayingumphathi wendlu kaJosefa, akhuluma kuyo emnyango wendlu,
So they approached Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house.
20 athi: Mayuyu nkosi yami! Sehla lokwehla kuqala ukuthenga ukudla.
“Please, sir,” they said, “we really did come down here the first time to buy food.
21 Kwasekusithi sesifike endlini yezihambi, savula amasaka ethu, khangela-ke, imali yalowo lalowo yayisemlonyeni wesaka lakhe, imali yethu ngesisindo sayo; siyibuyisile esandleni sethu.
But when we came to the place we lodged for the night, we opened our sacks and, behold, each of us found his silver in the mouth of his sack! It was the full amount of our silver, and we have brought it back with us.
22 Sehle lenye imali layo esandleni sethu, ukuthenga ukudla. Kasazi ukuthi ngubani ofake imali yethu emasakeni ethu.
We have brought additional silver with us to buy food. We do not know who put our silver in our sacks.”
23 Wasesithi: Ukuthula kakube kini, lingesabi. UNkulunkulu wenu loNkulunkulu kayihlo ulinikile inotho emasakeni enu. Imali yenu yeza kimi. Wasemkhuphela kubo uSimeyoni.
“It is fine,” said the steward. “Do not be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, gave you the treasure that was in your sacks. I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.
24 Indoda yasiwangenisa amadoda endlini kaJosefa, yawanika amanzi; asegeza inyawo zawo; yasinika obabhemi bawo ukudla.
And the steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided food for their donkeys.
25 Aselungisa isipho waze wafika uJosefa emini, ngoba ayezwile ukuthi bazakudla isinkwa lapho.
Since the brothers had been told that they were going to eat a meal there, they prepared their gift for Joseph’s arrival at noon.
26 Kwathi uJosefa esefikile endlini, amlethela endlini isipho esasisesandleni sawo, amkhothamela emhlabathini.
When Joseph came home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought, and they bowed to the ground before him.
27 Wasewabuza impilo wathi: Uyaphila uyihlo yini, ixhegu elalikhuluma ngalo? Lisaphila yini?
He asked if they were well, and then he asked, “How is your elderly father you told me about? Is he still alive?”
28 Asesithi: Inceku yakho ubaba isekhona, isaphila. Asekhothamela phansi amkhonza.
“Your servant our father is well,” they answered. “He is still alive.” And they bowed down to honor him.
29 Wasephakamisa amehlo akhe, wabona uBhenjamini umfowabo, indodana kanina, wathi: Nguye lo umnawenu omncinyane yini elakhuluma ngaye kimi? Wathi futhi: UNkulunkulu kabe lomusa kuwe, ndodana yami.
When Joseph looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” Then he declared, “May God be gracious to you, my son.”
30 UJosefa wasephangisa, ngoba imibilini yakhe yatshisekela umfowabo; wadinga indawo yokukhala inyembezi; wangena ekamelweni eliphakathi, wakhala inyembezi khona.
Joseph hurried out because he was moved to tears for his brother, and he went to a private room to weep.
31 Esegezile ubuso bakhe, waphuma; esezibambile wathi: Fakani isinkwa.
Then he washed his face and came back out. Regaining his composure, he said, “Serve the meal.”
32 Bamfakela yedwa, lawo wodwa, lamaGibhithe, ayesidla laye, wodwa, ngoba amaGibhithe ayengedle isinkwa lamaHebheru, ngoba lokho kwakuyisinengiso kumaGibhithe.
They separately served Joseph, his brothers, and the Egyptians. They ate separately because the Egyptians would not eat with the Hebrews, since that was detestable to them.
33 Asehlala phambi kwakhe, izibulo njengobuzibulo balo, lecinathunjana njengobucinathunjana balo; amadoda asemangala enye kwenye.
They were seated before Joseph in order by age, from the firstborn to the youngest, and the men looked at one another in astonishment.
34 Wasewabela kulokhu okwakuphambi kwakhe; kodwa isabelo sikaBhenjamini saphindwa kahlanu okwedlula isabelo sawo wonke. Anatha asenatha kakhulu laye.
When the portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times larger than any of the others. So they feasted and drank freely with Joseph.
