UGenesisi 44
1 Waselaya umphathi wendlu yakhe esithi: Gcwalisa amasaka amadoda ngokudla, okulingene abangakuthwala, ufake imali yalowo lalowo emlonyeni wesaka lakhe.
Joseph ordered his household supervisor, “Fill the men's sacks with as much grain as they can hold and put each man's money at the top of his sack.
2 Lenkezo yami, inkezo yesiliva, ifake emlonyeni wesaka lecinathunjana kanye lemali yamabele alo. Wenza-ke njengelizwi likaJosefa, ayelikhulumile.
Then put my special silver cup at the top of the sack of the youngest, along with the money for his grain.” He did as Joseph told him.
3 Ekuseni sekusile, amadoda avunyelwa ukuhamba, wona labobabhemi bawo.
At sunrise they were sent on their way with their donkeys.
4 Wona aphuma emzini, ayengakhatshana, uJosefa wasesithi kumphathi wendlu yakhe: Sukuma xotshana lamadoda; lapho usuwaficile uzakuthi kuwo: Liphindiseleleni okuhle ngokubi?
They had hardly left the city when Joseph told his household supervisor, “Go after those men, and when you catch up with them, ask them, ‘Why have you paid back good with evil by stealing my master's silver cup?
5 Le kayisiyo enatha kuyo inkosi yami, lehlahlula ngayo sibili yini? Lenze okubi ngelikwenzileyo.
This is the cup he personally drinks from, and which he uses for divination. What you've done is really evil!’”
6 Wasewafica, wakhuluma kuwo la amazwi.
When he caught up with them, he told them what Joseph had said.
7 Asesithi kuye: Inkosi yami ikhulumelani amazwi anje? Kakube khatshana lezinceku zakho ukwenza into enje.
“My lord, what are you saying?” they replied. “We your servants wouldn't do anything like that!
8 Khangela, imali esayifica emlonyeni wamasaka ethu sayibuyisela kuwe ivela elizweni leKhanani. Pho, besingeba njani isiliva loba igolide endlini yenkosi yakho?
Remember that we brought back the money we found at the top of our sacks when we returned from Canaan. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house?
9 Lowo owezinceku zakho etholwa kuye, kafe, lathi futhi sizakuba yizigqili zenkosi yami.
If any one of us is found with it, he shall die, and all of us will become your slaves.”
10 Wasesithi: Khathesi-ke, kakube njalo njengamazwi enu; lowo ezatholwa kuye uzakuba yisigqili sami, kodwa lina libe msulwa.
“Whatever you say,” the man replied, “but only the one found with it will become my slave since the rest of you will be free of any blame.”
11 Basebephangisa, njalo ngulowo lalowo wethulela isaka lakhe emhlabathini, ngulowo lalowo wasevula isaka lakhe.
They all unloaded their sacks and put them on the ground. They each opened their own sacks.
12 Waphenya eqala kwenkulu wacina ngecinathunjana; njalo inkezo yatholwa esakeni likaBhenjamini.
The household supervisor searched the sacks, beginning with the oldest and working his way down to the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
13 Asedabula izembatho zawo; ileyo laleyo yethwesa ubabhemi wayo, asebuyela emzini.
The brothers tore their clothes in grief. Then they loaded their sacks back on their donkeys and headed back to the city.
14 Njalo uJuda wafika labafowabo endlini kaJosefa; ngoba wayesesekhona, bawela emhlabathini phambi kwakhe.
Joseph was still at home when Judah and his brothers arrived, and they fell to the ground before him.
15 UJosefa wasesithi kubo: Yisenzo bani elisenzileyo? Belingazi yini ukuthi indoda enjengami ingahlahlula sibili?
“Why did you do this?” Joseph asked. “Don't you know a man like me can find out things through divination?”
16 UJuda wasesithi: Sizakuthini enkosini yami? Sizakhulumani? Loba sizazilungisisa njani? UNkulunkulu uthole ububi benceku zakho; khangela, siyizigqili zenkosi yami, thina sonke kanye laye inkezo etholwe esandleni sakhe.
“My lord, what can we say?” Judah replied. “How can we explain this to you? In what way can we prove our innocence? God has exposed the guilt of your servants. My lord, we are your slaves—all of us, including the one who was found with the cup.”
17 Kodwa wathi: Kakube khatshana lami ukwenza lokho. Indoda esandleni sayo okutholwe inkezo, nguye ozakuba yisigqili sami; kodwa lina yenyukani ngokuthula liye kuyihlo.
“I wouldn't do anything like that!” Joseph replied. “Only the man who was found with the cup will become my slave. The rest of you are free to return to your father.”
18 UJuda wasesondela kuye wathi: Uxolo nkosi yami! Ake uvumele inceku yakho ikhulume ilizwi endlebeni zenkosi yami, lolaka lwakho lungayivutheli inceku yakho, ngoba unjengoFaro kanye.
Judah came closer and said to him, “If you please, my lord, let your servant just say a word. Please don't become angry with your servant, even though you are as powerful as Pharaoh himself.
19 Inkosi yami yabuza inceku zayo isithi: Liloyihlo kumbe umfowenu yini?
My lord, previously you asked us, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’
20 Sasesisithi enkosini yami: Silobaba olixhegu, lomfana wobuxhegu, omncinyane, lomnewabo ufile, njalo yena usele yedwa kunina, loyise uyamthanda.
We told you, my lord, ‘We have an elderly father, and a younger brother, born when our father was already old. The boy's brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother's children left, and his father loves him dearly.’
21 Wasusithi ezincekwini zakho: Mehliseleni kimi ukuze ngibeke ilihlo lami phezu kwakhe.
Then you ordered us, ‘Bring him here to me so I can see him.’
22 Sasesisithi enkosini yami: Umfana angetshiye uyise; uba emtshiya uyise, uzakufa uyise.
We told you, ‘The boy can't leave his father; if he did, his father would die.’
23 Wasusithi ezincekwini zakho: Uba umnawenu olicinathunjana engehli lani, kaliyikubona ubuso bami futhi.
But you told us, ‘If your youngest brother doesn't come with you, you won't see me again.’
24 Kwasekusithi sesenyukele kunceku yakho ubaba, samazisa amazwi enkosi yami.
So when we went back to your servant, our father, we explained to him everything you had told us.
25 Ubaba wasesithi: Buyelani, lisithengele ukudla okulutshwana.
However, later on, our father told us, ‘Go back and buy some more food.’
26 Sasesisithi: Singeke sehle; uba umnawethu olicinathunjana elathi singehla, ngoba singebone ubuso baleyondoda uba umnawethu olicinathunjana singelaye.
But we said, ‘There's no way we can go back unless Benjamin our youngest brother goes with us, because we won't be able to see the man if Benjamin isn't with us.’
27 Inceku yakho ubaba yasisithi kithi: Lina liyazi ukuthi umkami wangizalela amadodana amabili;
Then my father said to us, ‘You realize that my wife had two sons for me.
28 njalo omunye waphuma kimi, ngasengisithi: Isibili udatshuliwe lokudatshulwa; njalo kangimbonanga kuze kube khathesi.
One is no more, ripped to pieces no doubt, for I've never seen him since.
29 Uba lithatha lalo limsusa ebusweni bami, esehlelwe yingozi, lizakwehlisela-ke izimvu zami engcwabeni ngosizi. (Sheol h7585)
If you take this one away from me too, and something bad happens to him, you'll send this old man to his grave in grief.’ (Sheol h7585)
30 Khathesi-ke, lapho ngibuyela kunceku yakho ubaba, lomfana singelaye, njengoba umphefumulo wakhe ubotshelwe emphefumulweni wakhe,
So if the boy isn't with us when I go back to my father, whose life depends on the life of the boy,
31 kuzakuthi-ke, nxa ebona ukuthi umfana kakho, uzakufa; njalo inceku zakho zizakwehlisela izimvu zenceku yakho ubaba engcwabeni ngosizi. (Sheol h7585)
as soon as he sees the boy isn't there he'll die, and we will really send this old man, our father, to his grave in grief. (Sheol h7585)
32 Ngoba inceku yakho yaba yisibambiso somfana kubaba esithi: Uba ngingambuyiseli kuwe, ngizakuba lecala kubaba zonke izinsuku.
In fact I gave myself as the guarantee for the boy to my father. I told him, ‘If I don't bring him back to you, then I will always carry the blame!’
33 Khathesi-ke, ake inceku yakho isale esikhundleni somfana, ibe yisigqili senkosi yami, lomfana enyuke kanye labafowabo.
So please let me stay here as my lord's slave instead of the boy. Let him go back home with his brothers.
34 Ngoba ngingenyukela njani kubaba, umfana ngingelaye, hlezi ngibone okubi okuzafica ubaba?
For how could I ever go back to my father if the boy wasn't with me? I couldn't stand seeing the anguish that would cause my father.”
