UGenesisi 44
1 Waselaya umphathi wendlu yakhe esithi: Gcwalisa amasaka amadoda ngokudla, okulingene abangakuthwala, ufake imali yalowo lalowo emlonyeni wesaka lakhe.
When his brothers were ready to return home, Joseph said to the man who was in charge of things in his house, “Fill the sacks of those men with as much grain as they can carry [on their donkeys]. And put in the top of each man’s sack the silver that he paid for the grain.
2 Lenkezo yami, inkezo yesiliva, ifake emlonyeni wesaka lecinathunjana kanye lemali yamabele alo. Wenza-ke njengelizwi likaJosefa, ayelikhulumile.
Then put my silver cup in the top of the youngest brother’s sack, along with the silver that he paid for the grain.” So the servant did what Joseph told him to do.
3 Ekuseni sekusile, amadoda avunyelwa ukuhamba, wona labobabhemi bawo.
The next morning at dawn the men started on the way home with their donkeys.
4 Wona aphuma emzini, ayengakhatshana, uJosefa wasesithi kumphathi wendlu yakhe: Sukuma xotshana lamadoda; lapho usuwaficile uzakuthi kuwo: Liphindiseleleni okuhle ngokubi?
When they had not gone far from the city, Joseph said to the servant in charge of things in his house, “Pursue those men immediately. When you catch up to them, say to them, ‘We did good things for you! Why have you paid us back by doing something bad to us?
5 Le kayisiyo enatha kuyo inkosi yami, lehlahlula ngayo sibili yini? Lenze okubi ngelikwenzileyo.
[You have stolen the cup] that my master drinks from [RHQ]! It is the cup that he uses to find out things that nobody knows! What you did was very wicked!’”
6 Wasewafica, wakhuluma kuwo la amazwi.
The servant [left immediately and] when he caught up with them, he told them what Joseph had told him to say.
7 Asesithi kuye: Inkosi yami ikhulumelani amazwi anje? Kakube khatshana lezinceku zakho ukwenza into enje.
But one of them replied to him, “Sir, why do you say such things? We are your servants, and we would never 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?
We even brought back to you from Canaan land the silver that we found inside the tops of our sacks! So (we certainly would not steal silver or gold from your master’s house!/Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?) [RHQ]
9 Lowo owezinceku zakho etholwa kuye, kafe, lathi futhi sizakuba yizigqili zenkosi yami.
If you discover that any of us has that cup, you can execute him, and the rest of us will become your slaves.”
10 Wasesithi: Khathesi-ke, kakube njalo njengamazwi enu; lowo ezatholwa kuye uzakuba yisigqili sami, kodwa lina libe msulwa.
The man replied, “Okay, I will do what you say. But the one who has the cup will not be executed. Instead, he will become my slave, and the rest of you may return home.”
11 Basebephangisa, njalo ngulowo lalowo wethulela isaka lakhe emhlabathini, ngulowo lalowo wasevula isaka lakhe.
Each of the men quickly lowered his sack down from the donkey to the ground and opened it.
12 Waphenya eqala kwenkulu wacina ngecinathunjana; njalo inkezo yatholwa esakeni likaBhenjamini.
Then the servant started to search for the cup in each sack. He started with the oldest brother’s sack and ended with the youngest one’s sack. And he found the cup in Benjamin’s sack and showed it to them.
13 Asedabula izembatho zawo; ileyo laleyo yethwesa ubabhemi wayo, asebuyela emzini.
The brothers tore their clothes [because they were so dismayed]. They loaded the sacks on the donkeys again and returned to the city.
14 Njalo uJuda wafika labafowabo endlini kaJosefa; ngoba wayesesekhona, bawela emhlabathini phambi kwakhe.
When Judah and his [older and younger] brothers entered Joseph’s house, Joseph was still there. The servant told Joseph what had happened. Then the brothers threw themselves down on the ground in front of Joseph.
15 UJosefa wasesithi kubo: Yisenzo bani elisenzileyo? Belingazi yini ukuthi indoda enjengami ingahlahlula sibili?
He said to them, “Why did you do this? Do you not know that a man like me can find out things that nobody knows?” [RHQ]
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.
Judah replied, “Sir, what can we say? How can we prove that we (are innocent/did not steal the cup)? God has (paid us back/punished us) for the sins [we committed many years ago]. So now we will become your slaves—both we and the one in whose sack the cup was found.”
17 Kodwa wathi: Kakube khatshana lami ukwenza lokho. Indoda esandleni sayo okutholwe inkezo, nguye ozakuba yisigqili sami; kodwa lina yenyukani ngokuthula liye kuyihlo.
But Joseph replied, “No, I could never do anything like that. Only the man in whose sack the cup was found will become my slave. The rest of you can return to your father peacefully.”
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.
Then Judah came near to Joseph and said, “Sir, please let me say something to you. You are equal to the king himself, so you could command that I be executed; but do not be angry with me for speaking to you.
19 Inkosi yami yabuza inceku zayo isithi: Liloyihlo kumbe umfowenu yini?
You asked us, ‘Is your father still living, and do you have another brother?’
20 Sasesisithi enkosini yami: Silobaba olixhegu, lomfana wobuxhegu, omncinyane, lomnewabo ufile, njalo yena usele yedwa kunina, loyise uyamthanda.
We answered, ‘Our father is alive, but he is an old man. He has a young son who was born after our father became an old man. That son had an [older] brother, who is now dead. So the youngest son is the only one of his mother’s sons who is still alive, and his father loves him very much.’
21 Wasusithi ezincekwini zakho: Mehliseleni kimi ukuze ngibeke ilihlo lami phezu kwakhe.
Then you said to us, ‘The next time you come here, bring your younger brother down to me, so that I can see him.’
22 Sasesisithi enkosini yami: Umfana angetshiye uyise; uba emtshiya uyise, uzakufa uyise.
We said to you, ‘No, we cannot do that, because the boy cannot leave his father. If he leaves his father, his father will die from sorrow.’
23 Wasusithi ezincekwini zakho: Uba umnawenu olicinathunjana engehli lani, kaliyikubona ubuso bami futhi.
But you told us, ‘If your youngest brother does not come back with you, I will not let you see me again!’
24 Kwasekusithi sesenyukele kunceku yakho ubaba, samazisa amazwi enkosi yami.
When we returned to our father, we told him what you said.
25 Ubaba wasesithi: Buyelani, lisithengele ukudla okulutshwana.
[Months later] our father said, ‘Go back to Egypt and buy some more grain!’
26 Sasesisithi: Singeke sehle; uba umnawethu olicinathunjana elathi singehla, ngoba singebone ubuso baleyondoda uba umnawethu olicinathunjana singelaye.
But we said, ‘We cannot go back by ourselves. We will go only if our youngest brother is with us. We will not be able to see the man who sells grain if our youngest brother is not with us.’
27 Inceku yakho ubaba yasisithi kithi: Lina liyazi ukuthi umkami wangizalela amadodana amabili;
Our father replied, ‘You know that my wife [Rachel] gave birth to two sons for me.
28 njalo omunye waphuma kimi, ngasengisithi: Isibili udatshuliwe lokudatshulwa; njalo kangimbonanga kuze kube khathesi.
One of them disappeared, and I said, “A wild animal has surely torn him to pieces.” And I have not seen him since then.
29 Uba lithatha lalo limsusa ebusweni bami, esehlelwe yingozi, lizakwehlisela-ke izimvu zami engcwabeni ngosizi. (Sheol h7585)
I am an old gray-haired man. If you take this other one from me, too, and something harms him, you would cause me to die because of my sorrow.’ (Sheol h7585)
30 Khathesi-ke, lapho ngibuyela kunceku yakho ubaba, lomfana singelaye, njengoba umphefumulo wakhe ubotshelwe emphefumulweni wakhe,
“So please listen. My father will remain alive only if his youngest son remains alive.
31 kuzakuthi-ke, nxa ebona ukuthi umfana kakho, uzakufa; njalo inceku zakho zizakwehlisela izimvu zenceku yakho ubaba engcwabeni ngosizi. (Sheol h7585)
If he sees that the boy is not with us when we return to him, he will die. We will cause our gray-haired father to die because of his sorrow. (Sheol h7585)
32 Ngoba inceku yakho yaba yisibambiso somfana kubaba esithi: Uba ngingambuyiseli kuwe, ngizakuba lecala kubaba zonke izinsuku.
I guaranteed/promised to my father that the boy would return safely. I told him, ‘You can require me to do what I am promising. If I do not bring him back to you, you can say forever that (I am to blame/it is my fault) [for not bringing him back to you].’
33 Khathesi-ke, ake inceku yakho isale esikhundleni somfana, ibe yisigqili senkosi yami, lomfana enyuke kanye labafowabo.
“So, please let me remain here as your slave instead of my youngest brother, and let the boy return home with his other older brothers.
34 Ngoba ngingenyukela njani kubaba, umfana ngingelaye, hlezi ngibone okubi okuzafica ubaba?
(I cannot return to my father if the boy is not with me!/How can I return to my father if the boy is not with me?) [RHQ] I do not want to see how miserable/sad my father would become!”
