UGenesisi 47
1 UJosefa wasesiza wambikela uFaro wathi: Ubaba labafowethu lezimvu zabo lenkomo zabo lakho konke abalakho bavele elizweni leKhanani, khangela-ke, baselizweni leGosheni.
Joseph went to report to Pharaoh and told him, “My father and brothers, along with their flocks and herds and all their possessions, have arrived from the land of Canaan and now they're here in Goshen.”
2 Wasethatha ingxenye yabafowabo, amadoda amahlanu, wawamisa phambi kukaFaro.
Joseph took five of his brothers to go with him and introduced them to Pharaoh.
3 UFaro wasesithi kubafowabo: Iyini imisebenzi yenu? Basebesithi kuFaro: Izinceku zakho zingabelusi bezimvu, thina sonke labobaba.
Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What work do you do?” “Your servants are shepherds, just like our fathers before us,” they replied.
4 Bathi futhi kuFaro: Sizehlala njengabezizwe elizweni; ngoba kakuladlelo lemihlambi inceku zakho ezilayo, ngoba indlala inzima elizweni leKhanani. Khathesi-ke, inceku zakho ake zihlale elizweni leGosheni.
“We have come to live in Egypt because there's no grass left in Canaan for our flocks to eat,” they explained. “The famine is really bad in Canaan. So we would like to please ask permission to live in Goshen.”
5 UFaro wasekhuluma kuJosefa esithi: Uyihlo labafowenu sebeze kuwe.
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Now that your father and brothers have arrived to join you,
6 Ilizwe leGibhithe liphambi kwakho; hlalisa uyihlo labafowenu ebuhleni belizwe, kabahlale elizweni leGosheni; futhi uba usazi ukuthi kukhona phakathi kwabo amadoda azingcitshi, uwabeke abe zinduna zezifuyo phezu kwengilakho.
you can choose wherever you like in Egypt, the best place, for them to live. Let them live in Goshen. If you know any of them who are good at what they do, put them in charge of my livestock as well.”
7 UJosefa waseletha uJakobe uyise, wammisa phambi kukaFaro; uJakobe wasembusisa uFaro.
Then Joseph went with his father Jacob and introduced him Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh,
8 UFaro wasesithi kuJakobe: Mangaki amalanga eminyaka yempilo yakho?
Pharaoh asked him, “So how long have you lived?”
9 UJakobe wasesithi kuFaro: Amalanga eminyaka yobuhambuma bami ayiminyaka elikhulu lamatshumi amathathu; abemalutshwana emabi amalanga eminyaka yempilo yami, futhi kawafinyelelanga emalangeni eminyaka yempilo yabobaba ensukwini zobuhambuma babo.
“I have been wandering for 130 years,” Jacob replied. “My life has been short and difficult—I have not lived as long as my forefathers who also wandered from place to place.”
10 UJakobe wasebusisa uFaro, waphuma esuka ebusweni bukaFaro.
Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh again before leaving him.
11 UJosefa wabahlalisa oyise labafowabo, wabapha isabelo elizweni leGibhithe, ebuhleni belizwe kulalo lonke, emkhonweni iRamesesi njengoba uFaro elayile.
So Joseph arranged for his father and brothers to live in Egypt and gave them land in the best part near Rameses, as Pharaoh had ordered.
12 UJosefa wasebondla oyise labafowabo lendlu yonke kayise ngesinkwa, ngokomlomo wabantwanyana.
He also provided food for all of them—his father, his brothers, and his father's whole household—depending on family size.
13 Njalo kwakungelakudla elizweni lonke, ngoba indlala yayinzima kakhulu; lelizwe leGibhithe lelizwe leKhanani aphela amandla ngendlala.
No food was left in the whole country because the famine had become so bad. Throughout Egypt and Canaan people were starving.
14 UJosefa wasebutha yonke imali eyatholakala elizweni leGibhithe lelizweni leKhanani, yamabele ababewathenga; uJosefa waseletha imali endlini kaFaro.
By selling grain Joseph collected all the money in Egypt and Canaan, and placed it in Pharaoh's treasury.
15 Kwathi imali isiphelile elizweni leGibhithe lelizweni leKhanani, wonke amaGibhithe eza kuJosefa esithi: Siphe ukudla; ngoba sizafelani phambi kwakho? Ngoba isiphelile imali.
Once the money from Egypt and Canaan had run out, the Egyptians all came to Joseph and demanded, “Give us food! Do you want us to die right in front of you? All our money is gone!”
16 UJosefa wasesithi: Lethani izifuyo zenu; njalo ngizalinika ngezifuyo zenu, uba imali isiphelile.
“Bring me your livestock,” Joseph told them. “I'll give you grain in exchange for your livestock if you've run out of money.”
17 Basebeletha izifuyo zabo kuJosefa; uJosefa wasebanika ukudla ngamabhiza langemfuyo yezimvu langemfuyo yenkomo langabobabhemi. Wasebondla ngokudla ngezifuyo zabo zonke ngalowomnyaka.
So they brought Joseph their livestock, and he provided them with grain in exchange for their horses, sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys. He gave them grain in return for their livestock during that year.
18 Kwathi usuphelile lowomnyaka, beza kuye ngomnyaka wesibili, bathi kuye: Kasiyikuyifihlela inkosi yethu ukuthi, njengoba imali isiphelile, lemfuyo yezifuyo isingeyenkosi yethu, kakukho okuseleyo phambi kwenkosi yethu, ngaphandle kwemizimba yethu lamasimu ethu.
But when that year was over, they came to him the next year and said, “My lord, we can't hide from you the fact that our money is gone and that you now own our livestock. All we have left to give you are our bodies and our land.
19 Sizafelani phambi kwamehlo akho, thina sonke lamasimu ethu? Sithenge lamasimu ethu ngokudla, thina-ke lamasimu ethu sibe zinceku zikaFaro; njalo siphe inhlanyelo ukuze siphile singafi, lokuthi umhlabathi ungalobi.
Do you want us to die right in front of you? So buy us and our land in return for food. Then our land will belong to Pharaoh, and we'll be his slaves. Just give us grain so we can live and won't die, and so the land won't be abandoned.”
20 UJosefa wasemthengela uFaro ilizwe lonke leGibhithe, ngoba amaGibhithe athengisa ngulowo lalowo insimu yakhe, ngoba indlala yayilamandla phezu kwabo; lelizwe laba ngelikaFaro.
So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. Each and every Egyptian sold their fields, because the famine was hurting them so badly. The land ended up being owned by Pharaoh,
21 Njalo mayelana labantu, wabasusa baya emizini, kusukela ekupheleni komunye umngcele weGibhithe kusiya ekupheleni komunye wayo.
and all the people became his slaves, from one end of Egypt to the other.
22 Kuphela ilizwe labapristi kalithenganga, ngoba abapristi balesabelo kuFaro, badla isabelo sabo uFaro ayebanika sona; ngakho kabathengisanga ilizwe labo.
The only land he didn't buy belonged to the priests because they had a food allowance provided to them by Pharaoh, so they didn't have to sell their land.
23 UJosefa wasesithi ebantwini: Khangelani, lamuhla ngilithengele uFaro lelizwe lenu; khangelani kulenhlanyelo yenu njalo lizahlanyela ensimini.
Then Joseph told the people, “Listen to me! Now that I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh, I'm giving you some seed for you to sow the fields.
24 Kuzakuthi-ke esivunweni limnike uFaro ingxenye yesihlanu, lengxenye ezine zibe ngezenu, kube yinhlanyelo yensimu lokudla kwenu lokwabasemizini yenu, lokudla kwabantwanyana benu.
However, when it's harvested, you have to give one fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you can keep as seed for the fields and as food for you, your households, and your children.”
25 Basebesithi: Usindise impilo yethu; asithole umusa emehlweni enkosi yami, njalo sizakuba yizigqili zikaFaro.
“You've saved our lives,” they declared. “May you continue to treat us well, my lord, and we'll be Pharaoh's slaves.”
26 UJosefa wasekumisa kwaba ngumthetho kuze kube lamuhla, phezu kwelizwe leGibhithe, ukuthi ingxenye yesihlanu izakuba ngekaFaro; ngaphandle kwelizwe labapristi lodwa elingeyisilo likaFaro.
So Joseph made it a law for Egypt which is still is in effect today that one fifth of all produce from the land belongs to Pharaoh. Only the priests' land was exempt since it did not belong to Pharaoh.
27 UIsrayeli wasehlala elizweni leGibhithe, elizweni leGosheni; bazizuzela imfuyo kulo, bazala, banda kakhulu.
The Israelites settled in Goshen in Egypt where they became prosperous landowners and rapidly increased in number.
28 UJakobe wasephila elizweni leGibhithe iminyaka elitshumi lesikhombisa; ngakho insuku zikaJakobe, iminyaka yempilo yakhe, yayiyiminyaka elikhulu lamatshumi amane lesikhombisa.
Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years, so he lived in total 137 years.
29 Kwathi sekusondele insuku zikaIsrayeli ukuthi afe, wabiza indodana yakhe uJosefa, wathi kuye: Uba-ke ngithole umusa emehlweni akho, ake ubeke isandla sakho ngaphansi kwethangazi lami, ungenzele umusa leqiniso; ngicela ungangingcwabi eGibhithe;
When the time came for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If you think well of me, place your hand under my thigh and promise to treat me with trustworthy love and faithfulness. Don't bury me here in Egypt.
30 kodwa akuthi ngilale labobaba, ngakho uzangithwala ungisuse eGibhithe, ungingcwabe engcwabeni labo. Wasesithi: Mina ngizakwenza njengokwelizwi lakho.
When I die, bury me with my forefathers. You must take my body from Egypt to the family tomb and bury me with them.” “I will do as you say,” Joseph promised.
31 Wasesithi: Funga kimi. Wasefunga kuye. UIsrayeli wasekhothamela phezu kwesihloko sombheda.
“Swear to me that you will,” he said. Joseph swore that he would. Israel bowed in worship at the head of his bed.
