Mwanzo 47
1 Yosefu akaenda na kumwambia Farao, “Baba yangu na ndugu zangu wamekuja kutoka nchi ya Kanaani wakiwa na makundi yao ya kondoo, mbuzi na ngʼombe, pamoja na kila kitu walicho nacho, nao sasa wapo huko Gosheni.”
Joseph chose five of his [older] brothers to go with him to talk to the king. He introduced his [older] brothers to the king, and then he said, “My father and my [older] brothers [and younger brother] have come from the Canaan region. They have brought all their sheep and goats and cattle and everything else that they own, and they are living now in Goshen region.”
2 Akachagua ndugu zake watano na kuwaonyesha kwa Farao.
3 Farao akawauliza hao ndugu zake, “Kazi yenu ni nini?” Wakamjibu, “Watumishi wako ni wachunga mifugo, kama vile baba zetu walivyokuwa.”
The king asked the brothers, “What work do you do?” They replied, “We are shepherds, just as our ancestors were.”
4 Pia wakamwambia Farao, “Tumekuja kukaa huku kwa muda mfupi, kwa sababu njaa ni kali huko Kanaani, na mifugo ya watumishi wako haina malisho. Kwa hiyo sasa, tafadhali uruhusu watumishi wako wakae huko Gosheni.”
They also said to him, “We have come here to live for a while in this land, because the famine is very severe in Canaan, and our animals have no (pasture/grass to eat) there. So now, please let us live in the Goshen region.”
5 Farao akamwambia Yosefu, “Baba yako na ndugu zako wamekuja kwako,
The king said to Joseph, “I am happy that your father and your [older] brothers [and younger brother] have come to you.
6 nayo nchi ya Misri ipo mbele yako, uwakalishe baba yako na ndugu zako katika sehemu iliyo bora kupita zote katika nchi. Na waishi Gosheni. Kama unamfahamu yeyote miongoni mwao mwenye uwezo maalum, waweke wawe wasimamizi wa mifugo yangu.”
They can live wherever you want in the whole country of Egypt. Give your father and your brothers the best part of the land. They can live in Goshen. And if you know that any of them have any special ability to work with livestock, have them be in charge of my own livestock, too.”
7 Ndipo Yosefu akamleta Yakobo baba yake na kumtambulisha mbele ya Farao. Baada ya Yakobo kumbariki Farao,
Then Joseph brought his father Jacob [into the palace] and introduced him to the king. Jacob asked God to bless the king.
8 Farao akamuuliza, “Je una umri gani?”
Then the king asked Jacob, “How old are you?”
9 Naye Yakobo akamwambia Farao, “Siku za miaka ya kusafiri kwangu ni miaka 130. Miaka yangu imekuwa michache na ya taabu, wala haikufikia miaka ya kusafiri ya baba zangu.”
Jacob replied, “I have been traveling around for 130 years. I have not lived as long as my ancestors, but my life has been full of troubles.”
10 Kisha Yakobo akambariki Farao, naye akaondoka mbele ya uso wake.
Then Jacob again [asked God to] bless the king, and left him.
11 Ndipo Yosefu akawakalisha baba yake na ndugu zake katika nchi ya Misri na kuwapa milki katika sehemu bora sana ya nchi, wilaya ya Ramesesi, kama Farao alivyoelekeza.
[That is how Joseph enabled his father and older] brothers [and younger brother] to start living in Egypt. As the king had commanded, he gave them property in the best part of the land, in [Goshen, which is now called] Rameses.
12 Pia Yosefu akampa baba yake, na ndugu zake na wote wa nyumbani mwa baba yake vyakula, kwa kulingana na hesabu ya watoto wao.
Joseph also provided food for all his father’s family. The amounts that he gave them were according to how many children each of them had.
13 Hata hivyo, hapakuwepo chakula katika sehemu yote kwa kuwa njaa ilikuwa kali sana; Misri na Kanaani zote zikaharibiwa kwa sababu ya njaa.
There were no crops growing in the whole region, because the famine was very severe. The people of Egypt and Canaan [MTY] became weak because they did not have enough food to eat.
14 Yosefu akakusanya fedha zote zilizopatikana kutoka mauzo ya nafaka huko Misri na Kanaani, akazileta kwenye jumba la kifalme la Farao.
Joseph collected all the money that the people in Egypt and Canaan paid for the grain they were buying from him, and he brought the money to the king’s palace.
15 Fedha za watu wa Misri na Kanaani zilipokwisha, Wamisri wote wakamjia Yosefu na kumwambia, “Tupatie chakula. Kwa nini tufe mbele ya macho yako? Fedha zetu zimekwisha.”
When the people of Egypt and Canaan had spent all their money for grain, they all kept coming to Joseph and saying, “Please give us some food! If you do not give us grain, we will die [RHQ]! We have used all our money to buy food, and we have no money left!”
16 Yosefu akawaambia, “Basi leteni mifugo yenu, nitawauzia chakula kwa kubadilisha na mifugo yenu, kwa kuwa fedha zenu zimekwisha.”
Joseph replied, “Since your money is all gone, bring me your livestock. If you do that, I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.”
17 Kwa hiyo wakaleta mifugo yao kwa Yosefu, naye akawapa chakula kwa kubadilishana na farasi zao, kondoo na mbuzi zao, ngʼombe na punda zao. Katika mwaka huo wote Yosefu akawapa chakula kwa kubadilishana na mifugo yao yote.
So they brought their livestock to Joseph. He gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle, and their donkeys.
18 Mwaka ule ulipokwisha, wakamjia mwaka uliofuata na kumwambia, “Hatuwezi kuficha ukweli mbele za bwana wetu kwamba, kwa kuwa fedha zetu zimekwisha na wanyama wetu ni mali yako, sasa hakuna chochote kilichosalia kwa ajili ya bwana wetu isipokuwa miili yetu na ardhi yetu.
The next year they came to him again and said, “We cannot hide this from you: We have no more money, and now our livestock belongs to you. We have only our bodies and our land to give to you. We have nothing else left.
19 Kwa nini tuangamie mbele ya macho yako, sisi pamoja na nchi yetu? Utununue sisi pamoja na ardhi yetu ili kubadilishana kwa chakula. Nasi pamoja na nchi yetu tutakuwa watumwa wa Farao. Tupe sisi mbegu ili tuweze kuishi wala tusife, nchi yetu isije ikawa ukiwa.”
(If you do not give us some food, we will die!/Do you want to watch us die?) [RHQ] If you do not give us seeds, our fields will become useless [IDM]. Buy us and our land in exchange for food. Then we will be the king’s slaves, and he will own the land. Give us seeds that we can plant and grow food, in order that we will not die, and in order that our land will not become like a desert.”
20 Kwa hiyo Yosefu akamnunulia Farao nchi yote ya Misri. Wamisri, mmoja baada ya mwingine, waliuza mashamba yao, kwa sababu njaa ilikuwa kali sana kwao. Nchi ikawa mali ya Farao,
So Joseph bought all the farms in Egypt for the king. The people of Egypt each sold their land to him because the famine was very severe, [and they had no other way to get money to buy food]. So all the farms became the king’s farms.
21 naye Yosefu akawafanya watu watumike kama watumwa, kuanzia upande mmoja wa Misri hadi upande mwingine.
As a result, Joseph caused all the people from one border of the country to the other to become the king’s slaves.
22 Hata hivyo, hakununua nchi ya makuhani, kwa sababu walikuwa wanapata mgawo wao wa kawaida kutoka kwa Farao, nao walikuwa na chakula cha kuwatosha kutokana na mgawo waliopewa na Farao. Hii ndiyo sababu hawakuuza ardhi yao.
But he did not buy the priests’ land, because they received food from the king regularly, so the food that the king gave them was enough for them. That is the reason they did not sell their land to him.
23 Yosefu akawaambia watu, “Kwa vile nimewanunua ninyi pamoja na nchi yenu leo kuwa mali ya Farao, hapa kuna mbegu kwa ajili yenu ili mweze kuziotesha.
Joseph said to the people [who sold themselves and their land to him], “Listen to me! Today I have bought you and your land for the king. So here are seeds for you so that you can plant them in the ground.
24 Lakini wakati mazao yatakapokuwa tayari, mpeni Farao sehemu ya tano. Sehemu hizo nne zitakazobaki mtaziweka kama mbegu kwa ajili ya mashamba na kwa ajili ya chakula chenu wenyewe na cha watu wa nyumbani mwenu na watoto wenu.”
But when you harvest the crop, you must give one-fifth of the crop to the king. The rest of the crop you can keep, to be seed to plant in the fields, and to be food for you and your children and for everyone else in your household to eat.”
25 Wakamwambia, “Umeokoa maisha yetu. Basi na tupate kibali mbele ya macho ya bwana wetu; tutakuwa watumwa wa Farao.”
They replied, “You have saved our lives! We want you to be pleased with us. And we will be the king’s slaves.”
26 Basi Yosefu akaiweka iwe sheria kuhusu nchi ya Misri, ambayo inatumika mpaka leo, kwamba, sehemu ya tano ya mazao ni mali ya Farao. Ni nchi ya makuhani tu ambayo haikuwa ya Farao.
So Joseph made a law about all the land in Egypt, stating that one-fifth of the crops that are harvested belongs to the king. That law still exists. Only the land that belonged to the priests did not become the king’s land.
27 Basi Waisraeli wakaishi Misri katika nchi ya Gosheni. Wakapata mali huko wakastawi na kuongezeka kwa wingi sana.
Jacob and his family started to live in Egypt, in the Goshen region. They acquired property there. Many children were born to them there. As a result, their population increased greatly.
28 Yakobo akaishi Misri miaka kumi na saba, nayo miaka ya maisha yake ilikuwa 147.
Jacob lived in Egypt 17 years. Altogether he lived 147 years.
29 Wakati ulipokaribia wa Israeli kufa, akamwita mwanawe Yosefu na kumwambia, “Kama nimepata kibali machoni pake, weka mkono wako chini ya paja langu na uniahidi kuwa utanifanyia fadhili na uaminifu. Usinizike Misri,
When it was almost time for him to die, he summoned his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have pleased you, make a solemn promise that you will be kind to me and faithfully do what I am now asking you: When I die, do not bury me here in Egypt.
30 lakini nitakapopumzika na baba zangu, unichukue kutoka Misri, ukanizike walipozikwa.” Yosefu akamwambia, “Nitafanya kama unavyosema.”
Instead, take my body out of Egypt, and bury it in Canaan where my ancestors are buried.” Joseph replied, “I will do that.”
31 Akamwambia, “Niapie.” Ndipo Yosefu akamwapia, naye Israeli akaabudu, akiwa ameegemea juu ya kichwa cha fimbo yake.
Jacob said, “(Swear/Solemnly promise) to me that you will do it!” So Joseph swore to do it. Then Jacob turned over in bed, bowed his head, and worshiped God.
