Mwanzo 50
1 Basi Yosefu akamwangukia baba yake, akalilia juu yake na akambusu.
Joseph leaned close to his father’s face and cried over him and kissed him.
2 Ndipo Yosefu akawaagiza matabibu waliokuwa wakimhudumia, wamtie baba yake Israeli dawa ili asioze. Hivyo matabibu wakamtia dawa asioze,
Joseph commanded his servants who were morticians to (embalm his father’s body/put spices on his father’s body) to (preserve it/keep it from decaying), and then wrap it with strips of cloth.
3 wakatumia siku arobaini, kwa maana ndio muda uliotakiwa wa kutia dawa ili asioze. Nao Wamisri wakamwombolezea Yakobo kwa siku sabini.
So the morticians did that. It took 40 days to embalm Jacob’s body, because that is the amount of time that was always required for them to embalm a body. And the people of Egypt mourned for 70 days because of Jacob’s death.
4 Siku za kumwombolezea zilipokwisha, Yosefu akawaambia washauri wa Farao, “Kama nimepata kibali machoni penu semeni na Farao kwa ajili yangu. Mwambieni,
When the time of mourning was finished, Joseph said to the king’s officials, “If you are pleased with me, please take this message to the king:
5 ‘Baba yangu aliniapisha na kuniambia, “Mimi niko karibu kufa; unizike katika kaburi lile nililochimba kwa ajili yangu mwenyewe katika nchi ya Kanaani.” Sasa nakuomba uniruhusu niende kumzika baba yangu, nami nitarudi.’”
‘When my father was about to die, he told me to solemnly promise that I would bury his body in Canaan, in the tomb that he himself had prepared. So please let me go up to Canaan and bury my father’s body. Then I will return.’”
6 Farao akasema, “Panda, uende kumzika baba yako, kama alivyokuapiza kufanya.”
After they gave the king the message, he replied, “Tell Joseph, ‘Go up and bury your father’s body, as you (swore/solemnly promised) that you would do.’”
7 Hivyo Yosefu akapanda kwenda kumzika baba yake. Maafisa wote wa Farao wakaenda pamoja naye, watu mashuhuri wa baraza lake na watu mashuhuri wote wa Misri.
So Joseph went [up to Canaan] to bury his father’s body. All of the king’s officials, all the king’s advisors, and all the elders in Egypt went with him.
8 Hawa ni mbali na watu wote wa nyumbani kwa Yosefu, na ndugu zake, na wale wote wa nyumbani mwa baba yake. Ni watoto wao, makundi yao ya kondoo, mbuzi na ngʼombe tu waliobakia katika nchi ya Gosheni.
His own family’s small children and their sheep and goats and their cattle stayed in the Goshen region. But all the rest of Joseph’s family and his [older] brothers [and younger brother] and his father’s family went with him.
9 Magari makubwa na wapanda farasi pia walipanda pamoja naye. Likawa kundi kubwa sana.
Men riding in chariots [MTY] and on horses also went along. It was a huge group.
10 Walipofika kwenye sakafu ya kupuria nafaka ya Atadi, karibu na Yordani, wakalia kwa sauti na kwa uchungu; Yosefu akapumzika huko kwa siku saba kumwombolezea baba yake.
They went to the east side of the Jordan [River] and arrived at Atad. There was a place there where people (threshed/beat the grain to separate the wheat from the chaff.) There they mourned loudly for Jacob for a long time. Joseph performed mourning ceremonies for his father for seven days.
11 Wakanaani walioishi huko walipoona maombolezo yaliyofanyika katika sakafu ile ya kupuria ya Atadi, wakasema, “Wamisri wanafanya maombolezo makubwa.” Kwa hiyo mahali pale karibu na Yordani pakaitwa Abel-Mizraimu.
When the Canaan people-group who lived there saw them mourning like that, they said, “This is a sad mourning place for the people of Egypt!” So they named the place Abel-Mizraim, [which sounds like the Hebrew words that mean ‘mourning of the Egyptians].’
12 Hivyo wana wa Yakobo wakafanya kama baba yao alivyowaagiza:
Then Jacob’s sons did for him what their father had commanded.
13 Wakamchukua mpaka nchi ya Kanaani, wakamzika kwenye pango katika shamba la Makpela, karibu na Mamre, ambalo Abrahamu alilinunua kutoka kwa Efroni, Mhiti, pamoja na shamba liwe mahali pa kuzikia.
They [crossed the Jordan River and] carried Jacob’s body to Canaan. They buried it in the cave in the field at Machpelah, east of Mamre [town]. That was the field that Abraham had bought from Ephron, who was one of the Heth people-group, to use as a burial place.
14 Baada ya Yosefu kumzika baba yake, akarudi Misri pamoja na ndugu zake na wale wote waliokuwa wamekwenda naye kumzika baba yake.
After he had buried his father, Joseph and his [older] brothers [and younger brother] and all the others who had gone up to Canaan with him for the funeral returned to Egypt.
15 Ndugu zake Yosefu walipoona kwamba baba yao amekufa, wakasema, “Itakuwaje kama Yosefu ataweka kinyongo dhidi yetu na kutulipa mabaya yote tuliyomtendea?”
After Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers became worried. They realized what might happen. They said, “Suppose Joseph hates us and tries to get revenge for all the evil things that we did to him many years ago?”
16 Kwa hiyo wakampelekea Yosefu ujumbe, wakasema, “Kabla baba yako hajafa aliacha maagizo haya:
So they sent someone to tell this to Joseph for them: “Before our father died, he told us this:
17 ‘Hili ndilo mtakalomwambia Yosefu: Ninakuomba uwasamehe ndugu zako dhambi na mabaya kwa vile walivyokutenda vibaya.’ Sasa tafadhali samehe dhambi za watumishi wa Mungu wa baba yako.” Ujumbe huu ulipomfikia, Yosefu akalia.
‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive your [older] brothers for the evil thing that they did to you, for their terrible sin against you, because what they did to you was very wrong.”’ So now we, who are servants of your father’s God, ask you, please forgive us for what we did to you.” But Joseph just cried when he received their message.
18 Ndipo ndugu zake wakaja na kujitupa chini mbele yake. Wakasema, “Sisi ni watumwa wako.”
Then his [older] brothers themselves came and threw themselves on the ground in front of Joseph, and one of them said, “Please listen. We will just be your servants.”
19 Lakini Yosefu akawaambia, “Msiogope. Je, mimi ni badala ya Mungu?
But Joseph replied to them, “Do not be afraid! [God is the one who punishes people]; (am I God?/I am not God!) [RHQ]
20 Mlikusudia kunidhuru, lakini Mungu alikusudia mema, ili litimie hili linalofanyika sasa, kuokoa maisha ya watu wengi.
As for you, yes, you wanted to do something very evil to me. But God caused something good to come from it! He wanted to save many people from dying of hunger, and that is what happened! Today they are alive!
21 Hivyo basi, msiogope. Mimi nitawatunza ninyi nyote pamoja na watoto wenu.” Akawahakikishia na kusema nao kwa wema.
So I say [again], do not be afraid! I will make sure that you and your children have enough to eat.” In that way he reassured them and made made them feel much better.
22 Yosefu akakaa katika nchi ya Misri, yeye pamoja na jamaa yote ya baba yake. Akaishi miaka 110,
Joseph lived with his father’s family in Egypt until he was 110 years old.
23 naye akaona kizazi cha tatu cha watoto wa Efraimu. Pia akaona watoto wa Makiri mwana wa Manase, wakawekwa magotini mwa Yosefu walipozaliwa.
He lived long enough to see Ephraim’s children and grandchildren. The children of Joseph’s grandson Machir, who was Manasseh’s son, were born before Joseph died, and were adopted by Joseph to be his own children [IDM].
24 Ndipo Yosefu akawaambia ndugu zake, “Mimi ninakaribia kufa. Lakini kwa hakika Mungu atawasaidia na kuwachukueni kutoka nchi hii na kuwapeleka katika nchi aliyomwahidi kwa kiapo Abrahamu, Isaki na Yakobo.”
One day Joseph said to his [older] brothers, “I am about to die. But God will certainly (help/take care of) you. And [some day] he will lead your [descendants] up out of this land and take them to Canaan, the land that he solemnly promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
25 Naye Yosefu akawaapisha wana wa Israeli na kuwaambia, “Hakika Mungu atawasaidia, nanyi ni lazima mhakikishe mmepandisha mifupa yangu kutoka mahali hapa.”
Then Joseph said, “When God enables you to do that, you must take my body back to Canaan.” He made his older brothers solemnly promise to do that.
26 Kwa hiyo Yosefu akafa akiwa na umri wa miaka 110. Baada ya kumtia dawa ili asioze, akawekwa kwenye jeneza huko Misri.
So Joseph died in Egypt when he was 110 years old. His body was embalmed and put in a coffin there.
