1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? 2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.
3 ¶ And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. 4 But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him. 5 And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.
7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. 8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. 10 And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. 11 We are all one man’s sons; we are true men , thy servants are no spies. 12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. 13 And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. 14 And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies: 15 Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither. 16 Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. 17 And he put them all together into ward three days. 18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God: 19 If ye be true men , let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: 20 But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.
21 ¶ And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. 22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. 23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter. 24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.
25 ¶ Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them. 26 And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence. 27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack’s mouth. 28 And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them , and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?
29 ¶ And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying, 30 The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. 31 And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies: 32 We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. 33 And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone: 34 And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.
35 ¶ And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me. 37 And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. 38 And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
Bakulu ba Josefa banoyenda ku Egipiti
1 Jakubo kati ahwa kuti kuna mathunde ku Egipiti kati ku bakololo babe, “Mugelileni makalingana saikoku? 2 Ndakahwa kuti kuna mathunde ku Egipiti. Yendani munotitengela mathunde kuti titjile tisife nge zhala.” 3 Ndizo bakulu ba Josefa bali gumi bakayenda kunotenga mathunde ku Egipiti. 4 Koga Jakubo kasitume Bhenjamini nnung'una wa Josefa ne bamwe ngoti wakabe etja kuti pamwe tjakabipa tjingan'wila.
5 Ndizo bakololo ba Iziraela bakabe bali bamwe bakabe bayenda kunotenga mathunde ngoti zhala yakabe yaswika ne ku Kanana. 6 Tjibaka itjetjo Josefa wakabe ali mbusi we shango iyeyo, ndiye wakabe etengesa mathunde ku bathu bose, ndizo bakulu ba Josefa bakazha bakanthigamila. 7 Josefa kati ebona bakulu babe kabaziba, koga kazwitola se ntaya kabalebesa nge kubakaikanya ebhuzwa eti, “Madwa ngayi?” Ibo bakashandula beti, “Tadwa ku Kanana tawotenga zojiwa.”
8 Nenguba Josefa akaziba bakulu babe ibo abazonziba. 9 Ipapo kakumbula mawoloto awe nge kwabo ngono kati ku bali, “Imwi mu shodzi! Mazha kuwoshola shango yedu kuwobona paisakasima.”
10 Bakadabila beti, “Tetshi wedu, akuzojalo, tazha kuwotenga zojiwa. 11 Tose ti bana be nthu. Ti balume banogalikabgwe, iswi balanda benyu ate tili shodzi.”
12 Josefa kabe eti ku bali, “Akuna! Mazha kuwoshola shango kubona paisakasima.”
13 Bakashandula beti, “Iswi takabe tili gumi lina babili, tili bana be nthu, bakololo be mmwe nlume unogala ku Kanana. Kologwe tjedu tjasala na tate bedu, mmwe aatjipo wakatisiya.”
14 Josefa kati ku bali, “Konga sekwa ndaleba koga. Imwi mu shodzi! 15 Koga zila ya munowoshogwa ndiyo eyi: Ndotuna na Faro, amungadwe mu magalo iyawa kuzhe kwe kuti nnung'una wenyu abe azha ipapa. 16 Tumani mmwe wenyu anotola nnung'una wenyu, bamwe bose banowosala mu busungwa kuti matama enyu ashogwe kuti kene malebeswa. Ha musingalebese, ndotuna na Faro, mu shodzi!” 17 Josefa kabalonga mu ng'umba ye busungwa mazhuba ali matatu.
18 Mu zhuba le butatu Josefa kabadwa kati, “Imi ndotja Ndzimu, ndizo thamani tjandinoleba mutjile. 19 Kulakidza kuti mu bathu banogalikabgwe, mmwe wenyu ngaasale mu busungwa ha bamwe beyisa mathunde ku misha yenyu inofa nge zhala. 20 Muzhise kologwe tjenyu kundili kuti matama enyu azhadzisike kuti ndizo musife nge zhala.”
Ngono bakadumana nako. 21 Bakalebesana tjekwabo beti, “Malebeswa tina nlandu ngekwe nnung'una wedu. Takabona dumbu kudziyidzika kukwe etikumbila koga iswi tikasihwilile, ndizo wali kudziyidzika ikoku kwatiwila.”
22 Rubheni kabe eti, “Apa andizomudwa ati musithame mbisana tjimwe tjakabipa kene? Koga amuzohwilila! Ndizo ngwenu lopa lile loshakwa mutili.” 23 Bakabe basingazibe kuti Josefa wakabe ebahwa se akabe eshingisa ntoloki. 24 Josefa kadwa pabali kanolila, koga kabuya kulebeleka nabo kakale. Katola Simiyoni mu bali kasungwa mbeli kwabo.
Bakulu ba Josefa banobgwilila ku Kanana
25 Josefa kalaya kuti hwomo dzabo dzipakiwe dzizhale mathunde. Ne kuti mmwe ne mmwe wabo abgwilizigwe mari mu hwomo iye, bapiwe mbuba dze gwendo gwabo. Bakathamigwa saikoko. 26 Bakabelesa hwomo dzabo mu madonki abo bakayenda. 27 Pa bakalala mmwe wabo kazhula hwomo kupa donki iye zojiwa ngono kawana mari awe pa nlomo we hwomo iye. 28 Kabe eti ku bamwe, “Mari angu abgwiliziwa, awawa mu hwomo yangu.” Bakalobgwa nge hana, bakalingana betetema ngono bakati, “Ini ikoku Ndzimu kwawatithamila kene?”
29 Bakati beswika kuna Jakubo tate babo mu shango ye Kanana, bakababudza kose kwakabashingikalila. Bakati, 30 “Mbusi we shango iyeyije wakatilebesa nge bushongola, katitola se shodzi dzinoshola shango. 31 Koga iswi takandwa tikati, ‘Iswi ti bathu banogalikabgwe, ate tili shodzi. 32 Takabe tili bana be nthu tili gumi lina babili, mmwe wakatisiya, kologwe tjakasala na tate bedu ku Kanana.’ 33 Nlume iwoyo kabe eti, ‘Ndowoziba kuti mu balume banogalikabgwe nge zila eyi, mmwe wenyu unowosala nami, bamwe banowotola mathunde bakaayisa ku misha yabo inofa nge zhala. 34 Muzhise kologwe tjenyu kundili. Ipapo ndowoziba kuti ate muli shodzi, koga mu balume banogalikabgwe. Ndizo ndowosunungula mmwe wenyu kuti ndizo mukowoshaba zwenyu mu shango iyeyi.’ ”
35 Bakati bopipha hwomo dzabo bakawana hwomwana dze mari mu hwomo ye mmwe ne mmwe wabo ina mari ayo. Bakati bebona mari bose na tate babo bakapaluka moyo. 36 Tate babo Jakubo bakati ku bali, “Manditolela bana bangu. Josefa aatjipo na Simiyoni aatjipo, ngono ngwenu moshakatola Bhenjamini. Tjimwe ne tjimwe tjogwisana nami.”
37 Ipapo Rubheni kabe eti, “Mundipe iye ndowontjengeta. Andingasambuza mubulaye bakololo bangu bose babili.”
38 Koga Jakubo kabe eti, “Nkololo wangu aatowoyenda ikweno namwi, nkulu uwe wakafa iye ndiye yega wakasala. Ha tjimwe tjakabipa tjingan'wila mu gwendo gwamunotola, mowobe mathama kuti ndidzine ndife nge moyo una shungu.”