Joseph and His Brothers
1 Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where his father Isaac had lived, 2 and this is the story of his family.
When Jacob's son Joseph was 17 years old, he took care of the sheep with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah. But he was always telling his father all sorts of bad things about his brothers.
3 Jacob loved Joseph more than he did any of his other sons, because Joseph was born when Jacob was very old. Jacob had even given Joseph a fancy coat 4 which showed that Joseph was his favorite son, and so Joseph's brothers hated him and would not be friendly to him.
5 One day, Joseph told his brothers what he had dreamed, and they hated him even more. 6 Joseph said, “Let me tell you about my dream. 7 We were out in the field, tying up bundles of wheat. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles gathered around and bowed down to it.”
8 His brothers asked, “Do you really think you are going to be king and rule over us?” Now they hated Joseph more than ever because of what he had said about his dream.
9 Joseph later had another dream, and he told his brothers, “Listen to what else I dreamed. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to me.”
10 When he told his father about this dream, his father became angry and said, “What's that supposed to mean? Are your mother and I and your brothers all going to come and bow down to you?” 11 Joseph's brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept wondering about the dream.
Joseph Is Sold and Taken to Egypt
12 One day when Joseph's brothers had taken the sheep to a pasture near Shechem, 13 his father Jacob said to him, “I want you to go to your brothers. They are with the sheep near Shechem.”
“Yes, sir,” Joseph answered.
14 His father said, “Go and find out how your brothers and the sheep are doing. Then come back and let me know.” So he sent him from Hebron Valley.
Joseph was near Shechem 15 and wandering through the fields, when a man asked, “What are you looking for?”
16 Joseph answered, “I'm looking for my brothers who are watching the sheep. Can you tell me where they are?”
17 “They're not here anymore,” the man replied. “I overheard them say they were going to Dothan.”
Joseph left and found his brothers in Dothan. 18 But before he got there, they saw him coming and made plans to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Look, here comes the hero of those dreams! 20 Let's kill him and throw him into a pit and say that some wild animal ate him. Then we'll see what happens to those dreams.”
21 Reuben heard this and tried to protect Joseph from them. “Let's not kill him,” he said. 22 “Don't murder him or even harm him. Just throw him into a well out here in the desert.” Reuben planned to rescue Joseph later and take him back to his father.
23 When Joseph came to his brothers, they pulled off his fancy coat 24 and threw him into a dry well.
25 As Joseph's brothers sat down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with all kinds of spices that they were taking to Egypt. 26 So Judah said, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and hide his body? 27 Let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not harm him. After all, he is our brother.” And the others agreed.
28 When the Midianite merchants came by, Joseph's brothers took him out of the well, and for 20 pieces of silver they sold him to the Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt.
29 When Reuben returned to the well and did not find Joseph there, he tore his clothes in sorrow. 30 Then he went back to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”
31 Joseph's brothers killed a goat and dipped Joseph's fancy coat in its blood. 32 After this, they took the coat to their father and said, “We found this! Look at it carefully and see if it belongs to your son.”
33 Jacob knew it was Joseph's coat and said, “It's my son's coat! Joseph has been torn to pieces and eaten by some wild animal.”
34 Jacob mourned for Joseph a long time, and to show his sorrow he tore his clothes and wore sackcloth. 35 All of Jacob's children came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will go to my grave, mourning for my son.” So Jacob kept on grieving.
36 Meanwhile, the Midianites had sold Joseph in Egypt to a man named Potiphar, who was the king's official in charge of the palace guard.
Josef nomarumbi we
1 Nu Jakob wa tura mehi ra Kanaan mu mwa turire ihe otja owozonganda. 2 Indi oro ehungi romuhoko wa Jakob.
Josef tja ri nozombura omurongo na hambombari, aa risa ozonyanda zaihe puna omarumbi we, ovazandu va Bilha na Silpa, ovakazendu vaihe; eye wa ri omuṱiṱi mokati komarumbi we. Eye aa kaṋangera ko ihe ngamwa okaṋa okavi kuya ke tjitwa i omarumbi we.
3 Nu Israel wa suverere Josef tjinene povazandu ve avehe, eye tjinga e mu panduka moukurundu we. Neye we mu ya tatera ombanda ombwa yapeke onde nu ndja ri nomaoko omare. 4 Nomarumbi we tji va muna kutja ihe wa suvera Josef okukapita wo, arire tji ve mu humisa, nga tji yave ha vanga okuhungira kuna ye momuano omuwa.
5 Otjikando tjimwe Josef wa rota oruroto, ne ru serekarere komarumbi we. Nowo otji ve mu humisira ko. 6 Eye wa tja ku wo: “Purateneye oruroto ndu mba rota. 7 Tareye, atuhe twa ri mehi romakunino amatu kutu omikuta vyovikootwa. Nomukuta imbwi owandje wa kurama oseka, nu imbi ovyeṋu vya kurama okukondoroka imbwi owandje navi ripete ku wo.”
8 Nomarumbi we ve mu pura nave tja: “Ove mo tjangovasi mo rire ombara pu eṱe, nu mo honaparere eṱe are?” Nowo arire tji ve mu humisire ko tjinene mena roruroto rwe na imbi mbya hungire.
9 Nu Josef wa rota rukwao, na raere komarumbi we a tja: “Tareye, ami mba roto nai rukwao: Eyuva nomueze nozonyose omurongo na imwe vye ripete ku ami.”
10 Neye tja raera oruroto rwe ku ihe na komarumbi we, ihe we mu tena a tja: “Oruroto rwatjike ndu wa roto? Ove mo ripura kutja ami na nyoko nomarumbi woye nomuangu woye matu ya okuripeta kove?” 11 Omarumbi wa Josef va ṱeruru na ye, nungwari ihe wa kara pokuripura notjiṋa hi atjihe.
Josef ma randisiwa kOvaengipte
12 Nomarumbi we va karisa ozonyanda zaihe kOsikem. 13 Nu Israel arire tja tja ku Josef: “Omarumbi woye ve risa ozonyanda kOsikem; indjo, mbi ku hinde ku wo.”
Nu Josef arire tja ziri na tja: “Owami ngwi!”
14 Nu ihe arire tja tja ku ye: “Twende u katare omarumbi woye kutja ve ri nawa nozonyanda, nu u kotoke okundjiraera.” Neye we mu hinda okuza korutjandja rwa Hebron.
Nu Josef wa kavaza kOsikem. 15 Neye ngunda ama yaraara mokuti otja munikwa i omurumendu worive ngwe mu pura na tja: “Mo paha tjike?”
16 Nu Josef we mu zira nai: “Me paha omarumbi wandje. Arikana, ndji raera ku ve risira ozonyanda.”
17 Nomurumendu arire tja tja: “Owo va tjinda; ami mbe ve zuva amave tja mave i kOdotan.” Nu Josef wa tezera omarumbi we, ne kevevaza kOdotan.
18 Nowo ve mu mwina kokure. Nu ngunda e hiya vaza popezu na wo va zuvasana mongumumu kutja ve mu zepe. 19 Nowo verihungirire oveni ave tja: “Tareye, omurote eye ngo weya! 20 Indjeye tu mu zepe, nu tu yumbe orurova rwe mu imwe yozondjombo, nu tu tje: ‘Eye wa ṱu i otjipuka tjokuti.’ Tjazumba tu tarere kutja oturoto twe matu yanda pi.”
21 Ruben tja zuva ihi wa vanga okuyama Josef ku wo na tja: “Atu mu zepa, kako! 22 Amu tirahi ombinḓu, nungwari mu yumbeye mondjombo ndji, ndji ri mokuti onguza. Nu amu mu tjiti otjiṋa.” Ruben wa hungirira kutja e mu yame ne mu yarure ku ihe. 23 Nu Josef tja vaza pomarumbi we, owo ve mu hukura indji ombanda onde yomaoko, 24 nave mu yumbu mondjombo ndja pwira.
25 Nu ngunda amave ri, tjimanga va muna otjimbumba tjOvaismael amave zu kOgilead. Nozongamero zawo aza kutirwa ovyomoro omuwa nomaze omerihuwa nomapya, mbyaa ve twara kOengipte. 26 Juda arire tja tja komarumbi novangu ve: “Matu mwine po tjike okuzepa omuangu wetu nokumuhoreka? 27 Ngatu mu randise kOvaismael mba, nu atu mu hihamisa; eye omuangu wetu, nonyama nombinḓu yetu.” Nomarumbi novangu ve va zuva ku ye. 28 Nu tji pe ya Ovamidian ovarandise otji ve mu nana mondjombo, nave mu randisa kovisilveri omirongo vivari kOvaismael, nowo va twara Josef kOengipte.
29 Nu Ruben tja kotoka kondjombo nu tja muna kutja Josef ke mo mondjombo, arire tja taura ozombanda ze okuraisa oruhoze rwe. 30 Eye arire tja yaruka kovangu ve na tja: “Omuzandu ke mo mondjombo! Nu hi yende pi?”
31 Nowo va toora ombanda ya Josef, nave zepa ongombo nave tjaveke ombanda ndji mombinḓu yayo. 32 Owo va tuma indji ombanda onde ku ihe nave tja: “Eṱe twe ripumu mombanda ndji. Kotji tara kutja oyomuatje woye.”
33 Neye we i zemburuka a tja: “Ii, oyo oyomuzandu wandje! Eye wa nyondororwa i otjipuka tjokuti.” 34 Jakob wa taura ozombanda ze na kutu otjipiriko okukondorokisa omavango we. Neye wa rira omuzandu we oruveze orure. 35 Ovazandu novasuko ve avehe ve ya okumuyarura omutima pehi. Nungwari wa panḓa okuyarurwa omutima pehi na tja: “Ami me riri omuzandu wandje, nga tji me pundu motjovakoke.” Ihe otja rira omuzandu we Josef. 36 Nu imba Ovamidian va karandisa Josef ku Potifar mOengipte, umwe movahongore va Farao, ngwa ri otjiuru tjovatjevere vondjuwo youhona.
