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 naamwahe
1 Jakob okwa kala natango muKaanan, moka mwa kala wo he, 2 nehokololo lyegumbo lyaJakob olyo ndika.
Josef, omugundjuka gwomimvo omulongo naheyali, okwa li ha litha oonzi niikombo pamwe naamwahe, aana yaBilha naSilpa, aadhike yahe. Okwa li ha lombola ko aamwahe kuhe, nge ya ningi sha oshiwinayi.
3 Jakob okwa li e hole Josef e vule oyana ayehe, oshoka Josef okwe mu valelwa muukulupe. Okwe mu tungile ohema onde yi na omaako omale. 4 Aamwahe sho ya mono kutya he oku hole Josef e ya vule, oye mu tondo yo inaa popya we naye oohapu dhombili.
5 Esiku limwe Josef okwa lala ondjodhi. Sho e yi hokololele aamwahe, oye mu tondo noku mu tondelela. 6 Okwa ti kuyo: “Pulakeneni ondjodhi ndjoka nda yaguma. 7 Otwa lyeni mepya atuhe tatu mangeni iihampi yiilya. Oshihampi shandje osha thikama po e tashi kala shu ukilila. Iihampi yeni oye shi gongalele e tayi inyongamene kusho.”
8 Aamwahe oya pula ya ti: “Oto dhiladhila, to ka ninga omukwaniilwa u tu pangele?” Oyo noye mu tondele oondjodhi dhe noohapu dhe shi vule shito.
9 Josef okwa lalulula ondjodhi ishewe e te yi hokololele aamwahe ta ti: “Onda lalulula ondjodhi ndi wete etango, omwedhi noonyothi omulongo nayimwe tayi inyongamene kungame.”
10 Okwa hokololele wo he ondjodhi, nahe okwe mu ganda ta ti: “Oondjodhi ndono odha tya ngiini? Oto dhiladhila ano, nyoko, aamwaho nangame tatu ya e tatu ku inyongamene?”
11 Aamwahe yaJosef oye mu sile efupa, ihe he okwa pungula oshinima shika momwenyo gwe noku shi dhiladhila.
Josef ta landwa po nota falwa kuEgipiti
12 Esiku limwe, manga aamwahe yaJosef ya li kohambo kuShekem kiimuna yahe, 13 Jakob okwa lombwele Josef ta ti: “Onda hala ndi ku tume kuShekem, nkoka ku na aamwaho taa litha iimuna.”
Josef okwa yamukula a ti: “Otandi yi.”
14 He okwa ti: “Inda ko, u ka tale, ngele aamwaho oye li nawa, niimuna ngele oyi li nawa; ngoye u galuke u ye u lombwele ndje.” Osho ngaaka he e mu tumu okuza kolusilu lwaHebron.
Josef okwe ya kuShekem 15 nosho a li te ende ta alaala nomalundu, okwi itsu omulumentu gumwe. Omulumentu okwe mu pula ta ti: “Oto kongo shike?”
16 Josef okwa yamukula a ti: “Otandi kongo aamwatate taa litha iimuna yawo. Oto vulu u lombwele ndje mpoka ye li?”
17 Omulumentu okwa yamukula ta ti: “Oya tembuka po nale mpaka. Ondu uvile taa ti, otaa yi kuDotan.” Josef okwa landula aamwahe e te ya adha kuDotan.
18 Sho ye mu mono e li kokule, manga inaa thika kuyo, oye mu uvanene monanguwi, ye mu dhipage. 19 Oya lombwelathana ya ti: “Omumentu gwoondjodhi oye ngwiyaka te ya. 20 Ileni tu mu dhipageni tse tu umbile omudhimba gwe momuthima gwa pwina e tatu ti, oshilikama she mu lya po. Nena otatu tala, ngele oondjodhi dhe otadhi tsu.”
21 Reuben okwe ya uvu nokwa kambadhala okuhupitha Josef e ta ti: “Inatu mu dhipageni. 22 Natu mu umbileni ashike momuthima ngwiyaka gwomombuga, ihe inatu mu monitha oshiponga.” Okwa popi ngaaka, oshoka a li a dhiladhila oku mu hupitha miikaha yawo, ye e mu tume kuhe. 23 Josef sho a thiki kaamwahe oye mu hula ohema ye onde yi na omaako omale. 24 Nena oye mu kutha po e taye mu umbile momuthima gwa pwina.
25 Manga ya kuutumba ya lye, ohaluka oya mono osheendo shAaismaeli taa zi kuGilead yu uka kuEgipiti. Oongamelo dhawo odha li dha humbata iizimba nomaka ga nika nawa gomaludhi gi ili nogi ili. … ohaluka oya mono osheendo shAaismaeli taa zi kuGilead yu uka kuEgipiti. 26 Juda okwa ti kaamwahe: “Otatu likola shike, nge tatu dhipaga omumwatate e tatu holeke ombinzi ye? 27 Natu mu landithii po kAaismaeli. Nena itatu iyetele nando oshiponga; nokuli oye omukwetu, onyama yetu nombinzi yetu.” Aamwahe oya zimine, 28 nosho aahalithi Aamidiana ya thiki puyo, oya hili mo Josef momuthima e taye mu landa po iimaliwa iisiliveli omilongo mbali kAaismaeli, mboka ye mu fala kuEgipiti.
29 Reuben sho a yi komuthima noina adha ko Josef, okwa tuula oonguwo dhe moluhodhi. 30 Okwe ya kaamwahe e ta ti: “Omunona ke mo! Otandi ningi ngiini?”
31 Oya dhipaga oshikombo e taa yaya onguwo yaJosef mombinzi yasho. 32 Oya kutha onguwo ye e taye yi tumu kuhe taa ti: “Otwe yi toola. Yi tala nawa, ngele oyomumwoye nenge aawe.”
33 He okwe yi dhimbulula e ta ti: “Eeno shili, onguwo oyomumwandje ndji! Oshilikama she mu lya po! Josef a lika, a tuulagulwa po!” 34 Jakob okwa tuula oonguwo dhe moluhodhi. Okwa lili omwana ethimbo ele. 35 Oyana aamati ayehe naakadhona oye ya oku mu hupulutha, ihe okwa tindi okutalalekwa e ta ti: “Aawe, otii ka kulukila muusi komumwandje tandi mu lili.” Osho ngaa a tsikile okulila omwana.
36 Aamidiana oye mu landitha po naPotifar, elenga lyomukwaniilwa gwaEgipiti, omukuluntu gwaalangeli yuuwa.
