The Missing Cup
1 Joseph commanded the servant in charge of his house, “Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's money in the top of his sack. 2 Put my silver cup in the top of the youngest brother's sack, together with the money for his grain.” He did as he was told. 3 Early in the morning the brothers were sent on their way with their donkeys. 4 When they had gone only a short distance from the city, Joseph said to the servant in charge of his house, “Hurry after those men. When you catch up with them, ask them, ‘Why have you paid back evil for good? 5 Why did you steal my master's silver cup? It is the one he drinks from, the one he uses for divination. You have committed a serious crime!’”
6 When the servant caught up with them, he repeated these words. 7 They answered him, “What do you mean, sir, by talking like this? We swear that we have done no such thing. 8 You know that we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money we found in the top of our sacks. Why then should we steal silver or gold from your master's house? 9 Sir, if any one of us is found to have it, he will be put to death, and the rest of us will become your slaves.”
10 He said, “I agree; but only the one who has taken the cup will become my slave, and the rest of you can go free.” 11 So they quickly lowered their sacks to the ground, and each man opened his sack. 12 Joseph's servant searched carefully, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. 13 The brothers tore their clothes in sorrow, loaded their donkeys, and returned to the city.
14 When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, he was still there. They bowed down before him, 15 and Joseph said, “What have you done? Didn't you know that a man in my position could find you out by practicing divination?”
16 “What can we say to you, sir?” Judah answered. “How can we argue? How can we clear ourselves? God has uncovered our guilt. All of us are now your slaves and not just the one with whom the cup was found.”
17 Joseph said, “Oh, no! I would never do that! Only the one who had the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go back safe and sound to your father.”
Judah Pleads for Benjamin
18 Judah went up to Joseph and said, “Please, sir, allow me to speak with you freely. Don't be angry with me; you are like the king himself. 19 Sir, you asked us, ‘Do you have a father or another brother?’ 20 We answered, ‘We have a father who is old and a younger brother, born to him in his old age. The boy's brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother's children still alive; his father loves him very much.’ 21 Sir, you told us to bring him here, so that you could see him, 22 and we answered that the boy could not leave his father; if he did, his father would die. 23 Then you said, ‘You will not be admitted to my presence again unless your youngest brother comes with you.’
24 “When we went back to our father, we told him what you had said. 25 Then he told us to return and buy a little food. 26 We answered, ‘We cannot go; we will not be admitted to the man's presence unless our youngest brother is with us. We can go only if our youngest brother goes also.’ 27 Our father said to us, ‘You know that my wife Rachel bore me only two sons. 28 One of them has already left me. He must have been torn to pieces by wild animals, because I have not seen him since he left. 29 If you take this one from me now and something happens to him, the sorrow you would cause me would kill me, as old as I am.’
30-31 “And now, sir,” Judah continued, “if I go back to my father without the boy, as soon as he sees that the boy is not with me, he will die. His life is wrapped up with the life of the boy, and he is so old that the sorrow we would cause him would kill him. 32 What is more, I pledged my life to my father for the boy. I told him that if I did not bring the boy back to him, I would bear the blame all my life. 33 And now, sir, I will stay here as your slave in place of the boy; let him go back with his brothers. 34 How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I cannot bear to see this disaster come upon my father.”
Kā hâ ǁhoes
1 Josefi ge ǁîb ommi di ǂam ǃgāba “Tani ǁkhā gu as kōse nē khoegu di ǁhōga ǃhorob ǀkha ǀoaǀoa, î mâ khoeb hoab di marisa ǁîb ǀhaos ǃnâ, aisǀkhāb ai ǂgā-oa. 2 Îts ti ǀhaiǀuri ǀgabis tsî maris tsîna ǂkhammi di ǁhōb ǃnâ aisǀkhāb ai ǂgā” ti ge mîmā. 3 ǃNauǁgoaga gu ge nē khoeǃgâguga dâukin âgu ǀkha daob ai ge hâ i. 4 Kaise gu ganupe ǃnūse ǃāsa xu ǂoa tama hîab ge Josefa ǃgāb âba ge mîba: “ǃNoe îts ǁnā khoega sao! Îts ǁîgats ga ǀhao-ūo ǁîga nēti dî: ‘Tare-i ǃaroma go ǃgâiba ǂkhabab ǀkha ra matare-oa? 5 [Tare-i ǃaroma go go ti ǀhonkhoeb di ǀhaiǀuri ǁhoesa ǃnari?] ǁÎb ge ǁnā ǁhoesa xu ǀgui ā tsî ǁîsa xu ǀgui ra aimûǀgaru. Kaise tsū ǃûǂams ge sago go dīsa?’ ”
6 ǁÎgab ge sīǃnâ ob ge nē ǂam ǃgāba Josefi xab ge mîbahe khami ǁîga ge mîba. 7 O gu ge ǁîga ǁîba ge ǃeream: “Tare-ets kha nēts go mî xūn ǀkha ra ǂâibasen, ǃgôahesatse? ǁNāti ī xū-e ge ge tātsē dī tama hâ? 8 Sats kom Kanaana xu ge ge sige ǁhōgu âge ǃnâ ge ge hō maris tsîna oaǀkhī-ū ǃkhaisa a ǂano. O tare-i ǃaroma ge nî ǀhai tamas ka io ǃhuniǀuri-e sa ǀhonkhoeba xu ǃnari? 9 Sige xa ǀguib nî ūhâs ka, ob ge ǁîba nî ǁō tsî ge ge nau ra ǃgauge nî sa khobo kai.”
10 Ob ge ǃgāba ǁîgu ǃoa ge mî: “Tita tsîn ge sago ǀkha ra ǀhûǀgui; xawe ǁnāb hîa go ǁhoesa ūb ǀguib ge nî khobo kai, tsî gu ge nauga a ǃnorasa ǃgûsa.” 11 ǃHaese ǁîgu di ǁhōga ūǁnâ tsîb ge mâb hoaba ǁîb ǁhōba ge ǁnaraǃnâtsoatsoa. 12 Josefi ǃgāb ge ǂōrisase kaiba xu ǂkhammi kōse, ǃnaes ǃnâ gu saogu hâ khami ǁîgu di ǁhōga ge ǁnara. Tsîb ge ǀams ai Benjaminni di ǁhōb ǃnâ ǀhonkhoeb âb di ǁhoesa ge hō. 13 O gu ge ǃgâsaga saran âga ǀkhau tsî mâb hoaba ǃhoroba dâukib ai ǃnao tsî ǁkhawa ǃās ǁga ge oa.
14 Judab tsî ǃgâsagu âb ge ǁîb oms tawa sī, ob ge Josefa noxopa ǁnāpa ge hâ i. ǁÎb aiǃâ gu ge ǁnāǁgoe 15 ob ge Josefa ǁîgu ǃoa ge mî: “Tare-e go kha go dī? Tita hâǃnâ ǃharos di khoeb ǀkhūsa ǂnau tsî a ǂanǂui ǁkhā ǃkhaisa go go ǀū i?”
16 Ob ge Judaba “Tare-e ge kha ǁnâi nî mî, ti ǀhonkhoetse? Tamas ka io mâ ǀgaus ai ge kha ǂnoasen ǁkhā? Mâti ge ǁî-aitsama a ǂhanu-ai kaisen ǁkhā? Elob kom sa ǃgāge di ǀhapisa go ǂhaiǂhaio. ǁÎb tawas go ǁhoesa hōheb ǀguib ose, xawe sige hoage ge nēsisa a sa khobo” ti ge mî.
17 Ob ge Josefa “Tātsē! Tita ge ǁnāsa hugas tsîna dī ǁkhā tide! ǁNāb, ǁîb tawas go ǁhoesa hōheb ǀguib ge nî ti khobo kai. Sago naugo ǂkhîb ǃnâ ǁaru re sago îb ǃoa” ti ge mî.
Judab ge Benjaminna ra ǀkhomaba
18 Ob ge Judaba Josefi tawa sī tsî ge mî: “Toxopa sa ǀkha harase ǃhoasa mā-am te re ǃgôahesatse. Tā tita ǀkha ǁaixa re, Faraob ǁkhāb khamits ī xuige. 19 Sats kom sa ǃgāge ‘ǁGûb tamas ka io ǀnî aore ǃgâsa-e go ūhâ tama?’ ti go dîo. 20 O ge kom ‘Ā ǀhonkhoetse, ū ge ge hâ, kaira ǁgûb tsî ǂkham ǃgâsab, ǁîb di kairasis tsēdi ǃnâb ge ǁorabaheb tsîna. Nē axab di ǃgâsab ge ge ǁō tsîb ge ǁîb ǀguiba ǁgûs di ǀkhāba xu ûiǃgau hâ tsîb ge sige îba ǁîba kaise a ǀnam’ ti ge mîba tsio. 21 Ots kom ti ǀhonkhoetsa ǁîba ge sa tawa hā-ū, îts ǁîba mû ti go mîo. 22 O ge kom axab ǁîb îba xu a ǃgû ǁoa, ǁîb ga ǃgû ob ǁgûba nî ǁō ti ge mîba tsio. 23 Ots kom ‘Sago ǃgâsab ose go ga hā, o go ge ti aisa mû tide’ ti ge mîba geo.
24 “Sige îb tawa ge ge oasī, o ge ge sats go mî xūna ǁîba ge mîba. 25 Sige îb ge ǃgû tsî ge ǁkhawa sī ǂû-e nî ǁama ǃkhaisa ge ǂgan ge. 26 O ge ge ǁîba ge ǃeream: ‘ǃGû ǁoa ge ge a; sige ǃgâsab ose ge ga sī, o ge ge ǁnā khoeb ǀkha ǀhaosa mā-amhe tide. Sige di ǂkham ǃgâsab ga sige sao, o ǀgui ge ge nî ǃgû.’ 27 Ob ge sige îba sige ǃoa ge mî: ‘Sago ge ti taras ge ǀgam ǀgôakha ǀguikha ǁoraba te ǃkhaisa a ǂan. 28 ǁÎkha di ǀguib ge ge ǃgûbēxū te tsîb ge ǁîba ǀnîsi ǁaixa ǀgurun xa ǀnai ge ǀkhauǃāhe, ǃgûbēb ges khaoǃgâ ta ganupe mû tama xui-ao. 29 Tsî go ga nēb tsîna tita xu ū tsîb ga ǁîba tsūǃgâ-i xa hāǂamhe, o ta ge tita kairasib âtab ǃnâ sago xa ǃaromahe hâse ǃoab xa nî ǁō.’
30 “Tsî nēsi ta ga sa ǃgāb, ti îb tawa ǀgôab hîab sige îba kaise a ǀnammi ose oasī 31 tsîb ga ǁîba ǀgôab ose ge hâsa mû, o ge ge sige îb, kaise ǀnai kaira hâb nî tsûaǂgaob xa ǁō ǃkhaisa nî ǃaroma. 32 Tita ge ǁîb di mâba-aose sige îb aiǃâ ǁapoǁapo tsî ǁîba ta ga oahā-ū tama i, o ta ti ûitsēdi hoade nē ǀhapisa tita ai nî ūhâ ǃkhaisa ge mî. 33 Xuige toxopa ǃgôahesatse, a ta ǁnâi tita sa khobose axab di amǃnâs ai nēpa hâ re, xawe ǁîba ǃgâsagu âb ǀkha ǁaru kai re. 34 Mâti ta kha tita axab ga tita ǀkha hâ tama io ti îb ǃoa a ǁaru ǁkhā? Tātsē! Tita ge ti îba nî hāǂam ǃoaba mû ǂgao tama hâ.”
