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.”
Josef ta yeleke ovamwaxe
1 Opo nee Josef okwa lombwela elenga leumbo laye ndele ta ti: “Yadifa omakutu ovalumenhu oikulya i fike paenghono davo dokuhumbata, ndele tula mo oimaliwa yakeshe kombada mekutu laye, 2 neholo lange loshisiliveli pamwe noimaliwa yoilya yaye ou na oku li tula meni, kombada mekutu longhelo.” Ndele ye okwa ninga ngaashi a lombwelwa kuJosef. 3 Hano ongula, eluwa opo tali tende, ova lekela ovalumenhu neendongi davo. 4 Vo ova pita mo moshilando. Inava ya natango kokule opo nee Josef okwa lombwela elenga leumbo laye ndele ta ti: “Lilongekida u shikule ovalumenhu. Ndele ngeenge we va hange va pula: ‘Omolwashike mwa alula ouwa nowii? Omwa vakela mo shike eholo lange loshisiliveli? 5 Oshinima osho tuu osho omwene wange ha nwine mo nomo ha tale mo alushe oiholekwa? Nye omwa ninga nai, eshi mwa ninga ngaha.’ ”
6 Ndele ye okwe va hanga nokwe va lombwela eendjovo tuu odo. 7 Opo nee vo ova tya kuye: “Omolwashike omwene wetu ta popi eendjovo da tya ngaha? Eshi oshi li kokule nafye, tu ninge ngaha. 8 Tala, oimaliwa inya twa hangele meni kombada momakutu etu otwe i alula medu laKaanan noku i ku shunifila, fye ohatu dulu ngahelipi ngeno okuvaka oshisiliveli ile oshingoldo meumbo lomwene woye? 9 Ou, mokati kovapiya voye, ta hangika e na eholo olo oku na okufya, nafye atushe ohatu ningi ovapika vomwene wetu.” 10 Opo nee ye okwa tya: “Eewa, nashi kale ngaashi mwa tonga. Ou ta hangwa nalo ota ningi omupika wange, ndelenee nye omwa manguluka.” 11 Opo nee vo, keshe umwe, ova tula omakutu avo divadiva poshi ndele keshe umwe okwa mangulula ekutu laye. 12 Ndele ye okwa konga, a hovela pomukulunhu nokwa xulila ponghelo. Eholo ola monika mekutu laBenjamin.
13 Opo nee vo va pombaula oikutu yavo, keshe umwe okwa londeka omutengi kondongi yaye, ndele vo va shuna koshilando. 14 Ndele Juda okwe uya pamwe novamwaxe meumbo laJosef, fimbo natango ye a kala mo, ndele vo ova wila eombe koshipala shaye. 15 Opo nee Josef okwe va pula ta ti: “Oshike hano mwa ninga? Inamu shiiva nokutya, omulumenhu ngaashi ame, ohandi dulu okushiiva, kape na omalimbililo.” 16 Ndele Juda okwa pula ta ti: “Fye ohatu dulu okupopya shike komwene wetu? Ohatu ti shike? Onashike hatu dulu okulipopila? Kalunga okwa holola okunyona kwovapiya voye. Tala, fye ovapika vomwene wetu, fye naau a hangwa neholo.” 17 Ndele ye okwa tya: “Oshinima osho nashi kale kokule naame, ndi ninge ngaha. Omulumenhu ou a hangwa neholo oye aeke ta ka ninga omupika wange. Ndelenee nye indeni nombili kuxo.”
18 Opo nee Juda okwa ehena kuye ndele ta ti: “Akutu, omwene wange, omupiya woye na itavelwe okupopya ondjovo imwe momatwi omwene wange; ino handukila omupiya woye, osheshi ove ou li ngaashi Farao. 19 Omwene wange okwa pulile ovapiya vaye ndele ta ti: ‘Nye omu na tuu xo ile omumwaxo?’ 20 Ndele fye otwa nyamukula omwene wetu twa tya: ‘Fye otu na tate a kulupa. Nomona omunyasha, ou a dalwa moukulupe, ndelenee mumwaina okwa fya. Ndele oye aeke a fyaala po kuina, naxe oku mu hole.’ 21 Opo nee ove wa lombwela ovapiya voye: Mu eteni kwaame ndi shiive oku mu tala. 22 Ndele fye otwa nyamukula omwene wetu: ‘Omona ita dulu okufiya po xe, osheshi ngeenge te mu fii po, xe ota fi.’ 23 Opo nee ove wa lombwela ovapiya voye: ‘Onghelo yeni ngeenge itai uya pamwe nanye, itamu ka mona vali oshipala shange.’ 24 Ndele fye eshi twa fika kutate, omupiya woye, ndele twe mu hepaululila eendjovo domwene wetu, 25 tate okwe tu lombwela: ‘Indeni ko vali mu ke tu landele eendja.’ 26 Ndelenee fye twa tile: ‘Fye itatu dulu okuya ko ngeenge katu li nonghelo yetu. Osheshi itatu ka mona oshipala shomulumenhu winya, ngeenge onghelo kai po pufye.’ 27 Ndele tate, omupiya woye, okwe tu lombwela: ‘Nye omu shi shii nokutya omwalikadi wange okwa dalela nge ounona vavali, 28 umwe okwa dja po pwaame, ndele ame onda tile: “Oshili, ye okwa nyanyaulwa, okwa nyanyaulwa!” Ndele fiyo onena inandi mu mona. 29 Ngeenge tamu kufa po yo ou pwaame, ndele ta hangika koshiponga opo nee tamu ka twala eexwiki dange deenghwakutoka noluhodi moshovafi.’ 30 Ame ngeenge handi i kutate, omupiya woye, ndele omona ke po pufye, 31 ota ka fya, ngeenge ita mono omona e li pufye osheshi omwenyo waxe owa kanyatela shili kuye. Novapiya voye otava ka twala eexwiki domupiya woye deenghwakutoka noluhodi moshovafi. 32 Osheshi omupiya woye okwe litula ponhele yomona koshipala shatate, ndele ame onda tile: ‘Ngeenge itandi mu alula kwoove, ame ohandi ka kala ndi na etimba koshipala shoye mokukala kwange akushe.’ 33 Itavelela hano omupiya woye a kale ponhele yomona omupika womwene wange. Ndele efa omona a ye pamwe navamwatate, 34 osheshi ame ohandi dulu ngahelipi okuholoka kutate, omona ngeenge ke po pwaame? Ame itandi ka dula okutala oluhodi lidjuu tali ka hanga tate!”
