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.”
Oshitenga shoshisiliveli mompunda
1 Josef okwa lombwele elenga lyomegumbo lye e ta ti: “Udhitha oompunda dhaalumentu mbano iilya nou tule iimaliwa yawo moompunda dhawo. 2 Mompunda yonkelo tula mo oshitenga shandje shoshisiliveli pamwe niimaliwa ye mbyoka ya li tayi landwa iilya.” Elenga olya ningi ngaashi lya lombwelwa. 3 Ongula onene oya lalekwa noyi idhenge mela lyondjila nuusino wawo. 4 Sho ye ende ko owala oshinano oshifupi okuza koshilando, Josef okwa ti kelenga lyegumbo lye: “Endelela, u ya landule. Ngele we ya adha, ya pula u tye: ‘Uuwanawa oshike tamu u galulile uuwinayi? 5 Omolwashike mwa yaka po oshitenga shoshisiliveli shamwene gwandje? Omo amuke ha nwine nosho ha anekelitha. Omwa longo iihuna!’ ”
6 Elenga sho lye ya adha, olya popi, ngaashi lya lombwela. 7 Oye li yamukula ya ti: “Tatekulu, oto dhiladhila ngiini, sho to ti ngawo? Oshinima shoka oshi li kokule natse sho. 8 Oto tseya kutya otwe etelele niimaliwa mbiyaka twa monene moompunda dhetu twa zile nayo kuKaanan. Otatu vulu ngiini okuyaka po oshitenga shoshisiliveli shamwene gwoye megumbo lye nokuli? 9 Tatekulu, ngoka ta adhika e shi na, oye na dhipagwe, natse atuhe otatu ningi aapika yoye.”
10 Elenga olya ti: “Ote zimine, ihe ngoka awike a kutha po oshitenga, oye ta ningi omupika gwandje, manga ne yalwe otamu yi nombili.” 11 Oya kutululile omitsalo dhawo pevi noshaa ngoka okwa dhitulula ompunda ye. 12 Elenga lyaJosef olya hadha nuudhiginini, okutameka kuyomukuluntu sigo okoyonkelo, oshitenga nosha adhika mompunda yaBenjamin. 13 Aamwayina oya tuula oonguwo dhawo moluhodhi, oya kutile uusino wawo e taa shuna koshilando.
14 Juda naamwayina oye ya kaandjaJosef noye mu adha ko. Oye mu inyongamene, 15 Josef nokwa ti: “Omwa ningi ngiini? Kamu shi kutya omuntu ngangame ote vulu oku mu mona muunkulungu wokwaanekela?”
16 Juda okwa yamukula a ti: “Tatekulu, otatu ti nduno ngiini? Otatu patana shike? Otatu iyopaleke ngiini? Kalunga okwa holola uusama wetu. Atuhe tse aapika yoye pamwe naangoka a adhika e na oshitenga.”
17 Josef okwa ti: “Aawe! Shivalelwe ndi shi ninge! Ngoka awike a adhika e na oshitenga, oye na ninge omupika. Ne yalwe indeni nombili kuho.”
Juda ta galikanene Benjamin
18 Juda okwa hedha kuJosef e ta ti: “Ombili, tatekulu, kwatha ndje ndi popye nangoye. Ino geela ndje; ngoye owa fa omukwaniilwa polwoye mwene. 19 Tatekulu, owe tu pulile to ti: ‘Omu na ho nenge omumwanyoko gulwe?’ 20 Otwa yamukulile twa tile: ‘Otu na tate a kulupa nomumwameme onkelo e mu valelwa muukulupe. Omumwayina gwomunona okwa sa, noye awike gwayina e na po omwenyo; he oku mu hole unene.’ 21 Tatekulu, owe tu lombwelele, tu mu ete huka, opo u mu mone. 22 Otwa yamukulile kutya omunona ita vulu okuza po puhe; nge ta zi po, he ota si. 23 Owa tile: ‘Itamu pitikwa okuholoka koshipala shandje, ngele omumwanyoko onkelo ite ya nane.’
24 “Sho twa shunine kutate, otwe mu hokololele shoka wa tile. 25 Nena okwe tu lombwele, tu galuke tu ye tu lande iilya. 26 Otwa yamukula twa ti: ‘Itatu vulu okuya; itatu pitikilwa tu holoke koshipala shomulumentu ngwiyaka, ngele omumwameme onkelo itatu yi naye. Otatu vulu okuya ashike, ngele omumwameme onkelo ota yi wo.’ 27 Tate okwe tu lombwele a ti: ‘Omu shi shi kutya mukadhandje Rakel okwa valele ndje aamati yaali ayeke. 28 Gumwe okwa thiga ndje po nale. Ngiika okwa lika po kiilikama, oshoka inandi mu mona we sigo onena. 29 Ngele otamu kutha po ishewe nguno pungame, e ta ka adhika koshiponga, oluhodhi ndoka tamu etele ndje, otalu dhipaga ndje.’ ” 30-31 Juda okwa tsikile a ti: “Ngashingeyi, tatekulu, ngele ote shuna kutate ndaa na omunona, shampa tuu a mono kutya omunona ke li pamwe nangame, ota si. Omwenyo gwe ogu li momwenyo gwomunona ngu, nokwa kulupa lela, tashi ti, oluhodhi nduka tatu mu etele, otalu mu dhipaga. 32 Ngame ondu uvanekele tate, ndi sile omunona oshimpwiyu. Onde mu lombwele kutya, ngele itandi eta omunona kuye, ote kala ndi na ondjo koshipala she okukalamwenyo kwandje akuhe. 33 Ngashingeyi, tatekulu, ote kala po, ndi ninge omupika gwoye peha lyomunona; mu etha a ye pamwe naamwahe. 34 Ote vulu ngiini okushuna kutate, ngele omunona inandi ya naye? Ite vulu okwiidhidhimikila okutala oluhodhi lwatate lu thike mpoka.”
