Omarumbi wa Josef mave karanda ovikokotwa kOengipte
1 Jakob tja zuva kutja mOengipte mu novikokotwa, arire tja tja kovazandu ve: “Mwa hirimanene tjike mba nokuhinokutjita otjiṋa? 2 Ami mba zuu kutja kOengipte ku novikokotwa, twendeye ngo mu karande kutja atu ha ṱondjara.” 3 Komuhingo mbwi imba omarumbi wa Josef omurongo otji va ya okukaranda ovikokotwa kOengipte. 4 Nu Jakob ka tumine Benjamin, omuangu wa Josef puna omarumbi we, orondu eye tja tira kutja ngaa kamuna otjipo.
5 Ovazandu va Israel ve ya puna ovandu varwe okuranda ovikokotwa; orondu tji mwa ri ondjara mehi ra Kanaan. 6 Josef ongwa ri ongooneya wokehi yombara mehi arihe ra Engipte ngwaa randisa ovikokotwa kovandu avehe mehi arihe. Omarumbi wa Josef wina otji ve ya, naye rikotamene ku ye. 7 Nu Josef tja muna imba omarumbi we, we ye zemburuka; nungwari eye wa tjita aayo ke ve i. Eye wa hungira noukukutu ku wo ne ve pura nai: “Mamu zu pi?”
Nowo ve mu zira ave tja: “Matu zu kehi ra Kanaan okuyekuranda ovikurya.”
8 Josef wa zemburuka omarumbi we, nungwari owo kave mu zemburukire. 9 Neye wa zemburuka itwi oturoto twa rotera wo, na tja ku wo: “Oweṋe ozohoze, nu mwe ya okutara ehi retu pu ri ri epupu.”
10 Nowo va tja: “Ayee, kako, muhona! Eṱe twe ya otja ovakarere voye okuranda ovikurya. 11 Eṱe atuhe kumwe oweṱe ovangu nomarumbi, ovazandu vomurumendu umwe noweṱe ovaṱakame; ovakarere voye katu zohoze.”
12 Josef wa tja ku wo: “Kako! Eṋe mwe ya okutara ehi retu pu ri ri epupu.”
13 Owo va tja: “Eṱe ovakarere voye twa ri oovangu nomarumbi omurongo na vevari ovazandu vomurumendu umwe mehi ra Kanaan. Ingwi ongero u ri puna tate, nomuangu omukwao wa ṱa.”
14 Nu Josef wa zira a tja: “Pe ri otja indu tji mba hee! Oweṋe ozohoze. 15 Eṋe mamu rorwa nai: Nami me yana tjiri ku Farao, eṋe kamaamu i, nga ongero yeṋu tji ye ya mba. 16 Hindeye umwe a kaete omuangu weṋu. Imba varwe mamu kara mba kehi yondjeverero, nga ouatjiri mbu mamu hungire tji wa munika. Ape he ri nao, me yana tjiri ku Farao, oweṋe ozohoze!” 17 Eye ope ve yumbira motjovakamburwa oure womayuva yetatu.
18 Nu meyuva oritjatatu Josef wa tja ku wo: “Ami mbi nondira ku Ndjambi. Me hupisa ominyo vyeṋu, indu eṋe tji mwa tjiti nai: 19 Eṋe tji mu ri ovandu ovaṱakame, toororeye umwe weṋu ngu ma kara motjovakamburwa, eṋe mba varwe mamu twara ovikokotwa mbi mwa randa komuhoko weṋu mbwa ṱondjara. 20 Nu eterereye ongero yeṋu ku ami, mbi mune kutja eṋe mwa hungire ouatjiri, nu eṋe kamu nokuṱa.”
Nowo va itavera, 21 nave rihungirire oveni ave tja: “Tjiri, eṱe matu tjindi omberero youvi mbu twa tjita komuangu wetu. Twa muna ombamisiro eye ma ri, tji ye riyarikaṋa ombatero ku eṱe, nungwari katu puratenene ko. Opu twa zu okukara mouzeu mbwi nambano.”
22 Ruben arire tje ve ziri nai: “Ami mbe mu raera kutja amu ha tjiti otjipo komuzandu, neṋe kaamu puratene ko. Nambano ombinḓu ye otji mai pahewa mu eṱe.” 23 Josef aa zuu mbyaa ve hungire; nungwari owo kaave tjiwa kutja Josef ma zuu, tjinga apa ri omutoroke pokati kawo. 24 Josef wa zapo pu wo na karira. Nu tja za nokuwisa omutima pehi wa kotoka, a hungire rukwao na wo, na toorora Simeon ne mu pandekere momurungu wawo.
Omarumbi wa Josef mave yaruka kOkanaan
25 Josef wa rakiza kutja omakutu wawo ye urisiwe novikokotwa, nokuyarura mo ovimariva vyomurumendu auhe mekutu re, nokuvepa ovikurya mbi mave ri mondjira. Nu pa tjitwa nao ku wo. 26 Imba oovangu nomarumbi va kutira ousino wawo novikokotwa mbi va randa nave i. 27 Nu poṋa pu va rara ouṱuku, umwe wawo arire tja paturura ekutu re okupa okasino ke ovikurya; neye arire tja munu ovimariva vye kombanda motjinyo tjekutu. 28 Eye wa ravaera komarumbi we na tja: “Ovimariva vyandje vya kotorwa ku ami! Ovyo mbi mekutu randje!” Omitima vyawo arire tji vya zunḓara nave tarasana oveni nondira onene, nave purasana nai: “Hapo, Ndjambi me tu tjiti vi?”
29 Nowo tji ve ya ku ihe Jakob mehi ra Kanaan arire tji ve mu serekarere avihe mbya tjitwa ku wo, nave tja: 30 “Ongooneya ya Engipte yetu hungira noukukutu, nai tja oweṱe ozohoze zokutara ehi ndo. 31 Neṱe twe mu raera kutja oweṱe ovaṱakame, kaweṱe ozohoze. 32 Oweṱe ovazandu oovangu nomarumbi vaihe imwe, twa ri omurongo na vevari, nu umwe wa ṱa, nongero u ri puna tate kehi ra Kanaan. 33 Nomurumendu ngwi omunauvara wa zira a tja: ‘Mbi tjiwe kutja oweṋe ovaṱakame, umwe weṋu nga kare puna ami, nu imba varwe ngave tware ovikokotwa komuhoko weṋu, mbu nondjara. 34 Ndji etereye ongero yeṋu, otji me tjiwa kutja kaweṋe ozohoze, nungwari oweṋe ovanauatjiri. Ami otji me mu kotorere omuangu weṋu kutja mu ryange nouyara mehi.’ ”
35 Nu tji va pukumuna omakutu wawo, ondjaṱu yovimariva yomurumendu auhe ya ri mekutu re. Nowo na ihe tji va muna inḓa ozondjaṱu zovimariva, arire tji va uruma. 36 Ihe Jakob wa tja ku wo: “Eṋe mamu ndji yeka ovanatje vandje. Josef ke po, Simeon ke po; nambano mamu vanga okutwara Benjamin wina. Oruhoze aruhe ndwi ru ri kombanda yandje.”
37 Ruben arire tja tja ku ihe: “Tji mbi ha kotorere Benjamin kove, zepa ovazandu vandje vevari. Mu vara kutja uri kehi youvara nondjeverero yandje, nu ami me mu kotora kove.”
38 Nungwari Jakob wa tja: “Omuzandu wandje ke nakuyenda ko puna eṋe. Erumbi re wa ṱa, neye erike ongwa sewa po. Nu ndoovazu wa kamuna otjipo mondjira, mamu pundisa ozonḓi zandje noruhoze meyendo.”
Joseph's Brothers Go to Egypt To Buy Grain
1 When Jacob found out there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you just sitting here, staring at one another? 2 I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down and buy some, so we won't starve to death.”
3 Ten of Joseph's brothers went to Egypt to buy grain. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph's younger brother Benjamin with them; he was afraid that something might happen to him. 5 So Jacob's sons joined others from Canaan who were going to Egypt because of the terrible famine.
6 Since Joseph was governor of Egypt and in charge of selling grain, his brothers came to him and bowed with their faces to the ground. 7-8 They did not recognize Joseph, but at once he knew who they were, though he pretended not to know. Instead, he spoke harshly and asked, “Where do you come from?”
“From the land of Canaan,” they answered. “We've come here to buy grain.”
9 Joseph remembered what he had dreamed about them and said, “You're spies! You've come here to find out where our country is weak.”
10 “No sir,” they replied. “We're your servants, and we have only come to buy grain. 11 We're honest men, and we come from the same family—we're not spies.”
12 “That isn't so!” Joseph insisted. “You've come here to find out where our country is weak.”
13 But they explained, “Sir, we come from a family of twelve brothers. The youngest is still with our father in Canaan, and one of our brothers is dead.”
14 Joseph replied:
It's like I said. You're spies, 15 and I'm going to find out the truth. I swear by the life of the king that you won't leave this place until your youngest brother comes here. 16 Choose one of you to go after your brother, while the rest of you stay here in jail. That will show whether you are telling the truth. But if you are lying, I swear by the life of the king that you are spies!
17 Joseph kept them all under guard for three days, 18 before saying to them:
Since I respect God, I'll give you a chance to save your lives. 19 If you are honest men, one of you must stay here in jail, and the rest of you can take the grain back to your starving families. 20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me. Then I'll know that you are telling the truth, and you won't be put to death.
Joseph's brothers agreed 21 and said to one another, “We're being punished because of Joseph. We saw the trouble he was in, but we refused to help him when he begged us. That's why these terrible things are happening.”
22 Reuben spoke up, “Didn't I tell you not to harm the boy? But you wouldn't listen, and now we have to pay the price for killing him.”
23 They did not know that Joseph could understand them, since he was speaking through an interpreter. 24 Joseph turned away from them and cried, but soon he turned back and spoke to them again. Then he had Simeon tied up and taken away while they watched.
Joseph's Brothers Return to Canaan
25 Joseph gave orders for his brothers' grain sacks to be filled with grain and for their money to be put in their sacks. He also gave orders for them to be given food for their journey home. After this was done, 26 they each loaded the grain on their donkeys and left.
27 When they stopped for the night, one of them opened his sack to get some grain for his donkey, and at once he saw his moneybag. 28 “Here's my money!” he told his brothers. “Right here in my sack.”
They were trembling with fear as they stared at one another and asked themselves, “What has God done to us?”
29 When they returned to the land of Canaan, they told their father Jacob everything that had happened to them:
30 The governor of Egypt was rude and treated us like spies. 31 But we told him, “We're honest men, not spies. 32 We come from a family of twelve brothers. The youngest is still with our father in Canaan, and the other is dead.”
33 Then the governor of Egypt told us, “I'll find out if you really are honest. Leave one of your brothers here with me, while you take the grain to your starving families. 34 But bring your youngest brother to me, so I can be certain that you are honest men and not spies. After that, I'll let your other brother go free, and you can stay here and trade.”
35 When the brothers started emptying their sacks of grain, they found their moneybags in them. They were frightened, and so was their father Jacob, 36 who said, “You have already taken my sons Joseph and Simeon from me. And now you want to take away Benjamin! Everything is against me.”
37 Reuben spoke up, “Father, if I don't bring Benjamin back, you can kill both of my sons. Trust me with him, and I'll bring him back.”
38 But Jacob said, “I won't let my son Benjamin go down to Egypt with the rest of you. His brother is already dead, and he is the only son I have left. I am an old man, and if anything happens to him on the way, I'll die from sorrow, and all of you will be to blame.”
