IGenesisi 42

42 ¹Kwathi uJakobe esebona ukuthi kukhona amabele eGibhithe, wathi kumadodana akhe: “Nibukananelani nje?” ²Wathi: “Bhekani, ngizwile ukuthi kukhona amabele eGibhithe. Yehlani niyosithengela khona, ukuze siphile singafi.” ³Base behla abafowabo bakaJosefa abayishumi, beyothenga amabele eGibhithe. ⁴Kodwa uJakobe akamthumanga uBhenjamini umfowabo kaJosefa kanye nabo, ngokuba wesaba ukuthi angehlelwa yingozi. ⁵Amadodana ka-Israyeli afika ezothenga amabele phakathi kwabanye abafikayo, ngokuba kwakukhona indlala ezweni laseKhanani. ⁶UJosefa wayengumbusi wezwe, ethengisa amabele kubo bonke abantu balo. Abafowabo bakaJosefa bafika bakhothama kuye, ubuso babo bubheke emhlabathini. ⁷UJosefa wababona abafowabo wabazi, kodwa wenza sengathi ungowesinye isizwe, wakhuluma nabo kalukhuni, wathi: “Nivelaphi?” “SivelaseKhanani,” basho, “size kuthenga ukudla.”

⁸UJosefa wabazi abafowabo, kodwa bona abamazanga. ⁹UJosefa wasekhumbula amaphupho ayewaphuphile ngabo, wathi kubo: “Niyizinhloli! Nizele ukubona izindawo ezibuthakathaka zezwe.”

¹⁰Kodwa bathi kuye: “Qha, nkosi yami, izinceku zakho zize kuthenga ukudla. ¹¹Sonke singamadodana andodanye; singabantu abaqotho. Izinceku zakho azikaze zibe yizinhloli.”

¹²Kodwa wathi kubo: “Qha, nizele ukubona izindawo ezibuthakathaka zezwe.”

¹³Bathi: “Izinceku zakho zingabafowabo abayishumi nambili, amadodana andodanye ezweni laseKhanani. Oncane usekhona nobaba wethu namuhla, omunye akasekho.”

¹⁴UJosefa wathi kubo: “Kunjengoba nje ngishilo kini: niyizinhloli. ¹⁵Niyakuvivinywa ngalokhu: kuphila uFaro, aniyikuphuma lapha ngaphandle kokuba umfowenu oncane efika. ¹⁶Thumani omunye wenu ayolanda umfowenu, kuthi abanye benu bahlale beboshiwe, ukuze amazwi enu avivinywe, ukuthi likhona yini iqiniso kini. Uma kungenjalo, kuphila uFaro, impela niyizinhloli.” ¹⁷Wababopha bonke ndawonye izinsuku ezintathu. ¹⁸Ngosuku lwesithathu uJosefa wathi kubo: “Yenzani lokhu niphile, ngokuba ngiyamesaba uBaba wethu. ^a a v18 UJosefa uqamba uNkulunkulu amesabayo — uBaba wethu — efakazela ukwethembeka kwakhe kwangempela yize ezifihlile phambi kwabafowabo. UBaba, osandla sakhe esifihlakele siqondise sonke isinyathelo sendaba kaJosefa, nguye kanye uBaba abafowabo abamkhonzayo. ¹⁹Uma niqotho, umfowenu oyedwa makasale lapha eboshiwe, abanye bahambe, bephethe amabele endlala yemizi yenu, ²⁰niyongilethela umfowenu oncane, ukuze amazwi enu aqinisekiswe ningafi.” Benza-ke njalo.

²¹Base bethi omunye komunye: “Ngempela sinecala ngomfowethu, ngokuba sabona usizi lomphefumulo wakhe lapho esincenga, kodwa asamlalela. Yingakho lolu sizi lusehlele.” ²²URubeni wabaphendula wathi: “Angithi nganitshela ukuthi ningoni emfaneni na? Anilalelanga. Manje igazi lakhe liyafunwa.” ²³Babengazi ukuthi uJosefa uyabezwa, ngokuba kwakukhona umhumushi phakathi kwabo. ²⁴Wabafulathela wakhala, wabuya wakhuluma nabo. Wathatha uSimeyoni kubo wambopha phambi kwamehlo abo.

²⁵UJosefa wayala ukuba izikhwama zabo zigcwaliswe amabele, nokuba isiliva saleyo naleyo ndoda sibuyiselwe esakeni layo, banikwe nomphako wohambo. Kwenziwa-ke njalo kubo. ²⁶Base bethwesa amabele abo ezimbongolweni zabo, bamuka lapho. ²⁷Endaweni yokulala, omunye wavula isaka lakhe ukuze aphe imbongolo yakhe ukudla, wabona isiliva sakhe sikhona emlonyeni wesaka. ²⁸Wathi kubafowabo: “Isiliva sami sibuyisiwe — bhekani, sikhona esakeni lami!” Izinhliziyo zabo zaphela amandla; bethuthumela, bathi omunye komunye: “Yini le uBaba wethu asenzele yona?” ^b b v28 Lokhu kuwukuvuka kokuqala kwabafowabo ekuboneni isandla sikaBaba sisebenza — ngisho nasekwesabeni kwabo, bayabona ukuthi lokhu kungaphezu kwento eyenzeke ngengozi nje. UBaba ubabuyisela ekhaya ngesineke ngomusa kaJosefa ofihlakele. ²⁹Bafika kuJakobe uyise ezweni laseKhanani, bamtshela konke okwakwenzekile kubo, bathi: ³⁰“Lowo muntu, inkosi yezwe, wakhuluma nathi kalukhuni, wasiphatha njengezinhloli zezwe. ³¹Kodwa sathi kuye: ‘Singabantu abaqotho; asikaze sibe yizinhloli. ³²Singabafowabo abayishumi nambili, amadodana kababa wethu. Omunye akasekho; oncane manje usekhona nobaba wethu ezweni laseKhanani.’ ³³Lowo muntu, inkosi yezwe, wathi kithi: ‘Ngiyakwazi ngalokhu ukuthi niqotho: shiyani umfowenu oyedwa kimi, nithathe amabele endlala yemizi yenu, nihambe.’ ³⁴Ningilethele umfowenu oncane, khona ngiyakwazi ukuthi aniyizo izinhloli kodwa ningabantu abaqotho. Ngiyonibuyisela umfowenu, futhi ningahweba ezweni.”

³⁵Kuthe besathulula amasaka abo, kwathi yileyo naleyo ndoda yafica isixha sayo sesiliva esakeni layo. Bathi bebona izixha zabo zesiliva, besaba bona noyise. ³⁶UJakobe uyise wathi kubo: “Ningaphucile abantwana: uJosefa akasekho, uSimeyoni akasekho, manje senifuna ukuthatha uBhenjamini. Konke lokhu kumelene nami!”

³⁷URubeni wathi kuyise: “Ungababulala amadodana ami womabili uma ngingambuyiseli kuwe. Mbeke ezandleni zami, ngiyakumbuyisela kuwe.”

³⁸Wathi: “Indodana yami ngeke yehle nani, ngokuba umfowabo ufile, kusele yena yedwa. Uma ingozi ingamehlela endleleni enihamba ngayo, niyakwehlisela izimvu zekhanda lami ethuneni ngosizi.”