UJosefa wamukela umndeni wakhe
UFaro uhlalisa abelusi eGosheni ngenkathi indlala iqhubeka. AbaseGibhithe bathengisa isiliva labo, imfuyo, umhlaba, ekugcineni nabo uqobo ngenxa yamabele, futhi uJosefa ukwenza kube ngumthetho. UJakobe, ethi iminyaka yakhe ingemingaki futhi inzima, wenza uJosefa afunge ukuthi ngeke amngcwabe eGibhithe.
47 1UJosefa wafika watshela uFaro, wathi: “Ubaba nabafowethu, kanye nemihlambi yabo yezimvu neyezinkomo nakho konke abanakho, bafikile bevela eKhanani. Manje baseGosheni.” 2Phakathi kwabafowabo wathatha amadoda amahlanu wawethula kuFaro. 3UFaro wabuza abafowabo bakaJosefa, wathi: “Wuluphi umsebenzi wenu?” Bathi kuFaro: “Izinceku zakho zingabelusi bezimvu, thina kanye nobaba bethu.”
4Bathi kuFaro: “Size ukuzohlala kuleli zwe njengezihambi, ngokuba alikho idlelo lemihlambi yezinceku zakho—indlala inkulu kakhulu eKhanani. Manje sicela uvumele izinceku zakho zihlale eGosheni.”
5UFaro wathi kuJosefa: “Uyihlo nabafowenu beze kuwe. 6IGibhithe liphambi kwakho. Hlalisa uyihlo nabafowenu endaweni enhle kunazo zonke zezwe—mababe seGosheni. Uma wazi amadoda anekhono phakathi kwabo, wabeke babe ngabaphathi bemfuyo yami.”
7UJosefa wangenisa uyise uJakobe wambeka phambi kukaFaro, uJakobe wambusisa uFaro. 8UFaro wabuza uJakobe: “Mingaki iminyaka oyiphilile?”
9UJakobe waphendula uFaro: “Iminyaka yami yobuhambuma ingu-130. Mincane futhi inzima, ayifinyelelanga eminyakeni yobuhambuma kobaba.” 10UJakobe wambusisa uFaro, waphuma phambi kwakhe.
11Ngakho uJosefa wahlalisa uyise nabafowabo, wabanika umhlaba endaweni enhle kunazo zonke zaseGibhithe, esifundeni saseRamesesi, njengokuyala kukaFaro. 12UJosefa wondla uyise, nabafowabo, nayo yonke indlu kayise, ngokwenani labantwana babo.
Indlala iyaqina
13Kwakungasekho ukudla kulo lonke izwe, ngokuba indlala yayinkulu kakhulu, izwe laseGibhithe nezwe laseKhanani laphela amandla ngenxa yendlala. 14UJosefa waqoqa yonke isiliva eyatholakala ezweni laseGibhithe nasezweni laseKhanani ngenxa yamabele ababewathenga, uJosefa wayingenisa isiliva endlini kaFaro. 15Kwathi lapho isiliva seliphelile ezweni laseGibhithe nasezweni laseKhanani, wonke amaGibhithe eza kuJosefa, ethi: “Siphe ukudla! Kungani sifanele sife phambi kwakho? Lokhu isiliva seliphelile.”
16UJosefa waphendula: “Lethani imfuyo yenu; ngizoninika ukudla ngokushintshanisa nemfuyo yenu, lokhu isiliva senu seliphelile.” 17Baletha imfuyo yabo kuJosefa, wabanika isinkwa ngamahhashi, nangemihlambi yezimvu, neyezinkomo, nangezimbongolo. Wabondla ngesinkwa kulowo nyaka ngenxa yayo yonke imfuyo yabo. 18Waphela lowo nyaka, beza kuye ngonyaka wesibili bathi: “Asikwazi ukufihla enkosini yethu ukuthi isiliva sethu seliphelile nemfuyo isingeyenkosi yethu; akusasele lutho enkosini yethu ngaphandle kwemizimba yethu nomhlaba wethu. 19Kungani sife phambi kwamehlo akho—thina nomhlaba wethu? Sithenge thina nomhlaba wethu ngokudla; thina nomhlaba wethu sizokhonza uFaro. Siphe imbewu ukuze siphile, singafi, nomhlaba ungabi yihlane.”
20Ngakho uJosefa wawuthenga wonke umhlaba waseGibhithe wawunika uFaro, ngokuba yilowo nalowo mGibhithe wathengisa insimu yakhe—indlala yayinkulu kakhulu kubo. Umhlaba waba ngokaFaro. 21Wabasa abantu emadolobheni, kusukela komunye umkhawulo weGibhithe kuya komunye. 22Kuphela akawuthenganga umhlaba wabapristi, ngokuba uFaro wayebanika isabelo esimisiwe ababephila ngaso; ngakho abawuthengisanga umhlaba wabo. 23UJosefa wathi ebantwini: “Bhekani, nginithengile namuhla nina nomhlaba wenu ngenxa kaFaro. Nansi imbewu—hlwanyelani umhlaba. 24Ngesikhathi sokuvuna, nikani uFaro ingxenye yesihlanu; ligcineni izingxenye ezine zibe yimbewu yensimu nokudla kwenu, nokwemizi yenu, nokwabantwana benu.”
25Bathi: “Usisindisile. Sengathi singathola umusa emehlweni enkosi yethu, sibe yizigqila zikaFaro.” 26Ngakho uJosefa wakwenza kwaba ngumthetho eGibhithe—osasebenza nanamuhla—ukuthi ingxenye yesihlanu iye kuFaro. Umhlaba wabapristi kuphela ongabanga ngokaFaro.
27U-Israyeli wahlala ezweni laseGibhithe, ezweni laseGosheni. Bazuza izimpahla khona, bachuma banda kakhulu. 28UJakobe waphila eGibhithe iminyaka eyishumi nesikhombisa; iminyaka yokuphila kwakhe yonke yaba ngu-147. 29Kwathi lapho isikhathi sika-Israyeli sokufa sesisondele, wabiza indodana yakhe uJosefa wathi: “Uma ngithole umusa kuwe, ake ubeke isandla sakho ngaphansi kwethanga lami, ungibonise umusa noqotho. Ngiyacela ungangigqibi eGibhithe, a a v29 Ukubeka isandla ngaphansi kwethanga lomuntu kwakuyisenzo sesifungo esingcwele sasendulo, esibopha isithembiso enzalweni yakhe. 30kodwa ngilale nobaba. Ngithwale ungikhiphe eGibhithe ungigqibe ethuneni labo.” UJosefa wathi: “Ngizokwenza njengokusho kwakho.”
31UJakobe wathi: “Ngifungele.” UJosefa wamfungela. U-Israyeli wakhothama ngasesihlokweni sombhede wakhe.
