IGenesisi 50

50 ¹UJosefa wakhothama phezu kobuso bukayise, wamkhalela, wamanga. ²UJosefa wayala odokotela ababemsebenzela ukuba baqhole uyise ngamakha. Ngakho odokotela bamqhola ngamakha u-Israyeli. ³Kwadingeka izinsuku ezingamashumi amane, isikhathi esejwayelekile sokuqhola ngamakha; abaseGibhithe bamkhalela izinsuku ezingamashumi ayisikhombisa.

⁴Kwathi lapho izinsuku zakhe zokulila sezidlulile, uJosefa wakhuluma nabendlu kaFaro: “Uma ngithole umusa kini, ake nikhulume noFaro, nithi: ⁵Ubaba wangifungisa, wathi: ‘Bheka, ngiyafa; ungingcwabe ethuneni engazimbela lona eKhanani.’ Ngakho ake ngikhuphuke manje ngiyongcwaba ubaba, bese ngiyabuya.”

⁶UFaro wathi: “Khuphuka uyongcwaba uyihlo, njengoba akufungisa.”

⁷UJosefa wakhuphuka ukuyongcwaba uyise; kwakhuphuka naye zonke izinceku zikaFaro, izikhulu zendlu yakhe, nazo zonke izikhulu zezwe laseGibhithe, ⁸nayo yonke indlu kaJosefa, nabafowabo, nendlu kayise. Kwasala kuphela abantwana babo, nezimvu zabo, nezinkomo zabo ezweni laseGosheni. ⁹Kwakhuphuka naye nezinqola nabagibeli bamahhashi. Kwakuyiviyo elikhulu kakhulu. ¹⁰Bafika esibuyeni sokubhula sase-Atadi, ngaphesheya kweJordani, balila khona ngesililo esikhulu, esinzima kakhulu; uJosefa wenza izinsuku eziyisikhombisa zokulilela uyise. ¹¹Kwathi lapho abakhileyo bezwe, amaKhanani, bebona ukulila esibuyeni sokubhula sase-Atadi, bathi: “Lokhu kungukulila okubuhlungu kwabaseGibhithe.” Ngenxa yalokho leyo ndawo yaqanjwa igama elithi Abeli-Mizrayimi; ingaphesheya kweJordani. ^a a v11 U-Abeli-Mizrayimi usho ukuthi “ukulila kwaseGibhithe” — amaKhanani aqamba leyo ndawo ngenxa yesililo esikhulu abazibonela sona khona. ¹²Amadodana akhe amenzela njengoba ayebayalile. ¹³Amadodana akhe amthwala aya naye ezweni laseKhanani, amngcwaba emhumeni wensimu yaseMakaphela, u-Abrahama ayeyithenge ku-Efroni umHeti ukuba ibe yindawo yokungcwaba, ebhekene neMamre. ¹⁴Emva kokungcwaba uyise, uJosefa wabuyela eGibhithe, yena nabafowabo nabo bonke ababekhuphuke naye ukuyongcwaba uyise.

Ukwesaba kwakudala kwabafowabo

¹⁵Abafowabo bakaJosefa, bebona ukuthi uyise usefile, bathi: “Kuyoba njani uma uJosefa esizonda, asiphindisele konke okubi esamenzela khona?” ¹⁶Ngakho bathumela umyalezo kuJosefa, bethi: “Uyihlo wayala kanje engakafi: ¹⁷Yitshele uJosefa, uthi: ‘Ake uthethelele ukona nesono sabafowenu—benza okubi kuwe.’ Manje ake uthethelele ukona kwezinceku zikaNkulunkulu kayihlo.” UJosefa wakhala lapho bekhuluma naye. ¹⁸Abafowabo bafika nabo, bawa phansi phambi kwakhe, bathi: “Bheka, siyizinceku zakho.” ¹⁹Kodwa uJosefa wathi kubo: “Ningesabi, ingabe mina ngisesikhundleni sikaBaba wethu na? ²⁰Nina nanihlose okubi kimi, kodwa uBaba wethu wakuhlosela okuhle, ukuze kusindiswe ukuphila kwabantu abaningi, njengoba kwenzeka namuhla. ²¹Manje, ningesabi; ngizoninakekela nina nabantwana benu.” Kanjalo wabaduduza, ekhuluma ezinhliziyweni zabo.

Iminyaka yokugcina kaJosefa

²²Ngakho uJosefa wahlala eGibhithe, yena nomndeni kayise. UJosefa waphila iminyaka eyikhulu neshumi. ²³UJosefa wabona abantwana baka-Efrayimi kwaze kwaba yisizukulwane sesithathu; nabantwana bakaMakiri indodana kaManase bazalelwa emadolweni kaJosefa. ^b b v23 Ukubeka ingane esanda kuzalwa emadolweni kakhokho kwakuyisenzo sasendulo sokutholwa nokuba ngowomndeni — uJosefa wayesemukela ngokusemthethweni laba bantwana njengabakhe. ²⁴UJosefa wathi kubafowabo: “Ngiyafa, kodwa uBaba wethu uzofika impela ukuzonisiza, anikhuphule kuleli zwe, aniyise ezweni afunga ngalo ku-Abrahama, ku-Isaka, nakuJakobe.” ^c c v24 Amazwi kaJosefa okugcina abheke phambili eku-Exodusini — uBaba wethu akabashiyi abantwana bakhe ebugqilini; uyeza ukuzobabuyisela ekhaya. ²⁵UJosefa wafungisa amadodana ka-Israyeli, wathi: “UBaba wethu uzofika impela ukuzonisiza; nikhuphule amathambo ami niwasuse lapha.” ²⁶UJosefa wafa eneminyaka eyikhulu neshumi. Bamqhola ngamakha, bamfaka ebhokisini lomngcwabo eGibhithe.