Abanakwabo kaJosefa baya eGibhide
1Kuthe bona uJakopo ezwe bonyana kunekoroyi eGibhide, wathi emadodanenakhe: “Kubayini nihlalele ukuqalana ngemehlweni nje? 2Qalani, ngizwe bonyana kunekoroyi eGibhide. Yehlani niyosithengela ukuze siphile singafi.”
3Kwaba ngabalitjhumi kwaphela abanakwabo kaJosefa abehla ukuyokuthenga ikoroyi eGibhide 4ngombana uJakopo wathi uBhenjamini olama uJosefa asale, angakhambi nabanye. Gade esaba bonyana naye angahle ehlelwe yingozi. 5Ngaleyondlela amadodana ka-Israyeli gade akhambisana nalabo ebebayokuthenga ikoroyi ngombana nenarheni yeKanana indlala beyiphodlha.
6UJosefa gade ambusi wenarha yeGibhide, athengisela abantu ikoroyi. Nje-ke kuthe lokha abanakwabo nabafikako, baguqa bahloma iinhloko phasi phambi kwakhe. 7Kuthe bonyana uJosefa abone abafowabo, wabazi kodwana wenza ngathi akabazi. Wabakhulumisa ngokubakgharameja wathi: “Nibuyaphi nina?”
Baphendula bathi: “Sibuya eKanana sizokuthenga ukudla.”
8Nanyana uJosefa wabazi abanakwabo, kodwana bona akhange bamazi. 9Wakhumbula amabhudangwakhe ngabo. Wathi kibo: “Sukanapha, niziinhloli nina! Nizele ukuzokuhlola bonyana kukuphi lapha inarha yekhethu le ingakavikeleki khona.”
10Bamphendula bathi: “Awa kosi, iinceku zakho zizele ukuzokuthenga ukudla. 11Nasinje siziinlamani zendoda yinye. Iinceku zakho zimadoda athembekileko, asisizo iinhloli.”
12UJosefa wathi kibo: “Sukelani le! Nizele ukuzokuhlola bonyana kukuphi lapha inarha yekhethu le ingakavikeleki khona.”
13Kodwana baphendula bathi: “Emanyeni iinceku zakho gade zibabafo abalitjhumi nambili, amadodana wendoda yinye ehlala enarheni yeKanana. Ubuphetjhani gadesi nje busele nobaba, kanti omunye akasekho.”
14UJosefa wathi kibo: “Ngisatjho bonyana niziinhloli nina! 15Nasi-ke indlela enizakuhlolwa ngayo: Ngifunga uFaro ngithi anizukukhamba enarhenapha kungakalethwa umfowenu omncani. 16Thumelani omunye phakathi kwenu ayomthatha, nina abanye nizakuhlala ngesikhungwenapha. Ngaleyondlela amezwi wenu azabe azizinywa ukubona bonyana nineqiniso kangangani. Nakungasinjalo, ngimfunge uFaro, ngithi niziinhloli nina!”
17Ngambala wababeka boke ngesikhungweni amalanga amathathu. 18Elangeni lesithathu uJosefa wathi kibo: “Yenzani lokhu nizakuphila ngombana mina ngimumuntu owesaba uZimu: 19Nakube nimadoda athembekileko akuthi omunye wenu asale esikhungwenapha khibe abanye benu nithatha ikoroyi nibuyele emindeninenu elambileko. 20Kodwana kumele nilethe umfowenu omncani kimapha ukuze kuqinisekiswe amezwi wenu nokobana ningafi.”
Mbala benza njalo. 21Bathi omunye komunye: “Iye, sihlunguphazwa ngebanga lalokho esakwenza kumfowethu. Sambona bonyana gade akhathazeke kangangani lokha nasirabhelako, kodwana azange simlalele. Ngikho-nje iinkathazwezi zehlele phezu kwethu.”
22URubeni wathi kibo: “Angithi nganitjela bona ningenzi ubumbi emsaneni? Kodwana nanghanghabala! Gadesi-ke sekumele sithwale umlandu ngeengazi zakhe.”
23Azange batjheje bonyana uJosefa uyabezwa ngombana gade asebenzisa umrhumutjhi lokha nakhuluma nabo. 24UJosefa wabasukela, wathoma ukulila. Kwathi nakabuyela kibo, wakhuluma nabo bewathatha uSimiyoni wambopha phambi kwabo.
25UJosefa wayaleza bona imithwalo yabo izaliswe ikoroyi, enye nenye indoda ibuyiselwe isilivayo ifakwe ngesikhwameni sayo bebanikelwe umphako. Mbala benzelwa njalo.
Abanakwabo kaJosefa babuyela eKanana
26Yeke abanakwabo kaJosefa bakhweza ikoroyabo kibodumbana bangena indlela. 27Kuthe lokha omunye wabo nakavula isikhwama sakhe kobana adlise udumbanakhe lapha bahlwelwa khona, qala naso isilivakhe emlonyeni wesitjhuba sekoroyi! 28Wabiza abafowabo wathi: “Ngibuyiselwe isilivami! Qalani, nasi ingesitjhubeni sami!”
Bakhungatheka, bangenwa kukwesaba babuzana bathi: “Yini esiyenziwa nguZimu le?”
29Kuthe nabafika kuyise uJakopo enarheni yeKanana, bambikela koke okwenzekileko kibo, 30bathi: “Umuntu ombusi weGibhide usitjhobolile, wasiphatha njengeenhloli enarhenakhe. 31Sabathe siyamtjela bonyana asisizo iinhloli kodwana simadoda athembekileko, 32nokobana besiziinlamani ezilitjhumi nambili, amadodana kababa. Samtjela nokobana omunye wethu sele asitjhiya, kanti obuphetjhani yena usele nobaba eKanana. 33Kodwna umuntu ombusi wenarha loyo wathi kithi, ‘Nayibe sithembekile ngizakubona ngalokhu: Munye wenu uzakusala nami bese abanye benu bathathela emindenenu elambileko ukudla, barhatjheke. 34Nilethe ubuphetjhani bekhenu kimi, ngalokho ngizakholwa bonyana anisizo iinhloli kodwana nimadoda athembekileko. Nanenza njalo ngizanibuyisela umfowenu bese nikhamba enarheni ngokutjhaphuluka.’ ”
35Kuthe lokha nabathulula iinkhwama zabo ebebazikhweze kibodumbana, omunye nomunye wafumana imbadanakhe yesiliva ebe ingesikhwameni. Uyise kanye nabo bangenelwa kukwesaba lokha nababona iimbadana zesilivezo. 36UJakopo uyisabo wathi kibo: “Ningemuke abantwabami. UJosefa akasekho, uSimiyoni naye uthethwe. Gadesi sele nifuna ukungithathela uBhenjamini! Maye mina, iphasi lingijikele!”
37URubeni wathi kuyise: “Nakube angimbuyiseli kuwe uBhenjamini, ungabulala amadodanami womabili. Mbeke ngaphasi kwesandla sami, ngizambuyisa.”
38Kodwana uJakopo wathi: “Indodanami ayikazokwehla nani. Umnakwabo uhlongakele, sekusele yona yedwa tere. Nakwenzeka yehlelwe yingozi ekhambeni lenu, nizabe ningibangele bona ngife ngamatlhuwiso sengimdala kangaka.”
