Uhambo lwesibili lwabafowabo bakaJosefa beya eGibithe
1Indlala yayinzima ezweni. 2Kwathi sebeqedile amabele ababewathengile eGibithe, uyise wathi kubo: “Buyelani, nisithengele ukudlana.”
3UJuda wakhuluma kuye, wathi: “Lowo muntu wagoma nokugoma kithina, wathi: ‘Aniyikubona ubuso bami, kuphela uma umfowenu enani.’ 4Uma umthuma nathi umfowethu, sizakwehla, sithenge ukudla; 5kepha uma ungamthumi, asizukwehla, ngokuba lowo muntu wathi kithina: ‘Aniyikubona ubuso bami, kuphela uma umfowenu enani.’ ”
6Wayesethi u-Israyeli: “Ningenzeleni okubi ngokumtshela lowo muntu ukuthi ukhona omunye umfowenu na?”
7Bathi: “Wabuza nokubuza lowo muntu ngathi nangezihlobo zethu, wathi: ‘Usekhona uyihlo na? Ninomunye umfowenu na?’ Samlandisa njengalawa mazwi; sasingakwazi kanjani ukuba uyakuthi: ‘Yehlisani umfowenu,’ na?”
8UJuda wathi ku-Israyeli uyise: “Thuma umfana nami, size sisuke, sihambe ukuba siphile, singafi, thina nawe kanye nezingane zethu. 9Mina ngiyakuba yisibambiso sakhe; uzakumbiza esandleni sami; uma ngingambuyiseli kuwe, ngimbeke ebusweni bakho, ngiyakuba necala kuze kube phakade, 10ngokuba uma sasingalibalanga, impela nga sesibuyile manje ngokwesibili.”
11Uyise u-Israyeli wayesethi kubo: “Uma kunjalo, yenzani lokhu; phathani izithelo ezikhethiweyo zezwe emasakeni enu, nimehlisele lowo muntu isipho, ibhalisamu* eliyingcosana, nezinyosi eziyingcosana, namakha, nemure,* namapisitakiyo,* nama-alimondi,* 12niphathe esandleni senu imali iphindwe kabili; naleyo mali eyabuyiselwa emilonyeni yamasaka enu, niyihambise ngesandla senu; mhlawumbe kwenzeka iphutha. 13Nithathe futhi umfowenu, nisuke nibuyele kulowo muntu. 14UNkulunkulu uSomandla aniphe umusa ebusweni balowo muntu, ukuze anikhululele umfowenu lowo omunye kanye noBenjamini; kepha mina, uma ngaphucwa abantwana, ngiyaphucwa.”
15Amadoda ayesethatha leso sipho nemali ephindwe kabili esandleni sawo kanye noBenjamini, asuka ehlela eGibithe, ema ebusweni bukaJosefa. 16UJosefa esembona uBenjamini enabo, wathi kophezu kwendlu yakhe: “Ngenisa lawa madoda endlini, uhlabe, ulungise, ngokuba lawa madoda ayakudla nami emini.”
17Lowo muntu wenza njengalokho eshilo uJosefa; inceku yawangenisa amadoda endlini kaJosefa. 18Amadoda esaba, ngokuba angeniswa endlini kaJosefa, athi: “Singeniswe lapha ngenxa yemali eyabuyiselwa emasakeni ethu kuqala ukuba asizume, asehlele, asenze izigqila kanye nezimbongolo zethu.”
19Asondela-ke encekwini yendlu kaJosefa, akhuluma kuyo ngasemnyango wendlu, 20athi: “O nkosi, ngempela safika kuqala ukuthenga ukudla. 21Kwathi sesifike endlini yezihambi, savula amasaka ethu; bheka, imali yalowo nalowo yayisemlonyeni wesaka lakhe, imali yethu ngokulinganiswa kwayo; sesiyibuyisile ngesandla sethu. 22Sehle nenye imali esandleni sethu ukuba sithenge ukudla; asazi ukuthi ngubani owayifaka imali yethu emasakeni ethu.”
23Yayisithi kubo: “Ukuthula makube kinina; ningesabi; uNkulunkulu wenu noNkulunkulu kayihlo uniphe igugu emasakeni enu; imali yenu ngayithola.” Yaphumisa uSimeyoni, yamletha kubo.
24Inceku yayisingenisa amadoda endlini kaJosefa, yawanika amanzi; ageza izinyawo zawo; yazipha izimbongolo zawo ukudla. 25Alungisela uJosefa isipho, ezofika emini, ngokuba ayezwile ukuthi ayakudla khona.
26UJosefa esefike ekhaya, ayisa kuye endlini isipho esasisesandleni sawo, akhothamela phansi kuye. 27Wabuza impilo yabo, wathi: “Usaphila uyihlo, ixhegu enanikhuluma ngalo, na? Usekhona na?”
28Bathi-ke: “Inceku yakho ubaba isaphila, isekhona.” Bamkhothamela, bamkhonza.
29Wayesephakamisa amehlo akhe, wambona uBenjamini umfowabo, indodana kanina, wathi: “Nguye lo ongumfowenu omncane enakhuluma ngaye kimi na?” Wathi: “UNkulunkulu makabe nomusa kuwe ndodana yami.” 30Wakhawuleza uJosefa, ngokuba ngaphakathi kwakhe kwavutha isihe ngomfowabo; wafuna lapho angakhala khona, wangena ekamelweni lakhe, wakhala khona.
31Wageza ubuso bakhe, waphuma; wazibamba, wathi: “Lethani ukudla.”
32Bambekela ukudla ngokwakhe, nalabo ngokwabo, nabaseGibithe abadla naye ngokwabo, lokhu abaseGibithe bangedle namaHeberu, ngokuba kuyanengeka kubo abaseGibithe. 33Bahlala phambi kwakhe, izibulo njengobuzibulo balo nomncane njengobuncane bakhe; abantu bamangala omunye nomunye. 34Wabathathela izabelo kulokho okwakuphambi kwakhe, kepha isabelo sikaBenjamini saphindwa kahlanu silinganiswa nesabo. Baphuza, bathokoza naye.
