UGenesisi 43 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

Abafowabo bakaJosefa babuyela eGibithe kanye loBenjamini

¹ Indlala yayinkulu elizweni.

² Kwathi sebewaqedile amabele ababewathengile eGibithe, uyise wathi kubo: Buyelani, liyesithengela okunye ukudla.

³ UJuda wathi kuye: Lowomuntu wasiqonqosela wathi: Kalisoze libubone ubuso bami uba umnawenu lingelaye.

⁴ Uba umthuma lathi umnawethu sizahamba siyethenga ukudla,

⁵ kodwa uba ungamthumi, lathi kasiyikuhamba, ngoba lowomuntu wathi kithi: Kalisoze libubone ubuso bami uba umnawenu lingafikanga laye.

⁶ UIsrayeli wathi: Lenzelani okubi kangaka kimi ngokumtshela lowomuntu ukuthi lilomunye umnawenu na?

⁷ Bathi: Lowomuntu wabuza imibuzo eminengi mayelana lathi langezihlobo zethu, wathi: Usekhona uyihlo na? Lilomunye umnawenu na? Samphendula ngalawomazwi; sasingakwazi kanjani ukuba uzakuthi: Mletheni lapha umnawenu.

⁸ UJuda wathi kuIsrayeli uyise: Thuma umfana lami; sizasuka sihambe, ukuba sisile singafi thina, lawe labantwana bethu.

⁹ Mina ngizakuba yisibambiso sakhe; uzakumbiza esandleni sami; uba ngingambuyisi kuwe ngimbeke phambi kwakho, ngizakuba lecala kuze kube nini lanini.

¹⁰ Impela uba besingalibalanga, ngabe sesibuyele okwesibili.

¹¹ Uyise uIsrayeli wathi kubo: Uba kunjalo, yenzani lokhu; fakani emasakeni enu izithelo ezikhethiweyo zelizwe, limphathele lowomuntu isipho, amakha ayingcosana lenyosi eziyingcosana, inhlaka lemure, lezinye izithelo ezimnandi;

¹² liphathe imali iphindwe kabili; futhi imali leyo eyabuyiselwayo emasakeni enu libuyele layo, ngoba mhlawumbe kwaba yisiphosiso ukufakwa kwayo.

¹³ Lithathe futhi lomfowenu, lisuke, libuyele kulowomuntu.

¹⁴ UNkulunkulu uSomandla kalenzele isihawu lowomuntu ukuze alikhululele umfowenu lowo omunye kanye loBenjamini. Uba ngamukwa abantwana bami, ngiyamukwa.

¹⁵ Amadoda asethatha lesosipho lemali ephindwe kabili ezandleni zabo kanye loBenjamini; asuka ehlela eGibithe, ema phambi kukaJosefa.

¹⁶ UJosefa embona uBenjamini elabo, wathi kumphathi wendlu yakhe: Ngenisa lamadoda endlini, uwahlabele, ulungise ukudla, ngoba lamadoda azakudla lami emini.

¹⁷ Umphathi wenza njengokutsho kukaJosefa, wawangenisa amadoda endlini kaJosefa.

¹⁸ Amadoda lawo ethuka, ngoba engeniswa endlini kaJosefa; athi: Singenisiwe lapha ngenxa yemali eyabuyiselwa emasakeni ethu kuqala, ukuba asethwese icala, asisukele, asithumbe kanye lobabhemi bethu.

¹⁹ Asondela kumphathi wendlu kaJosefa, akhuluma laye ngasemnyango wendlu athi:

²⁰ O nkosi! safika kuqala sizethenga ukudla.

²¹ Kwathi sesifikile endlini yezihambi, savula amasaka ethu, safumana ukuba imali yalowo lalowo yayisemlonyeni wesaka lakhe, yonke imali yethu ngokulinganiswa kwayo; sibuye layo.

²² Futhi size lenye imali ukuba sithenge ngayo ukudla. Kasazi ukuba imali yethu yafakwa ngubani emasakeni ethu.

²³ Wasesithi: Ukuthula kakube kini, lingesabi. UNkulunkulu wenu loNkulunkulu kayihlo ulinikile inotho emasakeni enu. Imali yenu ngayamukela. Wasemkhupha uSimeyoni, wamletha kubo.

²⁴ Umphathi wasewangenisa amadoda endlini kaJosefa, wawanika amanzi; ageza inyawo zawo; wanika obabhemi bawo ukudla.

²⁵ Amlungisela uJosefa isipho engakafiki emini, ngoba ayezwile ukuthi uzakudlela lapho.

²⁶ Kwathi uJosefa esefikile ekhaya, aletha kuye endlini isipho ayelaso, athi mbo ngobuso phansi.

²⁷ Wabuza impilo yawo wathi: Uyaphila uyihlo yini, ixhegu elalikhuluma ngalo na? Lisekhona na?

²⁸ Athi: Inceku yakho ubaba uyaphila, usekhona. Asekhothamela phansi kuye.

²⁹ UJosefa wasekhangela, wabona uBenjamini umfowabo, indodana kanina, wathi: Nguye lo umnawenu omncinyane elakhuluma ngaye kimi na? Wathi futhi: UNkulunkulu kabe lomusa kuwe, mfana wami.

³⁰ Inhliziyo kaJosefa yavutha ngokukhanuka umfowabo; waphangisa wadinga indawo lapho ayengakhalela khona; wangena endlini yakhe, wakhala khona.

³¹ Esegezile ubuso bakhe, waphuma; esezibambile wathi: Lethani ukudla.

³² Bamnika ukudla yedwa, labo babanika bodwa, lamaGibithe ayesidla laye bawanika wodwa, lokhu amaGibithe ayengedle lamaHeberu, ngoba kuyinto eyisinengiso kumaGibithe.

³³ Bahlala phambi kwakhe ngokwelamana kwabo, kusukela kolizibulo njengobuzibulo bakhe, kwaze kwafika komncinyane njengobuncinyane bakhe; abantu bakhangelana bemangala.

³⁴ UJosefa wababela ekudleni okwakuphambi kwakhe; kodwa isabelo sikaBenjamini saphindwa kahlanu silinganiswa lesabelo sabanye. Banatha bajabula laye.