UGenesisi 47 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

¹ UJosefa wasengena kuFaro wamtshela wathi: Ubaba labafowethu lezimvu zabo lenkomo zabo lakho konke abalakho baphuma elizweni laseKanani sebefikile elizweni laseGosheni.

² Phakathi kwabafowabo wathatha amadoda amahlanu, wawamisa phambi kukaFaro.

³ UFaro wathi kubafowabo: Umsebenzi wenu uyini? Bathi kuFaro: Inceku zakho zingabelusi, thina labobaba.

⁴ Bathi futhi: Sifikile ukuba sihlale elizweni leli; ngoba kalisekho idlelo lemihlambi yenceku zakho elizweni laseKanani, futhi indlala inkulu khona. Ngakho inceku zakho zicela ukwakha elizweni laseGosheni.

⁵ UFaro wasesithi kuJosefa: Uyihlo labafowenu beze kuwe.

⁶ Ilizwe laseGibithe liphambi kwakho; umbeke uyihlo labafowenu esiqintini esihle kulazo zonke, ubabeke elizweni laseGosheni; uba kukhona phakathi kwabo amadoda alamandla, uwabeke abe yizinduna zokwelusa inkomo zami.

⁷ UJosefa wasemletha uyise, wammisa phambi kukaFaro; uJakobe wambusisa uFaro.

⁸ UFaro wathi kuJakobe: Mingaki iminyaka yobudala bakho na?

⁹ UJakobe wathi kuFaro: Iminyaka yobudala bami ilikhulu lamatshumi amathathu; ibe imibi iminyaka yokuphila kwami, milutshwana kuleminyaka yokuhamba kwabobaba.

¹⁰ UJakobe wasebusisa uFaro, wasuka waphuma.

¹¹ UJosefa wabahlalisa oyise labafowabo, wabapha indawo elizweni laseGibithe, esiqintini esihle kulazo zonke, emkhonweni waseRamesesi njengokulaya kukaFaro.

¹² UJosefa wabondla oyise labafowabo labo bonke abendlu kayise ngokudla njengobunengi babo.

Indlala eGibithe

¹³ Ukudla kwakungasekho elizweni lonke, ngoba indlala yayinkulu; ilizwe laseGibithe lelizwe laseKanani afa yindlala.

¹⁴ UJosefa wasebutha yonke imali yelizwe laseGibithe lelizwe laseKanani eyayitholakele ngamabele ayethengisiwe, wayiletha endlini kaFaro.

¹⁵ Kwathi lapho yonke imali isiphelile elizweni laseGibithe laselizweni laseKanani, amaGibithe wonke eza kuJosefa athi: Sinike ukudla; kungani sife usikhangele na? Ngoba isiphelile imali yethu.

¹⁶ UJosefa wathi: Nginikani imfuyo yenu; ngizalinika ukudla ngemfuyo yenu, uba lingaselamali.

¹⁷ Basebeletha imfuyo yabo kuJosefa; uJosefa wabathengisela ukudla ngamabhiza langezimvu langezinkomo langabobabhemi. Ngomnyaka lowo wonke wabathengisela ukudla ngemfuyo yabo.

¹⁸ Kwathi lapho usuphelile lowomnyaka, beza kuye ngomnyaka wesibili bathi kuye: Kasiyikuyifihlela inkosi yethu ukuthi yonke imali yethu isiphelile; lemihlambi yenkomo isingeyenkosi yethu; kakukho okuseleyo phambi kwenkosi yethu, kuphela imizimba yethu lamasimu ethu.

¹⁹ Sizafelani phambi kwakho thina, lamasimu ethu alobe na? Sithenge thina lamasimu ethu ngokudla, thina sibe yizinceku zikaFaro lamasimu ethu abe ngawakhe; sinike inhlanyelo ukuze singafi, lokuba ilizwe lingachitheki.

²⁰ UJosefa wasemthengela uFaro lonke ilizwe laseGibithe, ngoba ilowo lalowo umGibithe wathengisa insimu yakhe, ngoba indlala yayinkulu kubo; lonke ilizwe laba ngelikaFaro.

²¹ Abantu bona wabenza babe yizigqili kusukela komunye umngcele waseGibithe kwaze kwafika komunye.

²² Yilizwe labapristi lodwa angalithenganga, ngoba abapristi bazuza isabelo kuFaro, badla isabelo sabo ayebanika sona; ngalokhu kabathengisanga ilizwe labo.

²³ UJosefa wasesithi ebantwini: Khangelani, lamhla ngilithengile, selingabakaFaro lina lamasimu enu; nansi inhlanyelo yenu yokuba lihlanyele emasimini.

²⁴ Kuzakuthi ekuvuneni limnike uFaro okwesihlanu, lezingxenye ezine zibe ngezenu, kube yinhlanyelo yamasimu lokudla kwenu lokudla kwemizi yenu, lokudla kwabantwana benu.

²⁵ Basebesithi: Wena usisilisile; asifumane umusa phambi kwenkosi yethu sibe yizigqili zikaFaro.

²⁶ UJosefa wenza umthetho mayelana lelizwe laseGibithe omiyo lalamhla wokuthi okwesihlanu kuzakuba ngokukaFaro; isiqinti sabapristi sodwa yiso esasingesiso sikaFaro.

Isifiso sokucina sikaJakobe

²⁷ UIsrayeli wakha elizweni laseGibithe, endaweni yaseGosheni; bazizuzela imfuyo khona, bazala, banda kakhulu.

²⁸ UJakobe wahlala elizweni laseGibithe iminyaka elitshumi lesikhombisa; iminyaka yobudala bukaJakobe yayilikhulu lamatshumi amane lesikhombisa.

²⁹ Kwasekusondela isikhathi sokufa kukaIsrayeli. Wabiza indodana yakhe uJosefa wathi kuye: Uba ngifumene umusa emehlweni akho, ake ubeke isandla sakho ngaphansi kwethangazi lami, ube lomusa leqiniso kimi; ungangimbeli eGibithe;

³⁰ kodwa, lapho sengibhubhile njengokhokho bami, ungikhuphe eGibithe, ungimbele emathuneni abo. Wathi: Ngizakwenza njengokutsho kwakho.

³¹ UJakobe wathi kuye: Funga. Wasefunga. UIsrayeli wakhothamela ekhanda lombheda wakhe.