Genesis 43

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.