UGenesise 47
47
UJakobe ephambi kukaFaro
1UJosefa wayesengena, wamtshela uFaro, wathi: “Ufikile ubaba nabafowethu, nezimvu zabo, nezinkomo zabo, nakho konke abanakho, bephuma ezweni laseKhanani; bheka, sebesezweni laseGosheni.” 2Phakathi kwabafowabo wathatha amadoda ayisihlanu, wawabeka phambi kukaFaro.
3UFaro wayesethi kubafowabo: “Uyini umsebenzi wenu na?”
Bathi kuFaro: “Izinceku zakho zingabelusi, thina nawobaba.” 4Bathi kuFaro: “Size ukugogobala ezweni, ngokuba akukho dlelo lemihlambi yezinceku zakho, lokhu indlala inzima ezweni laseKhanani; ngalokho izinceku zakho mazakhe ezweni laseGosheni.”
5Wayesekhuluma uFaro kuJosefa, ethi: “Uyihlo nabafowenu beze kuwe; 6izwe laseGibithe lisebusweni bakho; mhlalise uyihlo nabafowenu ezweni elihle kunalo lonke, ubahlalise ezweni laseGosheni; uma uwazi phakathi kwabo amadoda anamandla, wabeke abe yizinduna zezinkomo zami.”
7UJosefa wayesemngenisa uJakobe uyise, wambeka phambi kukaFaro; uJakobe wambusisa uFaro. 8Wathi uFaro kuJakobe: “Zingaki izinsuku zeminyaka yokuhamba kwakho na?”
9 UJakobe wathi kuFaro: “Izinsuku zeminyaka yokugogobala kwami ziyiminyaka eyikhulu namashumi amathathu; ziyingcosana, zimbi izinsuku zeminyaka yokuhamba kwami, azifinyelelanga ezinsukwini zeminyaka yokuhamba kwawobaba emihleni yokugogobala kwabo.” 10UJakobe wayesembusisa uFaro, wasuka ebusweni bukaFaro.
11UJosefa wabahlalisa uyise nabafowabo, wabapha indawo ezweni laseGibithe, izwe elihle kunalo lonke, izwe likaRamesesi, njengalokho uFaro ebayalile. 12UJosefa wamondla uyise, nabafowabo, nendlu yonke kayise ngokudla ngokwemilomo yezingane zabo.
Izwe laseGibithe nabantu abakulo babekwa phansi kukaFaro nguJosefa
13Ukudla kwakungekho ezweni lonke, ngokuba indlala yayinzima kakhulu; izwe laseGibithe nezwe laseKhanani afa indlala. 14UJosefa waqoqa yonke imali eyatholakala ezweni laseGibithe nasezweni laseKhanani ngamabele ababewathengile; uJosefa wayiyisa imali endlini kaFaro. 15Isiphelile imali ezweni laseGibithe nasezweni laseKhanani, bonke abaseGibithe beza kuJosefa, bathi: “Siphe ukudla; siyakufelani phambi kwakho na? Ngokuba isiphelile imali.”
16Wayesethi uJosefa: “Lethani izinkomo zenu; ngizakuninika ngezinkomo zenu, uma imali ingekho.” 17Baletha-ke izinkomo zabo kuJosefa; uJosefa wabenanela ukudla ngamahhashi, nangezimvu, nangezinkomo, nagezimbongolo; wabapha ukudla ngezinkomo zabo zonke ngalowo mnyaka.
18Usuphelile lowo mnyaka, beza kuye ngomnyaka wesibili, bathi kuye: “Asiyikufihlela inkosi ukuthi imali yethu yonke isiphelile; imihlambi yezinkomo isingeyenkosi; akukho okuseleyo emehlweni enkosi ngaphandle kwemizimba yethu namazwe ethu. 19Siyakufelani phambi kwakho thina namazwe ethu na? Sithenge thina namazwe ethu ngokudla, sibe yizinceku zikaFaro thina namazwe ethu; siphe imbewu ukuba siphile, singafi, izwe lingachitheki.”
20UJosefa wamthengela uFaro izwe lonke laseGibithe, ngokuba bonke abaseGibithe bathengisa ngamasimu abo, lokhu indlala yayinzima phezu kwabo; izwe lase liba ngelikaFaro. 21Abantu wabayisa emizini, ebasusa komunye umncele wezwe laseGibithe kwaze kwaba komunye umncele walo. 22Yizwe labapristi kuphela angalithenganga, ngokuba abapristi babethole isabelo kuFaro, badla isabelo sabo abapha sona uFaro; ngalokho abathengisanga ngezwe labo.
23UJosefa wayesethi kubantu: “Bhekani, namuhla nginithengile nibe ngabakaFaro nina nezwe lenu; nansi imbewu yenu, nize nihlwanyele emhlabathini. 24Kuyakuthi ezithelweni nimnike uFaro okwesihlanu, izinxenye ezine zibe ngezenu, kube yimbewu yamasimu, nokudla kwenu nokwabendlu yenu, nokudla kwezingane zenu.”
25Base bethi: “Usisindisile; masifumane umusa emehlweni enkosi, sibe yizinceku zikaFaro.”
26UJosefa washaya umthetho ngezwe laseGibithe kuze kube namuhla wokuthi uFaro uzakuba nokwesihlanu; kuphela izwe labapristi bodwa alibanga yilo elikaFaro.
27 U-Israyeli wahlala ezweni laseGibithe ezweni laseGosheni; bafuya khona, bazala, banda kakhulu.
28UJakobe wahlala ezweni laseGibithe iminyaka eyishumi nesikhombisa; izinsuku zikaJakobe, iminyaka yokuhamba kwakhe, zaziyiminyaka eyikhulu namashumi amane nesikhombisa. 29 Kwase kusondela isikhathi ayesezakufa ngaso u-Israyeli; wayesebiza indodana yakhe uJosefa, wathi kuye: “Uma ngifumene umusa emehlweni akho, ake ubeke isandla sakho phansi kwethanga lami, ungenzele umusa neqiniso: ake ungangimbeli eGibithe. 30 Kepha lapho sengilele kobaba, uze ungikhiphe eGibithe, ungimbele ethuneni labo.”
Wathi: “Ngizakwenza njengezwi lakho.”
31 Wayesethi kuye: “Funga kimi.” Wayesefunga kuye. U-Israyeli wakhothama esihlokweni sombhede.
Okuqokiwe okwamanje:
UGenesise 47: ZUL59
Qhakambisa
Dlulisela
Kopisha
Ufuna ukuthi okuvelele kwakho kugcinwe kuwo wonke amadivayisi akho? Bhalisa noma ngena ngemvume
© Bible Society of South Africa 1959, 1997. Used with permission. All rights reserved.