Joseph’s Brothers Go Down to Egypt
1Jacob found out that there was grain in Egypt. So he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at one another?” 2He continued, “I’ve heard there’s grain in Egypt. Go down there. Buy some for us. Then we’ll live and not die.”
3So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain there. 4But Jacob didn’t send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with them. He was afraid Benjamin might be harmed. 5Israel’s sons were among the people who went to buy grain. There wasn’t enough food in the land of Canaan.
6Joseph was the governor of the land. He was the one who sold grain to all its people. When Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. 7As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them. But he pretended to be a stranger. He spoke to them in a mean way. “Where do you come from?” he asked.
“From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We’ve come to buy food.”
8Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him. 9Then Joseph remembered his dreams about them. So he said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the places where our land isn’t guarded very well.”
10“No, sir,” they answered. “We’ve come to buy food. 11All of us are the sons of one man. We’re honest men. We aren’t spies.”
12“No!” he said to them. “You have come to see the places where our land isn’t guarded very well.”
13But they replied, “We were 12 brothers. All of us were the sons of one man. He lives in the land of Canaan. Our youngest brother is now with our father. And one brother is gone.”
14Joseph said to them, “I still say you are spies! 15So I’m going to test you. And here’s the test. You can be sure that you won’t leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. You can be just as sure of this as you are sure that Pharaoh lives. I give you my word that you won’t leave here unless your brother comes. 16Send one of you back to get your brother. The rest of you will be kept in prison. I’ll test your words. Then we’ll find out whether you are telling the truth. You can be sure that Pharaoh lives. And you can be just as sure that if you aren’t telling the truth, we’ll know that you are spies!” 17So Joseph kept all of them under guard for three days.
18On the third day, Joseph spoke to them again. He said, “Do what I say. Then you will live, because I have respect for God. 19If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison. The rest of you may go and take grain back to your hungry families. 20But you must bring your youngest brother to me. That will prove that your words are true. Then you won’t die.” So they did what he said.
21They said to one another, “God is surely punishing us because of our brother. We saw how upset he was when he begged us to let him live. But we wouldn’t listen. That’s why all this trouble has come to us.”
22Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we’re being paid back for killing him.” 23They didn’t realize that Joseph could understand what they were saying. He was using someone else to explain their words to him in the Egyptian language.
24Joseph turned away from his brothers and began to weep. Then he came back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken and tied up right there in front of them.
25Joseph gave orders to have their bags filled with grain. He had each man’s money put back into his sack. He also made sure they were given food for their journey. 26Then the brothers loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.
27When night came, they stopped. One of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey. He saw his money in the top of his sack. 28“My money has been given back,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.”
They had a sinking feeling in their hearts. They began to tremble. They turned to one another and said, “What has God done to us?”
29They came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him everything that had happened to them. They said, 30“The man who is the governor of the land spoke to us in a mean way. He treated us as if we were spying on the land. 31But we said to him, ‘We’re honest men. We aren’t spies. 32We were 12 brothers. All of us were the sons of one father. But now one brother is gone. And our youngest brother is with our father in Canaan.’
33“Then the man who is the governor of the land spoke to us. He said, ‘Here’s how I will know whether you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers here with me. Take food for your hungry families and go. 34But bring your youngest brother to me. Then I’ll know that you are honest men and not spies. I’ll give your brother back to you. And you will be free to trade in the land.’ ”
35They began emptying their sacks. There in each man’s sack was his bag of money! When they and their father saw the money bags, they were scared to death. 36Their father Jacob said to them, “You have taken my children away from me. Joseph is gone. Simeon is gone. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is going against me!”
37Then Reuben spoke to his father. He said, “You can put both of my sons to death if I don’t bring Benjamin back to you. Trust me to take care of him. I’ll bring him back.”
38But Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you. His brother is dead. He’s the only one left here with me. Suppose he’s harmed on the journey you are taking. Then I would die as a sad old man.”
Baganda ba Yusufu Bajja e Misiri
142:1 Bik 7:12Yakobo bwe yategeera nga mu Misiri eriyo emmere, n’agamba batabani be nti, “Lwaki mutunula butunuzi? 242:2 Lub 43:8Mpulidde nti mu Misiri eriyo emmere, muserengete mutugulireyo emmere, tube balamu, tuleme okufa.”
3Awo baganda ba Yusufu ekkumi ne baserengeta e Misiri okugula emmere. 442:4 nny 38Kyokka Yakobo n’atasindika Benyamini, muto wa Yusufu wamu ne baganda be kubanga yatya nti akabi kayinza okumutuukako. 542:5 a Lub 41:57 b Lub 12:10; Bik 7:11Bwe batyo batabani ba Isirayiri ne bajja mu Misiri wamu n’abalala abajja okugula emmere, kubanga ensi ya Kanani yali ejjudde enjala.
Yusufu Asanga Baganda be
642:6 a Lub 41:41 b Lub 37:7-10Mu kiseera ekyo Yusufu ye yali afuga Misiri; nga y’aguza abantu emmere. Awo baganda be ne bajja ne bamuvuunamira. 742:7 nny 30Yusufu n’abalaba n’abategeera, wabula n’abayisa nga b’atamanyi n’ayogera nabo n’obukambwe. N’ababuuza nti, “Muva wa?” Ne bamuddamu nti, “Tuva mu nsi ya Kanani, tuzze kugula mmere.”
842:8 Lub 37:2Bw’atyo Yusufu n’ategeera baganda be kyokka bo ne batamutegeera. 942:9 Lub 37:7Awo Yusufu n’ajjukira ebirooto bye ku bo. N’abagamba nti, “Muli bakessi; muzze kuketta nsi yaffe mulabe bw’eri ennafu.” 10Ne bamuddamu nti, “Nedda mukama waffe; abaddu bo tuzze kugula mmere. 11Ffenna tuli batabani ba musajja omu, tuli basajja ba mazima. Abaddu bo tetuli bakessi.” 12Ye n’abaddamu nti, “Nedda muzze kulaba obunafu bw’ensi yaffe bwe buli.” 1342:13 Lub 37:30, 33; 44:20Ne bamuddamu nti, “Abaddu bo tuli kkumi na babiri, tuli baana ba muntu omu mu nsi ya Kanani, laba muto waffe n’olwa leero ali ne kitaffe, n’omulala yafa.”
14Naye Yusufu n’alumiriza nti, “Kiri nga bwe mbagambye, muli bakessi. 1542:15 1Sa 17:55Nzija kubategeerera ku kino, ndayidde obulamu bwa Falaawo temujja kuva wano, okuggyako nga muto wammwe aleeteddwa wano. 1642:16 nny 11Mutume omu ku mmwe, aleete muganda wammwe, mwe mubeere mu kkomera, ebigambo byammwe byetegerezebwe obanga ddala bye mwogedde bya mazima. Oba si ekyo ndayidde obulamu bwa Falaawo, muli bakessi.” 1742:17 Lub 40:4Awo n’abateeka bonna mu kkomera okumala ennaku ssatu.
1842:18 Lub 20:11; Lv 25:43Ku lunaku olwokusatu Yusufu n’abagamba nti, “Mukole bwe muti okuwonya obulamu bwammwe, kubanga ntya Katonda; 19obanga ddala muli basajja b’amazima, omu ku baganda bammwe asigale ng’asibiddwa mu kkomera, abalala mugende mutwalire abantu bammwe emmere, 2042:20 nny 15, 34; Lub 43:5; 44:23mundeetere muto wammwe, olwo ebigambo byammwe bikakasibwe muleme okufa.” Awo ne bakola bwe batyo.
2142:21 a Lub 37:26-28 b Kos 5:15Awo ne bagambagana nti, “Ddala tuliko omusango gwa muganda waffe, kubanga twalaba nga mweraliikirivu, bwe yatwegayirira ne tutamuwuliriza; akabi kano kyekavudde katutuukako.” 2242:22 a Lub 37:21-22 b Lub 9:5 c 1Bk 2:32; 2By 24:22; Zab 9:12Lewubeeni kwe kubaddamu nti, “Nnabagamba muleme kukola kabi ku mulenzi, nga mmwe temumpuliriza; kale omusaayi gwe kyeguva gutuwalanwako.”
23Ne batamanya nti Yusufu ategedde bye boogedde, kubanga bayogeranga naye nga bayita mu mutaputa. 2442:24 nny 13; Lub 43:14, 23; 45:14-15Awo Yusufu n’atunula ebbali n’akaaba, ate n’akyuka gye bali n’ayogera nabo. Awo n’atwala Simyoni n’amusiba nga balaba. 2542:25 a Lub 43:2 b Lub 44:1, 8 c Bar 12:17, 20-21N’alagira bajjuze ensawo zaabwe eŋŋaano, era bazze ensimbi za buli omu mu nsawo ye, baweebwe n’entanda; ne bibakolerwa. 26Awo ne batikka endogoyi zaabwe eŋŋaano ne bagenda.
2742:27 Lub 43:21-22Naye omu ku bo bwe yasumulula ensawo ye okuliisa endogoyi ye nga bali mu kifo mwe baasula, n’alaba ensimbi ze ku mumwa gw’ensawo; 2842:28 Lub 43:23n’agamba baganda be nti, “Ensimbi zange baazinzirizza, ziizino mu kamwa k’ensawo yange!” Ekyo ne kibeeralikiriza, buli omu n’atandika okutya, nga bwe bagamba nti, “Kiki kino Katonda ky’atukoze!”
Batabani ba Yakobo Bamutegeeza
29Bwe baakomawo mu nsi ya Kanani eri Yakobo kitaabwe ne bamutegeeza byonna ebyababaako, nga bagamba nti, 3042:30 nny 7“Omusajja omufuzi w’ensi y’e Misiri yayogera naffe n’obukambwe era n’atuyisa nga abaali bagenze okuketta ensi ye. 3142:31 nny 11Naye ne tumugamba nti, Tuli basajja b’amazima, tetuli bakessi, 32tuli abooluganda kumi na babiri, baana ba muntu omu, munnaffe yafa, ne muto waffe olwa leero ali ne kitaffe mu nsi ya Kanani.
3342:33 nny 19, 20“Awo omusajja oyo omufuzi w’ensi n’atugamba nti, ‘Ku kino kwennaategeerera nga muli beesigwa: muleke wano omu ku baganda bammwe, mutwale eŋŋaano olw’enjala eri mu maka gammwe. 3442:34 Lub 34:10Mundeetere muto wammwe, kwe nnaategeerera nga temuli bakessi, muli basajja b’amazima, olwo ne ndyoka mbawa muganda wammwe, mulyoke mugule emmere mu nsi eno.’ ”
3542:35 Lub 43:12, 15, 18Bwe baatuuka eka, buli eyafukumulanga ensawo ye, laba ng’omuvumbo gw’ensimbi ze mweziri. Awo bo ne kitaabwe bwe baalaba emivumbo gy’ensimbi ne batya. 3642:36 Lub 43:14Yakobo kitaabwe n’abagamba nti, “Munzigyeko abaana bange: Yusufu taliiwo, ne Simyoni taliiwo ne kaakano mwagala muntwaleko Benyamini!”
37Awo Lewubeeni n’agamba kitaawe nti, “Ottanga batabani bange bombi, bwe sirikomyawo Benyamini gy’oli; mumpe, nange ndimukomyawo gy’oli.”
3842:38 a Lub 37:33 b nny 4 c Lub 37:35 d Lub 44:29, 34Naye Yakobo n’agamba nti, “Mutabani wange tajja kuserengeta nammwe, kubanga muganda we yafa, era ye y’asigalawo yekka. Akabi bwe kalimutuukako mu lugendo lwe mugendako, muliserengesa envi zange emagombe nga nkyali munakuwavu.”
