A Silver Cup in a Sack
1Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack. 2Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said.
3As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. 4They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? 5Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.’ ”
6When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. 7But they said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! 8We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? 9If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.”
10“Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame.”
11Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. 12Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.
14Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. 15Joseph said to them, “What is this you have done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?”
16“What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.”
17But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.”
18Then Judah went up to him and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord, let me speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. 19My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ 20And we answered, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’
21“Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’ 22And we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.’ 23But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ 24When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said.
25“Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’ 26But we said, ‘We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’
27“Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. 29If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.’
30“So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life, 31sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. 32Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’
33“Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. 34How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.”
Chikho Chasiliva Mʼthumba la Benjamini
1Pambuyo pake Yosefe analamulira wantchito wa mʼnyumba mwake kuti, “Adzazire chakudya anthuwa mʼmatumba mwawo monga mmene anganyamulire, ndipo uwayikire ndalama zawo pakamwa pa matumba awowo. 2Tsono uyike chikho changa cha siliva chija, pakamwa pa thumba la wamngʼono kwambiriyu pamodzi ndi ndalama zake za chakudya” Ndipo iye anachita monga Yosefe ananenera.
3Mmawa kutacha anthu aja analoledwa kuti apite ndi abulu awo. 4Atangotuluka mu mzinda muja, koma asanapite patali, Yosefe anati kwa wantchito wake, “Nyamuka atsatire anthu aja msanga. Ndipo ukawapeza, uwafunse kuti, ‘Bwanji mwabwezera zoyipa ndi zabwino? 5Mwaberanji chikho chimene mbuye wanga amamweramo ndi kugwiritsa ntchito akafuna kuwombeza? Chimene mwachitachi ndi chinthu choyipa.’ ”
6Wantchito uja atawapeza ananena mawu anawuzidwa aja. 7Koma iwo anati kwa iye, “Kodi mbuye wanga mukuneneranji zimenezi? Sizingatheke ndi pangʼono pomwe kuti antchito anufe nʼkuchita zoterozo ayi! 8Paja ife pobwera kuchokera ku Kanaani tinatenga ndalama kubwezera zimene tinazipeza mʼmatumba mwathu. Ndiye pali chifukwa chanji kuti tikabe siliva kapena golide mʼnyumba mwa mbuye wanu? 9Ngati wantchito wanu wina pano atapezeka nacho chikhocho, ameneyo aphedwe ndipo ena tonsefe tidzakhala akapolo anu, mbuye wathu.”
10Iye anati, “Chabwino, tsono zikhale monga mwaneneramu. Komatu aliyense amene angapezeke nacho chikhocho adzakhala kapolo wanga, ndipo ena nonsenu muzipita mwaufulu.”
11Tsono onse anafulumira kutsitsa pansi aliyense thumba lake ndi kulitsekula. 12Kenaka anayamba kufufuza, kuyambira pa wamkulu mpaka pa wamngʼono. Ndipo chikhocho chinapezeka mʼthumba mwa Benjamini. 13Apo onse anangʼamba zovala zawo ndi chisoni. Ndipo anasenzetsa abulu katundu wawo nabwerera ku mzinda konkuja.
14Pamene Yuda ndi abale ake ankafika ku nyumba kwa Yosefe nʼkuti Yosefe akanali komweko. Ndipo anadzigwetsa pansi pamaso pake. 15Yosefe anafunsa kuti, “Nʼchiyani mwachitachi? Kodi simudziwa kuti munthu ngati ine ndikhoza kuona zinthu mwakuwombeza?”
16Yuda anayankha, “Kodi tinganenenji kwa mbuye wanga? Tinena chiyani? Tingadzilungamitse bwanji? Mulungu waulula kulakwa kwa antchito anu. Ndipo tsopano ndife akapolo a mbuye wanga, ife tonse pamodzi ndi amene wapezeka ndi chikhocho.”
17Koma Yosefe anati, “Sindingachite choncho ayi! Yekhayo amene wapezeka ndi chikhocho ndi amene akhale kapolo wanga. Ena nonsenu, bwererani kwa abambo anu mu mtendere.”
18Ndipo Yuda anamuyandikira iye nati, “Chonde mbuye wanga mulole kapolo wanune ndinene mawu pangʼono kwa mbuye wanga. Musandipsere mtima, kapolo wanune, popeza inu muli ngati Farao yemwe. 19Mbuye wanga munafunsa akapolo anufe kuti, ‘Kodi muli ndi abambo anu kapena mʼbale wanu?’ 20Ndipo ife tinayankha, ‘Inde mbuye wathu, ife tili ndi abambo athu wokalamba, ndipo pali mwana wamwamuna wamngʼono amene anabadwa abambo athu atakalamba kale. Mʼbale wake anafa ndipo ndi yekhayo mʼmimba mwa amayi ake amene watsala ndipo abambo ake amamukonda.’
21“Ndipo inu munatiwuza kuti, ‘Mubwere naye kwa ine kuti ndidzamuone ndekha.’ 22Ife tinati, ‘Mbuye wathu, mnyamatayo sangasiye abambo ake, akawasiya ndiye kuti abambo akewo adzafa.’ 23Koma inu munatichenjeza kuti, ‘Pokhapokha mutabwera naye mʼbale wanu wamngʼono kwambiri, simudzandionanso.’ 24Ndiye pamene tinafika kwa kapolo wanu, abambo athu tinawawuza zonse zimene munanena.
25“Abambo athu anatiwuza kuti, ‘Pitaninso mukagule kachakudya pangʼono.’ 26Koma tinati, ‘Sitingathe kupitanso. Sitingapite pokhapokha mngʼono wathuyu apite nafe chifukwa munthu uja anati sitingaonane naye ngati mngʼono wathuyu sakhala nafe.’
27“Koma kapolo wanu, abambo athu anatiwuza kuti, ‘Inu mukudziwa kuti mkazi wanga anandiberekera ana aamuna awiri. 28Mmodzi wa iwo anandisiya. Ine ndimati anadyedwa ndi chirombo popeza sindinamuonenso mpaka lero. 29Tsopano mukanditengeranso uyu, nakaphedwa mu njira ndiye kuti mudzandikankhira ku manda ndi chisoni.’
30“Tsono ngati tizibwerera kwa mtumiki wanu, abambo athu popanda mnyamatayu, amene moyo wa abambo ake uli pa iyeyu, 31ndipo akakaona kuti mnyamatayu palibe, basi akafa. Ife tidzakhala ngati takankhira abambo athu ku manda ndi chisoni. 32Ndiponsotu ine ndinadzipereka kwa abambo anga kukhala chikole chotsimikiza kuti mnyamatayu ndidzamuteteza, ndipo ndinati, ‘Ngati sindibwerera naye mnyamatayu kwa inu, ndiye kuti ndidzakhala wochimwira inu abambo anga moyo wanga wonse.’
33“Tsono, chonde mulole kuti ine kapolo wanu nditsalire kuno kukhala kapolo wa mbuye wathu mʼmalo mwa mnyamatayu. Koma iye apite pamodzi ndi abale akewa. 34Ndingabwerere bwanji kwa abambo anga ngati sindingapite ndi mnyamatayu? Ayi! Sindifuna kukaona tsoka limene lingakagwere abambo anga.”
