Genesis 42 (EWE)

1Esi Yakob se be bli nɔ Egipte la, egblɔ na viawo be, “Nu ka ta miele afi sia le mia nɔewo kpɔm ɖo?When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?”

2Mese be bli le Egipte. Miyi afi ma miaƒle bli vɛ hafi dɔ nawu mí míaku.”“Look,” he added, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”

3Ale Yosef nɔviŋutsu ewo yi Egipte be yewoaƒle bli.So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

4Ke Yakob mena Yosef nɔvi suetɔ Benyamin yi kpli wo o, elabena evɔ̃ be nya aɖe ava adzɔ ɖe edzi abe ale si wòdzɔ ɖe Yosef dzi ene.But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “I am afraid that harm might befall him.”

5Ale Israel ƒe viwo kple ame bubuwo tso anyigba geɖewo dzi va ɖo Egipte be yewoaƒle bli, elabena dɔwuame la nu sesẽ le Kanaan abe teƒe ɖe sia ɖe ene.So the sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, since the famine had also spread to the land of Canaan.

6Esi wònye Yosef tututue nye dziɖula le Egipte katã, eye wònye eyae le blia dzi kpɔm ta la, eya gbɔe nɔviawo yi, eye wodze klo, de ta agu nɛ.Now Joseph was the ruler of the land; he was the one who sold grain to all its people. So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

7Yosef dze si wo enumake, gake ewɔ abe ɖe menya wo kura o ene. Eblu ɖe wo ta kple biabia sia be, “Afi ka mietso?” Woɖo eŋu be, “Míetso Kanaanyigba dzi; míeva bli ƒle ge.”And when Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We are here to buy food.”

8Togbɔ be Yosef kpɔ nɔviawo dze sii hã la, woawo ya mekpɔe dze sii o.Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.

9Tete wòɖo ŋku eƒe drɔ̃e siwo wòku tso wo ŋu la dzi, eye wògblɔ na wo be, “Ŋkutsalawoe mienye! Ɖe mieva be yewoakpɔ afi si toƒe le le anyigba la ŋu.”Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said, “You are spies! You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

10Wogblɔ be, “Kpao! Amegã, nuɖuɖu ƒle ge ko míeva;“Not so, my lord,” they replied. “Your servants have come to buy food.

11nɔviwo mí katã míenye. Nuteƒewɔlawo míenye. Menye ŋkutsalawoe míenye o!”We are all sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”

12Etee ɖe wo dzi be, “Ɛ̃, ŋkutsalawoe mienye. Mieva be yewoakpɔ ale si nu te mía ŋui la ɖa.”“No,” he told them. “You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

13Woɖe wo ɖokuiwo nu be, “Amegã, míele nɔviŋutsu wuieve; mía fofo le Kanaan. Mía nɔviŋutsu suetɔ le afi ma le mía fofo gbɔ, eye mía nɔviŋutsu ɖeka ku.”But they answered, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”

14Yosef yi edzi be, “Nenema? Nu ka esia fia? Efia be ŋkutsalawoe mienye.Then Joseph declared, “Just as I said, you are spies!

15Mɔ si dzi mato ado miaƒe nya la ƒe nyateƒenyenye kpɔe nye esi: meta Farao ƒe agbe na mi be miadzo le Egipte akpɔ o va se ɖe esime mia nɔvi suetɔ nava afi sia.And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.

16Mia dometɔ ɖeka neyi wòakplɔ mia nɔvia vɛ! Made mi ame mamlɛawo gaxɔ me. Ekema míanya ne miaƒe nya la nye nyateƒe alo aʋatso. Ne eva eme be nɔviŋutsu suetɔ aɖeke mele mia si o la, ekema manya be ŋkutsalawoe mienye.”Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be confined so that the truth of your words may be tested. If they are untrue, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”

17Ale wode wo gaxɔ me ŋkeke etɔ̃.So Joseph imprisoned them for three days,

18Le ŋkeke etɔ̃a gbe la, Yosef gblɔ na wo be, “Mawuvɔ̃lae menye. Mana mɔnukpɔkpɔ mi be miana nyateƒe la nadze.and on the third day he said to them, “I fear God. So do this and you will live:

19Metsɔe be mienye nuteƒewɔlawo; mia dometɔ ɖeka koe atsi gaxɔ me le afi sia; ame bubuawo atsɔ bli ayi mia de na miaƒe ƒometɔwo.If you are honest, leave one of your brothers in custody while the rest of you go and take back grain to relieve the hunger of your households.

20Ke ele be miakplɔ mia nɔvi suetɔ vɛ nam be manya nenye nyateƒe tom miele, eye makpɔ nublanui na mi.” Wolɔ̃ ɖe ɖoɖo sia dzi.Then bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be verified, that you may not die.” And to this they consented.

21Wogblɔ na wo nɔewo be, “Vavãe wole to hem na mí ɖe nu si míewɔ ɖe mía nɔvia ŋuti la ta. Míekpɔ ale si wòxaxae esi wònɔ kuku ɖem na mí ɖe eƒe agbe ta, gake míedo tokui, eya tae xaxa sia va mía dzi ɖo.”Then they said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”

22Ruben gblɔ be, “Nyemegblɔe na mi be migawɔe oa? Miegbe toɖoɖom. Azɔ la, míele kuku ge, elabena míewui.”And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”

23Womenya be Yosef se nya siwo gblɔm yewole le esime wòtsi tsitre ɖe wo gbɔ la gɔme o, elabena eƒoa nu na wo to nyagɔmeɖela aɖe dzi.They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them.

24Edzo le wo gbɔ yi teƒe aɖe, afi si wòate ŋu afa avi le. Esi wòtrɔ gbɔ la, etɔ asi Simeon dzi, eye wòna woblae le eŋkume.And he turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes.

25Emegbe la, Yosef ɖe gbe na eƒe subɔlawo be woade bli ameawo ƒe kotokuwo me, ke egagblɔ na wo le adzame be woatsɔ fe si wo dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe xe la ade eƒe nuɖuɖu dzi le kotokua me! Etsɔ nu si woaɖu le mɔa dzi la hã na wo.Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man’s silver to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out,

26Ale wodo agba na woƒe tedziwo, eye wodze aƒemɔ dzi.and they loaded the grain on their donkeys and departed.

27Ke esi wotɔ ɖe afi aɖe, eye wo dometɔ ɖeka ʋu eƒe kotoku be yeaɖe blia ƒe ɖe na tedziawo la, ekpɔ eƒe ga le eƒe kotokua me!At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of the sack.

28Edo ɣli gblɔ na nɔviawo be, “Mikpɔ nam ɖa! Nye gae nye esi le kotokua me!” Vɔvɔ̃ ɖo wo. Wode asi dzodzo me nyanyanya, eye wogblɔ na wo nɔewo be, “Nu kae nye esi Mawu wɔ na mí?”“My silver has been returned!” he said to his brothers. “It is here in my sack.” Their hearts sank, and trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

29Ale wova ɖo wo fofo, Yakob gbɔ le Kanaan, eye wogblɔ nu siwo katã dzɔ la nɛ.When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they described to him all that had happened to them:

30Wogblɔ nɛ be, “Fia la ƒe kpeɖeŋutɔ blu ɖe mía ta, eye wòtsɔ mí abe ŋkutsalawo ene.“The man who is lord of the land spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country.

31Míegblɔ nɛ be, ‘Gbeɖe, nuteƒewɔlawo míenye, menye ŋkutsalawo míenye o.But we told him, ‘We are honest men, not spies.

32Míegagblɔ nɛ hã be nɔviŋutsu wuievee míenye, fofo ɖeka ƒe viwo; ɖeka ku, eye suetɔ le mía fofo gbɔ le Kanaanyigba dzi.’We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’

33Ŋutsu la gblɔ na mi be, ‘Mɔ si dzi mato anya ne mienye nu si miebe yewonye le nyateƒe me lae nye esi: Migblẽ mia nɔvi ɖeka ɖe gbɔnye le afi sia, eye miatsɔ bli ayi aƒee na miaƒe ƒometɔwo,Then the man who is lord of the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest: Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go.

34gake mikplɔ mia nɔvi suetɔ vɛ nam. Ekema manya nenye ŋkutsalawo mienye loo alo nuteƒewɔlawo mienye. Ne miete ŋu ɖe nu si miebe yewonye fia la, ekema maɖe asi le mia nɔvia ŋu na mi, eye miate ŋu ava aƒle bli le afi sia ɣe sia ɣi si mielɔ̃ la.’ ”But bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’”

35Esi wotrɔ bli la le kotokuawo me la, wokpɔ ga si woxe ɖe blia ta le kotokuawo me! Vɔvɔ̃ ɖo wo kple wo fofo siaa.As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! And when they and their father saw the bags of silver, they were dismayed.

36Tete Yakob do ɣli be, “Miena vinyewo le bubum ɖem. Yosef metrɔ gbɔ o; Simeon hã yi, eye azɔ miedi be yewoakplɔ Benyamin hã ayii! Nu sia nu tsi tsitre ɖe ŋunye!”Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my sons. Joseph is gone and Simeon is no more. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is going against me!”

37Ruben gblɔ na fofoa be, “Ne nyemekplɔ Benyamin gbɔe o la, ekema, wu vinye ŋutsuvi eveawo. Makpɔ Benyamin dzi wòanɔ dedie.”Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I fail to bring him back to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him.”

38Ke Yakob ɖo eŋu be, “Vinye Benyamin mayi kpli mi o, elabena nɔvia Yosef ku, eye Benyamin koe nye dadaa ƒe vi si susɔ. Ne nane wɔe la, ku ko maku.”But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”

Genesis 42

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Genesis 42

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