MONDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER 2017 MORNING
Genesis 43:1-14 New International Version (NIV)
The Second Journey to Egypt
1 Now the famine was still severe in the land. 2 So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”
3 But Judah said to him, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’”
6 Israel asked, “Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?”
7 They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. ‘Is your father still living?’ he asked us. ‘Do you have another brother?’ We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”
8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. 9 I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. 10 As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.”
11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. 14 And may God Almighty[a] grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
Footnotes:
- Genesis 43:14 Hebrew El-Shaddai
This is part of the story of the life of Joseph. His brothers were jealous of him and sold him into slavery in Egypt. But by the Grace of God he ended up as Prime Minister in Egypt. Joseph still loved his family. May God give us the grace to love our family and our neighbours.
JUMATATU TAREHE 11 SEPTEMBA 2017 ASUBUHI
MWANZO 43:1-14
1 Njaa ikawa nzito katika nchi.
2 Ikawa walipokwisha kula nafaka waliyoileta kutoka Misri, baba yao akawaambia, Rudini huko, mkatununulie chakula kidogo.
3 Yuda akamwambia akisema, Yule mtu alituagizia sana akisema, Hamtaniona uso wangu, ndugu yenu asipokuwa pamoja nanyi.
4 Ukimpeleka ndugu yetu pamoja nasi, tutashuka na kukununulia chakula.
5 Ila usipompeleka, hatushuki, maana mtu yule alituambia, Hamtaniona uso wangu, ndugu yenu asipokuwa pamoja nanyi.
6 Israeli akasema, Mbona mmenitendea vibaya hata mkamwarifu mtu yule ya kwamba mna ndugu mwingine?
7 Wakasema, Mtu yule alituhoji sana habari zetu na za jamaa yetu, akisema, Baba yenu angali hai? Mnaye ndugu mwingine? Nasi tukamjibu sawasawa na maswali hayo. Je! Tuliweza kujua ya kwamba atasema, Shukeni pamoja na ndugu yenu?
8 Yuda akamwambia Israeli babaye, Mpeleke kijana pamoja nami, tuondoke, tuende zetu, ili tupate kuishi, wala tusife, sisi na wewe na watoto wetu.
9 Mimi nitakuwa mdhamini wake, umtake mkononi mwangu. Nisipomleta tena kwako, na kumweka mbele yako, nitakuwa mwenye hatia mbele yako daima;
10 maana kama hatungalikawia, hakika tungaliisha kurudi mara ya pili.
11 Israeli, baba yao, akawaambia, Kama ndivyo, fanyeni hivi; twaeni tunu za nchi katika vyombo vyenu, mkamchukulie mtu huyo zawadi, zeri kidogo, na asali kidogo, ubani, na manemane, na jozi, na lozi.
12 Mkatwae fedha maradufu mikononi mwenu, na fedha zile zilizorudishwa kinywani mwa magunia yenu zirudisheni mikononi mwenu; labda zilisahauliwa.
13 Mtwaeni na ndugu yenu, mwondoke na kurudi kwa mtu yule.
14 Mungu Mwenyezi na awape rehema usoni pa mtu yule ili awafungulie ndugu yenu huyo mwingine, na Benyamini. Nami nikifiwa na watoto wangu, nimefiwa.
Mistari ya leo hapo juu ni sehemu ndogo ya habari ya maisha ya Yusufu. Kaka zake walikuwa na wivu. Waliamua kumuuza utumwani. Lakini Mungu alikuwa pamoja naye na alimwinua mpaka akawa Waziri Mkuu kule Misri. Bado alipenda kaka zake na hakulipiza kisasi kwa mambo mabaya waliyomtendea.
Tafakari uhusiano na ndugu na majirani zako. Jitahidi kuwatendea mema.
