Genesis 44

¹ Joseph come command the servant wey dey in charge of him house, fill their sacks with plenty food wey them fit carry and put their money on top their sack.

² Put my silver cup at the top of the youngest brother sack with the money for him corn. He come do wetin he don tell him.

³ For early morning dem come say make them dey go with their donkeys.

⁴ When dem don go small distance from the city, Joseph come tell the servant in charge of him house, "Hurry go after those men, when you don catch up with them, ask them say why una don use evil pay for good?

⁵ Why you steal my master silver cup? Na the one wey he dey use drink. Una don commit serious crime".

⁶ When the servant come catch up with them, he come repeat the words.

⁷ Dem come answer him, wetin you mean sir? We swear say we never do that kind thing,

⁸ you know say we bring the money wey we find for top of our sacks. Why we go come steal silver or gold from your master house?

⁹ Sir if you find am with anyone of us, make dem kill am and the rest of us go become your slaves.

¹⁰ He come say, I agree but only the one wey don take the cup go become my slave, the rest of una fit go free.

¹¹ Naso dem lower their sack to ground and each man come open him sack.

¹² Joseph servant come search am well, he begin with the eldest and he end am for the youngest. Dem come find am for Benjamin sack.

¹³ The brothers come tear their clothes in sorrow, load their donkeys and go back to the city. When Judah and him brother come reach Joseph house,

¹⁴ he still dey there, dem bow down before him.

¹⁵ Joseph come say "wetin una don do? Una no know say a man wey dey in my position go fit find una out?"

¹⁶ Judah come answer, "Wetin we fit tell you sir? How we go argue? How we go fit clear ourselves? God don open our guilt. All of us don become your slaves now and no be the one wey dem find cup only".

¹⁷ Joseph come say, "I no go ever do that, na only the one wey take the cup go be my slave. The rest of una fit go back safely to una father".

¹⁸ Judah come go up to Joseph and he say, "Abeg sir, allow me make I follow you talk freely. No vex with me, you be like king himself.

¹⁹ Sir, na you ask us say shey we get father or another brother?

²⁰ We tell you say we get a father wey don old and a younger brother wey dem born to him for him old age. The blood brother don die and na him be the only one of him mother children wey dey alive, him father love him so much.

²¹ Sir, you say make we bring him here so that you go fit see him and

²² we answer you say the boy no fit leave him father, if he do, him father go die.

²³ Then you come say you no go allow us enter again unless say we bring our brother to you.

²⁴ When we go meet our father, we tell him wetin you don talk.

²⁵ He come tell us say make we come back come buy small food.

²⁶ We answer him say we no fit go, them no go allow us enter if we no take our younger brother with us. We fit go if our younger brother follow us.

²⁷ Our father come tell us, una know say na only two sons my wife Rachel born for me,

²⁸ one of them don already leave him, na wild animal go don kill am because I no see him since he don leave,

²⁹ if you come take this one from me, the sorrow wey you go cause me go kill me.

³⁰ My Lord, if I go back to my father and the boy no dey with me.

³¹ As my father dey see say the boy no dey with me, he go die because na the boy be him life and he don old reach the level wey be say the sorrow wey we cause him go kill him.

³² I don pledge my life to my father say if I no bring the boy with me, na me go take the blame all my life.

³³ I beg my Lord make I use myself replace the boy as your slave. Allow the boy make he dey go with him brothers.

³⁴ How I go fit go back if the boy no dey with me? I no go fit bear am to dey see my father inside pain".