Judah Step Forward

One silver cup dey ground for one Egypt palace. Eleven brothers stand gidigba, dem no fit move. Di governor of Egypt point di youngest one. Dis one go stay here as my slave. Di rest of una, go home. And one brother step forward.

More than twenty years before, Jacob sons begin jealous dia brother Joseph, wey be dia papa favourite. Na Judah talk say, make we no kill am; make we sell am. So dem sell Joseph give traders wey dey go Egypt, and dem tell dia papa say wild animal don kill am. Since then, plenty don happen. Joseph don rise from slave and prisoner reach governor of di whole Egypt. Hunger don land, and Jacob sons don come Egypt to buy grain. Dem no recognise Joseph. But e recognise dem. E don test dem, e don demand make dem bring dia youngest brother, Benjamin, and now e don hide im own silver cup inside Benjamin bag. E wan know one thing. Dem don change?

Judah come near Joseph. Abeg, my lord, make your servant talk one word, and no vex, because you be like Pharaoh imself. Then Judah tell di whole story. You ask us if we get papa or brother. We tell you: we get old papa, and one young brother, di pikin wey e born for im old age. Im brother don die, and na only im remain from im mama sons, and im papa love am. You talk say make we bring am come. We talk say, di boy no fit leave im papa; if e leave, im papa go die. But you insist. Make you notice something. Judah dey talk about im papa love for Benjamin without any bitterness. Di jealousy wey bin dey burn for im heart over Joseph be like say e don go.

Judah continue. Our papa talk say, una know say my wife born two sons for me. One comot from my side, and I talk say, surely wild animal don tear am to pieces, and I never see am since. If una take dis one too and something happen to am, una go make my white hair go down to di grave with sorrow. Then Judah make im offer. I promise my papa say I go carry di blame for di boy forever. So now, abeg, make your servant stay here as slave to my lord instead of di boy, and make di boy go back with im brothers. How I go take go back meet my papa if di boy no dey with me? I no fit bear to see di suffering wey e go bring for am. Di brother wey once sell one brother into slavery, now dey offer imself as slave, to save one brother.

Joseph no fit hold imself again. Everybody comot, e shout to im Egypt servants. And when na only di brothers remain, e cry so loud tey di Egyptians hear am, and Pharaoh house hear about am. Na me be Joseph; my papa still dey alive? Fear hold im brothers so tey dem no fit answer. Abeg, come near me, e talk, and dem come. Na me be Joseph una brother, wey una sell go Egypt. And now, no let am pain una, and no vex with unaself say una sell me come here, because na God send me come before una to save life. Wetin dem plan for evil, God don use am save all of dem.

One detail dey wey explain why di brothers no ever recognise Joseph. For Genesis chapter forty-two, Joseph talk to dem through interpreter, so dem no know say e dey understand every word wey dem talk. Egyptians also no dey chop together with foreigners; Genesis talk say Egyptians no go chop with Hebrews. Joseph look, dress and sound like Egypt big man. Scholars wey dey study old Egypt, like di Egyptologist Kenneth Kitchen, don point to plenty Egypt details for Joseph story, from di titles for palace reach di price of slave.

Dis moment dey Genesis chapter forty-four, verse eighteen, reach chapter forty-five, verse five. Judah offer to take Benjamin place. Long time after, Jacob bless Judah and talk say di sceptre no go comot from im tribe, and from Judah King David come, and Jesus, wey give imself for our place. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. How God don change you, and somebody dey wey you fit stand up for, even when e go cost you?