< Genesis 48 >
1 Patapita kanthawi Yosefe anawuzidwa kuti, “Abambo ako akudwala.” Choncho anatenga ana ake awiri aja Manase ndi Efereimu ndi kupita nawo kwa Yakobo.
Some time later, someone told Joseph, “[Hey, ] your father is ill.” When Joseph heard that, he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to see his father.
2 Yakobo atawuzidwa kuti, “Mwana wanu Yosefe wabwera,” Israeli anadzilimbitsa nadzuka kukhala tsonga pa bedi pake.
When someone told Jacob, “Look, your son Joseph has come to see you!” Jacob sat up on the bed, even though it was difficult for him to do that.
3 Yakobo anati kwa Yosefe, “Mulungu Wamphamvuzonse anandionekera ku Luzi mʼdziko la Kanaani, ndipo anandidalitsa,
He said to Joseph, “When I was at Luz in Canaan, God Almighty appeared to me. He blessed me
4 nati kwa ine, ‘Ndidzakupatsa ana ambiri ndipo zidzukulu zako zidzasanduka mitundu yambiri ya anthu. Ndidzapereka dziko ili kwa zidzukulu zako zobwera pambuyo pako kuti likhale lawo mpaka muyaya.’
and said to me, ‘I am going to enable you to become the father of many children. You will have many descendants, and they will become [the ancestors of] many people-groups. And I will give this land to your descendants to possess forever.’
5 “Tsopano ana ako aamuna awiri amene anabadwa ine ndisanabwere kuno adzakhala ana anga. Efereimu ndi Manase adzakhala anga monga mmene alili Rubeni ndi Simeoni.
“And now I will consider that your two sons, who were born to you here in Egypt before I came here, will (belong to me/be as though they are my sons). Ephraim and Manasseh will be [as though they were] my sons, and they will inherit my possessions, just like my sons Reuben and Simeon [and the others] will.
6 Koma amene ati adzabadwe pambuyo pa iwowa adzakhala ako ndipo cholowa chawo chidzadziwika ndi mayina a abale awo.
If you later become the father of any more children, they will not be considered to be my children, but as my grandchildren, and [in Canaan] they will receive as part of what they inherit some of the same land that is in the territory that their brothers [Ephraim and Manasseh] will inherit.
7 Pamene ndimabwerera kuchoka ku Parani, mwachisoni Rakele, amayi ako anamwalira mʼdziko la Kanaani, tikanali mʼnjira, mtunda wokafika ku Efurata ukanalipo. Ndipo ndinawayika kumeneko mʼmphepete mwa msewu wa ku Efurata” (amene ndi Betelehemu).
Many years ago, as I was returning from Paddan-Aram/Mesopotamia, your mother Rachel died in the Canaan region, while we were still traveling, not far from Ephrath [town]. So I buried her body there alongside the road to Ephrath [which is now called Bethlehem].”
8 Israeli ataona ana a Yosefe anafunsa kuti, “Anyamatawa ndi a yani?”
When Jacob saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are these boys?”
9 Yosefe anati kwa abambo ake, “Awa ndi ana anga amene Mulungu wandipatsa kuno.” Ndipo Israeli anati, “Bwera nawo kuno kuti ndiwadalitse.”
Joseph replied, “They are the sons that God has given to me here in Egypt.” Jacob said, “Bring them close to me so that I can bless them.”
10 Koma maso a Israeli anali ofowoka chifukwa cha kukalamba moti sankaona nʼkomwe. Tsono Yosefe anabwera nawo ana ake aja pafupi ndi abambo ake ndipo abambo ake anawapsompsona nawakumbatira.
Jacob was almost blind because he was very old. He could not recognize the boys. So Joseph brought his sons close to his father, and Jacob kissed them and hugged them.
11 Israeli anati kwa Yosefe, “Ine sindinali kuyembekeza kuti nʼkudzaonanso nkhope yako, ndipo tsopano Mulungu wandilola kuti ndionenso ngakhale ana ako.”
Jacob said to Joseph, “I did not expect to see you again, but look at this! God has allowed me to see not only you, but he has allowed me to see your children, too!”
12 Tsono Yosefe anawachotsa ana aja pa mawondo a Israeli ndipo anamuweramira nkhope pansi.
Joseph took the boys from alongside Jacob’s knees. Then he bowed down with his face to the ground.
13 Yosefe anawagwira ana onse awiri padzanja, Efereimu ku dzanja lake lamanja kulunjika dzanja lamanzere la Israeli ndipo Manase ku dzanja lamanzere kulunjikitsa dzanja lamanja la Israeli, ndipo anawayandikiza kwa Yakobo.
Then Joseph took both of the boys, putting Ephraim on his right side toward Jacob’s left hand, and putting Manasseh on his left side toward Jacob’s right hand, and brought them close to Jacob.
14 Koma Israeli anapinganitsa mikono motero kuti anayika dzanja lake lamanja pamutu pa Efereimu ngakhale kuti iyeyo anali wamngʼono ndi dzanja lake lakumanzere analisanjika pamutu pa Manase ngakhale kuti iyeyu ndiye anali mwana woyamba.
But Jacob [did not do what Joseph wanted him to do. Instead], he reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, even though he was the younger son. He crossed his arms and put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the older son.
15 Kenaka anadalitsa Yosefe nati, “Mulungu amene makolo anga Abrahamu ndi Isake anamutumikira, Mulungu amene wakhala ali mʼbusa wanga moyo wanga wonse kufikira lero,
Then he (blessed/asked God to bless) Joseph and his sons, saying, “My grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac conducted their lives as God desired, and to this very day God has led me and taken care of me as a shepherd leads and cares for his sheep [MET].
16 mngelo amene wandipulumutsa ine ku zovuta zonse, ameneyo adalitse anyamata awa. Kudzera mwa iwowa dzina langa ndi mayina a makolo anga, Abrahamu ndi Isake, adzamveka. Iwowa adzakhala ndi ana ambiri nadzasanduka mtundu waukulu pa dziko lapansi.”
The angel whom he sent has kept me from being harmed in any way. I pray that God will bless these boys. I pray that people will never forget about me and about Abraham and Isaac because of what God does for these boys. I pray that they will have many descendants who will live all over the earth.”
17 Yosefe ataona kuti abambo ake ayika dzanja lamanja pa Efereimu, sanakondwere. Choncho anagwira dzanja la abambo ake kuti alichotse pamutu pa Efereimu ndi kuliyika pamutu pa Manase,
When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head and not on Manasseh’s head, he was distressed/displeased. So he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.
18 nati kwa abambo ake, “Ayi, abambo anga, uyu ndiye woyamba kubadwa, ikani dzanja lanu lamanja pamutu pake.”
Joseph said to him, “My father, that is not right! The one on whom you put your left hand is my older son. Put your right hand on his head.”
19 Koma abambo ake anakana nati, “Ndikudziwa, mwana wanga, ndikudziwa. Adzukulu a iyeyunso adzakhala mtundu waukulu. Komabe mʼbale wake wamngʼonoyu adzakhala wamkulu kuposa iye, ndipo zidzukulu zake zidzakhala mitundu yayikulu ya anthu.”
But his father refused, saying, “I know that, my son, I know what I am doing. Manasseh’s descendants will also become a people-group, and they will become important. But his younger brother’s descendants will become greater than his will. His descendants will become several nations.”
20 Tsono iye anawadalitsa tsiku limenelo nati, “Aisraeli adzagwiritsa ntchito dzina lanu podalitsa nadzati: Mulungu akudalitseni monga Efereimu ndi Manase.” Choncho anayika Efereimu patsogolo pa Manase.
So he blessed them both on that day, saying, “The people in Israel will use your names when they bless people. They will say, ‘We pray that God will help you as he helped Ephraim and Manasseh.’” In that way, Jacob said that Ephraim would become more important than Manasseh.
21 Kenaka Israeli anati kwa Yosefe, “Ine ndatsala pangʼono kufa, koma Mulungu adzakhala ndipo adzakutenganinso kubwerera nanu ku dziko la makolo anu.
Then Jacob said to Joseph, “I am about to die. But I know that God will help/protect you. And some day he will take your descendants back to the land of their ancestors.
22 Ndiponso iwe wekha ndikupatsa moposera abale ako, malo woonjezera, Sekemu, malo amene ndinalanda kwa Aamori ndi lupanga ndi uta wanga.”
And it is to you, not to your brothers, that I will give the fertile hill in the Shechem area. I captured that land from the Amor people-group, fighting them with my sword and my bow and arrows.”