Kamtawngnae 48
1 Hathnukkhu, Joseph koe, Thai haw, na pa a pataw, telah atipouh awh. A capa Manasseh hoi Ephraim hah a hrawi teh a ceikhai.
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 Jakop koevah, khenhaw! na capa Joseph nang koe a tho, telah atipouh awh. Hatdawkvah, Jakop teh tha a kâsangue teh ikhun dawk a tahung.
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 Jakop ni Joseph koevah, Cathut Athakasaipounge teh Kanaan ram, Luz kho dawk kai koevah a kamnue teh yawhawinae na poe.
He said to Joseph, “When I was at Luz in Canaan, God Almighty appeared to me. He blessed me
4 Kai koevah, ca catounnaw moikapap na poe han, na pungdaw sak han, tamihupui lah na sak han, hahoi hete ram heh ka tho hane na ca catounnaw koe râw lah na poe awh han, telah na ti pouh.
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 Na ca roi Izip ram, nang koe ka tho hoehnahlan na khe e haiyah kaie doeh. Manasseh hoi Ephraim heh, Reuben hoi Simeon patetlah kaie lah ao han.
“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 Atu hoi bout na khe e teh namae lah ao han. A coe awh han e râw dawk a hmau roi e min hah a hmawng awh han.
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 Hatei, kaie kong dawk, Paddanaram ram hoi ka tho navah, Rachel teh Kanaan ram e lampui dawk, Ephrath kho hoi lam bet ahlanae koe kai teng vah a due teh hawvah Ephrath lam dawk ka pakawp. (Hot teh Bethlehem doeh).
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 Hahoi, Isarel ni Joseph e capa roi a khet teh, hetnaw heh apinaw maw telah ati.
When Jacob saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are these boys?”
9 Joseph ni a na pa koevah, ahnimouh roi teh ka capa roi doeh, Cathut ni hi vah na poe e roi doeh, telah atipouh. Ahni ni pahren lahoi kai koe thokhai haw, yawhawinae ka poe han, telah ati.
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 Isarel teh a matawng toung dawkvah a mit hah kacailah hmawt thai hoeh toe. Hahoi teh, hnai sak haw, ahni ni a tapam teh a paco.
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 Isarel ni Joseph koevah, Na mei hmu hane boehai ka ngaihawi hoeh ei, Cathut ni na ca catounnaw e mei totouh na hmu sak, telah ati.
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 Joseph ni ahnimouh teh a na pa e phai rahak hoi a la teh a hmalah a tabo sak.
Joseph took the boys from alongside Jacob’s knees. Then he bowed down with his face to the ground.
13 Hahoi, Joseph ni kahni touh hoi a ceikhai teh Ephraim aranglae kut hoi Isarel e avoilae kut koe lah a ceikhai. Manasseh hah avoilae kut hoi Isarel e aranglae kut koe lah a ceikhai.
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 Hahoi, Isarel ni a kut a khingkhai teh aranglae kut hah kanaw e Ephraim e a lû dawk a toung teh avoilae kut hah Manasseh e lû van vah a toung. Bangkongtetpawiteh, ahni teh camin lah ao.
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 Hottelah yawhawinae a poe teh kakhekung Abraham hoi Isak hmalah ouk kaawm pouh e Cathut, sahnin totouh ka hringyung thung pueng na kakawkkung Cathut.
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 Hawihoehnae pueng thung hoi na karatangkung kalvantaminaw ni hete camo roi yawhawinae poe naseh, Abraham hoi Isak min teh ahnimouh roi ni sin naseh. Hahoi, talai lungui vah tami moikapap lah pungdaw awh naseh telah ati.
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 A na pa ni aranglae kut Ephraim e lû dawk a toung e Joseph ni a hmu navah, a lungkuep hoeh dawkvah a na pa e kut Ephraim lû dawk a toung e hah Manasseh e a lû dawk puen hanelah a tawm.
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 Joseph ni a na pa koevah, Apa hettelah mahoeh. Bangkongtetpawiteh, het nahoehmaw a camin. Aranglae na kut a lû dawk na toung hane vaw, telah atipouh.
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 Hatei, a na pa ni a ngai hoeh dawk, ka panue ka ca, ka panue. Ahni haiyah miphun telah kaw han e kamcu lah ao vaiteh a lentoe van han. Hatei, a nawngha heh ahni hlakvah hoe a lentoe vaiteh a ca catounnaw haiyah miphun moikapap lah ao awh han, telah ati.
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 Hatdawkvah, hote hnin dawk yawhawinae a poe teh, nang pawlawk dawk Cathut ni Isarel teh yawhawinae poe naseh, nang teh Ephraim hoi Manasseh patetlah na tat naseh telah atipouh teh, Manasseh hmalah Ephraim ao sak.
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 Hottelah, Isarel ni Joseph koevah, khenhaw! meimei ka due toe, hat eiteh Cathut teh nang koevah ao vaiteh mintoenaw e ram dawk na hrawi awh han.
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 Hothloilah, na hmaunawnghanaw hane thung hoi ham buet touh, tahloi hoi licung, Amor taminaw e kut dawk ka la e hah na thap pouh, telah ati.
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.”
