< Chakruok 48 >

1 Bangʼ kinde moko Josef nowinjo wach ni wuon mare tuo, kuom mano nokawo yawuote ariyo Manase kod Efraim mondo odhi onene.
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 Kane Jakobo owinjo wach ni Josef wuode obiro nene, nochukore mobet e kitandane.
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 Jakobo nowacho ne Josef, “Nyasaye Maratego nofwenyorena Luz e piny Kanaan, kendo kanyo ema nogwedha.
He said to Joseph, “When I was at Luz in Canaan, God Almighty appeared to me. He blessed me
4 Kendo nowachona niya, ‘Abiro miyo inyaa kendo ibed gi nyithindo mangʼeny. Abiro timi oganda mar ji, kendo abiro miyo nyikwayi pinyni mondo obed girkeni manyaka chiengʼ.’
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 “Eka yawuoti ariyo mane inywolo e piny Misri kane pok abiro iri ka ibiro kwan kaka nyithinda; Efraim kod Manase biro bedo nyithinda mana kaka Reuben kod Simeon.
“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 Nyithindo ma ibiro nywolo bangʼ-gi ema nobed magi; to kar chamo girkeni, nokwan-gi mana kaka joka Efraim kod Manase.
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 Kane aduogo aa Padan, nabuok malich ka Rael minu otho e piny Kanaan kane pok wachopo Efrath. Kuom mano ne aike e bath yo madhi Efrath” (ma tiende ni Bethlehem).
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 Kane Israel oneno yawuot Josef nopenjo niya, “Magi ngʼa gini?”
When Jacob saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are these boys?”
9 Josef nowacho ne wuon mare niya, “Gin yawuowi ma Nyasaye osemiya ka.” Eka Israel nowacho niya, “Kelgi ira ka mondo agwedhgi.”
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 Koro wenge Israel ne ok nyal neno maber nikech hike noniangʼ. Kuom mano Josef nosudo nyithindo machiegni kendo Israel nokwakogi monyodhogi.
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 Israel mowachone Josef niya, “Ne ok apar mar neno wangʼi kendo to koro Nyasaye oseyiena maneno nyaka nyithindi bende.”
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 Eka Josef nogolo nyithindogo e chong Israel kendo nokulore nyaka e lowo.
Joseph took the boys from alongside Jacob’s knees. Then he bowed down with his face to the ground.
13 Kendo Josef nomako lwet nyithindo ariyogo, Efraim e bade korachwich kochomo bad Israel koracham, kendo Manase koracham kochomo bad Israel korachwich kendo nokelogi machiegni gi Israel.
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 To Israel norieyo bade ma korachwich moketo ewi Efraim wuowi ma chogo, kendo bade ma koracham ewi Manase kata obedo ni en ema ne en wuowi maduongʼ.
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 Eka nogwedho Josef mowachone niya, “Mad Nyasaye ma wuonena Ibrahim kod Isaka nowuothogo, Nyasaye ma osebedo jakwadh ngimana nyaka ndaloni,
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 Malaika ma oseresa e chandruok duto mad gwedh raweregi. Mad nyinga kod nying Ibrahim kwara kod Isaka wuora sik kuomgi, kendo gimedre gibed oganda maduongʼ e piny.”
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 Kane Josef oneno ka wuon mare keto lwete ma korachwich ewi Efraim ne ok obedo mamor; kuom mano, nogolo lwet wuon-gi ewi Efraim moketo ewi 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 Josef nowachone niya, “Ooyo, wuora ma e wuowi ma kayo: ket lweti ma korachwich e wiye.”
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 To wuon-gi nodagi mowachone niya, “Angʼeyo mano nyathina. Manase bende biro bedo oganda maduongʼ. To kata kamano owadgi matin nobed giduongʼ moloye kendo nyikwaye nobed ogendini mangʼeny.”
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 Nogwedhogi chiengʼno, kendo owachonegi niya, “Ka Israel dwaro gwedho ngʼato to nokonyre gi nyingu kowacho kama, ‘Mad Nyasaye gwedhi kaka osegwedho Efraim kod Manase.’” Kuom mano noketo Efraim obedo maduongʼ ne 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 Eka Israel nowacho ne Josef niya, “Koro achiegni tho, to Nyasaye biro bedo kodu kendo nodwoku e piny kwereu.
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 To in, kendo kaka ngʼama duongʼne owetene, amiyi lowo mane akawo kuom jo-Amor gi ligangla kod atungʼ.”
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.”

< Chakruok 48 >