Genesis 49
1 Jacob summoned all his sons, and said to them,
UJakhobe wabiza amadodana akhe wathi: “Sondelani eduze ngilitshele lokho okuzakwenzakala kini ensukwini ezizayo.
2 “Gather around me in order that I can tell you what will happen in the future. My sons, come and listen to me. I am your father, [Jacob, whom God named] Israel.
Buthanani lilalele, madodana kaJakhobe, lalelani kuyihlo u-Israyeli.
3 Reuben, you are my oldest son. You were born when I was young and energetic/strong. You are prouder and stronger than all the rest of my sons.
URubheni, ulizibulo lami, amandla ami, isibonakaliso sokuqala samandla ami, ukuphelela ngodumo, ukuphelela ngamandla.
4 But you were as uncontrollable as a flood [SIM]. So now you will not be my most important son, because you climbed up onto my bed, and had sex with [MTY] my (concubine/slave who had become one of my wives). Your doing that caused me, your father, to have great shame.
Uhlokoma njengamanzi, kawusayikuba liciko, ngoba wakhwela embhedeni kayihlo, waya phezu kwesihlalo sami wasingcolisa.
5 Simeon and Levi, you have both acted like criminals. You use your swords to act violently.
USimiyoni loLevi bayizelamani inkemba zabo yizikhali zodlakela.
6 I do not want to be with you when you make evil plans [DOU]. I do not want to join you in your meetings, because you killed people when you became very angry, and you (hamstrung/cut the tendons in the legs of) oxen just to (have fun/see them suffer).
Mangingangeni enkundleni yabo, mangingangeni emhlanganweni wabo, ngoba bababulala abantu ngokuthukuthela kwabo njalo inkabi baziquma imisipha santando.
7 God says, ‘I will (curse/cause bad things to happen to) them for being very angry, for acting very cruelly when they were very furious. I will scatter their descendants [MTY] throughout Israel land.’
Luqalekisiwe ulaka lwabo, lwesabeka kubi, lentukuthelo yabo, ilesihluku esibi! Ngizakubachithiza kuJakhobe, njalo ngibahlakaze ko-Israyeli.
8 Judah, your [older and younger] brothers will praise you. They will bow down before you, because you will thoroughly defeat [MTY] your enemies.
Juda, abafowenu bazakudumisa; isandla sakho sizakuba sentanyeni yezitha zakho; amadodana kayihlo azakukhothamela.
9 Judah is like a young lion [SIM] that has returned to its den satisfied after eating the animals that it has killed. He is like a lion that lies down and stretches out after eating; no one would dare to disturb it [RHQ].
Ungumdlwane wesilwane, Oh Juda; uvela ekuzingeleni, ndodana yami. Njengesilwane uyacathama alale phansi, njengesilwanekazi, ngubani olesibindi sokumhlokoza?
10 There will always be a ruler [MTY] from the descendants of Judah [MTY]. Each one will hold a scepter/staff to show that he has authority as a king. He will do that until the one to whom the scepter belongs comes, the one to whom the nations will bring tribute and show that they will obey him.
Intonga yobukhosi kayiyikusuka kuJuda, loba umqwayi wombusi phakathi kwezinyawo zakhe, aze ayofika kumnini wayo lokulalela kwezizwe kukuye.
11 The grapevines of Judah’s descendants will produce grapes very abundantly. As a result, they will not object to tying their young donkeys to the grapevines in order that the donkeys can eat the leaves of the grapevines. [Wine will be very plentiful, with the result that] they could wash their cloaks in wine that is as red as blood [MET].
Uzabophela ubabhemi wakhe evinini, inkonyane kababhemi wakhe ogatsheni oluhle; uzagezisa izembatho zakhe ngewayini, izigqoko zakhe egazini lamagrebisi.
12 Their eyes will be red because of [drinking too much] wine, but their teeth will be very white because of drinking much milk [from the cows].
Amehlo akhe azathuba okudlula iwayini, amazinyo akhe abe mhlophe kulochago.
13 Zebulun, your descendants will live by the seashore where there will be a safe harbor for ships. Their land will extend north as far as Sidon [city].
UZebhuluni uzahlala okhunjini lolwandle abe litheku lemikhumbi; umngcele wakhe uzaqhelela eSidoni.
14 Issachar, your descendants will be like strong donkeys that are lying down on the ground between their loads, [so tired that they cannot get up]!
U-Isakhari ulithambo likababhemi elilohlonzi olele ephahlwe ngamasaka amabili emithwalo.
15 They will see that their resting place is good, and that the land pleases them very much. But they will bend their backs to carry heavy loads and be forced to work for others.
Uthi nxa ebona ubuhle bendawo yakhe yokuphumula lokubukeka kwelizwe lakhe, uzakwehlisa ihlombe lakhe ukuthwala umthwalo azimisele emsebenzini wesigqili.
16 Dan, although your tribe will be small, their leaders will rule their people just like the leaders of other tribes of Israel will rule their people.
UDani uzakwahlulela kahle abantu bakibo njengesinye sezizwe zako-Israyeli.
17 Your descendants will be like snakes at the side of a road, like poisonous snakes lying beside a path. They will strike the heels of horses that pass by, causing the riders to fall backwards [as the horses rear up on their hind legs].”
UDani uzakuba yinyoka esemgwaqweni, inhlangwana elele endleleni, eluma izithende zebhiza ukuze umgadi walo atshelele aye emuva.
18 Then Jacob prayed, “Yahweh, I am waiting for you to rescue me [from my enemies].”
Ngilindele ukuhlenga kwakho, Oh Thixo.
19 [Then Jacob continued telling his sons what would happen in the future. He said], “Gad, your tribe/descendants will be attacked by a group of bandits, but your tribe/descendants will pursue and attack them [MTY].
UGadi uzahlaselwa liqula lamanxusa, kodwa uzabahlasela bamuphe izithende zabo.
20 Asher, your descendants will eat good-tasting food; they will produce food that is delicious enough for kings to eat.
Ukudla kuka-Asheri kuzakuba ngokunonileyo, uzakupha okumnandi okufanele inkosi.
21 Naphtali, your descendants will be like deer [MET] that are (free to/not tied down and can) run wherever they wish. They will give birth to children who are good-looking like (fawns/baby deer) [MET].
UNafithali yimpalakazi ekhululiweyo ezala amazinyane amahle.
22 Joseph, you will have many descendants [MET]. Their children will be as many as the fruit on a vine near a spring of water, whose branches extend over a wall.
UJosefa ulivini elithela kakhulu, ivini elithela kakhulu eduze komthombo, elimagatsha alo akhwela emdulini.
23 Their enemies will attack them fiercely, and shoot at them with bows and arrows and pursue them.
Abahlaseli bemitshoko bamhlasela ngolaka; bamciba ngenzondo embi.
24 But they will hold their bows steady and their arms will remain strong, because of the power [MTY] of my mighty God, because of Yahweh who guides and provides for me [MET] like a shepherd guides and provides for his sheep. The people of Israel will [ask Yahweh to protect them], [like people hide under] a huge [overhanging] to be protected.
Kodwa kawalazelanga ngedandili lakhe, ingalo zakhe eziqinileyo zala zilokhu ziqinile ngenxa yesandla soMninimandla kaJakhobe, ngenxa kaMalusi, iDwala lika-Israyeli,
25 God, the one whom I worship, will help your descendants. God Almighty will bless them by sending them rain from the sky and by giving them water from deep/far below the ground. He will give them many cattle and children [MET] (OR, and their cattle will have many offspring).
ngenxa kaNkulunkulu kayihlo, okusizayo, ngenxa kaSomandla okubusisayo ngezibusiso zasezulwini ngaphezulu, izibusiso zolwandle olungaphansi, izibusiso zebele lenzalo.
26 The blessings that I want God to give you are great ones. They are greater than the blessings that come from the eternal mountains, greater than the ones that come from the everlasting hills. Joseph, I pray that these blessings will (be given to you/come upon your head), because you are the leader of your [older] brothers [and younger brother].
Izibusiso zikayihlo zinkulu kulezibusiso zezintaba zekadeni, kulezithelo zamaqaqa adabuka endulo. Zonke lezi kazehlele ekhanda likaJosefa, ebunzini lenkosana phakathi kwabafowabo.
27 Benjamin, your descendants will be like [MET] vicious/fierce wolves: In the morning they will kill their enemies like a wolf devours (its prey/the animals that it has killed), and in the evening they will divide among their warriors the spoils that they seized from their enemies.”
UBhenjamini yimpisi ephangayo; ekuseni uyakudlithiza akujimbileyo, ntambama akwabe.”
28 Those twelve sons are the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel. That is what their father said to them as he blessed them, telling to each one words that were appropriate for him.
Zonke lezi yizizwana ezilitshumi lambili zako-Israyeli, njalo yikho lokho uyise akutsho kubo lapho wayebabusisa, esipha ilowo lalowo isibusiso esimfaneleyo.
29 Then Jacob said to his sons, “I will soon die. Bury my body where some of my ancestors are buried, in the cave that is in the field that was bought from Ephron, who belonged to the Heth people-group.
Emva kwalokho wasebanika imilayo le: “Sekusondele ukuba ngimbelwe ebantwini bakithi. Lingimbele labokhokho ebhalwini ensimini ka-Efroni umHithi,
30 That field is in the Machpelah area, east of Mamre [town], in Canaan. My grandfather Abraham bought it from Ephron to use as a burial place.
ubhalu olusensimini kaMakhaphela, eduze leMamure eKhenani, eyathengwa ngu-Abhrahama kanye lensimu leyo ku-Efroni umHithi, ukuba yindawo yokungcwaba.
31 That is where they buried him and his wife Sarah. That is where they buried my father Isaac and his wife Rebekah. And that is where I buried my wife Leah.
Khonapho kwangcwatshwa u-Abhrahama lomkakhe uSara, kwembelwa u-Isaka lomkakhe uRabheka, njalo khonapho ngambela uLeya.
32 That field and the cave in it were bought from the Heth people-group; so that is where I want you to bury me.”
Insimu kanye lobhalu oluphakathi kwathengwa kumaHithi.”
33 When Jacob finished giving those instructions to his sons, he lay down on his bed again. Then he died [IDM].
Kwathi uJakhobe eseqedile ukunika imilayezo emadodaneni akhe, wakhweza inyawo zakhe embhedeni, waphefumula okokucina, wasiwa kwabakibo.
