Kĩambĩrĩria 48
1 Thuutha-inĩ ũcio Jusufu akĩĩrwo atĩrĩ, “Thoguo nĩ mũrũaru.” Nĩ ũndũ ũcio akĩoya ariũ ake eerĩ, Manase na Efiraimu, agĩthiĩ kũmũrora.
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 Na rĩrĩa Jakubu eerirwo atĩrĩ, “Mũrũguo Jusufu nĩoka gũkuona,” Isiraeli akĩĩyũmĩrĩria, agĩikara thĩ ũrĩrĩ-inĩ.
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 Jakubu akĩĩra Jusufu atĩrĩ, “Ngai Mwene-Hinya-Wothe nĩanyumĩrĩire ndĩ Luzu bũrũri-inĩ wa Kaanani, na akĩndathima,
He said to Joseph, “When I was at Luz in Canaan, God Almighty appeared to me. He blessed me
4 akĩnjĩĩra atĩrĩ, ‘Nĩngatũma ũciarane na ũingĩhe. Nĩngagũtua kĩrĩndĩ kĩa andũ, na nĩngaheana bũrũri ũyũ kũrĩ njiaro ciaku iria igooka thuutha waku ũtuĩke wacio tene na tene.’
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 “Rĩu-rĩ, ariũ aku eerĩ arĩa maaciarĩirwo gũkũ Misiri itanooka kũrĩ we-rĩ, megũtuuo ta marĩ akwa; Efiraimu na Manase meegũtuĩka akwa, o ta ũrĩa Rubeni na Simeoni marĩ akwa.
“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 Ciana iria ingĩ ũngĩciarĩrwo thuutha wao nĩ ciaku; kũrĩa makagaya mageetanagio na marĩĩtwa ma ariũ a ithe wao.
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 Na rĩrĩa ndacookaga kuuma Padani, ngĩnyiitwo nĩ kĩeha gĩa gũkuĩrwo nĩ Rakeli kũu bũrũri-inĩ wa Kaanani tũrĩ o rũgendo-inĩ, hakuhĩ na Efiratha. Nĩ ũndũ ũcio ngĩmũthika hau mũkĩra-inĩ wa njĩra ya gũthiĩ Efiratha” (na nokuo Bethilehemu).
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 Na rĩrĩa Isiraeli onire ariũ a Jusufu, akĩũria atĩrĩ, “Aya nĩ a?”
When Jacob saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are these boys?”
9 Jusufu akĩĩra ithe atĩrĩ, “Nĩ ariũ akwa arĩa Ngai aaheete ndĩ gũkũ”. Nake Isiraeli akiuga atĩrĩ, “Mareharehe harĩ niĩ ndĩmarathime.”
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 Na rĩrĩ, maitho ma Isiraeli nĩmoorĩte nĩ gũkũra, na ndoonaga wega. Jusufu agĩkĩrehe ariũ ake hakuhĩ na Isiraeli, nake Jakubu akĩmamumunya na akĩmahĩmbĩria.
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 Isiraeli akĩĩra Jusufu atĩrĩ, “Ndieciragia nĩngona ũthiũ waku rĩngĩ, na rĩu Ngai nĩanjĩtĩkĩrĩtie nyone o na ciana ciaku.”
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 Nake Jusufu akĩmaruta maru-inĩ ma Isiraeli, akĩinamĩrĩria ũthiũ akĩũturumithia thĩ.
Joseph took the boys from alongside Jacob’s knees. Then he bowed down with his face to the ground.
13 Jusufu akĩoya ariũ ake eerĩ, Efiraimu arĩ mwena wake wa ũrĩo aamwerekeirie guoko-inĩ kwa ũmotho gwa Isiraeli, na Manase arĩ mwena wake wa ũmotho aamwerekeirie guoko-inĩ kwa ũrĩo gwa Isiraeli, akĩmarehe hakuhĩ nake.
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 No Isiraeli agĩtambũrũkia guoko gwake kwa ũrĩo agĩkũigĩrĩra mũtwe wa Efiraimu, o na gũtuĩka nĩwe warĩ mũnini, na akĩhĩtũkania moko make, akĩigĩrĩra guoko gwake kwa ũmotho mũtwe-inĩ wa Manase, o na gũtuĩka Manase nĩwe warĩ irigithathi.
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 Ningĩ akĩrathima Jusufu, akiuga atĩrĩ, “Ngai ũrĩa maithe makwa Iburahĩmu na Isaaka maatungatagĩra, Ngai ũrĩa ũkoretwo arĩ mũrĩithi wakwa mũtũũrĩre-inĩ wakwa wothe nginya ũmũthĩ,
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 na Mũraika ũrĩa ũũhonoketie kuuma mĩtino-inĩ yothe, arorathima imwana ici. Iroetanagio na rĩĩtwa rĩakwa, na ciĩtanagio na marĩĩtwa ma maithe makwa, Iburahĩmu na Isaaka, na maroingĩha mũno gũkũ thĩ.”
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 Na rĩrĩa Jusufu onire atĩ ithe aigĩrĩire guoko gwake kwa ũrĩo mũtwe-inĩ wa Efiraimu-rĩ, ndaakenire; akĩnyiita guoko gwa ithe akweherie kuuma mũtwe-inĩ wa Efiraimu, akũigĩrĩre mũtwe-inĩ wa 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 Jusufu akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Aca, baba ũyũ nĩwe irigithathi; mũigĩrĩre guoko gwaku kwa ũrĩo mũtwe.”
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 No ithe akĩrega, akiuga atĩrĩ, “Nĩnjũũĩ ũguo mũrũ wakwa, nĩnjũũĩ. O nake nĩagatuĩka rũrĩrĩ, na nĩakaneneha. No rĩrĩ, mũrũ wa nyina ũrĩa mũnini nĩakaneneha kũmũkĩra, nacio njiaro ciake ituĩke gĩkundi kĩa ndũrĩrĩ.”
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 Akĩmarathima mũthenya ũcio, akiuga atĩrĩ, “Isiraeli akaarathimanaga akĩgwetaga rĩĩtwa rĩaku akoiga atĩrĩ: ‘Ngai arotũma ũtuĩke o ta Efiraimu na Manase.’” Nĩ ũndũ ũcio akĩgweta Efiraimu mbere ya 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 Ningĩ Isiraeli akĩĩra Jusufu atĩrĩ, “Ndĩ hakuhĩ gũkua, no Ngai nĩegũkorwo hamwe na inyuĩ, na nĩakamũcookia bũrũri-inĩ wa maithe manyu.
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 Nawe, ũrĩ ta mwathi wa ariũ a thoguo-rĩ, nĩndakũhe rũgongo rwa bũrũri ũrĩa ndaatunyire Aamori na rũhiũ rwakwa rwa njora na ũta wakwa.”
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.”
