Jenesis 48
1 Mgbe ihe ndị a gasịrị, a gwara Josef sị, “Lee nna gị na-arịa ọrịa.” Josef biliri duru ụmụ ya ndị ikom abụọ bụ Manase na Ifrem gawa ileta ya.
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 Mgbe a gwara Jekọb okwu sị ya, “Nwa gị nwoke Josef abịala ileta gị.” Izrel chịkọtara ume ya, jisie ike, nọdụ ala nʼelu akwa ya.
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 Mgbe ahụ, Jekọb sịrị Josef, “Chineke, Onye pụrụ ime ihe niile gosiri m onwe ya na Luz, nʼala Kenan, ma gọziekwa m.
He said to Joseph, “When I was at Luz in Canaan, God Almighty appeared to me. He blessed me
4 Ọ sịrị m, ‘Lee, aga m eme ka ị mịa mkpụrụ, baakwa ụba nʼọnụọgụgụ. Aga m eme ka ị ghọọ ọgbakọ ọtụtụ mba. Aga m enye gị ala a ka ọ bụrụ ihe nketa ebighị ebi maka agbụrụ gị ndị ga-esote gị.’
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 “Ugbu a, ana m eme ụmụ gị ndị ikom abụọ ndị a, ndị a mụtaara gị nʼala Ijipt, ụmụ nke m. Ha abụọ, Ifrem na Manase, ga-abụ ụmụ m, dịka Ruben na Simiọn si bụrụ ụmụ m.
“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 Ma ụmụ ọzọ a ga-amụtara gị ga-abụ nke gị. Ọ bụ aha ụmụnne ha ndị a ka a ga-eji mara ha nʼala nketa nke ha.
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 Ana m eme nke a nʼihi na mgbe m si Padan Aram pụta, nne unu Rechel, nwụrụ nʼala Kenan mgbe anyị ka nọ nʼụzọ ije anyị nʼebe dịtụ anya site na Efrat. Nʼakụkụ ụzọ e si aga Efrat, ya bụ Betlehem, ka m likwara ya.”
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 Mgbe Izrel hụrụ ụmụ ndị ikom abụọ Josef kpọ bịa, ọ jụrụ Josef ajụjụ sị, “Ndị a, bụ ndị ole?”
When Jacob saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are these boys?”
9 Josef zara nna ya sị, “Ha bụ ụmụ ndị ikom ndị Chineke nyere m nʼebe a.” Ya mere, Jekọb gwara ya sị, “Kpọtara m ha, ka m gọzie ha.”
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 Nʼoge a, Izrel adịghị ahụzikwa ụzọ nke ọma nʼihi ime agadi ya. Ya mere, Josef duuru ụmụ ya ndị ikom ndị ahụ bịa nso ebe nna ya nọ. Mgbe ahụ, Jekọb suturu ha ọnụ, makụọ ha.
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 Izrel sịrị Josef, “O nweghị mgbe m lere anya na m ga-ahụ ihu gị ọzọ. Ma Chineke emeela ka m hụkwa ụmụ gị.”
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 Josef sitere nʼikpere Jekọb kupu ụmụ ya, bịa hulata isi ala. O kpuru ihu ya nʼala mgbe o mere nke a.
Joseph took the boys from alongside Jacob’s knees. Then he bowed down with his face to the ground.
13 Josef kpọọrọ ha abụọ, Ifrem nʼaka nri ya nke bụ aka ekpe Izrel, na Manase nʼaka ekpe ya nke bụ aka nri Izrel, kpọta ha bịa nna ya nso.
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 Ma Izrel setịrị aka nri bikwasị ya nʼisi Ifrem, nwa nke nta. Ma aka ekpe ya ka o setịpụrụ bikwasị nʼisi Manase bụ ọkpara.
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 Mgbe ahụ, ọ gọziri Josef sị ya. “Ka Chineke, onye nna m ha Ebraham na Aịzik jere ije nʼihu ya Chineke onye bụrịị Onye zụrụ m dịka atụrụ ogologo ndụ m niile ruo taa,
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 Mmụọ ozi ahụ napụtara m site nʼihe egwu niile, ya gọzie ụmụ ndị ikom ndị a. Ka ha bụrụ ndị a kpọkwasịrị aha m na aha nna m ha Ebraham na Aịzik, ka ha mụbaa hie nne nʼelu ụwa.”
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 O wutere Josef mgbe ọ hụrụ na nna ya bikwasịrị aka nri ya nʼisi Ifrem. O jidere aka nna ya iwepụ ya nʼisi Ifrem, ka ọ tụkwasị ya nʼisi 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 Mgbe ahụ, Josef sịrị nna ya, “I bikwasịjọrọ aka gị. Onye a bụ ọkpara, bikwasị aka nri gị nʼisi ya.”
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 Ma nna ya jụrụ, sị ya, “Amaara m ihe m na-eme nwa m, Manase ga-aghọ oke obodo, ma nwanne ya nke nta ga-akarị ya ịdị ukwuu, nʼihi na ụmụ ụmụ ya ga-aghọ ọtụtụ mba dị iche iche.”
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 Ọ gọziri ha nʼụbọchị ahụ sị, “Nʼaha gị ka Izrel ga-ekwupụta ngọzị a, ‘Ka Chineke mee gị dịka Ifrem na Manase.’” Ya mere o buru ụzọ kpọọ Ifrem tupu 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 Mgbe ahụ, Izrel gwara Josef okwu sị ya, “Lee, mụ onwe m na-aga ịnwụ. Ma Chineke ga-anọnyere unu, kpọghachikwa unu azụ nʼala nna unu ha.
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 Mụ onwe m na-enye gị otu akụkụ ugwu karịa nke ụmụnne gị, bụ ala ugwu ahụ m sitere na mma agha m na ụta m napụta ndị Amọrait ka ọ bụrụ nke gị.”
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.”
