< 創世記 48 >
1 是等の事の後汝の父病にかかるとヨセフに告る者ありければヨセフ二人の子マナセとエフライムをともなひて至る
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 人ヤコブに告て汝の子ヨセフなんぢの許にきたるといひければイスラエル強て床に坐す
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 しかしてヤコブ、ヨセフにいひけるは昔に全能の神カナンの地のルズにて我にあらはれて我を祝し
He said to Joseph, “When I was at Luz in Canaan, God Almighty appeared to me. He blessed me
4 我にいひたまひけらく我なんぢをして多く子をえせしめ汝をふやし汝を衆多の民となさん我この地を汝の後の子孫にあたへて永久の所有となさしめんと
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 わがエジプトにきたりて汝に就まへにエジプトにて汝に生れたる二人の子エフライムとマナセ是等はわが子となるべしルベンとシメオンのごとく是等はわが子とならん
“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 是等の後になんぢが得たる子は汝のものとすべし又その產業はその兄弟の名をもて稱らるべし
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 我事をいはんに我昔パダンより來れる時ラケル我にしたがひをりて途にてカナンの地に死り其處はエフラタまで尚途の隔あるところなりわれ彼處にて彼をエフラタの途にはうむれり(エフラタはすなはちベテレヘムなり)
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 斯てイスラエル、ヨセフの子等を見て是等は誰なるやといひければ
When Jacob saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are these boys?”
9 ヨセフ父にいふ是は神の此にて我にたまひし子等なりと父すなはちいふ請ふ彼らを我所につれきたれ我これを祝せんと
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 イスラエルの目は年壽のために眯て見るをえざりしがヨセフかれらをその許につれきたりければ之に接吻してこれを抱けり
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 しかしてイスラエル、ヨセフにいひけるは我なんぢの面を見るあらんとは思はざりしに視よ神なんぢの子をもわれにしめしたまふと
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 ヨセフかれらをその膝の間よりいだし地に俯て拜せり
Joseph took the boys from alongside Jacob’s knees. Then he bowed down with his face to the ground.
13 しかしてヨセフ、エフライムを右の手に執てヤコブに左の手にむかはしめマナセを左の手に執てヤコブの右の手にむかはしめ二人をみちびきてかれに就ければ
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 イスラエル右の手をのべて季子エフライムの頭に按き左の手をのべてマナセの頭におけりマナセは長子なれども故にかくその手をおけるなり
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 斯してヨセフを祝していふわが父アブラハム、イサクの事へし神わが生れてより今日まで我をやしなひたまひし神
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 我をして諸の災禍を贖はしめたまひし天使ねがはくは是童子等を祝たまへねがはくは是等の者わが名とわが父アブラハム、イサクの名をもて稱られんことをねがはくは是等地の中に繁殖がるにいたれ
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 ヨセフ父が右の手をエフライムの頭に按るを見てよろこばず父の手をあげて之をエフライムの頭よりマナセの頭にうつさんとす
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 ヨセフすなはち父にいひけるは然にあらず父よ是長子なれば右の手をその頭に按たまへ
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 父こばみていひけるは我知るわが子よわれしる彼も一の民となり彼も大なる者とならん然れどもその弟は彼よりも大なる者となりてその子孫は多衆の國民となるべしと
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 此日彼等を祝していふイスラエル汝を指て人を祝し願くは神汝をしてエフライムのごとくマナセのごとくならしめたまへといふにいたらんとすなはちエフライムをマナセの先にたてたり
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 イスラエルまたヨセフにいひけるは視よわれは死んされど神なんぢらとともにいまして汝等を先祖等の國にみちびきかへりたまふべし
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 且われ一の分をなんぢの兄弟よりもおほく汝にあたふ是わが刀と弓を以てアモリ人の手より取たる者なり
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.”