Ebandeli 48
1 Sima na makambo wana, bayaki koyebisa Jozefi: « Tala, tata na yo azali kobela. » Jozefi azwaki bana na ye mibale ya mibali: Manase mpe Efrayimi.
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 Bapesaki sango epai ya Jakobi ete mwana na ye ya mobali Jozefi azali koya epai na ye. Isalaele asalaki makasi mpe avandaki na mbeto.
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 Jakobi alobaki na Jozefi: — Nzambe-Na-Nguya-Nyonso abimelaki ngai na Luze, na mokili ya Kanana; mpe kuna, apambolaki ngai.
He said to Joseph, “When I was at Luz in Canaan, God Almighty appeared to me. He blessed me
4 Alobaki na ngai: « Nakopesa yo mabota mpe nakokomisa yo ebele; nakokomisa yo lisanga ya bikolo ebele mpe nakopesa mokili oyo lokola libula ya seko na seko epai ya bakitani na yo sima na yo. »
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 Mpe sik’oyo, bana na yo ya mibali oyo babotamaki na Ejipito liboso ete ngai naya awa, bakomi lokola bana na ngai. Efrayimi mpe Manase bakomi bana na ngai lokola Ribeni mpe Simeoni.
“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 Bana oyo okobota sima na bango bakozala ya yo; bakozwa eteni na bango ya libula na kombo ya bayaya na bango.
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 Pamba te, tango nawutaki na Padani, Rasheli akufaki na nzela, na maboko na ngai, wana nazalaki kokende na mokili ya Kanana, pene ya Efrata; nakundaki ye kuna pembeni ya Efrata oyo babengaka Beteleemi.
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 Tango Isalaele amonaki bana mibali ya Jozefi, atunaki: — Ba-oyo bazali banani?
When Jacob saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are these boys?”
9 Jozefi azongiselaki tata na ye: — Bazali bana mibali oyo Nzambe apesi ngai awa. Isalaele alobaki: — Pusa bango mpo ete napambola bango.
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 Miso ya Isalaele elembaki mpo na kimobange mpe azalaki komona lisusu malamu te. Yango wana, Jozefi apusaki bana na ye ya mibali pembeni ya tata na ye, Isalaele apesaki bango beze mpe ayambaki bango.
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 Isalaele alobaki na Jozefi: — Nazalaki na elikya te ete nakomona lisusu elongi na yo; kasi sik’oyo Nzambe apesi ngai nzela ya komona kutu bana na yo.
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 Jozefi alongolaki bana na ye na mabolongo ya Isalaele mpe agumbamaki elongi na ye kino na se.
Joseph took the boys from alongside Jacob’s knees. Then he bowed down with his face to the ground.
13 Jozefi azwaki bango mibale: Efrayimi na loboko na ye ya mobali, loboko ya mwasi ya Isalaele; mpe Manase, na loboko na ye ya mwasi, loboko ya mobali ya tata na ye. Apusaki bango pembeni ya Isalaele.
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 Isalaele asembolaki loboko na ye ya mobali mpe atiaki yango likolo ya moto ya Efrayimi oyo azalaki leki; mpe loboko na ye ya mwasi likolo ya moto ya Manase. Na bongo, abongolaki maboko na ye mpo ete Manase azalaki mwana ya liboso.
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 Isalaele apambolaki Jozefi mpe alobaki: Tika ete Nzambe oyo, liboso na Ye, bakoko na ngai, Abrayami mpe Izaki, batambolaki, Nzambe oyo azali Mobateli na ngai wuta mokolo ya mbotama na ngai kino na mokolo ya lelo,
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 anjelu oyo akangolaki ngai na mabe nyonso, apambola bana oyo ya mibali! Tika ete babengama na kombo na ngai, mpe na bakombo ya bakoko na ngai, Abrayami mpe Izaki! Tika ete bakoma ebele kati na mokili!
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 Tango Jozefi amonaki ete tata na ye atiaki loboko na ye ya mobali na moto ya Efrayimi, asepelaki te. Azwaki loboko ya tata na ye, alongolaki yango na moto ya Efrayimi mpo na kotia yango na moto ya 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 Jozefi alobaki na tata na ye: — Boye te, tata na ngai! Oyo azali mwana ya liboso; tia loboko na yo ya mobali likolo ya moto na ye.
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 Kasi tata na ye aboyaki mpe alobaki: — Nayebi, mwana na ngai! Nayebi! Ye mpe akokoma ekolo, akokoma monene. Nzokande, leki na ye akozala monene koleka ye mpe bakitani na ye bakokoma lisanga ya bikolo.
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 Apambolaki bango wana mpe alobaki: Bato ya Isalaele bakotangaka bakombo na bino mpo na kopambola: « Tika ete Nzambe akomisa bino lokola Efrayimi mpe Manase! » Boye Isalaele atiaki Efrayimi liboso 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 Bongo Isalaele alobaki na Jozefi: — Etikali moke nakufa. Nzambe akozala na bino mpe akozongisa bino na mokili ya bakoko na bino.
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 Mpo na ngai, napesi yo koleka oyo napesaki epai na bandeko na yo: eteni ya mabele oyo nabotolaki, na mopanga mpe na tolotolo na ngai, epai ya bato ya Amori.
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.”
