Olubereberye 48
1 Oluvannyuma Yusufu n’ategeezebwa nti, “Laba, kitaawo mulwadde.” Bw’atyo n’atwala batabani be Manase ne Efulayimu;
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 Yakobo n’ategeezebwa nti, “Mutabani wo azze okukulaba.” Awo Yakobo ne yeekakaba ku kitanda kye n’atuula.
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 N’agamba Yusufu nti, “Katonda Ayinzabyonna yandabikira e Luzi mu nsi ya Kanani n’ampa omukisa.
He said to Joseph, “When I was at Luz in Canaan, God Almighty appeared to me. He blessed me
4 N’aŋŋamba nti, ‘Laba, ndikwaza n’osukkirira ne nkufuula abantu abangi, era ensi eno ndigiwa ezzadde lyo okuba obutaka bwabwe ennaku zonna.’
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 “Kale kaakano batabani bo bombi abaakuzaalirwa mu Misiri nga sinnajja, bange; Efulayimu ne Manase baliba bange nga Lewubeeni ne Simyoni bwe bali.
“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 N’abo abaakuzaalirwa oluvannyuma lwabwe baliba babo, banaayitibwa amannya ga baganda baabwe mu mugabo gwabwe.
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 Kubanga bwe najja ng’ava e Paddani, ne ndaba ennaku Laakeeri n’anfiirako mu kkubo mu nsi ya Kanani, nga nkyagenda Efulasi; ne mmuziika eyo mu kkubo erigenda Efulasi, ye Besirekemu.”
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 Isirayiri bwe yalaba batabani ba Yusufu n’abuuza nti, “Bano be baani?”
When Jacob saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are these boys?”
9 Yusufu n’addamu kitaawe nti, “Be batabani bange, Katonda b’ampeeredde wano.” N’amugamba nti, “Nkusaba obansembereze mbasabire omukisa.”
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 Mu kiseera kino amaaso ga Isirayiri gaali gayimbadde olw’obukadde, nga takyasobola kulaba. Awo Yusufu n’abamusembereza, Yakobo n’abagwa mu kifuba n’abanywegera.
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 Isirayiri n’agamba Yusufu nti, “Saasuubira kulaba maaso go; era laba Katonda ansobozesezza okulaba n’abaana bo.”
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 Awo Yusufu n’abaggya ku maviivi ge n’avuunama wansi.
Joseph took the boys from alongside Jacob’s knees. Then he bowed down with his face to the ground.
13 Yusufu n’abatwala bombi, Efulayimu ng’ali mu mukono gwe ogwa ddyo, okwolekera ogwa Isirayiri ogwa kkono, ne Manase ng’ali mu mukono gwe ogwa kkono okwolekera ogwa Isirayiri ogwa ddyo, n’abamusembereza.
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 Isirayiri n’agolola omukono gwe ogwa ddyo n’aguteeka ku mutwe gwa Efulayimu eyali omuto, n’omukono gwe ogwa kkono n’aguteeka ku mutwe gwa Manase, n’ayisiŋŋanya emikono gye, kubanga Manase ye yasooka okuzaalibwa.
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 N’awa Yusufu omukisa, n’agamba nti, “Katonda wa jjajjange Ibulayimu ne kitange Isaaka gwe baatambulira mu maaso ge, Katonda oyo ankulembedde obulamu bwange bwonna okutuusa leero,
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 Malayika oyo eyannunula okuva mu bizibu byonna, owe omukisa abalenzi bano. Erinnya lyange lyeyongerenga okutuumibwa mu bo era n’erya Ibulayimu n’erya Isaaka. Era bafuuke ekibiina ekinene mu maaso g’ensi.”
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 Yusufu bwe yalaba nga kitaawe atadde omukono gwe ogwa ddyo ku Efulayimu n’atakyagala, n’akwata omukono gwa kitaawe okuguggya ku mutwe gwa Efulayimu aguzze ku mutwe gwa 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 N’agamba kitaawe nti, “Kireme kuba kityo, kitange, kubanga ono ye mubereberye, teeka omukono ogwa ddyo ku mutwe gwe.”
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 Naye kitaawe n’agaana n’agamba nti, “Mmanyi, mwana wange, mmanyi nti alifuuka eggwanga era aliba mukulu; kyokka muto we aliba mukulu okumusinga era alivaamu amawanga mangi.”
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 Awo n’abasabira omukisa ku lunaku olwo ng’agamba nti, “Abaana ba Isirayiri basabiragane omukisa nga bagamba nti, ‘Katonda akuyise nga Efulayimu ne Manase.’” Bw’atyo n’ateeka Efulayimu mu maaso ga 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 Ate Isirayiri n’agamba Yusufu nti, “Laba, nnaatera okufa, kyokka Katonda alibeera naawe era alikuzzaayo mu nsi ya bajjajjaabo.
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 Wabula ggwe nkuwadde kinene okusinga baganda bo, nkuwadde ekitundu kimu ekikkirira olusozi, kye naggya ku Bamoli n’ekitala kyange n’omutego gwange.”
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.”
