Olubereberye 49
1 Awo Yakobo n’ayita batabani be n’abagamba nti, Mukuŋŋaane, ndyoke mbategeeze ebiribabaako mu nnaku ezijja.
Jacob summoned all his sons, and said to them,
2 Mukuŋŋaane muwulire, mwe abaana ba Yakobo, muwulirize Isirayiri kitammwe.
“Gather around me in order that I can tell you what will happen in the future. My sons, come and listen to me. I am your father, [Jacob, whom God named] Israel.
3 Lewubeeni ggwe mubereberye wange, amaanyi gange, ebibala ebibereberye eby’amaanyi gange, ekitiibwa n’obuyinza ebiyitirivu.
Reuben, you are my oldest son. You were born when I was young and energetic/strong. You are prouder and stronger than all the rest of my sons.
4 Naye tafugika, oli ng’amayengo g’ennyanja, naye tokyali wa kitiibwa, kubanga walinnya ekitanda kya kitaawo, mu nnyumba yange, n’okyonoona.
But you were as uncontrollable as a flood [SIM]. So now you will not be my most important son, because you climbed up onto my bed, and had sex with [MTY] my (concubine/slave who had become one of my wives). Your doing that caused me, your father, to have great shame.
5 Simyoni ne Leevi baaluganda, ebitala byabwe byakulwanyisa bya maanyi.
Simeon and Levi, you have both acted like criminals. You use your swords to act violently.
6 Ayi omwoyo gwange teweetaba mu kuteesa kwabwe. Ayi omwoyo gwange teweegatta nabo. Kubanga mu busungu bwabwe batta abantu, olw’okwekulumbaza kwabwe baatema ente olunywa.
I do not want to be with you when you make evil plans [DOU]. I do not want to join you in your meetings, because you killed people when you became very angry, and you (hamstrung/cut the tendons in the legs of) oxen just to (have fun/see them suffer).
7 Obusungu bwabwe bukolimirwe, kubanga bungi; n’obukambwe bwabwe, kubanga bwa ttima. Ndibaawula mu Yakobo, ndibasaasaanya mu Isirayiri.
God says, ‘I will (curse/cause bad things to happen to) them for being very angry, for acting very cruelly when they were very furious. I will scatter their descendants [MTY] throughout Israel land.’
8 Yuda gwe baganda bo banaakutenderezanga. Omukono gwo gunaatulugunyanga abalabe bo. Abaana ba kitaawo banaakuvuunamiranga.
Judah, your [older and younger] brothers will praise you. They will bow down before you, because you will thoroughly defeat [MTY] your enemies.
9 Yuda, mwana w’empologoma. Oyambuse mwana wange, ng’ovudde ku muyiggo. Yakutama, yabwama ng’empologoma. Ddala ng’empologoma enkazi, ani anaakweŋŋanga?
Judah is like a young lion [SIM] that has returned to its den satisfied after eating the animals that it has killed. He is like a lion that lies down and stretches out after eating; no one would dare to disturb it [RHQ].
10 Era omuggo gw’omufuzi teguuvenga wakati wa bigere bya Yuda, okutuusa Siiro lw’alijja; era oyo amawanga gonna gwe ganaawuliranga.
There will always be a ruler [MTY] from the descendants of Judah [MTY]. Each one will hold a scepter/staff to show that he has authority as a king. He will do that until the one to whom the scepter belongs comes, the one to whom the nations will bring tribute and show that they will obey him.
11 Alisiba endogoyi ku muzabbibu, n’omwana gw’endogoyi ku muzabbibu ogusinga obulungi, ayoza ebyambalo bye mu nvinnyo, n’engoye ze mu musaayi gwe zabbibu.
The grapevines of Judah’s descendants will produce grapes very abundantly. As a result, they will not object to tying their young donkeys to the grapevines in order that the donkeys can eat the leaves of the grapevines. [Wine will be very plentiful, with the result that] they could wash their cloaks in wine that is as red as blood [MET].
12 Amaaso ge galimyuka wayini, n’amannyo ge galitukula okusinga amata.
Their eyes will be red because of [drinking too much] wine, but their teeth will be very white because of drinking much milk [from the cows].
13 Zebbulooni alibeera ku mabbali ga nnyanja; anaabanga mwalo gw’amaato, ensalo ze ziriba ku Sidoni.
Zebulun, your descendants will live by the seashore where there will be a safe harbor for ships. Their land will extend north as far as Sidon [city].
14 Isakaali ndogoyi ya maanyi, ng’akutama wakati mu bisibo by’endiga;
Issachar, your descendants will be like strong donkeys that are lying down on the ground between their loads, [so tired that they cannot get up]!
15 yalaba ng’ekifo ky’okuwummuliramu kirungi; nga n’ensi esanyusa; n’alyoka akkakkanya ekibegabega kye okusitula, n’afuuka omuddu ow’okukozesebwanga emirimu egy’obuwaze.
They will see that their resting place is good, and that the land pleases them very much. But they will bend their backs to carry heavy loads and be forced to work for others.
16 Ddaani anaalamulanga mu bwenkanya abantu be ng’ekika ekimu ku bika bya Isirayiri.
Dan, although your tribe will be small, their leaders will rule their people just like the leaders of other tribes of Israel will rule their people.
17 Ddaani anaaba musota mu kkubo, essalambwa ku kkubo, eriruma ebisinziiro by’embalaasi, omwebagazi waayo alyoke agwe emabega waayo.
Your descendants will be like snakes at the side of a road, like poisonous snakes lying beside a path. They will strike the heels of horses that pass by, causing the riders to fall backwards [as the horses rear up on their hind legs].”
18 Nnindirira obulokozi bwo, Ayi Mukama.
Then Jacob prayed, “Yahweh, I am waiting for you to rescue me [from my enemies].”
19 Gaadi alirumbibwa ogubiina gw’abanyazi, naye ye, alibafubutukira emabega.
[Then Jacob continued telling his sons what would happen in the future. He said], “Gad, your tribe/descendants will be attacked by a group of bandits, but your tribe/descendants will pursue and attack them [MTY].
20 Aseri emmere ye eneebanga ngimu, era anaagemuliranga kabaka ebyokulya.
Asher, your descendants will eat good-tasting food; they will produce food that is delicious enough for kings to eat.
21 Nafutaali mpeewo ya ddembe, avaamu ebigambo ebirungi.
Naphtali, your descendants will be like deer [MET] that are (free to/not tied down and can) run wherever they wish. They will give birth to children who are good-looking like (fawns/baby deer) [MET].
22 Yusufu lye ttabi eribala ennyo, ettabi eribala ennyo eriri ku mugga; abaana be babuna bbugwe.
Joseph, you will have many descendants [MET]. Their children will be as many as the fruit on a vine near a spring of water, whose branches extend over a wall.
23 Abalasa obusaale baamulumba bubi nnyo, baamulasa ne bamulumya nnyo;
Their enemies will attack them fiercely, and shoot at them with bows and arrows and pursue them.
24 naye omutego gwe ne gunywera, n’emikono gye ne gitasagaasagana. Olw’omukono gwa Ayinzabyonna owa Yakobo, olw’Omusumba, Olwazi lwa Isirayiri,
But they will hold their bows steady and their arms will remain strong, because of the power [MTY] of my mighty God, because of Yahweh who guides and provides for me [MET] like a shepherd guides and provides for his sheep. The people of Israel will [ask Yahweh to protect them], [like people hide under] a huge [overhanging] to be protected.
25 olwa Katonda wa kitaawo, akuyamba, olwa Ayinzabyonna akuwa omukisa, omukisa oguva waggulu mu ggulu, omukisa ogwa wansi mu buziba, omukisa ogw’omu lubuto ne mu mabeere.
God, the one whom I worship, will help your descendants. God Almighty will bless them by sending them rain from the sky and by giving them water from deep/far below the ground. He will give them many cattle and children [MET] (OR, and their cattle will have many offspring).
26 Omukisa gwa kitaawo gusinga omukisa gwa bajjajjange, gusinga egyo egyaweebwa bajjajja ab’edda. Gino gyonna gibeere ku mutwe gwa Yusufu, gibeere ne ku bukowekowe bw’oyo eyayawukanyizibwa ne baganda be.
The blessings that I want God to give you are great ones. They are greater than the blessings that come from the eternal mountains, greater than the ones that come from the everlasting hills. Joseph, I pray that these blessings will (be given to you/come upon your head), because you are the leader of your [older] brothers [and younger brother].
27 Benyamini musege ogunyaga, mu makya alya omuyiggo, mu kawungeezi n’agaba omunyago.
Benjamin, your descendants will be like [MET] vicious/fierce wolves: In the morning they will kill their enemies like a wolf devours (its prey/the animals that it has killed), and in the evening they will divide among their warriors the spoils that they seized from their enemies.”
28 Ebyo byonna by’ebika ekkumi n’ebiriri ebya Isirayiri, era ebyo kitaabwe bye yayogera nabo ng’abasabira omukisa. Buli omu ng’amusabira omukisa ogumusaanira.
Those twelve sons are the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel. That is what their father said to them as he blessed them, telling to each one words that were appropriate for him.
29 Oluvannyuma n’abakuutira n’abagamba nti, “Nditwalibwa eri abantu bange gye baatwalibwa. Munziikanga wamu ne bajjajjange, mu mpuku eri mu nnimiro ya Efulooni Omukiiti,
Then Jacob said to his sons, “I will soon die. Bury my body where some of my ancestors are buried, in the cave that is in the field that was bought from Ephron, who belonged to the Heth people-group.
30 mu mpuku eri mu nnimiro ya Makupeera, okumpi ne Mamule, mu nsi ya Kanani, Ibulayimu gye yagulira mu nnimiro, okuva ku Efulooni Omukiiti. Yagigula okuba obutaka bw’okuziikangamu.
That field is in the Machpelah area, east of Mamre [town], in Canaan. My grandfather Abraham bought it from Ephron to use as a burial place.
31 Awo we waaziikibwa Ibulayimu ne Saala mukazi we, era ne Isaaka ne Lebbeeka mukazi we, we baaziikwa, era awo we naziika Leeya.
That is where they buried him and his wife Sarah. That is where they buried my father Isaac and his wife Rebekah. And that is where I buried my wife Leah.
32 Ennimiro n’empuku erimu byagulibwa okuva ku baana ba Kesi.”
That field and the cave in it were bought from the Heth people-group; so that is where I want you to bury me.”
33 Yakobo bwe yamala okukuutira batabani be, n’azaayo ebigere bye mu kitanda, n’assa omukka ogw’enkomerero n’afa n’akuŋŋaanyizibwa eri abantu be.
When Jacob finished giving those instructions to his sons, he lay down on his bed again. Then he died [IDM].
