UGenesisi 48
1 Emva kwesikhatshana uJosefa wabikelwa ukuthi, “Uyihlo uyagula.” Ngakho wathatha amadodana akhe womabili, uManase lo-Efrayimi wahamba lawo.
Sometime after this, Joseph was told, “Your father is sick.” So Joseph went to see him, taking with him his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim.
2 UJakhobe esetsheliwe kwathiwa, “Indodana yakho uJosefa isifikile kuwe,” u-Israyeli wazibamba ngamandla wavuka embhedeni.
When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” he gathered his strength and sat up in bed.
3 UJakhobe wathi kuJosefa, “UNkulunkulu uSomandla wabonakala kimi eLuzi elizweni laseKhenani, khonapho wangibusisa.
Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in Canaan, and he blessed me there.
4 Wathi kimi, ‘Ngizakwenza ube lenzalo enengi kakhulu. Ngizalenza libe yisizwe sabantu, njalo ngizakupha izizukulwane zakho lelilizwe libe yilifa lazo elingapheliyo ngemva kwakho.’
He told me, ‘Listen! I will make you prosperous and make your descendants so numerous that you will become the ancestor of many nations, and I will give this land to your descendants to own forever.’
5 Zwana-ke, amadodana akho amabili owawazalela eGibhithe ngingakabuyi lapha kuwe azathathwa njengawami; u-Efrayimi loManase bazakuba ngabami, kanjengoba uRubheni loSimiyoni bengabami.
I am counting as mine your two sons Ephraim and Manasseh who were born here in Egypt before I arrived, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.
6 Labobantwana abazelwe ngemva kwabo bazakuba ngabakho; kulesosigodi esizakuba yilifa labo bazabhaliswa ngaphansi kwamabizo abanewabo.
Any other children you have after them will be yours, and will share their inheritance within the land of their older brothers.
7 Ngathi ngibuya ngivela ePhadani, ngehlelwa lusizi ngafelwa nguRasheli elizweni laseKhenani silokhu sisendleleni, bucwadlana kwe-Efrathi. Ngamngcwaba khonapho eceleni kwendlela eya e-Efrathi” (kutsho eBhethilehema).
I'm doing this because tragically for me when I was returning from Paddan-aram, Rachel died in Canaan some distance from Ephrath. I buried her there on the way to Ephrath” (also known as Bethlehem).
8 U-Israyeli wathi ngokubona amadodana kaJosefa wabuza wathi, “Ngobani laba?”
Israel saw Jacob's sons and said, “These are your sons then?”
9 UJosefa wathi kuyise, “Ngamadodana uNkulunkulu anginike wona lapha.” U-Israyeli wasesithi, “Balethe kimi ukuze ngibabusise.”
“Yes, these are the sons God gave me here,” Joseph told his father. “Bring them over here so I can bless them,” he said.
10 Ngalesosikhathi amehlo ka-Israyeli ayesefiphala ngenxa yokuluphala, engasabonisisi. Ngakho uJosefa wasondeza amadodana akhe kuye, uyise wawanga wawagona.
Israel's eyesight was failing because of his age and he couldn't see well, so Joseph brought them close to his father, and he kissed and hugged them.
11 U-Israyeli wathi kuJosefa, “Ngangingathembi ukuthi ngizaphinda ngibubone ubuso bakho njalo, ikanti manje uNkulunkulu usengivumele ukubona labantwabakho labo.”
Israel said to Joseph, “I never thought I'd see your face again, and now God has even let me see your children!”
12 UJosefa wasebasusa emadolweni ka-Israyeli wakhothamela phansi ngobuso.
Joseph took his sons from between Israel's knees, and bowed low with his face to the ground.
13 UJosefa wasebathatha bobabili, u-Efrayimi kwesokunene sakhe eqondane lesokhohlo sika-Israyeli, kwathi uManase waba ngakwesokhohlo waqondana lesokunene sika-Israyeli, wabasondeza kuye.
Then Joseph placed Ephraim on his right so he would be on Israel's left, and Manasseh on his left so he would be on Israel's right, and then brought them over to Israel.
14 Kodwa u-Israyeli welula isandla sakhe sokunene wasibeka ekhanda lika-Efrayimi, loba nje yena wayengomncinyane, wasenqumisa izingalo zakhe zaphambana, wabeka isandla sakhe sokhohlo ekhanda likaManase, loba nje uManase wayelizibulo.
But when Israel reached out his hands, he crossed them over and placed his right hand on Ephraim the younger son, and placed his left on Manasseh, the firstborn.
15 Ngakho wasebusisa uJosefa wathi, “Sengathi uNkulunkulu wabokhokho bami, u-Abhrahama lo-Isaka, abahamba phambi kwakhe, uNkulunkulu obengumelusi wami ukuphila kwami konke kuze kube namuhla,
He blessed Joseph, saying, “May the God my grandfather Abraham and my father worshiped—the God who has taken care of me like a shepherd throughout my life until now,
16 iNgilosi engihlengileyo kuzozonke izingozi, sengathi angabusisa abafana laba. Sengathi bangabizwa ngebizo lami langamabizo abobabamkhulu u-Abhrahama lo-Isaka, njalo sengathi banganda kakhulu emhlabeni.”
the Angel who has saved me from all kinds of trouble—may he bless these boys. May my name and the names of my grandfather Abraham and father Isaac continue through them, and may they have many descendants that spread throughout the earth.”
17 Kwathi uJosefa ebona uyise ebeka isandla sakhe sokunene ekhanda lika-Efrayimi akwaze kwamthokozisa; ngakho wasibamba isandla sikayise wasisusa ekhanda lika-Efrayimi ukuthi asibeke kwelikaManase.
Joseph was unhappy when saw his father had put his right hand on Ephraim, so he took his father's hand to try and move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.
18 UJosefa wathi kuye, “Hatshi, baba, lo nguye izibulo; beka isandla sakho sokunene kwelakhe ikhanda.”
“Not like that, father, this is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head,” Joseph told him.
19 Kodwa uyise wala, wathi, “Ngiyazi, ndodana yami, ngiyazi. Laye njalo uzakuba ngabantu abanengi, njalo laye uzakuba mkhulu. Loba kunjalo, umnawakhe uzakuba mkhulu kulaye lezizukulwane zakhe zizakuba ngamaxuku ezizwe.”
But his father refused, saying, “I know what I'm doing. Manasseh will also become an important people, but his younger brother will be greater than him, and his descendants will become a large nation.”
20 Wababusisa ngalolusuku wathi, “Ngebizo lakho u-Israyeli uzakutsho lesisibusiso: ‘Sengathi uNkulunkulu angakwenza ube njengo-Efrayimi loManase.’” Ngakho wabeka u-Efrayimi phambi kukaManase.
So Israel blessed them that day and said: “In the future the people of Israel will use your names to give a blessing, saying, ‘May God bless you like he did Ephraim and Manasseh.’” In saying this he placed Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 U-Israyeli wasesithi kuJosefa, “Sengizakufa, kodwa uNkulunkulu uzakuba lani, alibuyisele elizweni labokhokho benu.
Then Israel said to Joseph, “I'm going to die soon, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.
22 Wena, njengomuntu olawula abanewenu, ngikunika umqolo welizwe engawemuka ama-Amori ngenkemba yami lomtshoko wami.”
I'm also giving you something in addition to what I'm giving your brothers—piece of land on the mountain slope of Shechem that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow.”
