UGenesisi 48
1 Kwasekusithi emva kwalezizinto kwathiwa kuJosefa: Khangela, uyihlo uyagula. Wasethatha amadodana akhe amabili laye, uManase loEfrayimi.
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 Kwasekubikwa kuJakobe ukuthi: Khangela, indodana yakho uJosefa iyeza kuwe. UIsrayeli waseziqinisa wahlala embhedeni.
When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” he gathered his strength and sat up in bed.
3 UJakobe wasesithi kuJosefa: UNkulunkulu uSomandla wabonakala kimi eLuzi elizweni leKhanani, wangibusisa,
Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in Canaan, and he blessed me there.
4 wathi kimi: Khangela, ngizakwenza uzale ngikwandise ngikwenze ube yizizwe ezinengi, nginike inzalo yakho emva kwakho lelilizwe, libe yimfuyo elaphakade.
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 Khathesi-ke, amadodana akho amabili, owawazalelwa elizweni leGibhithe ngingakafiki kuwe eGibhithe, angawami; uEfrayimi loManase njengoRubeni loSimeyoni bazakuba ngabami.
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 Kodwa izizukulwana zakho ozazizala emva kwabo zizakuba ngezakho; ngebizo labafowabo zizabizwa elifeni lazo.
Any other children you have after them will be yours, and will share their inheritance within the land of their older brothers.
7 Mina-ke, ekusukeni kwami ePadani, uRasheli wafa elami elizweni leKhanani, endleleni, kuselomangwana ukuya eEfrathi, ngasengimngcwaba khona endleleni yeEfrathi, eyiBhethelehema.
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 UIsrayeli wasebona amadodana kaJosefa wathi: Ngobani laba?
Israel saw Jacob's sons and said, “These are your sons then?”
9 UJosefa wasesithi kuyise: Bangamadodana ami, uNkulunkulu anginika wona lapha. Wasesithi: Ake uwalethe kimi ngiwabusise.
“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 Njalo amehlo kaIsrayeli ayefiphele ngenxa yobudala, engelakubona. Wasewasondeza kuye, 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 UIsrayeli wasesithi kuJosefa: Ngangingacabanganga ukuthi ngingabona ubuso bakho, kodwa khangela, uNkulunkulu ungibonise lenzalo yakho.
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 wasewakhupha emadolweni akhe, wakhothama ngobuso bakhe emhlabathini.
Joseph took his sons from between Israel's knees, and bowed low with his face to the ground.
13 UJosefa wasebathatha bobabili, uEfrayimi ngesandla sakhe sokunene ngakwesokhohlo sikaIsrayeli, loManase ngesandla sakhe sokhohlo ngakwesokunene sikaIsrayeli, 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 uIsrayeli welula isandla sakhe sokunene, wasibeka ekhanda likaEfrayimi, lanxa engomncinyane, lesandla sakhe sokhohlo ekhanda likaManase, eqondisa izandla zakhe esazi, ngoba 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 Wasembusisa uJosefa wathi: UNkulunkulu abahamba phambi kwakhe obaba oAbrahama loIsaka, uNkulunkulu owangondla kusukela ebukhoneni bami kuze kube lamuhla,
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 engihlenge kokubi konke, ibusise abafana; njalo ibizo lami libizwe kubo, lebizo labobaba oAbrahama loIsaka; bande babebanengi phakathi komhlaba.
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 esebonile ukuthi uyise ubeke isandla sakhe sokunene ekhanda likaEfrayimi, kwaba kubi emehlweni akhe; wasibamba isandla sikayise ukuze asisuse ekhanda likaEfrayimi asise ekhanda likaManase.
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 wasesithi kuyise: Hayi njalo, baba, ngoba lo ulizibulo; beka isandla sakho sokunene ekhanda lakhe.
“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 uzakuba yisizwe, laye uzakuba mkhulu; kanti lanxa kunjalo umfowabo omncinyane uzakuba mkhulu kulaye, lenzalo yakhe izakuba yikugcwala kwezizwe.
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 Wasebabusisa ngalolosuku esithi: Ngawe uIsrayeli uzabusisa, esithi: UNkulunkulu kakumise njengoEfrayimi lanjengoManase. Wasebeka uEfrayimi 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 UIsrayeli wasesithi kuJosefa: Khangela, ngiyafa; kodwa uNkulunkulu uzakuba lani, njalo uzalibuyisela elizweni laboyihlo.
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 Futhi mina ngikunikile isabelo esisodwa okwedlula abafowenu, engasithatha esandleni samaAmori ngenkemba yami langedandili lami.
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.”
