UGenesisi 48

1 Kwasekusithi emva kwalezizinto kwathiwa kuJosefa: Khangela, uyihlo uyagula. Wasethatha amadodana akhe amabili laye, uManase loEfrayimi.

And it came to pass after these things, that one said to Joseph: 'Behold, thy father is sick.' And he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

2 Kwasekubikwa kuJakobe ukuthi: Khangela, indodana yakho uJosefa iyeza kuwe. UIsrayeli waseziqinisa wahlala embhedeni.

And one told Jacob, and said: 'Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee.' And Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.

3 UJakobe wasesithi kuJosefa: UNkulunkulu uSomandla wabonakala kimi eLuzi elizweni leKhanani, wangibusisa,

And Jacob said unto Joseph: 'God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,

4 wathi kimi: Khangela, ngizakwenza uzale ngikwandise ngikwenze ube yizizwe ezinengi, nginike inzalo yakho emva kwakho lelilizwe, libe yimfuyo elaphakade.

and said unto me: Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a company of peoples; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.

5 Khathesi-ke, amadodana akho amabili, owawazalelwa elizweni leGibhithe ngingakafiki kuwe eGibhithe, angawami; uEfrayimi loManase njengoRubeni loSimeyoni bazakuba ngabami.

And now thy two sons, who were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, shall be mine.

6 Kodwa izizukulwana zakho ozazizala emva kwabo zizakuba ngezakho; ngebizo labafowabo zizabizwa elifeni lazo.

And thy issue, that thou begettest after them, shall be thine; they shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.

7 Mina-ke, ekusukeni kwami ePadani, uRasheli wafa elami elizweni leKhanani, endleleni, kuselomangwana ukuya eEfrathi, ngasengimngcwaba khona endleleni yeEfrathi, eyiBhethelehema.

And as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died unto me in the land of Canaan in the way, when there was still some way to come unto Ephrath; and I buried her there in the way to Ephrath — the same is Beth-lehem.'

8 UIsrayeli wasebona amadodana kaJosefa wathi: Ngobani laba?

And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said: 'Who are these?'

9 UJosefa wasesithi kuyise: Bangamadodana ami, uNkulunkulu anginika wona lapha. Wasesithi: Ake uwalethe kimi ngiwabusise.

And Joseph said unto his father: 'They are my sons, whom God hath given me here.' And he said: 'Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.'

10 Njalo amehlo kaIsrayeli ayefiphele ngenxa yobudala, engelakubona. Wasewasondeza kuye, wawanga, wawagona.

Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.

11 UIsrayeli wasesithi kuJosefa: Ngangingacabanganga ukuthi ngingabona ubuso bakho, kodwa khangela, uNkulunkulu ungibonise lenzalo yakho.

And Israel said unto Joseph: 'I had not thought to see thy face; and, lo, God hath let me see thy seed also.'

12 UJosefa wasewakhupha emadolweni akhe, wakhothama ngobuso bakhe emhlabathini.

And Joseph brought them out from between his knees; and he fell down on his face to the earth.

13 UJosefa wasebathatha bobabili, uEfrayimi ngesandla sakhe sokunene ngakwesokhohlo sikaIsrayeli, loManase ngesandla sakhe sokhohlo ngakwesokunene sikaIsrayeli, wabasondeza kuye.

And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him.

14 Kodwa uIsrayeli welula isandla sakhe sokunene, wasibeka ekhanda likaEfrayimi, lanxa engomncinyane, lesandla sakhe sokhohlo ekhanda likaManase, eqondisa izandla zakhe esazi, ngoba uManase wayelizibulo.

And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the first-born.

15 Wasembusisa uJosefa wathi: UNkulunkulu abahamba phambi kwakhe obaba oAbrahama loIsaka, uNkulunkulu owangondla kusukela ebukhoneni bami kuze kube lamuhla,

And he blessed Joseph, and said: 'The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God who hath been my shepherd all my life long unto this day,

16 ingilosi engihlenge kokubi konke, ibusise abafana; njalo ibizo lami libizwe kubo, lebizo labobaba oAbrahama loIsaka; bande babebanengi phakathi komhlaba.

the angel who hath redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of 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.

And when Joseph saw that his father was laying his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.

18 UJosefa wasesithi kuyise: Hayi njalo, baba, ngoba lo ulizibulo; beka isandla sakho sokunene ekhanda lakhe.

And Joseph said unto his father: 'Not so, my father, for this is the first-born; put thy right hand upon his head.'

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.

And his father refused, and said: 'I know it, my son, I know it; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; howbeit his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.'

20 Wasebabusisa ngalolosuku esithi: Ngawe uIsrayeli uzabusisa, esithi: UNkulunkulu kakumise njengoEfrayimi lanjengoManase. Wasebeka uEfrayimi phambi kukaManase.

And he blessed them that day, saying: 'By thee shall Israel bless, saying: God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh.' And he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

21 UIsrayeli wasesithi kuJosefa: Khangela, ngiyafa; kodwa uNkulunkulu uzakuba lani, njalo uzalibuyisela elizweni laboyihlo.

And Israel said unto Joseph: 'Behold, I die; but God will be with you, and bring you back unto the land of your fathers.

22 Futhi mina ngikunikile isabelo esisodwa okwedlula abafowenu, engasithatha esandleni samaAmori ngenkemba yami langedandili lami.

Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.'