UGenesisi 49

1 UJakobe wasebiza amadodana akhe wathi: Buthanani ukuze ngilazise okuzalehlela ensukwini ezizayo.

And Jacob called his sons, and said to them,

2 Buthanani, lizwe madodana kaJakobe, limlalele uIsrayeli uyihlo.

Assemble yourselves, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear me, sons of Jacob; hear Israel, hear your father.

3 Rubeni, ulizibulo lami, amandla ami, lokuqala kokuqina kwami, ukuphelela kwesithunzi, lokuphelela kwamandla.

Ruben, thou [art] my first-born, thou my strength, and the first of my children, hard to be endured, [hard and] self-willed.

4 Uphuphuma njengamanzi, kawuyikuba ngopheleleyo, ngoba ukhwele embhedeni kayihlo, wasuwona; wakhwela embhedeni wami.

Thou wast insolent like water, burst not forth with violence, for thou wentest up to the bed of thy father; then thou defiledst the couch, whereupon thou wentest up.

5 USimeyoni loLevi bayizelamani; inkemba zabo ziyizikhali zokuphanga.

Symeon and Levi, brethren, accomplished the injustice of their cutting off.

6 Umphefumulo wami ungangeni emphakathini wabo wangasese, udumo lwami lungahlangani emhlanganweni wabo; ngoba ngolaka lwabo babulala umuntu, langokuzithokozisa baquma izinkabi umsipha.

Let not my soul come into their counsel, and let not mine inward parts contend in their conspiracy, for in their wrath they slew men, and in their passion they houghed a bull.

7 Kaluqalekiswe ulaka lwabo ngoba lulamandla, lentukuthelo yabo ngoba ilesihluku. Ngizabehlukanisa koJakobe, ngibahlakaze koIsrayeli.

Cursed be their wrath, for it was willful, and their anger, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

8 Juda, wena, abafowenu bazakudumisa; isandla sakho sizakuba sentanyeni yezitha zakho; amadodana kayihlo azakukhothamela.

Juda, thy brethren have praised thee, and thy hands shall be on the back of thine enemies; thy father's sons shall do thee reverence.

9 UJuda ungumdlwane wesilwane; wenyukile empangweni, ndodana yami, uguqile, ulele njengesilwane, lanjengesilwane esisikazi; ngubani ozamsukumisa?

Juda is a lion's whelp: from the tender plant, my son, thou art gone up, having couched thou liest as a lion, and as a whelp; who shall stir him up?

10 Intonga yobukhosi kayiyikusuka kuJuda, lomnikumthetho phakathi kwenyawo zakhe, aze afike uShilo, njalo izizwe zizamlalela.

A ruler shall not fail from Juda, nor a prince from his loins, until there come the things stored up for him; and he is the expectation of nations.

11 Ubophela ithole lakhe likababhemi evinini, lethole likababhemikazi wakhe evinini elihle. Uhlamba isigqoko sakhe ewayinini, lesembatho sakhe egazini lezithelo zevini.

Binding his foal to the vine, and the foal of his ass to the branch [of it], he shall wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of the grape.

12 Amehlo akhe azakuba nsundu ngewayini, lamazinyo akhe mhlophe ngochago.

His eyes shall be more cheering than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.

13 UZebuluni uzahlala ethekwini lolwandle, abe litheku lemikhumbi, lomngcele wakhe uzakuba ngaseSidoni.

Zabulon shall dwell on the coast, and he [shall be] by a haven of ships, and shall extend to Sidon.

14 UIsakari ungubabhemi olamathambo alamandla, oqutha phakathi kwemithwalo emibili.

Issachar has desired that which is good; resting between the inheritances.

15 Wathi ebona indawo yokuphumula ukuthi inhle, lelizwe ukuthi liyabukeka, wagobisa amahlombe akhe ukuze athwale, waba yinceku esibhalweni.

And having seen the resting place that it was good, and the land that it was fertile, he subjected his shoulder to labour, and became a husbandman.

16 UDani uzakwahlulela abantu bakhe, njengesinye sezizwe zakoIsrayeli.

Dan shall judge his people, as one tribe too in Israel.

17 UDani uzakuba yinyoka endleleni, inhlangwana emkhondweni, eluma izithende zebhiza, ukuze umgadi walo awe nyovane.

And let Dan be a serpent in the way, besetting the path, biting the heel of the horse (and the rider shall fall backward),

18 Ngilindele usindiso lwakho, Nkosi.

waiting for the salvation of the Lord.

19 UGadi, iviyo lizamhlasela, kodwa yena uzahlasela ezithendeni.

Gad, a plundering troop shall plunder him; but he shall plunder him, [pursuing him] closely.

20 Kuvela kuAsheri, ukudla kwakhe kuzanona, uzaveza izibiliboco zenkosi.

Aser, his bread [shall be] fat; and he shall yield dainties to princes.

21 UNafithali uyimpala ethukululiweyo, eveza amazwi amahle.

Nephthalim is a spreading stem, bestowing beauty on its fruit.

22 UJosefa ulugatsha oluthelayo, ugatsha oluthelayo emthonjeni, ingatsha zikhwela phezu komduli.

Joseph is a son increased; my dearly loved son is increased; my youngest son, turn to me.

23 Abatshoki basebemphatha kabuhlungu, bamtshoka, bamzonda.

Against whom men taking evil counsel reproached [him], and the archers pressed hard upon him.

24 Kodwa idandili lakhe lahlala liqinile, lengalo zezandla zakhe zaqiniswa ngezandla zikaSomandla kaJakobe, okuvela khona umelusi, ilitshe likaIsrayeli,

But their bow and arrows were mightily consumed, and the sinews of their arms were slackened by the hand of the mighty one of Jacob; thence is he that strengthened Israel from the God of thy father;

25 ngoNkulunkulu kayihlo ozakusiza, langoSomandla ozakubusisa ngezibusiso zamazulu ezivela phezulu, izibusiso zokujula okulele phansi, izibusiso zamabele lesizalo,

and my God helped thee, and he blessed thee with the blessing of heaven from above, and the blessing of the earth possessing all things, because of the blessing of the breasts and of the womb,

26 izibusiso zikayihlo ziyedlula izibusiso zabokhokho bami, kuze kube sengqongeni zamaqaqa aphakade; zizakuba phezu kwekhanda likaJosefa, laphezu kwenkanda yalowo owehlukaniswe kubafowabo.

the blessings of thy father and thy mother—it has prevailed above the blessing of the lasting mountains, and beyond the blessings of the everlasting hills; they shall be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the head of the brothers of whom he took the lead.

27 UBhenjamini uyimpisi edabulayo; ekuseni izakudla ekujimbileyo, lakusihlwa izakwehlukanisa impango.

Benjamin, as a ravening wolf, shall eat still in the morning, and at evening he gives food.

28 Bonke labo bayizizwe ezilitshumi lambili zakoIsrayeli; futhi lokho yikho uyise akukhuluma kubo ebabusisa; ngulowo lalowo ngesibusiso sakhe wababusisa.

All these [are] the twelve sons of Jacob; and their father spoke these words to them, and he blessed them; he blessed each of them according to his blessing.

29 Wasebalaya wathi kubo: Sengibuthelwa ebantwini bakithi; lingingcwabe labobaba obhalwini olusensimini kaEfroni umHethi,

And he said to them, I am added to my people; ye shall bury me with my fathers in the cave, which is in the field of Ephron the Chettite,

30 obhalwini olusensimini yeMakaphela eqondane leMamre, elizweni leKhanani, uAbrahama owaluthenga lensimu kuEfroni umHethi ibe yindawo yethu yokungcwabela.

in the double cave which is opposite Mambre, in the land of Chanaan, the cave which Abraam bought of Ephron the Chettite, for a possession of a sepulchre.

31 Lapho bangcwaba oAbrahama loSara umkakhe; lapho bangcwaba oIsaka loRebeka umkakhe; lalapho ngangcwaba uLeya,

There they buried Abraam and Sarrha his wife; there they buried Isaac, and Rebecca his wife; there they buried Lea;

32 insimu, lobhalu olukiyo, kwathengwa emadodaneni kaHethi.

in the portion of the field, and of the cave that was in it, [purchased] of the sons of Chet.

33 Kwathi uJakobe eseqedile ukulaya amadodana akhe, waqoqela inyawo zakhe embhedeni, waphela, wabuthelwa ebantwini bakibo.

And Jacob ceased giving charges to his sons; and having lifted up his feet on the bed, he died, and was gathered to his people.