UGenesisi 49
1 UJakobe wasebiza amadodana akhe wathi: Buthanani ukuze ngilazise okuzalehlela ensukwini ezizayo.
Jacob summoned all his sons, and said to them,
2 Buthanani, lizwe madodana kaJakobe, limlalele uIsrayeli uyihlo.
“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 Rubeni, ulizibulo lami, amandla ami, lokuqala kokuqina kwami, ukuphelela kwesithunzi, lokuphelela kwamandla.
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 Uphuphuma njengamanzi, kawuyikuba ngopheleleyo, ngoba ukhwele embhedeni kayihlo, wasuwona; wakhwela embhedeni wami.
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 USimeyoni loLevi bayizelamani; inkemba zabo ziyizikhali zokuphanga.
Simeon and Levi, you have both acted like criminals. You use your swords to act violently.
6 Umphefumulo wami ungangeni emphakathini wabo wangasese, udumo lwami lungahlangani emhlanganweni wabo; ngoba ngolaka lwabo babulala umuntu, langokuzithokozisa baquma izinkabi umsipha.
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 Kaluqalekiswe ulaka lwabo ngoba lulamandla, lentukuthelo yabo ngoba ilesihluku. Ngizabehlukanisa koJakobe, ngibahlakaze koIsrayeli.
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 Juda, wena, abafowenu bazakudumisa; isandla sakho sizakuba sentanyeni yezitha zakho; amadodana kayihlo azakukhothamela.
Judah, your [older and younger] brothers will praise you. They will bow down before you, because you will thoroughly defeat [MTY] your enemies.
9 UJuda ungumdlwane wesilwane; wenyukile empangweni, ndodana yami, uguqile, ulele njengesilwane, lanjengesilwane esisikazi; ngubani ozamsukumisa?
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 Intonga yobukhosi kayiyikusuka kuJuda, lomnikumthetho phakathi kwenyawo zakhe, aze afike uShilo, njalo izizwe zizamlalela.
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 Ubophela ithole lakhe likababhemi evinini, lethole likababhemikazi wakhe evinini elihle. Uhlamba isigqoko sakhe ewayinini, lesembatho sakhe egazini lezithelo zevini.
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 Amehlo akhe azakuba nsundu ngewayini, lamazinyo akhe mhlophe ngochago.
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 UZebuluni uzahlala ethekwini lolwandle, abe litheku lemikhumbi, lomngcele wakhe uzakuba ngaseSidoni.
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 UIsakari ungubabhemi olamathambo alamandla, oqutha phakathi kwemithwalo emibili.
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 Wathi ebona indawo yokuphumula ukuthi inhle, lelizwe ukuthi liyabukeka, wagobisa amahlombe akhe ukuze athwale, waba yinceku esibhalweni.
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 UDani uzakwahlulela abantu bakhe, njengesinye sezizwe zakoIsrayeli.
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 UDani uzakuba yinyoka endleleni, inhlangwana emkhondweni, eluma izithende zebhiza, ukuze umgadi walo awe nyovane.
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 Ngilindele usindiso lwakho, Nkosi.
Then Jacob prayed, “Yahweh, I am waiting for you to rescue me [from my enemies].”
19 UGadi, iviyo lizamhlasela, kodwa yena uzahlasela ezithendeni.
[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 Kuvela kuAsheri, ukudla kwakhe kuzanona, uzaveza izibiliboco zenkosi.
Asher, your descendants will eat good-tasting food; they will produce food that is delicious enough for kings to eat.
21 UNafithali uyimpala ethukululiweyo, eveza amazwi amahle.
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 UJosefa ulugatsha oluthelayo, ugatsha oluthelayo emthonjeni, ingatsha zikhwela phezu komduli.
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 Abatshoki basebemphatha kabuhlungu, bamtshoka, bamzonda.
Their enemies will attack them fiercely, and shoot at them with bows and arrows and pursue them.
24 Kodwa idandili lakhe lahlala liqinile, lengalo zezandla zakhe zaqiniswa ngezandla zikaSomandla kaJakobe, okuvela khona umelusi, ilitshe likaIsrayeli,
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 ngoNkulunkulu kayihlo ozakusiza, langoSomandla ozakubusisa ngezibusiso zamazulu ezivela phezulu, izibusiso zokujula okulele phansi, izibusiso zamabele lesizalo,
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 izibusiso zikayihlo ziyedlula izibusiso zabokhokho bami, kuze kube sengqongeni zamaqaqa aphakade; zizakuba phezu kwekhanda likaJosefa, laphezu kwenkanda yalowo owehlukaniswe kubafowabo.
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 UBhenjamini uyimpisi edabulayo; ekuseni izakudla ekujimbileyo, lakusihlwa izakwehlukanisa impango.
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 Bonke labo bayizizwe ezilitshumi lambili zakoIsrayeli; futhi lokho yikho uyise akukhuluma kubo ebabusisa; ngulowo lalowo ngesibusiso sakhe wababusisa.
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 Wasebalaya wathi kubo: Sengibuthelwa ebantwini bakithi; lingingcwabe labobaba obhalwini olusensimini kaEfroni umHethi,
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 obhalwini olusensimini yeMakaphela eqondane leMamre, elizweni leKhanani, uAbrahama owaluthenga lensimu kuEfroni umHethi ibe yindawo yethu yokungcwabela.
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 Lapho bangcwaba oAbrahama loSara umkakhe; lapho bangcwaba oIsaka loRebeka umkakhe; lalapho ngangcwaba uLeya,
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 insimu, lobhalu olukiyo, kwathengwa emadodaneni kaHethi.
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 Kwathi uJakobe eseqedile ukulaya amadodana akhe, waqoqela inyawo zakhe embhedeni, waphela, wabuthelwa ebantwini bakibo.
When Jacob finished giving those instructions to his sons, he lay down on his bed again. Then he died [IDM].
