Senesi 48
1 Pea hili ʻae ngaahi meʻa ni, naʻe fakahā ʻe he tokotaha kia Siosefa ʻo pehē, “Vakai, ʻoku mahaki hoʻo tamai:” pea naʻa ne ʻave mo ia ʻa hono ongo foha, ko Manase, mo ʻIfalemi.
Some time later, someone told Joseph, “[Hey, ] your father is ill.” When Joseph heard that, he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to see his father.
2 Pea naʻe tala kia Sēkope, ʻo pehē, “Vakai, ʻoku haʻu ho foha ko Siosefa kiate koe: pea naʻe fakamālohi ʻe ʻIsileli ia, pea ne nofo hake ʻi he mohenga.”
When someone told Jacob, “Look, your son Joseph has come to see you!” Jacob sat up on the bed, even though it was difficult for him to do that.
3 Pea pehē ʻe Sēkope kia Siosefa, “Naʻe hā mai ʻae ʻOtua māfimafi kiate au ʻi Lusa ʻi he fonua ko Kēnani, ʻo ne tāpuaki au;
He said to Joseph, “When I was at Luz in Canaan, God Almighty appeared to me. He blessed me
4 ʻo ne pehē mai kiate au, ‘Vakai, te u ngaohi koe ke ke monūʻia, mo ke tupu ʻo tokolahi, pea te u fakatupu ʻiate koe ʻae ngaahi kakai lahi; pea te u foaki ʻae fonua ni ki ho hako ki mui ʻiate koe, ko e nofoʻanga maʻu ʻo taʻengata.’”
and said to me, ‘I am going to enable you to become the father of many children. You will have many descendants, and they will become [the ancestors of] many people-groups. And I will give this land to your descendants to possess forever.’
5 “Pea ko eni, ko ho ongo foha ko ʻIfalemi, mo Manase, naʻe fānau kiate koe ʻi he fonua ko ʻIsipite, ʻi he teʻeki ai te u haʻu ki ʻIsipite, ʻoku ʻoʻoku ʻakinaua; ʻo hangē ko Lupeni mo Simione, ʻe ʻoʻoku ʻakinaua.
“And now I will consider that your two sons, who were born to you here in Egypt before I came here, will (belong to me/be as though they are my sons). Ephraim and Manasseh will be [as though they were] my sons, and they will inherit my possessions, just like my sons Reuben and Simeon [and the others] will.
6 Pea ko hoʻo fānau te ke fakatupu kimui ʻiate kinaua, ʻe ʻoʻou ia, pea ʻe ui ʻakinautolu ʻi he hingoa ʻo honau kāinga ʻi honau tofiʻa.
If you later become the father of any more children, they will not be considered to be my children, but as my grandchildren, and [in Canaan] they will receive as part of what they inherit some of the same land that is in the territory that their brothers [Ephraim and Manasseh] will inherit.
7 Pea ko au, ʻi heʻeku haʻu mei Petana, naʻe pekia ʻa Lesieli ʻo ofi kiate au ʻi he hala, ka naʻe toetoe siʻi pe, pea mau hoko ki ʻEfelata pea naʻaku tanu ia ʻi he hala ki ʻEfelata ʻaia ko Petelihema.”
Many years ago, as I was returning from Paddan-Aram/Mesopotamia, your mother Rachel died in the Canaan region, while we were still traveling, not far from Ephrath [town]. So I buried her body there alongside the road to Ephrath [which is now called Bethlehem].”
8 Pea naʻe sio ʻa ʻIsileli ki he ongo foha ʻo Siosefa, ʻo ne pehē, “Ko hai ʻakinaua?”
When Jacob saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are these boys?”
9 Pea pehēange ʻe Siosefa ki heʻene tamai, “Ko hoku ongo foha ʻakinaua, kuo foaki ʻe he ʻOtua kiate au, ʻi he fonua ni.” Pea pehē ʻe ia, “ʻOku ou kole kiate koe, ʻomi ʻakinaua kiate au, pea te u tāpuaki ʻakinaua.”
Joseph replied, “They are the sons that God has given to me here in Egypt.” Jacob said, “Bring them close to me so that I can bless them.”
10 Pea naʻe kui ʻae mata ʻo ʻIsileli ko e meʻa ʻi heʻene motuʻa, ko ia naʻe ʻikai ai te ne faʻa sio. Pea ne ʻomi ʻakinaua ʻo ofi kiate ia; pea naʻa ne ʻuma kiate kinaua ʻo ne fāʻufua ʻakinaua.
Jacob was almost blind because he was very old. He could not recognize the boys. So Joseph brought his sons close to his father, and Jacob kissed them and hugged them.
11 Pea naʻe pehē ʻe ʻIsileli kia Siosefa, “Naʻe ʻikai te u ʻamanaki ke u mamata ki ho mata; pea vakai, kuo fakahā ʻe he ʻOtua kiate au ho hako foki.”
Jacob said to Joseph, “I did not expect to see you again, but look at this! God has allowed me to see not only you, but he has allowed me to see your children, too!”
12 Pea naʻe ʻomi ʻakinaua ʻe Siosefa mei hono tui, pea ne tulolo ia mo hono mata ki he kelekele.
Joseph took the boys from alongside Jacob’s knees. Then he bowed down with his face to the ground.
13 Pea ʻave ʻakinaua ʻe Siosefa, ko ʻIfalemi ʻi hono nima toʻomataʻu ʻo hanga atu ki he nima toʻohema ʻo ʻIsileli, mo Manase ʻi hono toʻohema ʻo hanga atu ki he nima toʻomataʻu ʻo ʻIsileli, pea ne ʻomi ʻakinaua ke ofi kiate ia.
Then Joseph took both of the boys, putting Ephraim on his right side toward Jacob’s left hand, and putting Manasseh on his left side toward Jacob’s right hand, and brought them close to Jacob.
14 Pea naʻe mafao atu ʻe ʻIsileli hono nima toʻomataʻu ʻo hilifaki ia ki he ʻulu ʻo ʻIfalemi, ʻaia ko e kimui, mo hono nima toʻohema ki he ʻulu ʻo Manase, ʻo ʻai fakapotopoto pe hono nima; he ko Manase, ko e ʻuluaki ia.
But Jacob [did not do what Joseph wanted him to do. Instead], he reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, even though he was the younger son. He crossed his arms and put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the older son.
15 Pea naʻa ne tāpuaki ʻa Siosefa ʻo ne pehē, “Ko e ʻOtua, ʻaia naʻe ʻalu ʻi he ʻao ʻo ʻeku tamai ko ʻEpalahame, mo ʻAisake, ko e ʻOtua naʻa ne fafanga au ʻi heʻeku moʻui kotoa pē ʻo aʻu ki he ʻaho ni,
Then he (blessed/asked God to bless) Joseph and his sons, saying, “My grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac conducted their lives as God desired, and to this very day God has led me and taken care of me as a shepherd leads and cares for his sheep [MET].
16 Ko e ʻāngelo ʻaia naʻa ne huhuʻi au mei he kovi kotoa pē, tāpuakiʻi ʻae ongo tama; pea ke ui hoku hingoa kiate kinaua, mo e hingoa ʻo ʻeku tamai ko ʻEpalahame, mo ʻAisake; pea tuku ke na tupu ko e kakai tokolahi ʻi māmani.”
The angel whom he sent has kept me from being harmed in any way. I pray that God will bless these boys. I pray that people will never forget about me and about Abraham and Isaac because of what God does for these boys. I pray that they will have many descendants who will live all over the earth.”
17 Pea kuo mamata ʻa Siosefa kuo ʻai ʻe heʻene tamai hono nima toʻomataʻu ki he ʻulu ʻo ʻIfalemi, naʻa ne mamahi ai; pea ne hiki ʻae nima ʻo ʻene tamai ke ʻave ia mei he ʻulu ʻo ʻIfalemi ki he ʻulu ʻo Manase.
When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head and not on Manasseh’s head, he was distressed/displeased. So he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.
18 Pea pehē ʻe Siosefa ki heʻene tamai, “Ko ʻeku tamai ke ʻoua naʻa pehē, he ko e ʻuluaki eni: ʻai ho nima toʻomataʻu ki hono ʻulu.”
Joseph said to him, “My father, that is not right! The one on whom you put your left hand is my older son. Put your right hand on his head.”
19 Pea naʻe taʻofi ia ʻe heʻene tamai, ʻo ne pehē, “ʻOku ou ʻilo, ko hoku foha, ʻoku ou ʻilo ia: ʻe hoko ia foki ko e kakai tokolahi, pea ʻe lahi ia foki; ka ko e moʻoni ʻe lahi hono tehina ʻiate ia, pea ʻe hoko hono hako ko e ngaahi puleʻanga lahi.”
But his father refused, saying, “I know that, my son, I know what I am doing. Manasseh’s descendants will also become a people-group, and they will become important. But his younger brother’s descendants will become greater than his will. His descendants will become several nations.”
20 Pea naʻa ne tāpuaki ʻakinaua ʻi he ʻaho ko ia, ʻo pehē, “ʻE fai tāpuaki ʻe ʻIsileli ʻiate koe, ʻo pehē, ‘Ke ngaohi koe ʻe he ʻOtua ke tatau mo ʻIfalemi mo Manase:’ pea naʻa ne tuku ʻa ʻIfalemi ki muʻa ʻia Manase.
So he blessed them both on that day, saying, “The people in Israel will use your names when they bless people. They will say, ‘We pray that God will help you as he helped Ephraim and Manasseh.’” In that way, Jacob said that Ephraim would become more important than Manasseh.
21 Pea pehē ʻe ʻIsileli kia Siosefa, “Vakai teu mate au; ka ʻe ʻiate kimoutolu ʻae ʻOtua, pea te ne toe ʻave ʻakinautolu ki he fonua ʻo hoʻomou ngaahi tamai.
Then Jacob said to Joseph, “I am about to die. But I know that God will help/protect you. And some day he will take your descendants back to the land of their ancestors.
22 Pea ko eni foki, kuo u foaki kiate koe ʻae potu lahi hake ʻe taha ʻi ho ngaahi tokoua, ʻaia naʻaku maʻu mei he nima ʻoe kakai ʻAmoli, ʻaki ʻa ʻeku heletā, mo ʻeku kaufana.”
And it is to you, not to your brothers, that I will give the fertile hill in the Shechem area. I captured that land from the Amor people-group, fighting them with my sword and my bow and arrows.”
