Senesi 49

1 Pea naʻe fekau ʻe Sēkope ki hono ngaahi foha, ʻo pehē, “Mou fakataha mai, koeʻuhi ke u fakahā kiate kimoutolu ʻaia ʻe hoko kiate kimoutolu ʻi he ngaahi ʻaho ʻamui.

Jacob summoned all his sons, and said to them,

2 “ʻAe ngaahi foha ʻo Sēkope, mou fakakātoa ʻakinautolu ʻo fanongo: pea fakafanongo kia ʻIsileli ko hoʻomou tamai.

“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 “Ko Lupeni, ko hoku ʻuluaki koe, ko hoku mālohi, mo e kamataʻanga ʻo hoku mālohi, ko e lelei mo e ngalingali ʻeiki, mo e fungani ʻoe mālohi.

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 ‌ʻOku ke ngaueue koe ʻo hangē ko e vai, pea ʻe ʻikai te ke hoko ʻo lelei; koeʻuhi naʻa ke ʻalu ki he mohenga ʻo hoʻo tamai; pea naʻa ke fakaʻuliʻi ia: naʻa ke ʻalu ki hoku tokotoʻanga.

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 “Ko Simione mo Livai ko e ongo tokoua; ʻoku ʻi heʻena fakakaukau ʻae ngaahi meʻa tautea fakamamahi.

Simeon and Levi, you have both acted like criminals. You use your swords to act violently.

6 Ko hoku laumālie, ʻoua naʻa ke fie kau ki heʻena fakalilolilo; ko hoku ongoongolelei, ʻoua naʻa ke kau mo hona fakataha, he naʻa na tāmateʻi ʻae tangata ʻi heʻena ʻita, pea ʻi hona loto lahi, naʻa na holoki hifo ʻae ʻā maka.

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 Malaʻia ki heʻena ʻita, he naʻe kakaha ia: mo ʻena lili he naʻe taʻeʻofa ia: te u tufa ʻakinaua ʻi Sēkope, mo veteki ʻakinaua ʻi ʻIsileli.

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 “Ko koe Siuta, ʻe fakamālō ki ai ʻa ho ngaahi tokoua; ʻe ʻi he kia ʻo ho ngaahi fili ʻa ho nima; ʻe punou kiate koe ʻae ngaahi fānau ʻa hoʻo tamai.

Judah, your [older and younger] brothers will praise you. They will bow down before you, because you will thoroughly defeat [MTY] your enemies.

9 Ko e ʻuhiki laione ʻa Siuta: ko hoku foha kuo ke ʻalu hake mei he tamatea: naʻa ne tulolo, ʻo tokoto ʻo hangē ko e laione, pea hangē ko e laione motuʻa; pea ko hai te ne ueʻi hake ia?

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 E ʻikai mole ʻae tokotoko ʻoe pule ia Siuta, pe ha taha ke foaki ʻae fono mei hono vaʻe, kaeʻoua ke hāʻele mai ʻa Sailo; pea ʻe ʻiate ia ʻae tānaki fakataha ʻoe kakai.

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 Te ne noʻotaki ʻene ʻuhiki ki he vaine, mo ʻene ʻuhiki ʻasi ki he vaine mātuʻaki lelei; te ne fō hono ngaahi kofu ʻi he uaine, mo hono ngaahi kofu ʻi he toto ʻoe kālepi.

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 E kulokula hono mata ʻi he uaine, pea ʻe hinehina hono nifo ʻi he huʻahuhu.

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 “E nofo ʻa Sepuloni ʻi he taulanga ki tahi; pea ko e taulanga ia ki he ngaahi vaka: pea ʻe aʻu atu ʻa hono ngataʻanga ki Saitoni.

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 “Ko e ʻasi mālohi ʻa ʻIsaka, ʻoku tokoto ia ʻi he tauloto ʻoe kavenga ʻe ua.

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 Pea ʻe pehē ʻe ia ʻoku lelei ʻae fiemālie, pea ʻoku mata lelei ʻae fonua; pea ʻe fakapunou hifo hono uma ke haʻamo, pea ʻe hoko ia ko e tamaioʻeiki ki he tukuhau.

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 “E fakamaau hono kakai ʻe Tani, ʻo hangē ko e tokotaha ʻae faʻahinga ʻo ʻIsileli.

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 Ko e ngata fekai ʻa Tani ʻi he veʻehala, ko e ngata ia ʻi he hala, ʻoku ne uʻu ʻae mui vaʻe ʻoe hoosi, ko ia ʻe hinga ki mui ai ʻae tangata heka hoosi.

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 “Kuo u tatali ki hoʻo fakamoʻui ʻe Sihova.

Then Jacob prayed, “Yahweh, I am waiting for you to rescue me [from my enemies].”

19 “Ko Kata, ʻe lavaʻi ia ʻe ha kongakau, ka te ne toki ikuna ʻamui.

[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 “E tupu ia ʻAseli ʻae mā lelei, pea ʻe tupu ʻiate ia ʻae ngaahi meʻakai fakaʻeiʻeiki.

Asher, your descendants will eat good-tasting food; they will produce food that is delicious enough for kings to eat.

21 “Ko e hainiti ʻa Nafitali kuo vete ange: ʻoku ne lea ʻaki ʻae ngaahi lea lelei.

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 “Ko e vaʻa fua lahi ʻa Siosefa, ʻio, ko e vaʻa fua ia ʻoku ofi ki he vai; ʻoku kaka hake hono ngaahi vaʻa ʻi he funga ʻā.

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 Kuo fakamamahi lahi ia ʻe he kau tangata fana, ʻo nau fanaʻi ia, mo fehiʻa kiate ia:

Their enemies will attack them fiercely, and shoot at them with bows and arrows and pursue them.

24 Ka naʻe tuʻumaʻu ʻene kaufana ʻi he mālohi, pea naʻe fakamālohi ʻae kupuʻi nima ʻo hono nima, ʻe he nima ʻoe Māfimafi ʻo Sēkope. ʻOku mei ai ʻae Tauhi, ko e Maka ʻo ʻIsileli:

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 ‌ʻIo, mei he ʻOtua ʻo hoʻo tamai, ʻaia te ne tokoniʻi koe; pea ʻi he Māfimafi, ʻaia te ne tāpuaki koe ʻaki ʻae ngaahi tāpuaki ʻoe langi mei ʻolunga, mo e ngaahi tāpuaki ʻoe loloto ʻoku ʻi lalo, mo e tāpuaki ʻoe ngaahi huhu, pea mo e manāva:

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 Ko e ngaahi tāpuaki ʻa hoʻo tamai kuo māhilihili ia ki ʻolunga ʻi he ngaahi tāpuaki ʻa hoʻo ngaahi kui, ʻo aʻu ki he mātuʻaki ngataʻanga mamaʻo ʻoe ngaahi moʻunga taʻengata; te nau ʻi he ʻulu ʻo Siosefa, pea ki he tumuʻaki ʻoe ʻulu ʻo ia naʻe vaheʻi mei hono ngaahi tokoua.

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 “E ʻuakai ʻa Penisimani ʻo hangē ko e ulofi: te ne kai ʻi he pongipongi ʻaia kuo ne maʻu, pea te ne tufa ʻi he pō ʻae koloa kuo vete.”

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 Ko e ngaahi faʻahinga ʻe hongofulu ma ua eni ʻo ʻIsileli; pea ko eni ia naʻe lea ʻaki ʻe heʻenau tamai kiate kinautolu, ʻo ne tāpuaki ʻaki ʻakinautolu; naʻa ne tāpuaki ʻakinautolu taki taha, ʻo fakatatau ki hono tāpuaki ʻoʻona.

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 Pea fonosia ia kiate kinautolu, ʻo ne pehē: “E tānaki au ki hoku kakai ka mou tanu au mo ʻeku ngaahi tamai ʻi he ʻana ʻoku ʻi he ngoue ʻa ʻEfilone ʻoe faʻahinga ʻo Heti.

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 ‌ʻI he ʻana ʻoku ʻi he ngoue ʻi Makipila, ʻaia ʻoku hanga atu ki Mamili, ʻi he fonua ko Kēnani, ʻaia naʻe fakatau ʻe ʻEpalahame, mo e ngoue ʻa ʻEfilone ʻoe kau Heti, ko e potu maʻana ko e tanuʻanga.

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 Naʻa nau tanu ʻi ai ʻa ʻEpalahame mo hono uaifi ko Sela; pea naʻa nau tanu ʻi ai ʻa ʻAisake mo hono uaifi ko Lepeka pea naʻaku tanu ʻi ai ʻa Lia.

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 Naʻe fakatau ʻae ngoue mo e ʻana ʻoku ʻi ai, mei he fānau ʻa Heti.”

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 Pea kuo fakaʻosi ʻe Sēkope ʻene fekau ki hono ngaahi foha, pea naʻa ne hamusi hake hono vaʻe ʻi he mohenga, pea tukuange ʻe ia hono laumālie, pea naʻe tānaki ia ki hono kakai.

When Jacob finished giving those instructions to his sons, he lay down on his bed again. Then he died [IDM].