1 Mose 48
1 Yei akyiri no, wɔka kyerɛɛ Yosef sɛ, “Wʼagya yare.” Enti, Yosef faa ne mmammarima baanu, Efraim ne Manase kaa ne ho kɔsraa no.
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 Ɛberɛ a wɔbɔɔ Yakob amaneɛ sɛ, “Wo ba Yosef aba wo nkyɛn rebɛsra wo” no, Yakob miaa nʼani sɔre tenaa ne mpa so maa no akwaaba.
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 Ɛnna Yakob ka kyerɛɛ Yosef sɛ, “Otumfoɔ Onyankopɔn yii ne ho adi kyerɛɛ me wɔ Lus a ɛwɔ Kanaan asase so. Ɛhɔ na ɔhyiraa me,
He said to Joseph, “When I was at Luz in Canaan, God Almighty appeared to me. He blessed me
4 ka kyerɛɛ me sɛ, ‘Mɛma woawo, ama wʼase afɛe. Mɛma wʼasefoɔ ayɛ ɔman kɛseɛ. Mede saa asase yi bɛma wʼasefoɔ sɛ wɔn agyapadeɛ afebɔɔ.’
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 “Ɛno enti, mede wo mma baanu a wɔwoo wɔn maa wo ansa na mereba wo nkyɛn wɔ Misraim asase so ha no bɛka me mma no ho. Efraim ne Manase bɛka me mma ho, sɛdeɛ Ruben ne Simeon yɛ me mma no.
“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 Mma foforɔ biara a wobɛwo wɔn wɔ Efraim ne Manase akyiri no na wɔbɛyɛ wo dea. Wɔde wɔn bɛka wɔn nuanom no ho wɔ asase a wɔde bɛma wɔn sɛ wɔn agyapadeɛ no so.
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 Ɛberɛ a mefiri Paddan-Aram reba no, ababaawa Rahel wuu wɔ ɛkwan mu, ma ɛyɛɛ me ya. Na aka akwansini kakra na yɛaduru Efrat. Ɛno enti, mesiee no wɔ Eufrate, a wɔfrɛ no Betlehem no kwankyɛn baabi.”
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 Ɛberɛ a Israel hunuu Yosef mmammarima no, ɔbisaa sɛ, “Na yeinom yɛ ɛhefoɔ?”
When Jacob saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are these boys?”
9 Yosef buaa nʼagya sɛ, “Wɔyɛ mmammarima a Onyankopɔn de wɔn adom me wɔ ha.” Na Israel kaa sɛ, “Fa wɔn bra mʼanim ha na menhyira wɔn.”
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 Saa ɛberɛ no, ɛsiane onyini enti, na Israel ani so ayɛ wisiwisi a, ɔnhunu adeɛ papa. Ne saa enti, Yosef de ne mma no kɔɔ ne nkyɛn pɛɛ, ma ɔyɛɛ wɔn atuu, fefee wɔn ano.
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 Israel ka kyerɛɛ Yosef sɛ, “Manna mannwene sɛ mɛhunu wʼanim bio da, nanso hwɛ deɛ Onyame ayɛ. Wama me ho kwan ama mahunu wo mma nso.”
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 Yosef pagyaa wɔn firii Israel kotodwe anim, ɛnna ɔno ara nso buu nkotodwe de nʼanim butuu fam.
Joseph took the boys from alongside Jacob’s knees. Then he bowed down with his face to the ground.
13 Ɔpagyaa ne mu no, ɔde ne nsa nifa sɔɔ Efraim mu, de no gyinaa Yakob benkum so, ɛnna ɔde ne nsa benkum sɔɔ Manase mu, de no gyinaa Yakob nifa so bɛn no pɛɛ.
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 Israel tenee ne nsa nifa de too Efraim a ɔyɛ akumaa no apampam, ɛnna ɔde ne nsa benkum no too Manase nso apampam. Ɛwom sɛ na Manase yɛ abakan deɛ, nanso ɔde ne nsa benkum na ɛtoo nʼapampam.
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 Ɔhyiraa Yosef sɛ, “Onyankopɔn a mʼagyanom Abraham ne Isak nantee nʼanim, ne me Onyankopɔn a ɔhwɛɛ me sɛ odwanhwɛfoɔ de bɛsi ɛnnɛ no,
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 ɔsoro ɔbɔfoɔ a ɔgyee me firii ɔhaw nyinaa mu no, ɔnhyira saa mmarimaa yi. Wɔmfa me din ne mʼagyanom, Abraham ne Isak edin ntoto wɔn, na wɔn ase mfɛe wɔ asase so.”
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 Ɛberɛ a Yosef hunuu sɛ nʼagya de ne nsa nifa ato Efraim apampam no, anyɛ no dɛ. Enti, ɔyii nʼagya nsa nifa no firii Efraim apampam, kɔtoo Manase apampam.
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 Yosef ka kyerɛɛ nʼagya sɛ, “Dabi, mʼagya, yei ne mʼabakan, enti fa wo nsa nifa to nʼapampam.”
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 Nanso, nʼagya ampene so kaa sɛ, “Me ba, menim saa. Ɔno nso bɛyɛ ɔman, na wayɛ kɛse. Nanso, ne nua kumaa no bɛyɛ kɛse asene no, na nʼasefoɔ bɛyɛ amanaman bebree.”
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 Enti ɛda no, Yakob hyiraa mmarimaa no sɛ, “Israelfoɔ nyinaa nam mo din so bɛhyirahyira wɔn ho wɔn ho. Wɔbɛka sɛ, ‘Onyankopɔn bɛhyirahyira mo, ama moakɔ so frɔmfrɔm te sɛ Efraim ne Manase.’” Saa ɛkwan yi so na Yakob fa maa Efraim bɛdii Manase anim.
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 Na Israel ka kyerɛɛ Yosef sɛ, “Merebɛwu, nanso Onyankopɔn bɛhwɛ mo so, na wasane de mo akɔ Kanaan, mo agyanom asase so bio.
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 Wo a seesei woabɛyɛ wo nuanom nyinaa so panin no, mede asase a menam me sekan ne mʼagyan so gye firii Amorifoɔ nkyɛn no rema wo.”
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.”
