Jakubo unokombolela Ifureimi na Manase
1 Shule kwe tjibaka Josefa kabudziwa kuyi, “Tate babo banogwala.” Ndizo katola bakololo babe babili, Manase na Ifureimi kayenda nabo ku bali. 2 Jakubo kati abudziwa kuyi, “Nkololo wenyu Josefa wazha ku muli,” Iziraela kazwisimisa kamuka kagala pa bulawo. 3 Jakubo kati kuna Josefa, “Ndzimu Masimbawose bakaboneka kundili mu nzi we Luzi mu shango ye Kanana ngono bakandikombolela.” 4 Bakandidwa bakati, “Ndowokuthama ukabe ne mbeleko, unowobe ne bana banjinji. Ndowokuthama itjaba tje bathu, ngono ndowopa ludzi gugo shango iyeyi kube yabo nge kusingapele.”
5 Jakubo kadwilila eti, “Ndizo ngwenu wali bakololo babo babili bakazwaligwa mu Egipiti ndisathu azha ngeno babe bangu, Ifureimi na Manase banowobe bangu koga sa Rubheni na Simiyoni bali bangu. 6 Bamwe bana baungazwala shule kwabo banowobe babo. Banowolongwa mu mazina e bakulu babo kuyendidzana ne thaka yabo. 7 Ndakati ndidwa ku Padani mmeyabo Rahele bakandifila mu shango ye Kanana titji mu zila, thambo futshwanana kudwa mu Efurati. Ndizo ndakababiganya pa hwunde ye Efurati” (kodwiwa Bhetelehema).
8 Kukati Iziraela ebona bakololo ba Josefa, kabhuzwa kati, “Ndiboani ibaba?”
9 Josefa kadabila eti, “Ibaba bakololo bangu bandakapiwa ne Ndzimu muno mu Egipiti.”
Ipapo Jakubo kabe eti, “Ubazhise kundili kuti ndizo ndibakombolele.” 10 Mesho a Iziraela akabe asingatjabonesese ngokwegula, wakabe asingatjabone zubuyanana. Ndizo Josefa kasedzedza bakololo babe kuna tate babe ngono ibo bakabaputa bakabagumbatila. 11 Iziraela kati kuna Josefa, “Ndakabe ndisingakumbule kuti ndingakubona kakale, koga ngwenu Ndzimu wathama kuti ndibone bana babobo.” 12 Ipapo Josefa kabadusa pa makumbo a tate babe ngono kathigama kakotamisa nsholo uwe.
13 Josefa kabhata bana babe nge maboko, Ifureimi nge luboko gugwe gwe luji kunlingisanya nge gwe lumeshwe gwa tate babe, Manase nge lumeshwe kunlingisanya nge luji gwa tate babe ndizo kabasedzedza pa bali. 14 Koga Iziraela katambunudza luboko gugwe gwe luji kagubiga pezhugwi kwe nsholo wa Ifureimi iye wakabe ali ntjetjana, ngono lumeshwe kagubiga pezhugwi kwe nsholo wa Manase eleyanya maboko awe, Manase ndiye wakabe ali mbano. 15 Kakombolela Josefa eti,
“Ndzimu wakabe uhwiligwa ndi botate bangu, Abhurahama na Isaki,
Ndzimu iwo wakabe nlisi wangu mu bupenyu gwangu gose kuswikila ngwenu.
16 Ntumwa we kudzimu iye wakandigwila,
mu mbatsha dzose ngaakombolele balisana ibaba,
mubali zina langu ngalidwilidziwe,
ne zina la botate bangu Abhurahama na Isaki,
ngabawande babe banjinji mu shango.”
17 Josefa kati ebona tate babe bebiga luboko gwe luji pezhugwi kwe nsholo wa Ifureimi kasishathe, ndizo kabhata luboko gwa tate babe kugudusa pa nsholo wa Ifureimi kugubiga pa nsholo wa Manase. 18 Josefa kabe eti kuna tate babe, “Akuzojalo tate, mbano ndiwoyu, bigani luboko gwenyu munli.”
19 Koga tate babe bakalamba bakati, “Ndoziba, mwanangu, na iyebo unowobe itjaba tjikulukulu, kabe nkulu. Ne kwakajalo nnung'una uwe unowobe nkulu kumpinda ne ludzi gugwe gowobe tjaba.”
20 Ndizo Jakubo kabakombolela mu zhuba ilelo eti, “Baiziraela banowokombolela ndimwi beti, ‘Ndzimu ngabakuthame munge Ifureimi na Manase.’ ” Nge zila iyeyo Jakubo katungamidza Ifureimi pana Manase.
21 Ipapo Iziraela kabe eti kuna Josefa, “Imi ndofa zwangu, Ndzimu unowobe namwi ukamubgwiliza ku shango ya botate benyu. 22 Iwe ndokupa gobe limwe landisingape bakulu babo ne banung'una babo, ndokupa ntuthu we Shekemu wandakatola mu Baamori nge thumo nenge dati ne nsebe.”
Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh
1 Some time later Joseph was told that his father was ill. So he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and went to see Jacob. 2 When Jacob was told that his son Joseph had come to see him, he gathered his strength and sat up in bed. 3 Jacob said to Joseph, “Almighty God appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. 4 He said to me, ‘I will give you many children, so that your descendants will become many nations; I will give this land to your descendants as their possession forever.’”
5 Jacob continued, “Joseph, your two sons, who were born to you in Egypt before I came here, belong to me; Ephraim and Manasseh are just as much my sons as Reuben and Simeon. 6 If you have any more sons, they will not be considered mine; the inheritance they get will come through Ephraim and Manasseh. 7 I am doing this because of your mother Rachel. To my great sorrow she died in the land of Canaan, not far from Ephrath, as I was returning from Mesopotamia. I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath.” (Ephrath is now known as Bethlehem.)
8 When Jacob saw Joseph's sons, he asked, “Who are these boys?”
9 Joseph answered, “These are my sons, whom God has given me here in Egypt.”
Jacob said, “Bring them to me so that I may bless them.” 10 Jacob's eyesight was failing because of his age, and he could not see very well. Joseph brought the boys to him, and he hugged them and kissed them. 11 Jacob said to Joseph, “I never expected to see you again, and now God has even let me see your children.” 12 Then Joseph took them from Jacob's lap and bowed down before him with his face to the ground.
13 Joseph put Ephraim at Jacob's left and Manasseh at his right. 14 But Jacob crossed his hands, and put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, even though he was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, who was the older. 15 Then he blessed Joseph:
“May God, whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac served, bless these boys!
May God, who has led me to this very day, bless them!
16 May the angel, who has rescued me from all harm, bless them!
May my name and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac live on through these boys!
May they have many children, many descendants!”
17 Joseph was upset when he saw that his father had put his right hand on Ephraim's head; so he took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to the head of Manasseh. 18 He said to his father, “Not that way, father. This is the older boy; put your right hand on his head.”
19 His father refused, saying, “I know, son, I know. Manasseh's descendants will also become a great people. But his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become great nations.”
20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “The Israelites will use your names when they pronounce blessings. They will say, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’” In this way Jacob put Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 Then Jacob said to Joseph, “As you see, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will take you back to the land of your ancestors. 22 It is to you and not to your brothers that I am giving Shechem, that fertile region which I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”