Jacob Blesses Joseph's Two Sons
1 Joseph was told that his father Jacob had become very sick. So Joseph went to see him and took along his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 When Joseph arrived, someone told Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to see you.” Jacob sat up in bed, but it took almost all his strength.
3 Jacob told Joseph:
God All-Powerful appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, where he gave me his blessing 4 and promised, “I will give you a large family with many descendants that will grow into a nation. And I am giving you this land that will belong to you and your family forever.”
5 Then Jacob went on to say:
Joseph, your two sons Ephraim and Manasseh were born in Egypt, but I accept them as my own, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6 Any children you have later will be considered yours, but their inheritance will come from Ephraim and Manasseh. 7 Unfortunately, your mother Rachel died in Canaan after we had left northern Syria and before we reached Bethlehem. And I had to bury her along the way.
8-10 Jacob was very old and almost blind. He did not recognize the two boys, and so he asked Joseph, “Who are these boys?”
Joseph answered, “They are my sons. God has given them to me here in Egypt.”
“Bring them to me,” Jacob said. “I want to give them my blessing.” Joseph brought the boys to him, and he hugged and kissed them.
11 Jacob turned to Joseph and told him, “For many years I thought you were dead and that I would never see you again. But now God has even let me live to see your children.” 12 Then Joseph made his sons move away from Jacob's knees, and Joseph bowed down in front of him with his face to the ground.
13 After Joseph got up, he brought his two sons over to Jacob again. He led his younger son Ephraim to the left side of Jacob and his older son Manasseh to the right. 14 But before Jacob gave them his blessing, he crossed his arms, putting his right hand on the head of Ephraim and his left hand on the head of Manasseh. 15 Then he gave Joseph his blessing and said:
My grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac worshiped the Lord God. He has been with me all my life, 16 and his angel has kept me safe. Now I pray that he will bless these boys and that my name and the names of Abraham and Isaac will live on because of them. I ask God to give them many children and many descendants as well.
17 Joseph did not like it when he saw his father place his right hand on the head of the younger son. So he tried to move his father's right hand from Ephraim's head and place it on Manasseh. 18 Joseph said, “Father, you have made a mistake. This is the older boy. Put your right hand on him.”
19 But his father said, “Son, I know what I am doing. It's true that Manasseh's family will someday become a great nation. But Ephraim will be even greater than Manasseh, because his descendants will become many great nations.”
20 Jacob told him that in the future the people of Israel would ask God's blessings on one another by saying, “I pray for God to bless you as much as he blessed Ephraim and Manasseh.” Jacob put Ephraim's name first to show that he would be greater than Manasseh. 21 After that, Jacob said, “Joseph, you can see that I won't live much longer. But God will be with you and will lead you back to the land he promised our family long ago. 22 Meanwhile, I'm giving you the hillside I captured from the Amorites.”
Jakob ta nangeke noupuna ovana vaJosef
1 Komesho yoinima ei vo ova shiivifila Josef tava ti: “Tala, xo ota vele.” Opo nee ye okwa kufa ovana vaye vavali ovamati, Manasse naEfraim pamwe naye. 2 Ndele vo ova lombwela Jakob, tava ti: “Tala, omumwoye Josef ote uya kwoove.” Opo nee Jakob okwe liongela eenghono daye ndele ta kala omutumba kombete yaye. 3 Ndele Jakob okwa lombwela Josef ta ti: “Kalunga Omunaenghono adishe okwe liholola kwaame muLus, moshilongo shaKaanan, nokwa nangeka nge noupuna, 4 ndele okwa lombwela nge ta ti: ‘Tala, Ame ohandi ke ku dalifa oludalo ndele handi ku hapupalifa ndele to ningi eemhunga doiwana, noludalo loye ohandi li pe edu eli, li ninge lavo fiyo alushe.’ 5 Ovamwoye vavali, ve ku dalelwa muEgipiti, fimbo inandi uya kwoove kuEgipiti, vo ovange: Efraim naManasse. Vo otava ka kala vange ngaashi Ruben naSimeon. 6 Ovamwoye we va dala va shikula venya, ovoye. Oitukulilwa yaavenya otai lukilwa ovamwaxe. 7 Ndele ame eshi nda dja muPaddan, Rakel okwa fila moshilongo shaKaanan mondjila, eshi pa li ashike okanano kanini okufika kuEfrat.” Oko nde mu paka pomunghulo wondjila yokuya kuEfrat nokutya, Betlehem.
8 Israel eshi a mona ovana ovamati vaJosef okwa tya: “Ovo oolyelye?” 9 Ndele Josef okwa nyamukula xe ndele ta ti: “Ovo ovana vange Kalunga e va pela nge apa.” Ndele Jakob ta ti: “Va eta oku kwaame ndi shiive oku va nangeka noupuna.” 10 Ndelenee omesho aIsrael a li a twika oshiwiwili molwoukulupe, ke wete ko. Ndele Josef eshi e va eta kuye, ye okwe va fipa komilungu nokwe va papatela momaoko. 11 Ndele Israel okwa lombwela Josef: “Ame kanda li nde shi diladila vali okumona oshipala shoye, ndele tala, Kalunga okwa monifa nge oludalo loye yo.” 12 Opo nee Josef okwe va kufa ko komatundji aye, nokwa twa eengolo koshipala shaye nokwe linyongamena poshi. 13 Opo nee Josef okwe va kwata ava aveshe vavali; Efraim okwe mu kwatifa olulyo laye la taalela olumosho laIsrael. Manasse okwe mu kwatifa olumosho laye la taalela olulyo laIsrael, nosho hano ngaha okwe va twala kuye. 14 Ndele Israel okwa twala ko olulyo laye ndele te li tenheke komutwe waEfraim, nande ye okwa li ondenge yamukwao, nolumosho laye kwe li tenheka komutwe waManasse. Hano a shiyakanifa omake aye, osheshi Manasse okwa li omukulunhu kumukwao. 15 Ndele ye okwa nangeka noupuna Josef, ndele ta ti:
“Kalunga, Oove Kalunga ootatekulu Abraham naIsak,
va endaenda koshipala shoye,
Kalunga, ou wa li Omufita wange,
okudja kokudalwa kwange fiyo onena eli,
16 Omweengeli, ou a xupifa nge moudjuu keshe,
oye na nangeke noupuna ovana ava ovamati,
nedina lange nolootatekulu Abraham naIsak
nali kale li na omwenyo muvo,
vo ove na okuhapupala
vahapu vahapu kombada yedu!”
17 Josef eshi a mona xe a tenheka eke laye lokolulyo komutwe waEfraim, kasha li she mu wapalela, onghee okwa kwata eke laxe e li lundulule, li dje ko komutwe waEfraim, ye e li tenhekulule komutwe waManasse. 18 Josef okwa lombwela xe: “Ahowe, tate, osheshi ou oshiveli, olulyo loye li tenheka komutwe waye.” 19 Xe okwa anya ndele ta ti: “Ondi shi shii, mumwange, ondi shi shii! Nomuye otamu di oshiwana, naye yo ota ka ninga munene a fimana. Ndelenee ondenge yaye otai mu dulu, noludalo laye tali ka ninga oiwana.” 20 Ndele ye okwe va nangeka noupuna mefiku tuu olo ndele ta ti: “Ovaisraeli nava tumbule edina loye, ngeenge tava nangeke noupuna ndele tava popi tava ti: ‘Kalunga ne ku fefife Efraim naManasse.’ ” Nosho ngaha a tula Efraim komesho yaManasse. 21 Ndele Israel okwa lombwela Josef ta ti: “Ame ondi li pokufya, ndelenee Kalunga ota kala pamwe nanye, ndele te mu shunifa koshilongo shooxokulu. 22 Ndele ame ohandi ku pe oshikandjo shi dule shovamwaxo, osho nda kwata mOvaamori keenghono deongamukonda nouta.”
