IGenesisi 48

48 ¹Emva kwalokho, uJosefa watshelwa kwathiwa: “Bheka, uyihlo uyagula.” Ngakho wathatha amadodana akhe amabili, uManase no-Efrayimi. ²UJakobe watshelwa kwathiwa: “Bheka, indodana yakho uJosefa ize kuwe.” U-Israyeli waqinisa amandla akhe, wavuka wahlala embhedeni. ³UJakobe wathi kuJosefa: “U-El Shadayi—uBaba wethu uSomandla—wabonakala kimi eLuzi ezweni laseKhanani, wangibusisa. ⁴Wathi kimi: ‘Ngizokwenza uthele izithelo, ngikwandise, ngikwenze ube yisixuku sezizwe; ngizolinika inzalo yakho emva kwakho leli zwe libe yifa laphakade.’ ⁵Manje, amadodana akho amabili azalelwe kuwe eGibhithe ngaphambi kokuba ngize kuwe lapha ngawami. U-Efrayimi noManase bayoba ngabami, njengoRubeni noSimeyoni. ⁶Kodwa abantwana ozobazala emva kwabo ngabakho; bayobizwa ngamagama abafowabo efeni labo. ⁷Mina-ke, lapho ngivela ePhadani, uRasheli wafa eceleni kwami ezweni laseKhanani, endleleni, esekude kancane ne-Efrati; ngamngcwaba khona endleleni eya e-Efrati” (okungukuthi eBhetlehema).

⁸Kwathi lapho u-Israyeli ebona amadodana kaJosefa, wathi: “Ngobani laba?”

⁹UJosefa wathi kuyise: “Yiwo amadodana ami, uBaba wethu anginika wona lapha.” Wathi: “Ake uwalethe kimi, ukuze ngiwabusise.”

¹⁰Amehlo ka-Israyeli ayesefiphele ngenxa yobudala—wayengasaboni kahle. Ngakho uJosefa wawasondeza kuye, wawanga wawagona. ¹¹U-Israyeli wathi kuJosefa: “Bengingacabangi ukuthi ngiyobubona ubuso bakho—kodwa manje uBaba wethu ungivumele ngabona ngisho nenzalo yakho.” ¹²UJosefa wase ewathatha phakathi kwamadolo kayise, wakhothama ubuso bakhe baze bathinta phansi. ^a a v12 Ukubeka abantwana phakathi kwamadolo kwakuyisenzo sasendulo sokutholwa ngokusemthethweni. ¹³UJosefa wawathatha womabili—u-Efrayimi ngesandla sakhe sokunene, ngasesokhohlo sika-Israyeli, uManase ngesandla sakhe sokhohlo, ngasesokunene sika-Israyeli—wawasondeza kuye. ¹⁴U-Israyeli welula isandla sakhe sokunene wasibeka ekhanda lika-Efrayimi—omncane—wabe esebeka isandla sakhe sokhohlo ekhanda likaManase, ephambanisa izandla zakhe—ngokuba uManase wayelizibulo. ¹⁵Wase embusisa uJosefa, wathi: “Baba wethu, obaba bami u-Abrahama no-Isaka abahamba phambi kwakho— Baba wethu obe ngumalusi wami impilo yami yonke kuze kube namuhla, ^b b v15 UJakobe ubiza uBaba wethu ngokuthi ungumalusi wakhe—okungokokuqala emibhalweni lapho uBaba wethu enikwa lesi sihloko. Indikimba yoMalusi ifinyelela phambili eHubweni 23, kuMalusi ka-Israyeli ku-Isaya nakuHezekeli, bese ithola ukugcwala kwayo kuJesu, ozibiza ngokuthi unguMalusi oMuhle. ¹⁶iNgelosi engihlengile kukho konke okubi—busisa abafana. Igama lami malihlale kubo, kanye namagama obaba bami u-Abrahama no-Isaka; futhi mabakhule babe yisixuku esikhulu phakathi komhlaba.” ^c c v16 INgelosi ehlenga uJakobe inguBaba wethu ngokwakhe—lowo obonakele, wabambana naye, futhi wahamba naye impilo yakhe yonke.

¹⁷UJosefa wabona isandla sokunene sikayise sisekhanda lika-Efrayimi; lokho kwamcasula, ngakho wabamba isandla sikayise ukuze asisuse ekhanda lika-Efrayimi asibeke ekhanda likaManase. ¹⁸UJosefa wathi kuyise: “Cha, baba, ngokuba yilona izibulo—beka isandla sakho sokunene ekhanda lakhe.”

¹⁹Kodwa uyise wenqaba wathi: “Ngiyazi, ndodana yami, ngiyazi. Naye uyoba yisizwe, naye uyoba mkhulu. Kodwa umfowabo omncane uyoba mkhulu kunaye, nenzalo yakhe iyoba yizizwe eziningi.” ²⁰Ngalolo suku wawabusisa, wathi: “U-Israyeli uyobusisa ngawe, athi: ‘UBaba wethu makakwenze ube njenga-Efrayimi nanjengoManase.’” Wase ebeka u-Efrayimi phambi kukaManase. ²¹U-Israyeli wathi kuJosefa: “Bheka, sekuseduze ukuba ngife, kodwa uBaba wethu uyoba nawe, akubuyisele ezweni laboyihlo. ²²Futhi kuwe, kunabafowenu, ngikunikile iqele elilodwa lentaba engalithatha esandleni sama-Amori ngenkemba yami nangomnsalo wami.” ^d d v22 Leli “qele lentaba” cishe libhekisela endaweni yaseShekemu, eyayizoba yindawo eyinhloko yezizwe zaka-Efrayimi nezikaManase.