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.”
Yakoba Äṛu Eperaima ndi Manase be te
1 Tu kwoi vosi oko, apetate Yosepa ri ekye täpi ndaro te adravo ro. Ta'dota nda ru ŋgwàagoro ritu ndaro, Manase ndi Eperaima be te, ago oyite Yakoba ondrene. 2 Ondro apetate Yakoba ri ekye, ŋgwa ndaro Yosepa ikyite nda ondrene oko, nda si si te anda ndi ŋga rite kurusi kitapara dri. 3 Yakoba atate Yosepa ri ekye: “Lu Mbarapara loforute märi Luza ya 'bädri Kanana roya ago äṛu ma te. 4 Nda atate märi ekye: ‘Ma'bana mi 'da litine nyalakpa, tana zelevoi miro a'dona 'da tu'dei ro amba, ago mozona 'bädri ono 'da zelevoi miro ri mi vosi, a'done ŋga ànyaro äduako.’ 5 Yauono ŋgwàagoro se miro ritu se ätibe miri 'bädri Ezipeto roya ṛo teinye märi ikyi ako mire Ezipeto ya 'do, a'dona te ŋgwàagoro maro, Eperaima ndi Manase be. Ànya a'donayi te oso Rubena ndi Simeona be ka'dobe ŋgwàagoro maro 'do ronye. 6 Ago ŋgwai se nya oyebe ogone utine ànya vosi 'do a'dona te miro, drimbi se ànya ka oyebe usune ikyina ni Eperaima ndi Manase be resi. 7 Ma oyena nonye ta Raele endre miro rota. Tuse mabe eziikyi ni Mesopotamia yasi Raele drate liti ya 'bädri Kanana roya, se ozo tusu amba te märi, 'dooko vo drigba lozo ro osaza Eferata ya; ago mase anya te liti Eferata roya.” (Eferata anjioko ni Beteleme.)
8 Ondro Yakoba kondre ŋgwàagoro Yosepa rote oko, nda ejitate ekye: “Ŋgàga kwoi a'diyi owo ya?” 9 Yosepa zatadrite ekye: “Kwoi ni ŋgwàagoro maro, se Lu kozobe märi Ezipeto ya noŋwa ono owo.” Yakoba ekye: “Nyezi ànya mare, tana mäṛu ànya robe.” 10 Mi Yakoba rote fuyufuyuro ni ode ri, ta'dota nda ni kote vo ondrene kadoro. Yosepa ezi ŋgwàagoro ndaro te ti Yakoba re; ago nda omvo ànya te ago njunju ànya te. 11 Yakoba atate Yosepa ri ekye: “Sedri ma te cu tausu ako mi ondrene; caoko mindre, Lu 'ba ma kpate ŋgàga miro ondrene.” 12 'Dooko Yosepa ru ànya teni miṛi ndaro drisi, ndi nda edi andivo ndaro te militi si gyini dri.
13 Ago Yosepa ru ànya te riti, 'ba Eperaima te gaṛi Yakoba ro yasi, ago 'ba Manase te drigwo yasi. 14 Oko Yakoba gbalaka drí ndaro te gbalaka, 'ba drigwo ndaro te Eperaima dri se ni ŋgwa kovoleŋwa yi, ago 'ba drigaṛi ndaro te Manase dri se ni ŋgwa kayoŋwa yi. 15 'Dooko nda äṛu Yosepa te ekye:
“Lu se zutui maro Abarayama ndi Yisika be kinduruyi be rigye ono käṛu ŋgàga kwoi!
Lu se kelepe mabe tu cini ori maro roya, le tu ono si ono, käṛu ànya!
16 Malaika se kopa mabe ni ŋgakozi cini risi ono, käṛu ànya!
Ŋgàgaŋwa kwoi si ävuru maro ago ävuru zutui maro Abarayama ndi Yisika be ro kuje ko!
Ànya kilitiyi lowa ro 'bädri ya, ago ka'doyi zelevoi be amba!”
17 Ondro Yosepa kondrete täpi ndaro 'ba drigwo ndaro te Eperaima dri ayani oko, tana 'ba nda kote a'done yai'dwesi; nda eŋga drí täpi ndaro rote ni Eperaima drisi logone Manase dri. 18 Nda atate täpi ndaro ri ekye: “Ko inye täpi maro, tana ono ni ŋgwa kayo yi, mi'ba drigwo miro nda dri ayani.” 19 Oko täpi ndaro gazo, ago atate ekye: “Mänite ŋgwa maro, mänite, zelevoi Manase ro a'donayi kpa 'desiro, caoko ädrupi täduŋwa ndaro a'dona ni 'desipara ndra nda drisi, ago zelevoi ndaro a'dona 'da tu'de 'desi ro.”
20 'Dooko nda äṛu ànya te tu ana si ago atate ekye: “Yisaraele'bai uzinayi ävuru amiro 'da ondro ànya kayite ta äṛu ro oyena owo. Ànya atanayi 'da ekye: ‘Lu ko'ba mi oso Eperaima ronye ago oso Manase ronye;’ ” Yakoba 'ba Eperaima te mile Manase roya liti 'do yasi.
21 'Dooko Yakoba atate Yosepa ri ekye: “Oso mindrebe 'do ronye, ma oyete odrane, oko Lu a'dona ndi tro ami yibe ago logona ami kpa to'dina 'bädri zutui amiro roya. 22 Yauono mozo Sekeme miri ko ädrupii miro ri, anjioko wari se gyini na kadoro se märube ni Amora'bai rigyesi bando ndi kusu maro be si ana.”