UJakobe ubusisa uJosefa namadodana akhe
1Kwathi emva kwalezo zinto kwathiwa kuJosefa: “Bheka, uyihlo uyagula.” Wayesethatha amadodana akhe omabili, oManase no-Efrayimi. 2Kwase kushiwo kuJakobe ukuthi: “Bheka, indodana yakho uJosefa iyeza kuwe.” Wayeseziqinisa u-Israyeli, wahlala embhedeni.
3UJakobe wathi kuJosefa: “UNkulunkulu uSomandla wabonakala kimi eLuze ezweni laseKhanani, wangibusisa, 4wathi kimi: ‘Bheka, ngizakukuchumisa, ngikwandise, ngikwenze izizwe eziningi, ngiyiphe inzalo yakho leli zwe emva kwakho libe yifa elingunaphakade.’
5“Manje amadodana akho amabili owazalelwa wona ezweni laseGibithe, ngingakafiki kuwe eGibithe, angawami; o-Efrayimi noManase njengoRubeni noSimeyoni bazakuba ngabami. 6Kepha inzalo yakho oyizala emva kwabo izakuba ngeyakho; iyakubizwa ngegama labafowabo efeni lalabo. 7Kepha mina ekusukeni kwami ePhadani Aramu ngafelwa nguRaheli endleleni ezweni laseKhanani, kuse yibangana ukuya e-Efrati; ngammbela khona endleleni eya e-Efrati” (eliyiBetlehema).
8U-Israyeli wabona amadodana kaJosefa, wathi: “Ngobani laba na?”
9UJosefa wathi kuye: “Ngamadodana ami angiphe wona lapha uNkulunkulu.”
Wayesethi: “Ake uwalethe kimi, ngiwabusise.”
10Kepha amehlo ka-Israyeli ayefiphele ngobudala, engasenakubona; wawasondeza kuye; wawanga, wawagona.
11Wayesethi u-Israyeli kuJosefa: “Ngangingacabanganga ukuthi ngizakubona ubuso bakho; bheka, uNkulunkulu ungibonise nenzalo yakho.”
12UJosefa wawakhipha emathangeni akhe; wakhothama, ubuso bakhe bubheke phansi. 13UJosefa wayesebathatha bobabili, u-Efrayimi ngesokunene, engakwesokhohlo sika-Israyeli, noManase ngesokhohlo, engakwesokunene sika-Israyeli, wabasondeza kuye. 14U-Israyeli wayeselula isandla sakhe sokunene, wasibeka ekhanda lika-Efrayimi, kanti ungomncane, nesokhohlo ekhanda likaManase, ephambanisa izandla zakhe, ngokuba uManase wayeyizibulo.
15Wambusisa uJosefa, wathi:
“UNkulunkulu abahamba ebusweni bakhe
obaba o-Abrahama no-Isaka,
uNkulunkulu ongondlile konke ukuhamba kwami
kuze kube namuhla,
16ingelosi engisindise ebubini bonke mayibusise abafana;
mababizwe ngegama lami nangegama lawobaba o-Abrahama no-Isaka;
mabande, babe baningi phakathi kwezwe.”
17Wabona uJosefa ukuthi uyise wabeka isandla sakhe sokunene ekhanda lika-Efrayimi, kwaba kubi emehlweni akhe; wasibamba isandla sikayise ukuba asisuse ekhanda lika-Efrayimi, asibeke ekhanda likaManase. 18Wayesethi uJosefa kuyise: “Kungabi njalo, ngokuba lo uyizibulo; beka esokunene sakho ekhanda lakhe.”
19Kepha uyise wala, wathi: “Ngiyazi, ndodana yami, ngiyazi; naye uyakuba yisizwe, abe mkhulu naye; kodwa umfowabo uyakuba mkhulu kunaye, inzalo yakhe ibe yizizwe eziningi.” 20Wayesebabusisa ngalolo suku ngokuthi:
“Ngawe u-Israyeli uyakubusisa ethi:
‘UNkulunkulu makakwenze
ube njengo-Efrayimi nanjengoManase.’ ”
Wayesembeka-ke u-Efrayimi ngaphambi kukaManase.
21Wayesethi u-Israyeli kuJosefa: “Bheka, mina ngiyafa, kepha uNkulunkulu uyakuba nani, anibuyisele ezweni lawoyihlo. 22Wena ngikunike olunye ukhalo ngaphezu kwabafowenu engaluthatha esandleni sama-Amori ngenkemba yami nangomnsalo wami.”
