UYakobi uthamsanqelisa uEfrayim noManase
1Emva kwexesha uJosefu waxelelwa ukuba uyise wayengaphilanga. Uthathe oonyana bakhe bobabini, uManase noEfrayim, waya nabo kuYakobi. 2Akuva uSirayeli ukuba unyana wakhe uJosefu wayeze kumbona, wazomeleza wavuka wahlala emandlalweni.
3UYakobi ubalisele uJosefu wathi: “UThixo uSomandla wavela kum ndiseLuzi kwilizwe laseKanana, wandithamsanqelisa. 4Wathi: ‘Ndiya kukupha inzala eninzi, ize loo nzala ibe zizizwe ngezizwe. Ndokunika lo mhlaba, ube lilifa lenzala yakho naphakade.’ ”
5Uqokele wathi uYakobi: “Naba nyana bakho ke babini, Josefu, aba bazalelwe apha eJiputa ndingekafiki, ngabam. UEfrayim noManase ngoonyana bam ncam njengoRubhen noSimon. 6Xa uthe wazala nyana bambi, abo ke abayi kuba ngabam. Elabo ilifa bolizuza ngoManase noEfrayim. 7Le nto ndiyenza ngenxa kanyoko uRakeli. Ndaba buhlungu kakhulu ukubhubha kwakhe eKanana, kufuphi ne-Efrata, xa ndandivela ePadan. Ndamngcwaba apho ngakuloo ndlela iya e-Efrata.” (IEfrata yaziwa ngokuba yiBhetelehem.)
8Uthe uSirayeli akubona oonyana bakaJosefu: “Ngoobani la makhwenkwe?”
9Uthe kuyise uJosefu: “Aba ngoonyana bam, andiphe bona uThixo apha eJiputa.”
Uthe yena: “Basondeze kum, ndibathamsanqelise.”
10USirayeli wayeselebona luzizi, kuba wayeselaluphele, engasaboni kakuhle ke ngoko. Wabasondeza ke uJosefu oonyana bakhe, uSirayeli wabanga. 11Uthe uYakobi kuJosefu: “Bendingasatsho ukuba ndingabuya ndikubone, kodwa uThixo wenze ukuba ndibone nabantwana bakho.” 12UJosefu ubasusile kuyise, waqubuda phambi koyise eqondele phantsi.
13UJosefu wambeka uEfrayim ngasekhohlo kuyise, waza uManase yena wambeka ngasekunene. 14Kodwa uSirayeli waziphambanisa izandla zakhe, wabeka isandla sakhe sokunene phezu koEfrayim, nakuba wayengomncinane yena; esokhohlo sona wasibeka kuManase, oyena wayengomkhulu. 15Wandula ke uSirayeli ukumthamsanqelisa uJosefu wenjenje:
“Makawathamsanqelise la makhwenkwe uThixo ka-Abraham noIsake.
UThixo ondaluse kwada kwayile mini, makawathamsanqelise.
16Ewe, osithunywa esandisindisa kuzo zonke iingozi makawathamsanqelise.
Igama lam, nelika-Abraham noIsake, malihlale lihleli ngawo la makhwenkwe.
Anga anganda achume ehlabathini.”
17Wakhathazeka uJosefu akubona uyise ebeka isandla sokunene kuEfrayim. Waza wasisusa wasibeka phezu koManase. 18Watsho esithi: “Musukwenza loo nto, bawo. Nanku omkhulu; sibeke kuye isandla sokunene.”
19Wala uyise, esithi: “Mfo wam, ndiyayazi loo nto. Nayo inzala kaManase iya kuba sisizwe abaluleke. Kodwa ke yena umninawa wakhe uya kuba mkhulu kunaye, ize yona eyakhe inzala ibe zizizwe ngezizwe.”
20Wabathamsanqelisa ke ngaloo mini, esithi: “Xa athamsanqelisa, amaSirayeli aya kunqula athi: ‘Wanga uThixo angakwenza ufuze uEfrayim noManase.’ ” Wenjenjalo ke uYakobi ukumisela uEfrayim abe ngaphezu koManase.
21Wandula wathi kuJosefu uSirayeli: “Uyabona ke, mna sendiza kufa, kodwa uThixo uza kuba nani, anibuyisele kwilizwe lookhokho. 22IShekem, endayihlutha kuma-Amori ngekrele nangotolo, ndiyinika wena; iya kumiwa nguwe, ingengabo abakhuluwa bakho.”
