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