48:1 Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him.
48:2 When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.
48:3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me
48:4 and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and will increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’
48:5 “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.
48:6 Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers.
48:7 As I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).
48:8 When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?”
48:9 “They are the sons God has given me here,” Joseph said to his father. Then Israel said, “Bring them to me so I may bless them.”
48:10 Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.
48:11 Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.”
48:12 Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees and bowed down with his face to the ground.
48:13 And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him.
48:14 But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.
48:15 Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
48:16 the Angel who has delivered me from all harm–may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly upon the earth.”
48:17 When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.
48:18 Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
48:19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.”
48:20 He blessed them that day and said, “In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’” So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
48:21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers.
48:22 And to you, as one who is over your brothers, I give the ridge of land I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”
48:1 Now after these things Joseph was told, Your father is sick. So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
48:2 And someone told Jacob and said, Your son Joseph is coming to you. So Israel strengthened himself and sat up on his bed.
48:3 And Jacob said to Joseph, The All-sufficient God appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me.
48:4 And He said to me, Behold, I am going to make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your seed after you for an everlasting possession.
48:5 And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.
48:6 And your offspring whom you beget after them will be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.
48:7 And as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died to my sorrow in the land of Canaan on the way, while there was still some distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
48:8 And when Israel saw Joseph s sons, he said, Who are these?
48:9 And Joseph said to his father, They are my sons, whom God has given to me here. And he said, Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.
48:10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, and he could not see. So Joseph brought them near to him, and he kissed them and embraced them.
48:11 And Israel said to Joseph, I never expected to see your face, and now God has let me see your seed also.
48:12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees and bowed himself with his face to the ground.
48:13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel s left hand and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel s right hand, and brought them near to him.
48:14 But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it upon Ephraim s head ? although he was the younger ? and his left hand upon Manasseh s head, guiding his hands with insight, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.
48:15 And he blessed Joseph and said, / The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, / The God who has shepherded me all my life to this day,
48:16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; / And may my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; / And may they be a teeming multitude in the midst of the earth.
48:17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; and he took hold of his father s hand to remove it from Ephraim s head onto Manasseh s head.
48:18 And Joseph said to his father, Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn. Put your right hand upon his head.
48:19 But his father refused and said, I know, my son, I know. He also will become a people, and he also will be great. However, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his seed will become a multitude of nations.
48:20 And he blessed them that day, saying, By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, / God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh. Thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
48:21 And Israel said to Joseph, Now I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers.
48:22 Moreover I have given to you one portion more than your brothers, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.