Genesis 48
48
1Againe after this, one sayd to Ioseph, Loe, thy father is sicke: then hee tooke with him his two sonnes, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2Also one told Iaakob, and said, Behold, thy sonne Ioseph is come to thee, and Israel tooke his strength vnto him and sate vpon the bed. 3Then Iaakob sayde vnto Ioseph, God almightie appeared vnto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me. 4And he sayde vnto me, Behold, I wil make thee fruitefull, and will multiplie thee, and will make a great number of people of thee, and will giue this lande vnto thy seede after thee for an euerlasting possession. 5And now thy two sonnes, Manasseh and Ephraim, which are borne vnto thee in the lande of Egypt, before I came to thee into Egypt, shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6But the linage, which thou hast begotten after them, shalbe thine: they shall be called after the names of their brethren in their inheritance. 7Nowe when I came from Padan, Rahel died vpon mine hande in the lande of Canaan, by the way when there was but halfe a dayes iourney of grounde to come to Ephrath: and I buryed her there in the way to Ephrath: the same is Beth-lehem. 8Then Israel beheld Iosephs sonnes and sayd, Whose are these? 9And Ioseph sayd vnto his father, They are my sonnes, which God hath giuen mee here. Then he sayd, I pray thee, bring them to me, that I may blesse them: 10(For the eyes of Israel were dimme for age, so that hee coulde not well see) Then he caused them to come to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11And Israel sayde vnto Ioseph, I had not thought to haue seene thy face: yet lo, God hath shewed me also thy seede. 12And Ioseph tooke them away from his knees, and did reuerence downe to the ground. 13Then tooke Ioseph them both, Ephraim in his right hand towarde Israels left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israels right hand, so he brought them vnto him. 14But Israel stretched out his right hand, and layde it on Ephraims head, which was the yonger, and his left hande vpon Manassehs head (directing his handes of purpose) for Manasseh was the elder. 15Also he blessed Ioseph and sayde, The God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Izhak did walke, the God, which hath fed me al my life long vnto this day, blesse thee. 16The Angel, which hath deliuered me from all euill, blesse the children, and let my name be named vpon them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Izhak, that they may growe as fish into a multitude in the middes of the earth. 17But when Ioseph sawe that his father layde his right hande vpon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he stayed his fathers hand to remooue it from Ephraims head to Manassehs head. 18And Ioseph sayde vnto his father, Not so, my father, for this is the eldest: put thy right hand vpon his head. 19But his father refused, and sayd, I know well, my sonne, I know well: he shalbe also a people, and he shalbe great likewise: but his yonger brother shalbe greater then he, and his seede shall be full of nations. 20So he blessed them that day, and sayde, In thee Israel shall blesse, and say, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh. and he set Ephraim before Manasseh. 21Then Israel said vnto Ioseph, Behold, I die, and God shall be with you, and bring you againe vnto the land of your fathers. 22Moreouer, I haue giuen vnto thee one portion aboue thy brethren, which I gate out of the hand of the Amorite by my sworde and by my bowe.
PUBLIC DOMAIN
Genesis 48
48
Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh
1Some time after this, Joseph was told, “Your father is weaker.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed.
3Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty#Gn 17:1 appeared to me at Luz#Gn 28:13,19; 35:6,9 in the land of Canaan and blessed me. 4He said to me, ‘I will make you fruitful and numerous; I will make many nations come from you, and I will give this land as a permanent possession#Gn 17:8 to your future descendants.’#Gn 35:9–12 5Your two sons#Gn 41:50–52; 46:20 born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt are now mine.#Jos 13:7; 14:4; 17:17 Ephraim and Manasseh belong to me just as Reuben and Simeon do. 6Children born to you after them will be yours and will be recorded under the names of their brothers with regard to their inheritance. 7When I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way,#Gn 35:9–19 some distance from Ephrath in the land of Canaan. I buried her there along the way to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).
8When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?”
9And Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons God has given me here.”
So Israel said, “Bring them to me and I will bless them.”#Gn 27:4; 49:25–26; Heb 11:21 10Now his eyesight was poor because of old age; he could hardly#48:10 Lit he was not able to see.#Gn 27:1 Joseph brought them to him, and he kissed and embraced them.#Gn 27:27 11Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, but now God has even let me see your offspring.” 12Then Joseph took them from his father’s knees and bowed with his face to the ground.#Gn 18:2; 24:52; 33:3; 42:6; 43:26; Ex 34:8
Ephraim’s Greater Blessing
13Then Joseph took them both — with his right hand Ephraim toward Israel’s left, and with his left hand Manasseh toward Israel’s right — and brought them to Israel. 14But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger, and crossing his hands, put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn.#Gn 25:23; 27:18–30 15Then he blessed Joseph and said:
The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,#Gn 17:1; 24:40
the God who has been my shepherd#Gn 49:24; Ps 23:1; Jr 31:10 all my life to this day,
16the angel who has redeemed me from all harm#Gn 28:13–15; 31:11; Is 63:9; Ac 7:35 —
may he bless these boys.
And may they be called by my name
and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,#Dt 28:10; 2Ch 7:14; Is 4:1; 43:1; 48:1
and may they grow to be numerous within the land.
17When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he thought it was a mistake#48:17 Or he was displeased; lit head, it was bad in his eyes and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s. 18Joseph said to his father, “Not that way, my father! This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”
19But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know! He too will become a tribe,#48:19 Lit people and he too will be great; nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his offspring will become a populous nation.”#48:19 Or a multitude of nations; lit a fullness of nations 20So he blessed them that day, putting Ephraim before Manasseh when he said, “The nation Israel will invoke blessings by you, saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”
21Israel said to Joseph, “Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.#Gn 46:4; 50:24 22Over and above what I am giving your brothers, I am giving you the one mountain slope#48:22 Or Shechem, Joseph’s burial place; lit one shoulder that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow.”#Gn 34:25–29; Jos 24:32; Jn 4:5
© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers