Genesis 48

1 Sometime after this, Joseph was told, “Your father is sick.” So Joseph went to see him, taking with him his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim.

And it came to pass after these things, that one said to Joseph, Lo! thy father, is sick. So he took his two sons with him, Manasseh and Ephraim.

2 When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” he gathered his strength and sat up in bed.

And one told Jacob, and said—Lo! thy son Joseph, coming in unto thee. So Israel strengthened himself, and sat up on the couch.

3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in Canaan, and he blessed me there.

Then said Jacob unto Joseph, GOD Almighty, appeared unto me in Luz in the land of Canaan, —and blessed me;

4 He told me, ‘Listen! I will make you prosperous and make your descendants so numerous that you will become the ancestor of many nations, and I will give this land to your descendants to own forever.’

and said unto me—Behold me! about to make thee fruitful, so will I multiply thee, and give thee to become a multitude of peoples, —so will I give this land to thy seed after thee, as an age-abiding possession.

5 I am counting as mine your two sons Ephraim and Manasseh who were born here in Egypt before I arrived, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.

Now, therefore thy two sons who were born to thee in the land of Egypt, before I came in unto thee in Egypt, are mine! Ephraim and Manasseh, like Reuben and Simeon, shall be mine!

6 Any other children you have after them will be yours, and will share their inheritance within the land of their older brothers.

But thine offspring which thou hast begotten after them, thine own shall they be, —after the name of their brethren, shall they be called in their inheritance.

7 I'm doing this because tragically for me when I was returning from Paddan-aram, Rachel died in Canaan some distance from Ephrath. I buried her there on the way to Ephrath” (also known as Bethlehem).

But, as for me, when I came in from Padan, Rachel died by me, in the land of Canaan, in the way, while yet there was a stretch of country to come into Ephrath, —so I buried her there in the way to Ephrath, the same, is Bethlehem.

8 Israel saw Jacob's sons and said, “These are your sons then?”

Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, —and said—Who are these?

9 “Yes, these are the sons God gave me here,” Joseph told his father. “Bring them over here so I can bless them,” he said.

And Joseph said unto his father, My sons, they are, whom God hath given me, in this place. And he said—Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, that I may bless them.

10 Israel's eyesight was failing because of his age and he couldn't see well, so Joseph brought them close to his father, and he kissed and hugged them.

Now, the eyes of Israel, had become dim from old age, —he could not see, —so he drew them near unto him, and kissed them, and embraced them.

11 Israel said to Joseph, “I never thought I'd see your face again, and now God has even let me see your children!”

And Israel said unto Joseph, To see thine own face, had I not thought, —and lo! God hath caused me to see even thy seed!

12 Joseph took his sons from between Israel's knees, and bowed low with his face to the ground.

And Joseph brought them out from beside his knees, and bowed himself down with his face towards the earth.

13 Then Joseph placed Ephraim on his right so he would be on Israel's left, and Manasseh on his left so he would be on Israel's right, and then brought them over to Israel.

And Joseph took them both, —Ephraim in his right hand on Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand, on Israel’s right hand, and drew them near unto him.

14 But when Israel reached out his hands, he crossed them over and placed his right hand on Ephraim the younger son, and placed his left on Manasseh, the firstborn.

Then Israel put forth his right hand and laid it upon the head of Ephraim, though, he, was the younger, and his left hand upon the head of Manasseh, —crossing his hands, although, Manasseh, was the first-born.

15 He blessed Joseph, saying, “May the God my grandfather Abraham and my father worshiped—the God who has taken care of me like a shepherd throughout my life until now,

Thus blessed he Joseph, and said, —God himself—before whom walked my fathers. Abraham and Isaac, God himself—who hath been my shepherd, since I came into being until this day; —

16 the Angel who has saved me from all kinds of trouble—may he bless these boys. May my name and the names of my grandfather Abraham and father Isaac continue through them, and may they have many descendants that spread throughout the earth.”

The Messenger—who hath been my redeemer from all evil—bless the lads! And may there be called upon them, my name, and the name of my fathers. Abraham and Isaac; And may they swarm into a multitude, in the midst of the earth!

17 Joseph was unhappy when saw his father had put his right hand on Ephraim, so he took his father's hand to try and move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.

And Joseph saw that his father had laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim and it was displeasing in his eyes, —so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from off the head of Ephraim, on to the head of Manasseh.

18 “Not like that, father, this is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head,” Joseph told him.

And Joseph said unto his father—Not so, my father! for, this, is the firstborn, lay thy right hand upon his head.

19 But his father refused, saying, “I know what I'm doing. Manasseh will also become an important people, but his younger brother will be greater than him, and his descendants will become a large nation.”

And his father refused, and said—I know—my son, I know! He also, shall become a people, and he also, shall become great, —but nevertheless, his younger brother, shall become greater than he, and his seed, shall become a filling up of the nations.

20 So Israel blessed them that day and said: “In the future the people of Israel will use your names to give a blessing, saying, ‘May God bless you like he did Ephraim and Manasseh.’” In saying this he placed Ephraim before Manasseh.

And he blessed them on that day, saying—In thee, let Israel bless himself saying, God set thee as Ephraim, and as Manasseh! So he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I'm going to die soon, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.

And Israel said unto Joseph: Lo! I, am about to die, —but it shall come to pass that, God will be with you, and will take you back into the land of your fathers.

22 I'm also giving you something in addition to what I'm giving your brothers—piece of land on the mountain slope of Shechem that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow.”

But, I, have given to thee one mountain-track above thy brethren, —which I took out of the hand of the Amorite, with my sword and with my bow.