Genesis 48

1 And it comes to pass, after these things, that [one] says to Joseph, “Behold, your father is sick”; and he takes his two sons with him, Manasseh and Ephraim.

Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

2 And [one] declares [it] to Jacob and says, “Behold, your son Joseph is coming to you”; and Israel strengthens himself, and sits on the bed.

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

3 And Jacob says to Joseph, “God Almighty has appeared to me, in Luz, in the land of Canaan, and blesses me,

Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed me

4 and says to me, Behold, I am making you fruitful, and have multiplied you, and given you for an assembly of peoples, and given this land to your seed after you, a continuous possession.

and told me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you; I will make you a multitude of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’

5 And now, your two sons, who are born to you in the land of Egypt, before my coming to you to Egypt, they [are] mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, as Reuben and Simeon, they are mine;

And now your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here shall be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.

6 and your family which you have begotten after them are yours; by the name of their brothers they are called in their inheritance.

Any children born to you after them shall be yours, and they shall be called by the names of their brothers in the territory they inherit.

7 And I—in my coming in from Padan-[Aram] Rachel has died by me in the land of Canaan, in the way, while yet a distance of land to enter Ephrata, and I bury her there in the way of Ephrata, which [is] Beth-Lehem.”

Now as for me, when I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way in the land of Canaan, some distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).

8 And Israel sees the sons of Joseph and says, “Who [are] these?”

When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?”

9 And Joseph says to his father, “They [are] my sons, whom God has given to me in this [place]”; and he says, “Please bring them to me, and I bless them.”

Joseph said to his father, “They are the sons God has given me in this place.” So Jacob said, “Please bring them to me, that I may bless them.”

10 And the eyes of Israel have been heavy from age—he is unable to see; and he brings them near to him, and he kisses them and cleaves to them;

Now Israel’s eyesight was poor because of old age; he could hardly see. Joseph brought his sons to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.

11 and Israel says to Joseph, “I had not thought [possible] to see your face, and behold, God has also showed me your seed.”

“I never expected to see your face again,” Israel said to Joseph, “but now God has let me see your children as well.”

12 And Joseph brings them out from between his knees, and bows himself on his face to the earth;

Then Joseph removed his sons from his father’s knees and bowed facedown.

13 and Joseph takes them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left, and Manasseh in his left toward Israel’s right, and brings [them] near to him.

And Joseph took both of them—with Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand—and brought them close to him.

14 And Israel puts out his right hand and places [it] on the head of Ephraim, who [is] the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh; he has guided his hands wisely, for Manasseh [is] the firstborn.

But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger; and crossing his hands, he put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn.

15 And he blesses Joseph and says, “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac habitually walked: God who is feeding me from my being to this day:

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,

16 the Messenger who is redeeming me from all evil blesses the youths, and my name is called on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and they increase into a multitude in the midst of the land.”

the angel who has redeemed me from all harm— may He bless these boys. And may they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow into a multitude upon the earth.”

17 And Joseph sees that his father sets his right hand on the head of Ephraim, and it is wrong in his eyes, and he supports the hand of his father to turn it aside from off the head of Ephraim to the head of Manasseh;

When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he was displeased and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s.

18 and Joseph says to his father, “Not so, my father, for this [is] the firstborn; set your right hand on his head.”

“Not so, my father!” Joseph said. “This one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”

19 And his father refuses and says, “I have known, my son, I have known; he also becomes a people, and he also is great, and yet, his young brother is greater than he, and his seed is the fullness of the nations”;

But his father refused. “I know, my son, I know!” he said. “He too shall become a people, and he too shall be great; nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.”

20 and he blesses them in that day, saying, “By you does Israel bless, saying, God set you as Ephraim and as Manasseh”; and he sets Ephraim before Manasseh.

So that day Jacob blessed them and said: “By you shall Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’” So he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

21 And Israel says to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, and God has been with you, and has brought you back to the land of your fathers;

Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.

22 and I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I have taken out of the hand of the Amorite by my sword and by my bow.”

And to you, as one who is above your brothers, I give the ridge of land that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow.”