Genesis 48

1 His itaque transactis, nunciatum est Ioseph quod aegrotaret pater suus: qui, assumptis duobus filiis Manasse et Ephraim, ire perrexit.

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

2 Dictumque est seni: Ecce filius tuus Ioseph venit ad te. Qui confortatus sedit in lectulo.

And one told Jacob, and said: 'Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee.' And Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.

3 Et ingresso ad se Ioseph ait: Deus omnipotens apparuit mihi in Luza, quae est in Terra Chanaan: benedixitque mihi,

And Jacob said unto Joseph: 'God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,

4 et ait: Ego te augebo et multiplicabo, et faciam te in turbas populorum: daboque tibi terram hanc, et semini tuo post te in possessionem sempiternam.

and said unto me: Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a company of peoples; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.

5 Duo ergo filii tui, qui nati sunt tibi in Terra Aegypti, antequam huc venirem ad te, mei erunt: Ephraim et Manasses, sicut Ruben et Simeon reputabuntur mihi.

And now thy two sons, who were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, shall be mine.

6 Reliquos autem quos genueris post eos, tui erunt, et nomine fratrum suorum vocabuntur in possessionibus suis.

And thy issue, that thou begettest after them, shall be thine; they shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.

7 Mihi enim, quando veniebam de Mesopotamia, mortua est Rachel in terra Chanaan in ipso itinere, eratque vernum tempus: et ingrediebar Ephratam, et sepelivi eam iuxta viam Ephratae, quae alio nomine appellatur Bethlehem.

And as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died unto me in the land of Canaan in the way, when there was still some way to come unto Ephrath; and I buried her there in the way to Ephrath — the same is Beth-lehem.'

8 Videns autem filios eius dixit ad eum: Qui sunt isti?

And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said: 'Who are these?'

9 Respondit: Filii mei sunt, quos donavit mihi Deus in hoc loco. Adduc, inquit, eos ad me, ut benedicam illis.

And Joseph said unto his father: 'They are my sons, whom God hath given me here.' And he said: 'Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.'

10 Oculi enim Israel caligabant prae nimia senectute, et clare videre non poterat. Applicitosque ad se, deosculatus et circumplexus eos,

Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.

11 dixit ad filium suum: Non sum fraudatus aspectu tuo: insuper ostendit mihi Deus semen tuum.

And Israel said unto Joseph: 'I had not thought to see thy face; and, lo, God hath let me see thy seed also.'

12 Cumque tulisset eos Ioseph de gremio patris, adoravit pronus in terram.

And Joseph brought them out from between his knees; and he fell down on his face to the earth.

13 Et posuit Ephraim ad dexteram suam, id est, ad sinistram Israel: Manassen vero in sinistra sua, ad dexteram scilicet patris, applicuitque ambos ad eum.

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 unto him.

14 Qui extendens manum dexteram, posuit super caput Ephraim minoris fratris: sinistram autem super caput Manasse qui maior natu erat, commutans manus.

And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the first-born.

15 Benedixitque Iacob filiis Ioseph, et ait: Deus, in cuius conspectu ambulaverunt patres mei Abraham, et Isaac, Deus qui pascit me ab adolescentia mea usque in praesentem diem:

And he blessed Joseph, and said: 'The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God who hath been my shepherd all my life long unto this day,

16 Angelus, qui eruit me de cunctis malis, benedicat pueris istis: et invocetur super eos nomen meum, nomina quoque patrum meorum Abraham, et Isaac, et crescant in multitudinem super terram.

the angel who hath redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.'

17 Videns autem Ioseph quod posuisset pater suus dexteram manum super caput Ephraim, graviter accepit: et apprehensam manum patris levare conatus est de capite Ephraim, et transferre super caput Manasse.

And when Joseph saw that his father was laying his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.

18 Dixitque ad patrem: Non ita convenit, pater: quia hic est primogenitus, pone dexteram tuam super caput eius.

And Joseph said unto his father: 'Not so, my father, for this is the first-born; put thy right hand upon his head.'

19 Qui renuens, ait: Scio fili mi, scio: et iste quidem erit in populos, et multiplicabitur: sed frater eius minor, maior erit illo: et semen illius crescet in gentes.

And his father refused, and said: 'I know it, my son, I know it; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; howbeit his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.'

20 Benedixitque eis in tempore illo, dicens: In te benedicetur Israel, atque dicetur: Faciat tibi Deus sicut Ephraim, et sicut Manasse. Constituitque Ephraim ante Manassen.

And he blessed them that day, saying: 'By thee shall Israel bless, saying: God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh.' And he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

21 Et ait ad Ioseph filium suum: En ego morior, et erit Deus vobiscum, reducetque vos ad terram patrum vestrorum.

And Israel said unto Joseph: 'Behold, I die; but God will be with you, and bring you back unto the land of your fathers.

22 Do tibi partem unam extra fratres tuos, quam tuli de manu Amorrhaei in gladio et arcu meo.

Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.'