Génesis 48
1 Después de estas cosas, alguien dijo a José: “He aquí que tu padre está enfermo”. Tomó consigo a sus dos hijos, Manasés y Efraín.
Some time later, someone told Joseph, “[Hey, ] your father is ill.” When Joseph heard that, he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to see his father.
2 Alguien avisó a Jacob y le dijo: “He aquí que tu hijo José viene a ti”, e Israel se fortaleció y se sentó en la cama.
When someone told Jacob, “Look, your son Joseph has come to see you!” Jacob sat up on the bed, even though it was difficult for him to do that.
3 Jacob dijo a José: “El Dios Todopoderoso se me apareció en Luz, en la tierra de Canaán, y me bendijo,
He said to Joseph, “When I was at Luz in Canaan, God Almighty appeared to me. He blessed me
4 y me dijo: ‘He aquí que te haré fructificar y te multiplicaré, y haré de ti una compañía de pueblos, y daré esta tierra a tu descendencia después de ti como posesión eterna’.
and said to me, ‘I am going to enable you to become the father of many children. You will have many descendants, and they will become [the ancestors of] many people-groups. And I will give this land to your descendants to possess forever.’
5 Tus dos hijos, que te nacieron en la tierra de Egipto antes de que yo viniera a ti a Egipto, son míos; Efraín y Manasés, como Rubén y Simeón, serán míos.
“And now I will consider that your two sons, who were born to you here in Egypt before I came here, will (belong to me/be as though they are my sons). Ephraim and Manasseh will be [as though they were] my sons, and they will inherit my possessions, just like my sons Reuben and Simeon [and the others] will.
6 Tu descendencia, de la que seas padre después de ellos, será tuya. Se llamarán con el nombre de sus hermanos en su herencia.
If you later become the father of any more children, they will not be considered to be my children, but as my grandchildren, and [in Canaan] they will receive as part of what they inherit some of the same land that is in the territory that their brothers [Ephraim and Manasseh] will inherit.
7 En cuanto a mí, cuando vine de Padán Aram, Raquel murió a mi lado en la tierra de Canaán, en el camino, cuando aún faltaba para llegar a Efrat, y la enterré allí en el camino a Efrat (también llamada Belén).”
Many years ago, as I was returning from Paddan-Aram/Mesopotamia, your mother Rachel died in the Canaan region, while we were still traveling, not far from Ephrath [town]. So I buried her body there alongside the road to Ephrath [which is now called Bethlehem].”
8 Israel vio a los hijos de José y dijo: “¿Quiénes son estos?”
When Jacob saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are these boys?”
9 José dijo a su padre: “Son mis hijos, que Dios me ha dado aquí”. Dijo: “Por favor, tráemelos, y los bendeciré”.
Joseph replied, “They are the sons that God has given to me here in Egypt.” Jacob said, “Bring them close to me so that I can bless them.”
10 Ahora bien, los ojos de Israel estaban apagados por la edad, de modo que no podía ver bien. José los acercó, los besó y los abrazó.
Jacob was almost blind because he was very old. He could not recognize the boys. So Joseph brought his sons close to his father, and Jacob kissed them and hugged them.
11 Israel dijo a José: “No creía que fuera a ver tu rostro, y he aquí que Dios me ha permitido ver también tu descendencia.”
Jacob said to Joseph, “I did not expect to see you again, but look at this! God has allowed me to see not only you, but he has allowed me to see your children, too!”
12 José los sacó de entre sus rodillas y se inclinó con el rostro hacia la tierra.
Joseph took the boys from alongside Jacob’s knees. Then he bowed down with his face to the ground.
13 José tomó a ambos, a Efraín con su mano derecha hacia la mano izquierda de Israel, y a Manasés con su mano izquierda hacia la mano derecha de Israel, y los acercó a él.
Then Joseph took both of the boys, putting Ephraim on his right side toward Jacob’s left hand, and putting Manasseh on his left side toward Jacob’s right hand, and brought them close to Jacob.
14 Israel extendió su mano derecha y la puso sobre la cabeza de Efraín, que era el menor, y su mano izquierda sobre la cabeza de Manasés, guiando sus manos a sabiendas, pues Manasés era el primogénito.
But Jacob [did not do what Joseph wanted him to do. Instead], he reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, even though he was the younger son. He crossed his arms and put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the older son.
15 Bendijo a José y dijo, “El Dios ante el que caminaron mis padres Abraham e Isaac, el Dios que me ha alimentado durante toda mi vida hasta el día de hoy,
Then he (blessed/asked God to bless) Joseph and his sons, saying, “My grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac conducted their lives as God desired, and to this very day God has led me and taken care of me as a shepherd leads and cares for his sheep [MET].
16 el ángel que me ha redimido de todo mal, bendice a los muchachos, y que mi nombre sea nombrado en ellos, y el nombre de mis padres Abraham e Isaac. Que crezcan en multitud sobre la tierra”.
The angel whom he sent has kept me from being harmed in any way. I pray that God will bless these boys. I pray that people will never forget about me and about Abraham and Isaac because of what God does for these boys. I pray that they will have many descendants who will live all over the earth.”
17 Cuando José vio que su padre ponía su mano derecha sobre la cabeza de Efraín, le disgustó. Levantó la mano de su padre para quitarla de la cabeza de Efraín a la de Manasés.
When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head and not on Manasseh’s head, he was distressed/displeased. So he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.
18 José dijo a su padre: “No es así, padre mío, porque éste es el primogénito. Pon tu mano derecha sobre su cabeza”.
Joseph said to him, “My father, that is not right! The one on whom you put your left hand is my older son. Put your right hand on his head.”
19 Su padre se negó y dijo: “Lo sé, hijo mío, lo sé. Él también llegará a ser un pueblo, y también será grande. Sin embargo, su hermano menor será más grande que él, y su descendencia llegará a ser una multitud de naciones”.
But his father refused, saying, “I know that, my son, I know what I am doing. Manasseh’s descendants will also become a people-group, and they will become important. But his younger brother’s descendants will become greater than his will. His descendants will become several nations.”
20 Aquel día los bendijo diciendo: “Israel bendecirá en vosotros, diciendo: “Dios os haga como Efraín y como Manasés”” Puso a Efraín por delante de Manasés.
So he blessed them both on that day, saying, “The people in Israel will use your names when they bless people. They will say, ‘We pray that God will help you as he helped Ephraim and Manasseh.’” In that way, Jacob said that Ephraim would become more important than Manasseh.
21 Israel dijo a José: “He aquí que yo muero, pero Dios estará contigo y te hará volver a la tierra de tus padres.
Then Jacob said to Joseph, “I am about to die. But I know that God will help/protect you. And some day he will take your descendants back to the land of their ancestors.
22 Además, te he dado una porción por encima de tus hermanos, que tomé de la mano del amorreo con mi espada y con mi arco.”
And it is to you, not to your brothers, that I will give the fertile hill in the Shechem area. I captured that land from the Amor people-group, fighting them with my sword and my bow and arrows.”
