Génesis 48

1 Después de estas cosas, vino la noticia a José de que su padre estaba enfermo; y tomó consigo a sus 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 Y cuando dijeron a Jacob: Tu hijo José viene a verte; luego Israel, juntando todas sus fuerzas, se hizo levantar en su lecho.

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 Y Jacob dijo a José: Dios, el Soberano de todos, vino a mí en visión 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: De cierto te haré fértil, y te daré fruto, y haré de ti una gran familia de naciones; y daré esta tierra por heredad para siempre después de ti.

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 Y ahora tus dos hijos que nacieron en Egipto antes de venir a ti aquí, son míos; Efraín y Manasés serán míos, del mismo modo que lo son Rubén y Simeón.

“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 Y cualquier otra descendencia que tengas después de ellos, será tuya, y se nombrará por 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 Y en cuanto a mí, cuando vine de Paddan, la muerte alcanzó a Raquel en el camino, cuando aún estábamos lejos de Efrata; y la detuve allí en el camino a Efrata, que es 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 Entonces Israel, mirando a los hijos de José, dijo: ¿Quiénes son éstos?

When Jacob saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are these boys?”

9 Y José dijo a su padre: Ellos son mis hijos, a quienes Dios me ha dado en esta tierra. Y él dijo: Dejen que se acerquen a mí, y les daré una bendición.

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, porque Israel era viejo, sus ojos ya no estaban claros, y él no podía ver. Así que los hizo acercarse a él, y les dio un beso, y los abrazo.

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 Y dijo Israel a José: No tuve esperanza de volver a ver tu rostro, pero Dios en su misericordia me ha permitido verte a ti y a tus hijos.

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 Entonces José los tomó de entre sus rodillas, y se postró rostro en tierra.

Joseph took the boys from alongside Jacob’s knees. Then he bowed down with his face to the ground.

13 Entonces tomando a Efraín con su mano derecha, José lo puso al costado izquierdo de Israel, y con su mano izquierda puso a Manasés a la derecha de Israel, colocándolos cerca de 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 Entonces Israel, extendiendo su mano derecha, la puso sobre la cabeza de Efraín, el menor, y su mano izquierda sobre la cabeza de Manasés, cruzando las manos a propósito, porque Manasés era el mayor.

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 Y bendijo a José, diciendo: El Dios a quien mis padres Abraham e Isaac adoraron, Dios que me ha cuidado 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 ha sido mi salvador de todo mal, envía su bendición sobre estos niños; y que les sea dado mi nombre y el nombre de mis padres, Abraham e Isaac; y que se conviertan en una gran nación en 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 Y cuando vio José que su padre había puesto su mano derecha sobre la cabeza de Efraín, no le pareció bien; y alzando la mano de su padre la pondría sobre la cabeza 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 Y José dijo a su padre: No es así, mi padre, porque este es el mayor; 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 Pero su padre no quiso, diciendo: Lo hago a propósito, hijo mío; ciertamente se convertirá en una nación y en una gran persona; pero su hermano menor será más grande que él, y su simiente se convertirá en una gran familia 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 Y les dio la bendición aquel día, diciendo: Tú serás la señal de bendición en Israel, porque dirán: Dios te haga como Efraín y Manasés; y él puso a Efraín antes 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 Entonces Israel dijo a José: Ahora mi muerte está cerca; pero Dios estará contigo, guiándote de vuelta 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 Y te he dado más que a tus hermanos, también a Siquem como tu heredad, la cual tomé de los amorreos con mi espada y 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.”