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1 | And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph,
Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons,
Manasseh and Ephraim. |
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2 | And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh
unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the
bed. |
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3 | And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at
Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, |
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4 | And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and
multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people;
and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an
everlasting possession. |
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5 | And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born
unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into
Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. |
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6 | And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be
thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in
their inheritance. |
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7 | And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in
the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little
way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of
Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem. |
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8 | And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these? |
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9 | And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God
hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray
thee, unto me, and I will bless them. |
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10 | 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. |
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11 | And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy
face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed. |
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12 | And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he
bowed himself with his face to the earth. |
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13 | 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. |
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14 | 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 firstborn. |
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15 | And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers
Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life
long unto this day, |
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16 | The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and
let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers
Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the
midst of the earth. |
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17 | And when Joseph saw that his father laid 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. |
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18 | And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this
is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. |
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19 | 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:
but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and
his seed shall become a multitude of nations. |
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20 | And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel
bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and
he set Ephraim before Manasseh. |
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21 | And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be
with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. |
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22 | 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. |
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