1 Some time later, they said to Joseph: “Your father is sick”; and he went to see him, taking with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
Adverts
2 And they announced to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to see you.” Israel gathered his strength and sat down on the bed.
3 Then Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me in Luz, in the land of Canaan, and blessed me there,
4 saying, 'I will make you prolific and multiply you. I will make you a community of people and I will give this land for perpetual ownership to your descendants.'
5 “Now therefore, your two sons who were born to you in Egypt, before I came here, will be recognized as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are mine.
Adverts
6 The children that are born after them will be yours; they will be summoned under the name of their brothers to receive their inheritance.
7 When I was returning from Paddan, to my sadness Rachel died in Canaan, while we were still on the way, a short distance from Ephrathah. I buried her there, beside the road to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.”
8 When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he asked, “Who are these? “
9 Joseph replied to his father: “These are the children that God gave me here.” Then Israel said, “Bring them here so that I may bless them.”
10 Israel's eyes were already weakened by old age, and he could barely see. So Joseph took his sons to him, and their father kissed them and hugged them.
11 And Israel said to Joseph: “I never thought I would see your face again, and now God allows me to see your children too! “
12 Then Joseph took them from Israel's lap and bowed down, face to the ground.
13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim on his right hand, near Israel's left hand, and Manasseh on his left, near Israel's right hand, and brought them to him.
14 Israel, however, stretched out his right hand and placed it on the head of Ephraim, although he was the youngest, and, crossing his arms, he placed his left hand on the head of Manasseh, although Manasseh was the eldest son.
15 And he blessed Joseph, saying, “May the God whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac served, the God who has been my shepherd all my life until this day,
16 the Angel who redeemed me from all evil, bless these boys. Let them be called by my name and by the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly in the land.”
17 When Joseph saw his father place his right hand on Ephraim's head, he didn't like it; so he took his father's hand to change it from the head of Ephraim to that of Manasseh,
18 and said to him: “No, my father, this one is the oldest; put your right hand on his head.”
19 But his father refused and replied: “I know, my son, I know. He will also become a people, he will also be great. Despite this, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become many peoples.”
20 So Jacob blessed them that day, saying: “The people of Israel will use your names to bless one another: May God do to you as he did to Ephraim and Manasseh! ” And he placed Ephraim at the head of Manasseh.
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and will take you back to the land of your ancestors.
22 And to you, as one who is above his brothers, I give the hill country that I took from the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”
