| 48 | Genesis | ||
| 1 | The time came when Joseph was told that his father was ill, so he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. | Jacob blesses Ephraim and Manasseh. Gn.48.1-22 | |
| 2 | Jacob heard that his son Joseph was coming to him, and he summoned his strength and sat up on the bed. | ||
| 3 | Jacob said to Joseph, 'God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in Canaan and blessed me. | ||
| 4 | He said to me, "I will make you fruitful and increase your descendants until they become a host of nations. I will give this land to your descendants after you as a perpetual possession." | ||
| 5 | Now, your two sons, who were born to you in Egypt before I came here, shall be counted as my sons; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine as Reuben and Simeon are. | ||
| 6 | Any children born to you after them shall be counted as yours, but in respect of their tribal territory they shall be reckoned under their elder brothers' names. | ||
| 7 | As I was coming from Paddan-aram I was bereaved of Rachel your mother on the way, in Canaan, whilst there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there by the road to Ephrath, that is Bethlehem.' | ||
| 8 | When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, 'Who are these?' | ||
| 9 | Joseph replied to his father, 'They are my sons whom God has given me here.' Israel said, 'Bring them to me, I beg you, so that I may take them on my knees ? | ||
| 10 | Now Israel's eyes were dim with age, and he could not see; so Joseph brought the boys close to his father, and he kissed them and embraced them. | ||
| 11 | He said to Joseph, 'I had not expected to see your face again, and now God has granted me to see your sons also.' | ||
| 12 | Joseph took them from his father's knees and bowed to the ground. | ||
| 13 | Then he took the two of them, Ephraim on his right at Israel's left and Manasseh on his left at Israel's right, and brought them close to him. | ||
| 14 | Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, although he was the younger, and, crossing his hands, laid his left hand on Manasseh's head ; but Manasseh was the elder. | ||
| 15 | He blessed Joseph and said:
my forefathers Abraham and Isaac, the God who has been my shepherd all my life until this day, | ||
| 16 | the angel who ransomed me from all misfortune, may he bless these boys ; they shall be called by my name, and by that of my forefathers, Abraham and Isaac; may they grow into a great people on earth.' | ||
| 17 | When Joseph saw that his father was laying his right hand on Ephraim's head, he was displeased; so he took hold of his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's. | ||
| 18 | He said, 'That is not right, my father. This is the elder; lay your right hand on his head.' | ||
| 19 | But his father refused; he said, 'I know, my son, I know. He too shall become a people; he too shall become great, but his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall be a whole nation in themselves.' | ||
| 20 | That day he blessed them and said:
men shall use your names and say, God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh', | ||
| 21 | Then Israel said to Joseph, 'I am dying. God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers. | ||
| 22 | I give you one ridge of land more than your brothers: I took it from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.' | ||
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