Chapter 48

And it came to pass after these things, that [one] told⁴ Joseph, Behold, thy father [is] sick:⁶ and he took⁴ with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

And [one] told⁵⁵ Jacob, and said,⁴ Behold, thy son Joseph cometh⁶ unto thee: and Israel strengthened¹⁰¹ himself, and sat⁴ upon the bed.

And Jacob said⁴ unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared⁸ unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed¹⁷ me,

And said⁴ unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful,⁵⁶ and multiply⁵² thee, and I will make¹ of thee a multitude of people; and will give¹ this land to thy seed after thee [for] an everlasting possession.

And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born¹² unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came² unto thee into Egypt, [are] mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.

And thy issue, which thou begettest⁵² after them, shall be thine, [and] shall be called¹¹ after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.

And as for me, when I came² from Padan, Rachel died¹ by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet [there was] but a little way to come² unto Ephrath: and I buried⁴ her there in the way of Ephrath; the same [is] Bethlehem.

And Israel beheld⁴ Joseph's sons, and said,⁴ Who [are] these?

And Joseph said⁴ unto his father, They [are] my sons, whom God hath given¹ me in this [place]. And he said,⁴ Bring them,³ I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless¹⁷ them.

Now the eyes of Israel were dim¹ for age, [so that] he could⁴ not see.² And he brought them near⁵⁵ unto him; and he kissed⁴ them, and embraced¹⁷ them.

And Israel said⁴ unto Joseph, I had not thought¹⁴ to see² thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed⁵² me also thy seed.

And Joseph brought them out⁵⁵ from between his knees, and he bowed¹⁰¹ himself with his face to the earth.

And Joseph took⁴ 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] near⁵⁵ unto him.

And Israel stretched out⁴ his right hand, and laid⁴ [it] upon Ephraim's head, who [was] the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly;¹⁴ for Manasseh [was] the firstborn.

And he blessed¹⁷ Joseph, and said,⁴ God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk,⁹⁸ the God which fed⁶ me all my life long unto this day,

The Angel which redeemed⁶ me from all evil, bless¹⁷ the lads; and let my name be named¹¹ on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow⁴ into a multitude in the midst of the earth.

And when Joseph saw⁴ that his father laid⁴ his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased^{4 5869} him: and he held up⁴ his father's hand, to remove⁵³ it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.

And Joseph said⁴ unto his father, Not so, my father: for this [is] the firstborn; put³ thy right hand upon his head.

And his father refused,¹⁷ and said,⁴ I know¹ [it], my son, I know¹ [it]: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great:⁴ but truly his younger brother shall be greater⁴ than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.

And he blessed¹⁷ them that day, saying,² In thee shall Israel bless,¹⁷ saying,² God make⁴ thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set⁴ Ephraim before Manasseh.

And Israel said⁴ unto Joseph, Behold, I die:⁵ but God shall be with you, and bring you again⁵² unto the land of your fathers.

Moreover I have given¹ to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took¹ out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.