Gen 48 | NASB2020 | STEP | Now it came about after these things that Joseph was told , “ Behold , your father is sick .” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him.

Genesis 48

Israel’s Last Days

1 Now it came about after these things that ^{▼▼Lit one said to Joseph}Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is sick.” So he took his two sons ^bManasseh and Ephraim with him. 2 When ^{▼▼Lit one told Jacob and said}it was told to Jacob, “Behold, your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel ^{▼▼Lit strengthened himself}collected his strength and sat ^{▼▼Lit upon the bed}up in the bed. 3 Then Jacob said to Joseph, “ ^{▼▼Heb El Shaddai
,} ^gGod Almighty appeared to me at ^hLuz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and He said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and numerous, and I will make you a multitude of peoples, and will give this land to your ^{▼▼Lit seed}descendants after you as ^jan everlasting possession.’ 5 Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; ^kEphraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as ^lReuben and Simeon are. 6 But your children that you have fathered after them shall be yours; they shall be called by the ^{▼▼Lit name}names of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 Now as for me, when I came from ⁿPaddan, ^oRachel died, ^{▼▼Lit upon me}to my sorrow, in the land of Canaan on the journey, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath. I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”

8 When Israel ^qsaw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9 And Joseph said to his father, “ ^rThey are my sons, whom God has given me here.” So he said, “Bring them to me, please, so that ^sI may bless them.” 10 Now ^tthe eyes of Israel were so ^{▼▼Lit dull}dim from age that he could not see. And ^{▼▼Lit he}Joseph brought them close to him, and he ^wkissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I never ^{▼▼Lit assumed}expected to see your face, and behold, God has let me see your ^{▼▼Lit seed}children as well!” 12 Then Joseph ^{▼▼Lit made them come out}took them from his knees, and ^aabowed with his face to the ground. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right, and brought them close to him. 14 But Israel reached out his right hand and placed it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, crossing his hands, although ^abManasseh was the firstborn. 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said,

“ ^acThe God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
^adThe God who has been my shepherd ^{▼▼Lit from the continuance of me}all my life to this day,
16 ^afThe angel who has redeemed me from all evil,
^agBless the boys;
And may my name ^{▼▼Lit be called}live on in them,
And the ^{▼▼Lit name}names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
And ^ajmay they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
17 When Joseph saw that his father ^akplaced his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it displeased him; and he grasped his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Place your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know; he also will become a people and he also will be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and ^alhis ^{▼▼Lit seed}descendants shall become ^{▼▼Lit the fullness}a multitude of nations.” 20 So ^aohe blessed them that day, saying,

“By you Israel will pronounce blessing, saying,
‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh!’”
And so he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but ^apGod will be with you, and ^aqbring you back to the land of your fathers. 22 And I give you one ^{▼▼Or ridge; lit shoulder; Heb Shechem}portion more than your brothers, ^aswhich I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”