Jacob Adopts Ephraim and Manasseh

1And 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.

2And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.

3And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,

4And 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.

5And 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.

6And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.

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 Beth-lehem.

The Crossed-Hands Blessing

8And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these?

9And 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.

10Now 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.

11And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.

12And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.

13And 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.

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.

15And 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,

16The 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.

17And 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.

18And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.

19And 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.

20And 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.

21And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.

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.

Jacob's Illness; Joseph's Sons

1After these things, someone told Joseph, "Behold, your father is sick." He took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

2Someone told Jacob, "Behold, your son Joseph comes to you." Israel strengthened himself, and sat on the bed.

3Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,

4and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful, and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples, and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.'

5Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, will be mine.

6Your offspring, whom you become the father of after them, will be yours. They will be called after the name of their brothers in their inheritance.

7↔As for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (also called Bethlehem)."

Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

8Israel saw Joseph's sons, and said, "Who are these?"

9Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me here." He said, "Please bring them to me, and I will bless them."

10Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he couldn't see. He brought them near to him, and he kissed them and embraced them.

11Israel said to Joseph, "I didn't think I would see your face, and behold, God has let me see your offspring also."

12Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.

13Joseph 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 to him.

14↔Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, crossing his hands; for Manasseh was the firstborn.

15He blessed Joseph, and said, "The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day,

16the angel who has 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. Let them grow into a multitude within the earth."

The Crossed Hands

17When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on Ephraim's head, it displeased him. He held up his father's hand, to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.

18Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father; for this one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head."

19His 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 will be greater than he, and his offspring will become a multitude of nations."

20He blessed them that day, saying, "In you will Israel bless, saying, 'God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.'" He set Ephraim before Manasseh.

21Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you, and bring you again to the land of your fathers.

22↔Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow."

Jacob's Illness; Joseph's Sons

1And it came to pass after these things, that one said to Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick. And he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

2And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee. And Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.

3And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,

4and said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a company of peoples, and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.

5And now thy two sons, who were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, shall be mine.

6And thy issue, that thou begettest after them, shall be thine; they shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.

7↔And as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when there was still some distance to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way to Ephrath (the same is Beth-lehem).

Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

8And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these?

9And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me here. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.

10Now 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.

11And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath let me see thy seed also.

12And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.

13And 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.

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 knowingly; for Manasseh was the first-born.

15And he blessed Joseph, and said, The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God who hath fed me all my life long unto this day,

16the angel who hath 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.

The Crossed Hands

17And 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.

18And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father; for this is the first-born; put thy right hand upon his head.

19And 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: howbeit his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.

20And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee will Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh. And he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

21And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God will be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.

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.

Jacob's Illness; Joseph's Sons

1And it cometh to pass after these things that one saith to Joseph, 'Lo, thy father is sick;' and he taketh his two sons with him, Manasseh and Ephraim.

2And one declareth to Jacob, and saith, 'Lo, thy son Joseph is coming unto thee;' and Israel strengtheneth himself, and sitteth on the bed.

3And Jacob saith unto Joseph, 'God Almighty hath appeared unto me at Luz, in the land of Canaan, and doth bless me,

4and saith unto me, Lo, I am making thee fruitful, and have multiplied thee, and have made thee a company of peoples, and have given this land to thy seed after thee — a possession age-during.

5And now, thy two sons, who have been born to thee in the land of Egypt before my coming unto thee, to Egypt, they are mine — Ephraim and Manasseh, as Reuben and Simeon they are mine.

6And thy kindred who are born after them — they are thine; after the name of their brethren they are called in their inheritance.

7↔And I — in my coming in from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan, in the way, while yet there was a kibrath of land to come to Ephrath, and I bury her there in the way of Ephrath (that is Beth-Lehem).'

Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

8And Israel seeth Joseph's sons, and saith, 'Who are these?'

9And Joseph saith unto his father, 'They are my sons, whom God hath given to me in this.' And he saith, 'Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I bless them.'

10And the eyes of Israel have been heavy from age — he is not able to see; and he causeth them to come near unto him, and he kisseth them, and embraceth them.

11And Israel saith unto Joseph, 'To see thy face I had not imagined, and lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.'

12And Joseph bringeth them out from between his knees, and boweth himself — his face toward the earth.

13And Joseph taketh both of them — Ephraim in his right hand, at Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand, at Israel's right hand — and bringeth them near unto him.

14↔And Israel sendeth out his right hand, and placeth it on the head of Ephraim (and he is the younger), and his left on the head of Manasseh; he hath guided his hands wisely, for Manasseh is the first-born.

15And he blesseth Joseph, and saith, 'The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked — the God who is feeding me from my being till this day —

16the Messenger who is redeeming me from all evil — bless the lads, and my name is called upon them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and they increase into a multitude in the midst of the earth.'

The Crossed Hands

17And Joseph seeth that his father placeth his right hand on the head of Ephraim, and it is wrong in his eyes, and he holdeth up his father's hand to turn it aside from off the head of Ephraim unto the head of Manasseh.

18And Joseph saith unto his father, 'Not so, my father, for this is the first-born; put thy right hand on his head.'

19And his father refuseth, and saith, 'I know, my son, I know; he also becometh a people, and he also is great; and yet, his younger brother is greater than he, and his seed is the fulness of the nations.'

20And he blesseth them on that day, saying, 'In thee doth Israel bless, saying, God set thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh;' and he setteth Ephraim before Manasseh.

21And Israel saith unto Joseph, 'Lo, I am dying, and God hath been with you, and hath turned you back unto the land of your fathers.

22↔And I — I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took from the hand of the Amorite by my sword and by my bow.'