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Genesis 48-49
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Genesis 48-49
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Jacob Blesses Joseph’s Sons
48 After this Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” he[a] summoned his strength and sat up in bed. 3 And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty[b] appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and he blessed me(A) 4 and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers; I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for a perpetual holding.’(B) 5 Therefore your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are now mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are.(C) 6 As for the offspring born to you after them, they shall be yours. They shall be recorded under the names of their brothers with regard to their inheritance. 7 For when I came from Paddan, Rachel, alas, died in the land of Canaan on the way, while there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath, that is, Bethlehem.”(D)
8 When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.”(E) 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, and he could not see well. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them.(F) 11 Israel said to Joseph, “I did not expect to see your face, and here God has let me see your children also.”(G) 12 Then Joseph removed them from his father’s knees,[c] and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 13 Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right, and brought them near him. 14 But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn.(H) 15 He blessed Joseph and said,
“The God before whom my ancestors Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,(I)
16 the angel who has redeemed me from all harm, bless the boys,
and in them let my name be perpetuated and the name of my ancestors Abraham and Isaac,
and let them grow into a multitude on the earth.”(J)
17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, so he took his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.(K) 18 Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father! Since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.”(L) 20 So he blessed them that day, saying,
“By you Israel will invoke blessings, saying,
‘God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.’ ”
So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh. 21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your ancestors.(M) 22 I now give to you one portion[d] more than to your brothers, the portion[e] that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”(N)
Jacob’s Last Words to His Sons
49 Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather around, that I may tell you what will happen to you in days to come.(O)
2 Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob;
listen to Israel your father.
3 Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might and the first fruits of my vigor,
excelling in rank and excelling in power.(P)
4 Unstable as water, you shall no longer excel
because you went up onto your father’s bed;
then you defiled it—you[f] went up onto my couch!(Q)
5 Simeon and Levi are brothers;
weapons of violence are their swords.(R)
6 May I never come into their council;
may I not be joined to their company,
for in their anger they killed men,
and at their whim they hamstrung oxen.(S)
7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce,
and their wrath, for it is cruel!
I will divide them in Jacob
and scatter them in Israel.(T)
8 Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons shall bow down before you.(U)
9 Judah is a lion’s whelp;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouches down, he stretches out like a lion,
like a lioness—who dares rouse him up?(V)
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him,[g]
and the obedience of the peoples is his.(W)
11 Binding his foal to the vine
and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
he washes his garments in wine
and his robe in the blood of grapes;
12 his eyes are darker than wine
and his teeth whiter than milk.
13 Zebulun shall settle at the shore of the sea;
he shall be a haven for ships,
and his border shall be at Sidon.(X)
14 Issachar is a strong donkey,
lying down between the sheepfolds;
15 he saw that a resting place was good
and that the land was pleasant,
so he bowed his shoulder to the burden
and became a slave at forced labor.
16 Dan shall judge his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.(Y)
17 Dan shall be a snake by the roadside,
a viper along the path,
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider falls backward.(Z)
18 I wait for your salvation, O Lord.(AA)
19 Gad shall be raided by raiders,
but he shall raid at their heels.(AB)
22 Joseph is a fruitful bough,[j]
a fruitful bough by a spring;
his branches run over the wall.[k](AE)
23 The archers fiercely attacked him;
they shot at him and pressed him hard.(AF)
24 Yet his bow remained taut,
and his arms[l] were made agile
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,(AG)
25 by the God of your father, who will help you,
by the Almighty[m] who will bless you
with blessings of heaven above,
blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
blessings of the breasts and of the womb.(AH)
26 The blessings of your father
are stronger than the blessings of the eternal mountains,
the bounties[n] of the everlasting hills;
may they be on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.(AI)
27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf,
in the morning devouring the prey
and at evening dividing the spoil.”
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, blessing each one of them with a suitable blessing.(AJ)
Jacob’s Death and Burial
29 Then he charged them, saying to them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,(AK) 30 in the cave in the field at Machpelah, near Mamre, in the land of Canaan, in the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.(AL) 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried; there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried; and there I buried Leah.(AM) 32 The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites.” 33 When Jacob ended his charge to his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.(AN)
Footnotes
- 48.2 Heb Israel
- 48.3 Traditional rendering of Heb El Shaddai
- 48.12 Heb from his knees
- 48.22 Or mountain slope
- 48.22 Or mountain slope
- 49.4 Gk Syr Tg: Heb he
- 49.10 Or until Shiloh comes or until he comes to Shiloh or (with Syr) until he comes to whom it belongs
- 49.20 Gk Vg Syr: Heb From Asher
- 49.21 Or that gives beautiful words
- 49.22 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 49.22 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 49.24 Heb the arms of his hands
- 49.25 Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai
- 49.26 Cn Compare Gk: Heb of my progenitors to the boundaries
Genesis 48-49
New International Version
Genesis 48-49
New International Version
Manasseh and Ephraim
48 Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim(A) along with him. 2 When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel(B) rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.
3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty[a](C) appeared to me at Luz(D) in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me(E) 4 and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers.(F) I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land(G) as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’(H)
5 “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt(I) before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine,(J) just as Reuben(K) and Simeon(L) are mine. 6 Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers. 7 As I was returning from Paddan,[b](M) to my sorrow(N) Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).(O)
8 When Israel(P) saw the sons of Joseph,(Q) he asked, “Who are these?”
9 “They are the sons God has given me here,”(R) Joseph said to his father.
Then Israel said, “Bring them to me so I may bless(S) them.”
10 Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see.(T) So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them(U) and embraced them.(V)
11 Israel(W) said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again,(X) and now God has allowed me to see your children too.”(Y)
12 Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees(Z) and bowed down with his face to the ground.(AA) 13 And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand,(AB) and brought them close to him. 14 But Israel(AC) reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head,(AD) though he was the younger,(AE) and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.(AF)
15 Then he blessed(AG) Joseph and said,
“May the God before whom my fathers
Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully,(AH)
the God who has been my shepherd(AI)
all my life to this day,
16 the Angel(AJ) who has delivered me from all harm(AK)
—may he bless(AL) these boys.(AM)
May they be called by my name
and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,(AN)
and may they increase greatly
on the earth.”(AO)
17 When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand(AP) on Ephraim’s head(AQ) he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”(AR)
19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great.(AS) Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he,(AT) and his descendants will become a group of nations.(AU)” 20 He blessed(AV) them that day(AW) and said,
“In your[c] name will Israel(AX) pronounce this blessing:(AY)
‘May God make you like Ephraim(AZ) and Manasseh.(BA)’”
So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you[d](BB) and take you[e] back to the land of your[f] fathers.(BC) 22 And to you I give one more ridge of land[g](BD) than to your brothers,(BE) the ridge I took from the Amorites with my sword(BF) and my bow.”
Jacob Blesses His Sons(BG)
49 Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.(BH)
3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn,(BK)
my might, the first sign of my strength,(BL)
excelling in honor,(BM) excelling in power.
4 Turbulent as the waters,(BN) you will no longer excel,
for you went up onto your father’s bed,
onto my couch and defiled it.(BO)
5 “Simeon(BP) and Levi(BQ) are brothers—
their swords[h] are weapons of violence.(BR)
6 Let me not enter their council,
let me not join their assembly,(BS)
for they have killed men in their anger(BT)
and hamstrung(BU) oxen as they pleased.
7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury,(BV) so cruel!(BW)
I will scatter them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel.(BX)
8 “Judah,[i](BY) your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck(BZ) of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.(CA)
9 You are a lion’s(CB) cub,(CC) Judah;(CD)
you return from the prey,(CE) my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,(CF)
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[j]
until he to whom it belongs[k] shall come(CG)
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.(CH)
11 He will tether his donkey(CI) to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;(CJ)
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.(CK)
12 His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.[l](CL)
13 “Zebulun(CM) will live by the seashore
and become a haven for ships;
his border will extend toward Sidon.(CN)
14 “Issachar(CO) is a rawboned[m] donkey
lying down among the sheep pens.[n](CP)
15 When he sees how good is his resting place
and how pleasant is his land,(CQ)
he will bend his shoulder to the burden(CR)
and submit to forced labor.(CS)
16 “Dan[o](CT) will provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.(CU)
17 Dan(CV) will be a snake by the roadside,
a viper along the path,(CW)
that bites the horse’s heels(CX)
so that its rider tumbles backward.
22 “Joseph(DH) is a fruitful vine,(DI)
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches(DJ) climb over a wall.[r]
23 With bitterness archers attacked him;(DK)
they shot at him with hostility.(DL)
24 But his bow remained steady,(DM)
his strong arms(DN) stayed[s] limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,(DO)
because of the Shepherd,(DP) the Rock of Israel,(DQ)
25 because of your father’s God,(DR) who helps(DS) you,
because of the Almighty,[t](DT) who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
blessings of the deep springs below,(DU)
blessings of the breast(DV) and womb.(DW)
26 Your father’s blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
than[u] the bounty of the age-old hills.(DX)
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,(DY)
on the brow of the prince among[v] his brothers.(DZ)
27 “Benjamin(EA) is a ravenous wolf;(EB)
in the morning he devours the prey,(EC)
in the evening he divides the plunder.”(ED)
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel,(EE) and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing(EF) appropriate to him.
The Death of Jacob
29 Then he gave them these instructions:(EG) “I am about to be gathered to my people.(EH) Bury me with my fathers(EI) in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,(EJ) 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah,(EK) near Mamre(EL) in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field(EM) as a burial place(EN) from Ephron the Hittite. 31 There Abraham(EO) and his wife Sarah(EP) were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah(EQ) were buried, and there I buried Leah.(ER) 32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.[w](ES)”
33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.(ET)
Footnotes
- Genesis 48:3 Hebrew El-Shaddai
- Genesis 48:7 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
- Genesis 48:20 The Hebrew is singular.
- Genesis 48:21 The Hebrew is plural.
- Genesis 48:21 The Hebrew is plural.
- Genesis 48:21 The Hebrew is plural.
- Genesis 48:22 The Hebrew for ridge of land is identical with the place name Shechem.
- Genesis 49:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Genesis 49:8 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise.
- Genesis 49:10 Or from his descendants
- Genesis 49:10 Or to whom tribute belongs; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Genesis 49:12 Or will be dull from wine, / his teeth white from milk
- Genesis 49:14 Or strong
- Genesis 49:14 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags
- Genesis 49:16 Dan here means he provides justice.
- Genesis 49:19 Gad sounds like the Hebrew for attack and also for band of raiders.
- Genesis 49:21 Or free; / he utters beautiful words
- Genesis 49:22 Or Joseph is a wild colt, / a wild colt near a spring, / a wild donkey on a terraced hill
- Genesis 49:24 Or archers will attack … will shoot … will remain … will stay
- Genesis 49:25 Hebrew Shaddai
- Genesis 49:26 Or of my progenitors, / as great as
- Genesis 49:26 Or of the one separated from
- Genesis 49:32 Or the descendants of Heth
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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