Genesis 48-49
New American Standard Bible
Israel’s Last Days
48 Now it came about after these things that [a]Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is sick.” So he took his two sons (A)Manasseh and Ephraim with him. 2 When [b]it was told to Jacob, “Behold, your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel [c]collected his strength and sat [d]up in the bed. 3 Then Jacob said to Joseph, “[e](B)God Almighty appeared to me at (C)Luz 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 [f]descendants after you as (D)an 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; (E)Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as (F)Reuben and Simeon are. 6 But your children that you have fathered after them shall be yours; they shall be called by the [g]names of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 Now as for me, when I came from (G)Paddan, (H)Rachel died, [h]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 (I)saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9 And Joseph said to his father, “(J)They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” So he said, “Bring them to me, please, so that (K)I may bless them.” 10 Now (L)the eyes of Israel were so [i]dim from age that he could not see. And [j]Joseph brought them close to him, and he (M)kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I never [k]expected to see your face, and behold, God has let me see your [l]children as well!” 12 Then Joseph [m]took them from his knees, and (N)bowed 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 (O)Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said,
“(P)The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
(Q)The God who has been my shepherd [n]all my life to this day,
16 (R)The angel who has redeemed me from all evil,
(S)Bless the boys;
And may my name [o]live on in them,
And the [p]names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
And (T)may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
17 When Joseph saw that his father (U)placed 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 (V)his [q]descendants shall become [r]a multitude of nations.” 20 So (W)he 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 (X)God will be with you, and (Y)bring you back to the land of your fathers. 22 And I give you one [s]portion more than your brothers, (Z)which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”
Jacob’s Prophecy concerning His Sons
49 Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, “Assemble yourselves, so that I may tell you what will happen to you (AA)in the [t]days to come.
2 Gather together and listen, sons of Jacob;
Yes, (AB)listen to Israel your father.
3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn,
My might and (AC)the beginning of my strength,
Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.
4 [u]Uncontrollable as water, you shall not have preeminence,
(AD)Because you went up to your father’s bed;
Then you defiled it—he went up to my couch.
5 “(AE)Simeon and Levi are brothers;
Their [v]swords are implements of violence.
6 (AF)May my soul not enter into their council;
May my glory not be united with their assembly;
For in their anger they killed [w]men,
And in their self-will they lamed [x]oxen.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce;
And their wrath, for it is cruel.
(AG)I will scatter them in Jacob,
And disperse them among Israel.
8 “As for you, Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
(AH)Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
9 Judah is a (AI)lion’s cub;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
(AJ)He [y]crouches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a [z]lion, who [aa]dares to stir him up?
10 (AK)The scepter will not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
[ab]Until Shiloh comes,
And (AL)to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
11 (AM)He ties his foal to the vine,
And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine;
(AN)He washes his garments in wine,
And his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are [ac]dull from wine,
And his teeth [ad]white from milk.
13 “(AO)Zebulun will reside at the seashore;
And he shall be [ae]a harbor for ships,
And his flank shall be toward Sidon.
14 “Issachar is a [af]strong donkey,
(AP)Lying down between the sheepfolds.
15 When he saw that a resting place was good
And that the land was pleasant,
He bowed his shoulder to carry burdens,
And became a slave at forced labor.
16 “(AQ)Dan shall (AR)judge his people,
As one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent in the way,
A horned viper in the path,
That bites the horse’s heels,
So that its rider falls backward.
18 (AS)For Your salvation I wait, Lord.
21 “(AW)Naphtali is a doe let loose;
He utters beautiful words.
22 “(AX)Joseph is a fruitful [ak]branch,
A fruitful [al]branch by a spring;
Its [am]branches hang over a wall.
23 The archers provoked him,
And shot at him and were hostile toward him;
24 But his (AY)bow remained [an]firm,
And [ao](AZ)his arms were agile,
From the hands of the (BA)Mighty One of Jacob
(From there is (BB)the Shepherd, (BC)the Stone of Israel),
25 From (BD)the God of your father who helps you,
And [ap](BE)by the [aq]Almighty who blesses you
With (BF)blessings of heaven above,
Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
26 The blessings of your father
Have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors
Up to the [ar]furthest boundary of (BG)the everlasting hills;
May they be on the head of Joseph,
And on the top of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.
27 “Benjamin is a [as]ravenous wolf;
In the morning he devours the prey,
And in the evening he divides the spoils.”
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them [at]when he blessed them. He blessed them, every one [au]with the blessing appropriate to him.
Jacob Dies
29 Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am about to be (BH)gathered to my people; (BI)bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in (BJ)the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the (BK)cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is opposite Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a [av]burial site. 31 There they buried (BL)Abraham and his wife (BM)Sarah, there they buried (BN)Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah— 32 the field and the cave that is in it, purchased from the sons of Heth.” 33 When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and (BO)breathed his last, and was (BP)gathered to his people.
Footnotes
- Genesis 48:1 Lit one said to Joseph
- Genesis 48:2 Lit one told Jacob and said
- Genesis 48:2 Lit strengthened himself
- Genesis 48:2 Lit upon the bed
- Genesis 48:3 Heb El Shaddai
- Genesis 48:4 Lit seed
- Genesis 48:6 Lit name
- Genesis 48:7 Lit upon me
- Genesis 48:10 Lit dull
- Genesis 48:10 Lit he
- Genesis 48:11 Lit assumed
- Genesis 48:11 Lit seed
- Genesis 48:12 Lit made them come out
- Genesis 48:15 Lit from the continuance of me
- Genesis 48:16 Lit be called
- Genesis 48:16 Lit name
- Genesis 48:19 Lit seed
- Genesis 48:19 Lit the fullness
- Genesis 48:22 Or ridge; lit shoulder; Heb Shechem
- Genesis 49:1 Lit end of the days
- Genesis 49:4 Or Gushing over
- Genesis 49:5 Or plans; meaning uncertain
- Genesis 49:6 Lit a man
- Genesis 49:6 Lit an ox
- Genesis 49:9 Lit bows down
- Genesis 49:9 Lit lioness
- Genesis 49:9 Lit shall
- Genesis 49:10 Or Until he comes to Shiloh; or Until he comes to whom it belongs
- Genesis 49:12 Or darker than
- Genesis 49:12 Or whiter than
- Genesis 49:13 Lit a shore of ships
- Genesis 49:14 Lit donkey of bone
- Genesis 49:19 Lit heel
- Genesis 49:20 Lit From
- Genesis 49:20 Or bread
- Genesis 49:20 Lit fat
- Genesis 49:22 Lit son
- Genesis 49:22 Lit son
- Genesis 49:22 Lit daughters
- Genesis 49:24 I.e., in an unyielding position
- Genesis 49:24 Lit the arms of his hands
- Genesis 49:25 Or with
- Genesis 49:25 Heb Shaddai
- Genesis 49:26 Lit limit; or desire
- Genesis 49:27 Lit a wolf that tears
- Genesis 49:28 Lit and
- Genesis 49:28 Lit according to his blessing
- Genesis 49:30 Lit possession of a burial place
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