Genesis 48

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. ²When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel^(B) rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.

³Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty^[a]^(C) appeared to me at Luz^(D) in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me^(E) ⁴and 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. ⁶Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers. ⁷As 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)

⁸When 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.”

¹⁰Now 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)

¹¹Israel^(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)

¹²Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees^(Z) and bowed down with his face to the ground.^(AA) ¹³And 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. ¹⁴But 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)

¹⁵Then 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,
¹⁶the 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)

¹⁷When 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. ¹⁸Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”^(AR)

¹⁹But 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)” ²⁰He 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.

²¹Then 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) ²²And 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.”

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.

Job 14

New International Version

14 “Mortals, born of woman,^(A)
    are of few days^(B) and full of trouble.^(C)
²They spring up like flowers^(D) and wither away;^(E)
    like fleeting shadows,^(F) they do not endure.^(G)
³Do you fix your eye on them?^(H)
    Will you bring them^[a] before you for judgment?^(I)
⁴Who can bring what is pure^(J) from the impure?^(K)
    No one!^(L)
⁵A person’s days are determined;^(M)
    you have decreed the number of his months^(N)
    and have set limits he cannot exceed.^(O)
⁶So look away from him and let him alone,^(P)
    till he has put in his time like a hired laborer.^(Q)

⁷“At least there is hope for a tree:^(R)
    If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
    and its new shoots^(S) will not fail.^(T)
⁸Its roots may grow old in the ground
    and its stump^(U) die in the soil,
⁹yet at the scent of water^(V) it will bud
    and put forth shoots like a plant.^(W)
¹⁰But a man dies and is laid low;^(X)
    he breathes his last and is no more.^(Y)
¹¹As the water of a lake dries up
    or a riverbed becomes parched and dry,^(Z)
¹²so he lies down and does not rise;^(AA)
    till the heavens are no more,^(AB) people will not awake
    or be roused from their sleep.^(AC)

¹³“If only you would hide me in the grave^(AD)
    and conceal me till your anger has passed!^(AE)
If only you would set me a time
    and then remember^(AF) me!^(AG)
¹⁴If someone dies, will they live again?
    All the days of my hard service^(AH)
    I will wait for my renewal^[b]^(AI) to come.
¹⁵You will call and I will answer you;^(AJ)
    you will long for the creature your hands have made.^(AK)
¹⁶Surely then you will count my steps^(AL)
    but not keep track of my sin.^(AM)
¹⁷My offenses will be sealed^(AN) up in a bag;^(AO)
    you will cover over my sin.^(AP)

¹⁸“But as a mountain erodes and crumbles^(AQ)
    and as a rock is moved from its place,^(AR)
¹⁹as water wears away stones
    and torrents^(AS) wash away the soil,^(AT)
    so you destroy a person’s hope.^(AU)
²⁰You overpower them once for all, and they are gone;^(AV)
    you change their countenance and send them away.^(AW)
²¹If their children are honored, they do not know it;
    if their offspring are brought low, they do not see it.^(AX)
²²They feel but the pain of their own bodies^(AY)
    and mourn only for themselves.^(AZ)”

Footnotes

Job 14:3 Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew me
Job 14:14 Or release

Psalm 46

New International Version

Psalm 46^[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.^[b] A song.

¹God is our refuge^(A) and strength,^(B)
    an ever-present^(C) help^(D) in trouble.^(E)
²Therefore we will not fear,^(F) though the earth give way^(G)
    and the mountains fall^(H) into the heart of the sea,^(I)
³though its waters roar^(J) and foam^(K)
    and the mountains quake^(L) with their surging.^[c]

⁴There is a river^(M) whose streams^(N) make glad the city of God,^(O)
    the holy place where the Most High^(P) dwells.^(Q)
⁵God is within her,^(R) she will not fall;^(S)
    God will help^(T) her at break of day.
⁶Nations^(U) are in uproar,^(V) kingdoms^(W) fall;
    he lifts his voice,^(X) the earth melts.^(Y)

⁷The Lord Almighty^(Z) is with us;^(AA)
the God of Jacob^(AB) is our fortress.^(AC)

⁸Come and see what the Lord has done,^(AD)
    the desolations^(AE) he has brought on the earth.
⁹He makes wars^(AF) cease
    to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow^(AG) and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields^[d] with fire.^(AH)
¹⁰He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;^(AI)
    I will be exalted^(AJ) among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

¹¹The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob^(AK) is our fortress.^(AL)

Footnotes

Psalm 46:1 In Hebrew texts 46:1-11 is numbered 46:2-12.
Psalm 46:1 Title: Probably a musical term
Psalm 46:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 7 and 11.
Psalm 46:9 Or chariots