Genesis 48
Expanded Bible
Blessings for Manasseh and Ephraim
48 ·Some time later [L And after these things] Joseph ·learned [was told] that his father was very sick, so he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim ·and went to his father [L with him]. 2 When Joseph arrived, someone told Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to see you.” ·Jacob [L Israel; another name for Jacob; 32:28] ·was weak, so he ·used all [L summoned] his strength and sat up on his bed.
3 Then Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz [C another name for Bethel] in the land of Canaan and blessed me there [28:19; 35:9–15]. 4 He said to me, ‘I will ·give you many children [L make you fruitful and multiply you; 1:28]. I will make you ·the father [L a company; an assembly] of many peoples, and I will give your ·descendants [L seed] this land ·forever [as a permanent possession].’ 5 Your two sons, who were born here in Egypt before I came, will be counted as my own sons. Ephraim and Manasseh will be my sons just as Reuben and Simeon are my sons [C his two oldest children]. 6 But if you have other children, they will be your own, and ·their land will be part of the land given to Ephraim and Manasseh [L they will be recorded according to the name of their brothers in regard to their inheritance]. 7 When I came from northwestern Mesopotamia [L Paddan], Rachel died in the land of Canaan, as we were traveling toward Ephrath [35:16, 19]. This made me very sad, and I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath.” (Today Ephrath is Bethlehem.)
8 Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons and said, “Who are these boys?”
9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons that God has given me here in ·Egypt [L this place].”
Israel said, “Bring your sons to me so I may bless them.”
10 At this time Israel’s eyesight was ·bad [L heavy] because he was old. So Joseph brought the boys close to him, and Israel kissed the boys and ·put his arms around [embraced] them. 11 He said to Joseph, “I thought I would never see ·you alive [L your face] again, and now God has ·let me see you and [L shown me] also your ·children [L seed].” 12 Then Joseph moved his sons off ·Israel’s lap [L his knees] and bowed facedown to the ground. 13 He put Ephraim on his right side and Manasseh on his left. (So Ephraim was near Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh was near Israel’s right hand.) Joseph brought the boys close to Israel. 14 But Israel ·crossed his arms and put his [L sent forth and placed his] right hand on the head of Ephraim, who was younger. He put his left hand on the head of Manasseh, the firstborn son. 15 And Israel blessed Joseph and said,
“My ·ancestors [fathers] Abraham and Isaac ·served [L walked before] our God,
and like a shepherd God has led me all my life.
16 He was the Angel who ·saved [redeemed] me from all ·my troubles [harm].
Now I pray that he will bless these boys.
May my name be known through these boys,
and may the names of my ancestors Abraham and Isaac be known through them.
May they ·have many descendants [grow into a large group]
on the earth.”
17 When Joseph saw that his father put his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he ·didn’t like it [L thought it was wrong]. So he took hold of his father’s hand, wanting to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 Joseph said to his father, “·You are doing it wrong, Father, since Manasseh [L No, my Father, for this] is the firstborn son. Put your right hand on his head.”
19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. Manasseh will be great and ·have many descendants [L become great]. But his younger brother will be greater, and his ·descendants [L seed] will ·be enough to make a nation [L become the fullness of nations; C Ephraim would become the dominant tribe in northern Israel].”
20 So ·Israel [L he] blessed them that day and said,
“When a blessing is given in Israel, they will say:
‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ”
In this way he ·made Ephraim greater than [L set Ephraim before] Manasseh.
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look at me; I am about to die. But God will be with you and will take you back to the land of your fathers. 22 I have given you something that I did not give your brothers—the land of Shechem [or mountain slope; 12:6] that I took from the Amorite people with my sword and my bow [perhaps 34:1–31].”
Genesis 48
Lexham English Bible
Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh
48 And it happened that after these things, it was said to Joseph, “Behold, your father is ill.” And he took his two sons with him, Ephraim and Manasseh. 2 And it was told to Jacob, “Behold, your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel strengthened himself and he sat up in the bed. 3 Then Jacob said to Joseph, “El-Shaddai[a] appeared to me in Luz, in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and make you numerous, and will make you a company of nations. And I will give this land to your offspring after you as an everlasting possession.’ 5 And now, your two sons who were born to you in the land of Egypt before my coming to you in Egypt, are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine as Reuben and Simeon are. 6 And your children whom you father after them shall be yours. By the name of their brothers they shall be called, with respect to their inheritance. 7 As for me, when I came to Paddan-Aram Rachel died to my sorrow[b] 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 (that is, Bethlehem).” 8 When Israel saw the sons of Joseph he said, “Who are these?” 9 Then Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Please bring them to me that I may bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim[c] on account of old age; he was not able to see. So he brought them near to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I did not expect to see your face and behold, God has also shown me your offspring.” 12 Then Joseph removed them from his knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. 13 And Joseph took the two of them, Ephraim at his right to the left of Israel, and Manasseh at his left to the right of Israel. And he brought them near to him. 14 And Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim (now he was the younger), and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 And he blessed Joseph and said,
“The God before whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, walked,
The God who shepherded me all my life[d] unto this day,
16 The angel who redeemed me from all evil,
may he bless the boys.
And through them let my name be perpetuated,[e]
and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac.
And let them multiply into many in the midst of the earth.
17 When Joseph saw that his father put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, he was displeased. And he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from the head of Ephraim over to the head of Manasseh. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father; because this one is the firstborn. Put your right hand upon 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, but his younger brother shall be greater than him, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day, saying,
Through you Israel shall pronounce blessing, saying,
‘May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.’”
So he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 21 And Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your ancestors.[f] 22 And I have given to you one slope of land rather than your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorites by my sword and with my bow.”
Footnotes
- Genesis 48:3 Often translated “God Almighty”
- Genesis 48:7 Literally “to me”
- Genesis 48:10 Or “heavy” (i.e., his eyelids were heavy; his eyes were closed)
- Genesis 48:15 Literally “since my duration”
- Genesis 48:16 Or “called”
- Genesis 48:21 Or “fathers”
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