Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh
1 Some time later Joseph was
told that his father was ill. So
he took his two sons, Manasseh and
Ephraim, and went to see Jacob.
2 When Jacob was told that his son
Joseph had come to see him, he
gathered his strength and sat up in
bed.
3 Jacob said to Joseph, “Almighty
God appeared to me at Luz
in the land of Canaan and blessed
me.
4 He said to me, ‘I will give you
many children, so that your descendants
will become many nations;
I will give this land to your descendants
as their possession
forever.’” note
5 Jacob continued, “Joseph, your
two sons, who were born to you in
Egypt before I came here, belong to
me; Ephraim and Manasseh are just
as much my sons as Reuben and
Simeon.
6 If you have any more sons,
they will not be considered mine; the
inheritance they get will come
through Ephraim and Manasseh.
7 I
am doing this because of your
mother Rachel. To my great sorrow
she died in the land of Canaan, not
far from Ephrath, as I was returning
from Mesopotamia. I buried her
there beside the road to Ephrath.”
(Ephrath is now known as Bethlehem.) note
8 When Jacob saw Joseph's sons,
he asked, “Who are these boys?”
9 Joseph answered, “These are my
sons, whom God has given me here
in Egypt.”
9 Jacob said, “Bring them to me so
that I may bless them.”
10 Jacob's
eyesight was failing because of his
age, and he could not see very well.
Joseph brought the boys to him, and
he hugged them and kissed them.
11 Jacob said to Joseph, “I never expected
to see you again, and now
God has even let me see your children.”
12 Then Joseph took them
from Jacob's lap and bowed down
before him with his face to the
ground.
13 Joseph put Ephraim at Jacob's
left and Manasseh at his right.
14 But
Jacob crossed his hands, and put his
right hand on the head of Ephraim,
even though he was the younger,
-- --
and his left hand on the head of Manasseh,
who was the older.
15 Then
he blessed Joseph: note
“May God, whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac served, bless these boys!
May God, who has led me to this very day, bless them!
16
May the angel, who has rescued me from all harm, bless them!
May my name and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac live on through these boys!
May they have many children, many descendants!”
17 Joseph was upset when he saw
that his father had put his right hand
on Ephraim's head; so he took his father's
hand to move it from Ephraim's
head to the head of Manasseh.
18 He said to his father, “Not that
way, father. This is the older boy;
put your right hand on his head.”
19 His father refused, saying, “I
know, son, I know. Manasseh's descendants
will also become a great
people. But his younger brother will
be greater than he, and his descendants
will become great nations.”
20 So he blessed them that day,
saying, “The Israelites will use your
names when they pronounce blessings.
They will say, ‘May God make
you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”
In this way Jacob put Ephraim before
Manasseh. note
21 Then Jacob said to Joseph, “As
you see, I am about to die, but God
will be with you and will take you
back to the land of your ancestors.
22 It is to you and not to your brothers
that I am giving Shechem, that
fertile region which I took from the
Amorites with my sword and my
bow.”
Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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