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Genesis 48
New King James Version
Genesis 48
New King James Version
Jacob Blesses Joseph’s Sons(A)
48 Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, “Indeed your father is sick”; and he took with him his two sons, (B)Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And Jacob was told, “Look, your son Joseph is coming to you”; and Israel [a]strengthened himself and sat up on the bed. 3 Then Jacob said to Joseph: “God (C)Almighty appeared to me at (D)Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will (E)make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and (F)give this land to your descendants after you (G)as an everlasting possession.’ 5 And now your (H)two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. 6 Your [b]offspring [c]whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 But as for me, when I came from Padan, (I)Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”
8 Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, “Who are these?”
9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place.”
And he said, “Please bring them to me, and (J)I will bless them.” 10 Now (K)the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he (L)kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, (M)“I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!”
12 So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him. 14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand and (N)laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, (O)guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the (P)firstborn. 15 And (Q)he blessed Joseph, and said:
“God, (R)before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,
16 The Angel (S)who has redeemed me from all evil,
Bless the lads;
Let (T)my name be named upon them,
And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
And let them (U)grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
17 Now when Joseph saw that his father (V)laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove 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; put your right hand on his head.”
19 But his father refused and said, (W)“I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly (X)his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”
20 So he blessed them that day, saying, (Y)“By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’ ” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but (Z)God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover (AA)I have given to you one [d]portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand (AB)of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”
Footnotes
- Genesis 48:2 Collected his strength
- Genesis 48:6 children
- Genesis 48:6 Who are born to you
- Genesis 48:22 Lit. shoulder
Genesis 48
New American Standard Bible
Genesis 48
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.”
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 48
Amplified Bible
Genesis 48
Amplified Bible
Israel’s Last Days
48 Now some time after these things happened, Joseph was told, “Your father is sick.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him [to go to Goshen]. 2 And when Jacob (Israel) was told, “Look now, your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed. 3 Then Jacob said to Joseph, “[a]God Almighty appeared to me at Luz (Bethel) in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and numerous, and I will make you a great company of people, and will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’(A) 5 Now your two sons [Ephraim and Manasseh], who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; [b]Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine [that is, adopted as my heirs and sons as surely], as Reuben and Simeon are my sons. 6 But other sons who were born to you after them shall be your own; they shall be called by the names of their [two] brothers in their inheritance. 7 Now as for me, when I came from Paddan [in Mesopotamia], Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the journey, 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 [who was almost blind] 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 [in Egypt].” So he said, “Please bring them to me, so that I may bless them.” 10 Now Israel’s eyes were so dim from age that he could not see [clearly]. Then Joseph brought them close to him, and he kissed and embraced them. 11 Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face, but see, God has shown me your children as well.” 12 Then Joseph took the boys [from his father’s embrace], and he bowed [before him] with his face to the ground. 13 Then 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 laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, [c]crossing his hands [intentionally], even though Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 Then Jacob (Israel) blessed Joseph, and said,
“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked [in faithful obedience],
The God who has been my Shepherd [leading and caring for me] all my life to this day,
16
The [d]Angel [that is, the Lord Himself] who has redeemed me [continually] from all evil,
Bless the boys;
And may my name live on in them [may they be worthy of having their names linked with mine],
And the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
And may they grow into a [great] multitude in the midst of the earth.”
17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it displeased him [because he was not the firstborn]; and he grasped his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn; place your right hand on Manasseh’s head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know; Manasseh also will become a people and he will be great; but his younger brother shall be [e]greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.” 20 Then Jacob blessed them that day, saying,
“By you Israel will pronounce a blessing, saying,
‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”
And he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you, and bring you back to [Canaan] the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover, I have given you [the [f]birthright,] one portion [Shechem, one mountain ridge] more than any of your brothers, which I took [reclaiming it] from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”(B)
Footnotes
- Genesis 48:3 Heb El Shaddai.
- Genesis 48:5 This act of adoption effectively gave Joseph the birthright and a double allotment of the territory of the promised land when it was apportioned by Joshua (Josh 16; 17). The second son, Ephraim, was named before his older brother because Jacob planned to give him the primary blessing.
- Genesis 48:14 God acts independently of priority based on birth order when He chooses men. He too “crossed His hands” in the case of Seth whom He chose over Cain; of Shem over Japheth; of Isaac over Ishmael; of Jacob over Esau; of Judah and Joseph over Reuben; of Moses over Aaron; and of David over all his brothers.
- Genesis 48:16 See note 16:7.
- Genesis 48:19 This prophecy begins to be fulfilled during the time of the judges, as the tribe of Ephraim increased in prominence and became the head of the northern ten tribes. Joshua, whom Israel regarded as their ruler, was an Ephraimite. The ark of the covenant was placed in Shiloh in the territory of Ephraim, which also increased the tribe’s prestige. By its fulfillment, Jacob’s prophecy proved to be divinely inspired.
- Genesis 48:22 See note 49:3.
Genesis 48
New International Version
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. 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.”
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 48
King James Version
Genesis 48
King James Version
48 And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2 And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
4 And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.
5 And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.
6 And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.
7 And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.
8 And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these?
9 And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.
10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.
11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.
12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him.
14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,
16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.
18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
22 Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
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Amplified Bible (AMP)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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