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Genesis 48
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Genesis 48
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 48
1 [a]Some time afterward, Joseph was informed, “Your father is failing.” So he took along with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up in bed.
3 (A)Jacob then said to Joseph: “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz[b] in the land of Canaan, and blessing me, 4 he said, ‘I will make you fertile and multiply you and make you into an assembly of peoples, and I will give this land to your descendants after you as a permanent possession.’ 5 So now your two sons who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I joined you here, shall be mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine as much as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6 Progeny born to you after them shall remain yours; but their heritage shall be recorded in the names of their brothers. 7 (B)I do this because, when I was returning from Paddan, your mother Rachel died, to my sorrow, during the journey in Canaan, while we were still a short distance from Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath [now Bethlehem].”[c]
8 When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are these?” 9 “They are my sons,” Joseph answered his father, “whom God has given me here.” “Bring them to me,” said his father, “that I may bless them.” 10 Now Israel’s eyes were dim from age; he could not see well. When Joseph brought his sons close to him, he kissed and embraced them. 11 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your descendants as well!”
12 Joseph removed them from his father’s knees and bowed down before him with his face to the ground. 13 Then Joseph took the two, Ephraim with his right hand, to Israel’s left, and Manasseh with his left hand, to Israel’s right, and brought them up to him. 14 But Israel, crossing his hands, put out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, although he was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, although he was the firstborn. 15 Then he blessed them with these words:
“May the God in whose presence
my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
The God who has been my shepherd
from my birth to this day,(C)
16 The angel who has delivered me from all harm,
bless these boys
That in them my name be recalled,
and the names of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac,
And they may become teeming multitudes
upon the earth!”
17 When Joseph saw that his father had laid his right hand on Ephraim’s head, this seemed wrong to him; so he took hold of his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s, 18 saying, “That is not right, father; the other one is the firstborn; lay your right hand on his head!” 19 But his father refused. “I know it, son,” he said, “I know. That one too shall become a people, and he too shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall surpass him, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day and said, “By you shall the people of Israel pronounce blessings, saying, ‘God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’” Thus he placed Ephraim before Manasseh.(D)
21 Then Israel said to Joseph: “I am about to die. But God will be with you and will restore you to the land of your ancestors. 22 (E)As for me, I give to you, as to the one above his brothers, Shechem, which I captured from the Amorites with my sword and bow.”[d]
Footnotes
- 48:1–22 Jacob continues his preparations for death. In a scene that evokes the nearly blind Isaac blessing Jacob and Esau (chap. 27), Jacob blesses Joseph’s two sons. He adopts them, elevating them to a status equal to that of Jacob’s first sons Reuben and Simeon (cf. 1 Chr 5:1). The adoption is one more instance of Jacob’s favoring Rachel and those born of her. The mention of Jacob’s failing eyesight and his selection of the younger son over the older evokes the great deathbed scene in chap. 27. He reaffirms to Joseph the ancient divine promise of progeny and land.
- 48:3 Luz: an older name of Bethel (28:19).
- 48:7 Since her early death prevented Rachel from bearing more than two sons, Jacob feels justified in treating her two grandsons as if they were her own offspring.
- 48:22 Both the meaning of the Hebrew and the historical reference in this verse are obscure. By taking the Hebrew word for Shechem as a common noun meaning shoulder or mountain slope, some translators render the verse, “I give you one portion more than your brothers, which I captured…” The reference may be to the capture of Shechem by the sons of Jacob (34:24–29). Shechem lay near the border separating the tribal territory of Manasseh from that of Ephraim (Jos 16:4–9; 17:1–2, 7).
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.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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