48Some time later Joseph was told that his father was ill. So he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and went to see Jacob.H310H1697H559H3130H1H2470H3947H8147H1121H4519H669 2When Jacob was told that his son Joseph had come to see him, he gathered his strength and sat up in bed.H5046H3290H559H1121H3130H935H3478H2388H3427H4296 3Jacob said to Joseph, "Almighty God appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me.H3290H559H3130H410H7706H7200H3870H776H3667H1288 4He 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.' "H559H6509H7235H5414H6951H5971H5414H776H2233H310H5769H272 5Jacob 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.H8147H1121H669H4519H3205H776H4714H5704H935H4714H7205H8095 6If you have any more sons, they will not be considered mine; the inheritance they get will come through Ephraim and Manasseh.H4138H3205H310H7121H5921H8034H251H5159 7I 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.)H935H6307H7354H4191H776H3667H1870H5750H3530H776H935H672H6912H1870H672H1035 8When Jacob saw Joseph's sons, he asked, "Who are these boys?"H3478H7200H3130H1121H559 9Joseph answered, "These are my sons, whom God has given me here in Egypt." Jacob said, "Bring them to me so that I may bless them."H3130H559H1H1121H430H5414H559H3947H1288 10Jacob'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.H5869H3478H3513H2207H3201H7200H5066H5401H2263 11Jacob said to Joseph, "I never expected to see you again, and now God has even let me see your children."H3478H559H3130H6419H7200H6440H430H7200H2233 12Then Joseph took them from Jacob's lap and bowed down before him with his face to the ground.H3130H3318H5973H1290H7812H639H776 13Joseph put Ephraim at Jacob's left and Manasseh at his right.H3130H3947H8147H669H3225H3478H8040H4519H8040H3478H3225H5066 14But 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.H3478H7971H3225H7896H669H7218H6810H8040H4519H7218H7919H3027H7919H4519H1060 15Then he blessed Joseph: "May God, whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac served, bless these boys! May God, who has led me to this very day, bless them!H1288H3130H559H430H6440H1H85H3327H1980H430H7462H5750H3117 16May 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!"H4397H1350H7451H1288H5288H8034H7121H8034H1H85H3327H1711H7230H7130H776 17Joseph 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.H3130H7200H1H7896H3225H3027H7218H669H3415H5869H8551H1H3027H5493H669H7218H4519H7218 18He said to his father, "Not that way, father. This is the older boy; put your right hand on his head."H3130H559H1H1H1060H7760H3225H7218 19His 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."H1H3985H559H3045H1121H3045H5971H1431H199H6996H251H1431H2233H4393H1471 20So 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.H1288H3117H559H3478H1288H559H430H7760H669H4519H7760H669H6440H4519 21Then 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.H3478H559H3130H4191H430H7725H776H1 22It 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."H5414H259H7926H251H3947H3027H567H2719H7198
