Manasseh and Ephraim

48 Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraimp along with him. 2 When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israelq rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.

3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almightya r appeared to me at Luzs in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed met 4 and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers.u I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this landv as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’w

5 “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egyptx before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine,y just as Reubenz and Simeona 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 b to my sorrowc 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).d

8 When Israele saw the sons of Joseph,f he asked, “Who are these?”

9 “They are the sons God has given me here,”g Joseph said to his father.

Then Israel said, “Bring them to me so I may blessh them.”

10 Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see.i So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed themj and embraced them.k

11 Israell said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again,m and now God has allowed me to see your children too.”n

12 Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s kneeso and bowed down with his face to the ground.p 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,q and brought them close to him. 14 But Israelr reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head,s though he was the younger,t and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.u

15 Then he blessedv Joseph and said,

“May the God before whom my fathers

Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully,w

the God who has been my shepherdx

all my life to this day,

16 the Angely who has delivered me from all harmz

—may he blessa these boys.b

May they be called by my name

and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,c

and may they increase greatly

on the earth.”d

17 When Joseph saw his father placing his right hande on Ephraim’s headf 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.”g

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.h Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he,i and his descendants will become a group of nations.j” 20 He blessedk them that dayl and said,

“In yourc name will Israelm pronounce this blessing:n

‘May God make you like Ephraimo and Manasseh.p’ ”

So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with youd q and take youe back to the land of yourf fathers.r 22 And to you I give one more ridge of landg s than to your brothers,t the ridge I took from the Amorites with my swordu and my bow.”

Jacob Blesses His Sons

49:1–28Ref—Dt 33:1–29

49 Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.v

2 “Assemblew and listen, sons of Jacob;

listen to your father Israel.x

3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn,y

my might, the first sign of my strength,z

excelling in honor,a excelling in power.

4 Turbulent as the waters,b you will no longer excel,

for you went up onto your father’s bed,

onto my couch and defiled it.c

5 “Simeond and Levie are brothers—

their swordsa are weapons of violence.f

6 Let me not enter their council,

let me not join their assembly,g

for they have killed men in their angerh

and hamstrungi oxen as they pleased.

7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce,

and their fury,j so cruel!k

I will scatter them in Jacob

and disperse them in Israel.l

8 “Judah,b m your brothers will praise you;

your hand will be on the neckn of your enemies;

your father’s sons will bow down to you.o

9 You are a lion’sp cub,q Judah;r

you return from the prey,s my son.

Like a lion he crouches and lies down,

like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?

10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,t

nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,c

until he to whom it belongsd shall comeu

and the obedience of the nations shall be his.v

11 He will tether his donkeyw to a vine,

his colt to the choicest branch;x

he will wash his garments in wine,

his robes in the blood of grapes.y

12 His eyes will be darker than wine,

his teeth whiter than milk.e z

13 “Zebuluna will live by the seashore

and become a haven for ships;

his border will extend toward Sidon.b

14 “Issacharc is a rawbonedf donkey

lying down among the sheep pens.g d

15 When he sees how good is his resting place

and how pleasant is his land,e

he will bend his shoulder to the burdenf

and submit to forced labor.g

16 “Danh h will provide justice for his people

as one of the tribes of Israel.i

17 Danj will be a snake by the roadside,

a viper along the path,k

that bites the horse’s heelsl

so that its rider tumbles backward.

18 “I look for your deliverance,m Lord.n

19 “Gadi o will be attacked by a band of raiders,

but he will attack them at their heels.p

20 “Asher’sq food will be rich;r

he will provide delicacies fit for a king.s

21 “Naphtalit is a doe set free

that bears beautiful fawns.j u

22 “Josephv is a fruitful vine,w

a fruitful vine near a spring,

whose branchesx climb over a wall.k

23 With bitterness archers attacked him;y

they shot at him with hostility.z

24 But his bow remained steady,a

his strong armsb stayedl limber,

because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,c

because of the Shepherd,d the Rock of Israel,e

25 because of your father’s God,f who helpsg you,

because of the Almighty,m h who blesses you

with blessings of the skies above,

blessings of the deep springs below,i

blessings of the breastj and womb.k

26 Your father’s blessings are greater

than the blessings of the ancient mountains,

thann the bounty of the age-old hills.l

Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,m

on the brow of the prince amongo his brothers.n

27 “Benjamino is a ravenous wolf;p

in the morning he devours the prey,q

in the evening he divides the plunder.”r

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel,s and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessingt appropriate to him.

The Death of Jacob

29 Then he gave them these instructions:u “I am about to be gathered to my people.v Bury me with my fathersw in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,x 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah,y near Mamrez in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the fielda as a burial placeb from Ephron the Hittite. 31 There Abrahamc and his wife Sarahd were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekahe were buried, and there I buried Leah.f 32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.p g”

33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.h