Genesis 48
1 Some time later, someone told Joseph, “[Hey, ] your father is ill.” When Joseph heard that, he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to see his father.
| ויהי אחרי הדברים האלה ויאמר ליוסף הנה אביך חלה ויקח את שני בניו עמו--את מנשה ואת אפרים |
2 When someone told Jacob, “Look, your son Joseph has come to see you!” Jacob sat up on the bed, even though it was difficult for him to do that.
| ויגד ליעקב--ויאמר הנה בנך יוסף בא אליך ויתחזק ישראל וישב על המטה |
3 He said to Joseph, “When I was at Luz in Canaan, God Almighty appeared to me. He blessed me
| ויאמר יעקב אל יוסף אל שדי נראה אלי בלוז בארץ כנען ויברך אתי |
4 and said to me, ‘I am going to enable you to become the father of many children. You will have many descendants, and they will become [the ancestors of] many people-groups. And I will give this land to your descendants to possess forever.’
| ויאמר אלי הנני מפרך והרביתך ונתתיך לקהל עמים ונתתי את הארץ הזאת לזרעך אחריך--אחזת עולם |
5 “And now I will consider that your two sons, who were born to you here in Egypt before I came here, will (belong to me/be as though they are my sons). Ephraim and Manasseh will be [as though they were] my sons, and they will inherit my possessions, just like my sons Reuben and Simeon [and the others] will.
| ועתה שני בניך הנולדים לך בארץ מצרים עד באי אליך מצרימה--לי הם אפרים ומנשה--כראובן ושמעון יהיו לי |
6 If you later become the father of any more children, they will not be considered to be my children, but as my grandchildren, and [in Canaan] they will receive as part of what they inherit some of the same land that is in the territory that their brothers [Ephraim and Manasseh] will inherit.
| ומולדתך אשר הולדת אחריהם לך יהיו על שם אחיהם יקראו בנחלתם |
7 Many years ago, as I was returning from Paddan-Aram/Mesopotamia, your mother Rachel died in the Canaan region, while we were still traveling, not far from Ephrath [town]. So I buried her body there alongside the road to Ephrath [which is now called Bethlehem].”
| ואני בבאי מפדן מתה עלי רחל בארץ כנען בדרך בעוד כברת ארץ לבא אפרתה ואקברה שם בדרך אפרת הוא בית לחם |
8 When Jacob saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are these boys?”
| וירא ישראל את בני יוסף ויאמר מי אלה |
9 Joseph replied, “They are the sons that God has given to me here in Egypt.” Jacob said, “Bring them close to me so that I can bless them.”
| ויאמר יוסף אל אביו בני הם אשר נתן לי אלהים בזה ויאמר קחם נא אלי ואברכם |
10 Jacob was almost blind because he was very old. He could not recognize the boys. So Joseph brought his sons close to his father, and Jacob kissed them and hugged them.
| ועיני ישראל כבדו מזקן לא יוכל לראות ויגש אתם אליו וישק להם ויחבק להם |
11 Jacob said to Joseph, “I did not expect to see you again, but look at this! God has allowed me to see not only you, but he has allowed me to see your children, too!”
| ויאמר ישראל אל יוסף ראה פניך לא פללתי והנה הראה אתי אלהים גם את זרעך |
12 Joseph took the boys from alongside Jacob’s knees. Then he bowed down with his face to the ground.
| ויוצא יוסף אתם מעם ברכיו וישתחו לאפיו ארצה |
13 Then Joseph took both of the boys, putting Ephraim on his right side toward Jacob’s left hand, and putting Manasseh on his left side toward Jacob’s right hand, and brought them close to Jacob.
| ויקח יוסף את שניהם--את אפרים בימינו משמאל ישראל ואת מנשה בשמאלו מימין ישראל ויגש אליו |
14 But Jacob [did not do what Joseph wanted him to do. Instead], he reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, even though he was the younger son. He crossed his arms and put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the older son.
| וישלח ישראל את ימינו וישת על ראש אפרים והוא הצעיר ואת שמאלו על ראש מנשה שכל את ידיו כי מנשה הבכור |
15 Then he (blessed/asked God to bless) Joseph and his sons, saying, “My grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac conducted their lives as God desired, and to this very day God has led me and taken care of me as a shepherd leads and cares for his sheep [MET].
| ויברך את יוסף ויאמר האלהים אשר התהלכו אבתי לפניו אברהם ויצחק--האלהים הרעה אתי מעודי עד היום הזה |
16 The angel whom he sent has kept me from being harmed in any way. I pray that God will bless these boys. I pray that people will never forget about me and about Abraham and Isaac because of what God does for these boys. I pray that they will have many descendants who will live all over the earth.”
| המלאך הגאל אתי מכל רע יברך את הנערים ויקרא בהם שמי ושם אבתי אברהם ויצחק וידגו לרב בקרב הארץ |
17 When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head and not on Manasseh’s head, he was distressed/displeased. So he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.
| וירא יוסף כי ישית אביו יד ימינו על ראש אפרים--וירע בעיניו ויתמך יד אביו להסיר אתה מעל ראש אפרים--על ראש מנשה |
18 Joseph said to him, “My father, that is not right! The one on whom you put your left hand is my older son. Put your right hand on his head.”
| ויאמר יוסף אל אביו לא כן אבי כי זה הבכר שים ימינך על ראשו |
19 But his father refused, saying, “I know that, my son, I know what I am doing. Manasseh’s descendants will also become a people-group, and they will become important. But his younger brother’s descendants will become greater than his will. His descendants will become several nations.”
| וימאן אביו ויאמר ידעתי בני ידעתי--גם הוא יהיה לעם וגם הוא יגדל ואולם אחיו הקטן יגדל ממנו וזרעו יהיה מלא הגוים |
20 So he blessed them both on that day, saying, “The people in Israel will use your names when they bless people. They will say, ‘We pray that God will help you as he helped Ephraim and Manasseh.’” In that way, Jacob said that Ephraim would become more important than Manasseh.
| ויברכם ביום ההוא לאמור בך יברך ישראל לאמר ישמך אלהים כאפרים וכמנשה וישם את אפרים לפני מנשה |
21 Then Jacob said to Joseph, “I am about to die. But I know that God will help/protect you. And some day he will take your descendants back to the land of their ancestors.
| ויאמר ישראל אל יוסף הנה אנכי מת והיה אלהים עמכם והשיב אתכם אל ארץ אבתיכם |
22 And it is to you, not to your brothers, that I will give the fertile hill in the Shechem area. I captured that land from the Amor people-group, fighting them with my sword and my bow and arrows.”
| ואני נתתי לך שכם אחד--על אחיך אשר לקחתי מיד האמרי בחרבי ובקשתי |
