Genesis 48
Jacob Blesses Ephraim
and Manasseh |
1 |
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, Manas'seh and E'phra-im.
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2 |
And one told Jacob, and said,
Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened
himself, and sat upon the bed.
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3 |
And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty
appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed
me,
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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. Gen. 28.13, 14
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5 |
And now thy two sons, E'phra-im and
Manas'seh, 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.
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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.
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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; Gen. 35.16-19
the same is Bethlehem.
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8 |
And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and
said, Who are these?
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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.
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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.
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11 |
And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not
thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath showed me also thy
seed.
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12 |
And Joseph brought them out from between
his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the
earth.
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13 |
And Joseph took them both, E'phra-im in
his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manas'seh in his left
hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto
him.
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14 |
And Israel stretched out his right hand,
and laid it upon E'phra-im's head, who was the
younger, and his left hand upon Manas'seh's head, guiding his hands
wittingly; for Manas'seh was the firstborn.
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15 |
And he blessed Joseph, and said,
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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,
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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 E'phra-im, it displeased him:
and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from E'phra-im's head
unto Manas'seh's head.
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18 |
And Joseph said unto his father, Not so,
my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon
his head.
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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.
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20 |
And he blessed them Heb. 11.21
that day, saying,
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In thee shall Israel bless, saying, |
God make thee as E'phra-im and as
Manas'seh: | |
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and he set E'phra-im before
Manas'seh. |
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.
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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.
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