1 ARST { Some time} after those things happened,{ someone} told Joseph,“Listen, your father is sick.” So Joseph{ went to visit his father and} took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him. BSB BSB: Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2 ARST { When they got there,} someone informed Jacob,“Look, your son Joseph has come to visit you.”{ Immediately} Israel exerted himself and sat up at{ the head of}{ his} bed{ and they greeted each other}. BSB BSB: When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up in bed.
3 ARST Then Jacob told Joseph,“God{ who is} all- powerful appeared to me{ long ago} in the region of Canaan at{ the town of} Luz. He blessed me{ there} BSB BSB: Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed me
4 ARST by saying to me,‘Listen, I will give you many descendants who will increase{ in number} and become many people groups. I will{ also} give this land to your descendants to own forever.’” BSB BSB: and told me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you; I will make you a multitude of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’
5 ARST { Then Jacob said to Joseph,}“Now then, your two sons Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you{ here} in the country of Egypt before I joined you here,{ I will treat as} my sons, just like my sons Reuben and Simeon. BSB BSB: And now your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here shall be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.
6 ARST If you have any more children, they will be yours,{ so that} what they inherit{ from me} will be some of what their brothers{ Ephraim and Manasseh} inherit{ from me}. BSB BSB: Any children born to you after them shall be yours, and they shall be called by the names of their brothers in the territory they inherit.
7 ARST I{ am doing this because} as our family was returning{ home} from{ the region of} Paddan{ Aram},{ your mother} Rachel died beside me in the region of Canaan while we were still traveling and some distance away from{ the town of} Ephrath.{ As you know,} I buried her body there by the road that goes to Ephrath, which{ now has the name} Bethlehem.” BSB BSB: Now as for me, when I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way in the land of Canaan, some distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).
8 ARST Then Israel noticed Joseph’ s{ two} sons and asked{ him},“Who{ are} these{ young men}?” BSB BSB: When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?”
9 ARST Joseph answered him,“These{ are} my sons whom God gave to me here{ in Egypt}.” Then Israel said{ to Joseph},“Please bring them{ closer} to me so that I can{ ask God to} bless them.” BSB BSB: Joseph said to his father, “They are the sons God has given me in this place.” So Jacob said, “Please bring them to me, that I may bless them.”
10 ARST Now Israel was almost blind because of old age,{ so that} he could not see{ very clearly}. So Joseph took his sons{ closer} to his father, and his father kissed them{ on the cheeks} and hugged them. BSB BSB: Now Israel’s eyesight was poor because of old age; he could hardly see. Joseph brought his sons to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.
11 ARST Then Israel exclaimed to Joseph,“I never thought I would see you{ again}, but{ now} look, God has even let me meet your children!” BSB BSB: “I never expected to see your face again,” Israel said to Joseph, “but now God has let me see your children as well.”
12 ARST Then Joseph had his sons move away from beside his father’ s knees, and he bowed{ before his father} and touched the ground with his forehead{ to show him respect}. BSB BSB: Then Joseph removed his sons from his father’s knees and bowed facedown.
13 ARST Then he brought his sons close to his father{ again}. He had Ephraim stand in front of Israel’ s left{ side}, and he had Manasseh stand in front of Israel’ s right{ side}. BSB BSB: And Joseph took both of them—with Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand—and brought them close to him.
14 ARST But Israel{ intentionally} reached out his right hand and put{ it} on Ephraim’ s head, even though Ephraim{ was}{ Joseph’ s} younger{ son}. Then he crossed his arms and{ put} his left hand on Manasseh’ s head,{ even} though Manasseh{ was}{ Joseph’ s} oldest{ son}. BSB BSB: But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger; and crossing his hands, he put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 ARST Then Israel blessed Joseph{ and his sons} by saying,“I pray that the God whom my ancestors Abraham and Isaac served{ will bless your sons}. He is the God who has taken care of me my entire life. BSB BSB: Then he blessed Joseph and said: “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
16 ARST { He is also} the Angel who saved me{ continually} from every harm. I pray that he will cause{ these} young men to prosper{ greatly}, so that my family line and the family line of my ancestors Abraham and Isaac will continue through them and so that they will have many descendants on the earth.” BSB BSB: the angel who has redeemed me from all harm—may He bless these boys. And may they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow into a multitude upon the earth.”
17 ARST { When} Joseph noticed that his father had put his right hand on Ephraim’ s head, he thought it was a mistake. So he took hold of his father’ s hand{ in order} to move it from Ephraim’ s head to Manasseh’ s head. BSB BSB: When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he was displeased and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s.
18 ARST Then he said to his father,“That is the wrong son, Father. The other{ one}{ is}{ my} oldest son.{ So}{ you need to} have your right hand on his head.” BSB BSB: “Not so, my father!” Joseph said. “This one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
19 ARST But his father would not{ move his hands} and replied,“I know{ it}, my son, I know{ what I am doing}.{ In fact,} your oldest son will also be a great man, and he will become{ the ancestor of} a people group. However, his younger brother will be{ even} greater than he{ will be}, and his{ younger} brother’ s descendants will become many people groups.” BSB BSB: But his father refused. “I know, my son, I know!” he said. “He too shall become a people, and he too shall be great; nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.”
20 ARST So Israel blessed Ephraim and Manasseh that day by saying{ to them},“{ The people of} Israel will use your names when they bless{ people} and say,‘May God prosper you like{ he prospered} Ephraim and Manasseh.’” In that way, Israel made Ephraim greater than Manasseh. BSB BSB: So that day Jacob blessed them and said: “By you shall Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’” So he put Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 ARST After that, Israel{ turned} to Joseph{ and} said{ to him},“As you can see, I am about to die, but God will{ always} be with you and your brothers{ and all your descendants}{ to help you}. He will also take you back to the land that{ he gave} to your ancestors. BSB BSB: Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.
22 ARST Besides that,{ as part of your inheritance from me,} I{ hereby} give you{ the city of} Shechem,{ which} I captured from the Amorite{ s} when I defeated them in battle. This is more{ land} than I am giving to your brothers.” BSB BSB: And to you, as one who is above your brothers, I give the ridge of land that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow.”