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NASB Bible

Genesis 48

Israel's Last Days

1

Now it came about after these things that  1Joseph was told, "Behold, your father is sick." So he took his two sons  aManasseh and Ephraim with him.

2

When  1it was told to Jacob, "Behold, your son Joseph has come to you," Israel  2collected his strength and sat  3up in the bed.

3

Then Jacob said to Joseph, " 1 aGod Almighty appeared to me at  bLuz in the land of Canaan and blessed me,

4

and He said to me, `Behold, I will make you fruitful and numerous, and I will make you a company of peoples, and will give this land to your  1descendants after you for  aan everlasting possession.'

5

"Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine;  aEphraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as  bReuben and Simeon are.

6

"But your offspring that  1have been born after them shall be yours; they shall be called by the  2names of their brothers in their inheritance.

7

"Now as for me, when I came from  aPaddan,  bRachel died,  1to my sorrow, in the land of Canaan on the journey, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)."

8

When Israel  asaw Joseph's sons, he said, "Who are these?"

9

Joseph said to his father, " aThey are my sons, whom God has given me here." So he said, "Bring them to me, please, that  bI may bless them."

10

Now  athe eyes of Israel were so dim from age that he could not see. Then  1Joseph brought them close to him, and he  bkissed them and embraced them.

11

Israel said to Joseph, "I never  1expected to see your face, and behold, God has let me see your  2children as well."

12

Then Joseph  1took them from his knees, and  abowed with his face to the ground.

13

Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel's left, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel's right, and brought them close to him.

14

But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head,  1crossing his hands,  2although  aManasseh was the firstborn.

15

He blessed Joseph, and said, " aThe God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,  bThe God who has been my shepherd  1all my life to this day,

16

 aThe angel who has redeemed me from all evil,  bBless the lads; And may my name  1live on in them, And the  2names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And  cmay they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth."

17

When Joseph saw that his father  alaid his right hand on Ephraim's head, it displeased him; and he grasped his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.

18

Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Place your right hand on his head."

19

But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know; he also will become a people and he also will be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and  ahis  1descendants shall become a  2multitude of nations."

20

 aHe blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will pronounce blessing, saying, `May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh!' " Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

21

Then Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am about to die, but  aGod will be with you, and  bbring you back to the land of your fathers.

22

"I give you one  1portion more than your brothers,  awhich I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow."



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(Produced: Sat Dec 22 11:22:51 2007)

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