1Kort efter fik Josef meddelelse om, at det gik hurtigt ned ad bakke med hans fars helbred. Han tog derfor straks af sted for at besøge ham sammen med sine to sønner Manasse og Efraim.2Da Jakob hørte, at Josef var kommet, satte han sig med en kraftanstrengelse op og svingede benene ud over sengekanten.3Derpå sagde han til Josef: „Gud den almægtige viste sig for mig i Luz i Kana’an og velsignede mig.4Han sagde: ‚Jeg vil gøre dig til et stort folk og give Kana’ans land til dig og dine efterkommere, og det skal for altid være jeres ejendom.’ ”5„Nu vil jeg adoptere dine to sønner, Efraim og Manasse, som blev født her i Egypten, før jeg kom hertil,” fortsatte Jakob. „De skal være mine egne sønner og arve på lige fod med Ruben og Simeon og mine andre sønner.6Men de sønner, du får i fremtiden, bliver dine egne, og det land de skal arve, bliver indenfor Efraims og Manasses område.7Da vi kom tilbage fra Paddan-Aram døde Rakel i Kana’an, inden vi ankom til Efrat—og jeg begravede hende der ved siden af vejen til Efrat.” (Efrat hedder nu Betlehem.)8Så kiggede Jakob over på de to drenge. „Er det dine sønner?” spurgte han.9„Ja,” svarede Josef, „det er de sønner, Gud har givet mig her i Egypten.” „Bring dem herhen til mig,” sagde Jakob, „så jeg kan velsigne dem.”10Jakob kunne ikke se særlig godt, for han var gammel og halvblind. Så førte Josef drengene hen til ham, og Jakob kyssede dem på kinden og omfavnede dem,11og han sagde til Josef: „Jeg havde aldrig troet, at jeg skulle få dig at se igen. Men nu har Gud tilmed ladet mig se dine børn.”12Så førte Josef drengene væk fra deres bedstefars knæ og bøjede sig dybt til jorden for ham.13Derefter førte han med sin højre hånd Efraim hen til Jakobs venstre side og med sin venstre hånd Manasse hen til Jakobs højre side.14Jakob lagde dog sin højre hånd på Efraims hoved, selvom han var den yngste, og sin venstre hånd på Manasses hoved, selvom han var den ældste, så han sad med armene over kors.15Derpå velsignede han Josef og hans to sønner med følgende ord: „Må den Gud, som min bedstefar Abraham og min far Isak vandrede med, den Gud, som har været min hyrde livet igennem,16den engel, som har bevaret mig fra alt ondt—må han velsigne de to drenge her! Må de føre min slægt videre, som jo udgår fra Abraham og Isak, og må de blive til et mægtigt folk.”17Da Josef så, at hans far havde lagt sin højre hånd på Efraims hoved, kunne han ikke lide det, og han greb sin fars hånd for at lægge den på Manasses hoved.18„Far,” sagde han. „Det er ham her, der er den ældste. Læg din højre hånd på hans hoved.”19Men det nægtede hans far. „Jeg ved, hvad jeg gør, min søn,” svarede han. „Manasse vil blive stamfar til et mægtigt folk, men hans yngre bror vil blive endnu mægtigere. Hans efterkommere vil blive til mange folkeslag.”20Den dag velsignede Jakob drengene med følgende velsignelse: „Israelitterne vil bruge jeres navne til at velsigne hinanden. De vil sige: ‚Må Gud velsigne jer, som han velsignede Efraim og Manasse!’ ” På den måde satte han Efraim over Manasse.21Derefter sagde Jakob til Josef: „Jeg skal snart dø, men Gud vil være med jer og føre jer til Kana’an, det land, han lovede jeres forfædre.22Og da du har en højere position end dine brødre, overdrager jeg dig højlandet omkring Sikem, som vi tog fra amoritterne med sværd og bue.”
1After this, Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.2And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed.3And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty[1] appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, (1.Mos 17,1; 1.Mos 28,13; 1.Mos 28,19; 1.Mos 35,6; 1.Mos 35,9)4and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’ (1.Mos 17,8)5And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. (1.Mos 41,50; 1.Mos 46,20; Josva 13,7; Josva 14,4; Josva 17,17)6And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.7As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance[2] to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).” (1.Mos 35,9)8When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?”9Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.” (1.Mos 27,4; 1.Mos 33,5; 1.Mos 49,25; Heb 11,21)10Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. (1.Mos 27,1; 1.Mos 27,27)11And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.” (1.Mos 37,33; 1.Mos 45,26)12Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.13And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him.14And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). (1.Mos 48,17; 1.Mos 48,19)15And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, (1.Mos 17,1; 1.Mos 24,40)16the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude[3] in the midst of the earth.” (1.Mos 28,15; 1.Mos 31,11; 1.Mos 31,13; 1.Mos 31,24; 2.Mos 23,20; 4.Mos 26,34; 4.Mos 26,37; 2.Sam 4,9; Salm 34,22; Salm 121,7; Es 44,22; Es 49,7; Es 63,9; Amos 9,12; Ap G 15,17)17When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. (1.Mos 48,14)18And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.”19But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude[4] of nations.” (1.Mos 48,17; 4.Mos 1,33; 4.Mos 1,35; 4.Mos 2,19; 4.Mos 2,21; 5.Mos 33,17)20So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, ‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’” Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. (Ruth 4,11)21Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. (1.Mos 46,4; 1.Mos 50,24)22Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope[5] that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.” (Josva 24,32; Joh 4,5)