| New Living Translation | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1One day not long after this, word came to Joseph, “Your father is failing rapidly.” So Joseph went to visit his father, and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. | 1Some time after this, Joseph was told, "Your father is weaker." So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. |
| 2When Joseph arrived, Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to see you.” So Jacob gathered his strength and sat up in his bed. | 2When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has come to you," Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed. |
| 3Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. | 3Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. |
| 4He said to me, ‘I will make you fruitful, and I will multiply your descendants. I will make you a multitude of nations. And I will give this land of Canaan to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’ | 4He said to me, 'I will make you fruitful and numerous; I will make many nations come from you, and I will give this land as a permanent possession to your future descendants.' |
| 5“Now I am claiming as my own sons these two boys of yours, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born here in the land of Egypt before I arrived. They will be my sons, just as Reuben and Simeon are. | 5Your two sons born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt are now mine. Ephraim and Manasseh belong to me just as Reuben and Simeon do. |
| 6But any children born to you in the future will be your own, and they will inherit land within the territories of their brothers Ephraim and Manasseh. | 6Children born to you after them will be yours and will be recorded under the names of their brothers with regard to their inheritance. |
| 7“Long ago, as I was returning from Paddan-aram, Rachel died in the land of Canaan. We were still on the way, some distance from Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). So with great sorrow I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath.” | 7When I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way, some distance from Ephrath in the land of Canaan. I buried her there along the way to Ephrath" (that is, Bethlehem). |
| 8Then Jacob looked over at the two boys. “Are these your sons?” he asked. | 8When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, "Who are these?" |
| 9“Yes,” Joseph told him, “these are the sons God has given me here in Egypt.” And Jacob said, “Bring them closer to me, so I can bless them.” | 9And Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons God has given me here." So Israel said, "Bring them to me and I will bless them." |
| 10Jacob was half blind because of his age and could hardly see. So Joseph brought the boys close to him, and Jacob kissed and embraced them. | 10Now his eyesight was poor because of old age; he could hardly see. Joseph brought them to him, and he kissed and embraced them. |
| 11Then Jacob said to Joseph, “I never thought I would see your face again, but now God has let me see your children, too!” | 11Israel said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face again, but now God has even let me see your offspring." |
| 12Joseph moved the boys, who were at their grandfather’s knees, and he bowed with his face to the ground. | 12Then Joseph took them from his father's knees and bowed with his face to the ground. |
| 13Then he positioned the boys in front of Jacob. With his right hand he directed Ephraim toward Jacob’s left hand, and with his left hand he put Manasseh at Jacob’s right hand. | 13Then Joseph took them both--with his right hand Ephraim toward Israel's left, and with his left hand Manasseh toward Israel's right--and brought them to Israel. |
| 14But Jacob crossed his arms as he reached out to lay his hands on the boys’ heads. He put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, though he was the younger boy, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, though he was the firstborn. | 14But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger, and crossing his hands, put his left on Manasseh's head, although Manasseh was the firstborn. |
| 15Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my grandfather Abraham and my father, Isaac, walked— the God who has been my shepherd all my life, to this very day, | 15Then 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 to this day, |
| 16the Angel who has redeemed me from all harm— may he bless these boys. May they preserve my name and the names of Abraham and Isaac. And may their descendants multiply greatly throughout the earth.” | 16the 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 to be numerous within the land. |
| 17But Joseph was upset when he saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head. So Joseph lifted it to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. | 17When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim's head, he thought it was a mistake and took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's. |
| 18“No, my father,” he said. “This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.” | 18Joseph said to his father, "Not that way, my father! This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head." |
| 19But his father refused. “I know, my son; I know,” he replied. “Manasseh will also become a great people, but his younger brother will become even greater. And his descendants will become a multitude of nations.” | 19But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know! He too will become a tribe, and he too will be great; nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his offspring will become a populous nation." |
| 20So Jacob blessed the boys that day with this blessing: “The people of Israel will use your names when they give a blessing. They will say, ‘May God make you as prosperous as Ephraim and Manasseh.’” In this way, Jacob put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh. | 20So he blessed them that day, putting Ephraim before Manasseh when he said, "The nation Israel will invoke blessings by you, saying, 'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.'" |
| 21Then Jacob said to Joseph, “Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will take you back to Canaan, the land of your ancestors. | 21Israel said to Joseph, "Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers. |
| 22And beyond what I have given your brothers, I am giving you an extra portion of the land that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow.” | 22Over and above what I am giving your brothers, I am giving you the one mountain slope that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow." |
| Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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