| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1After these things Joseph was told, "Your father is weakening." So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him. | 1Some time later, somebody informed Joseph, "Your father is ill!" So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him to visit Jacob. |
| 2When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has just come to you," Israel regained strength and sat up on his bed. | 2As soon as Jacob was informed, "Look! Your son Joseph has come to visit you," Israel rallied his strength and sat up in bed. |
| 3Jacob said to Joseph, "The sovereign God appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. | 3Jacob reminded Joseph, "God Almighty revealed himself to me at Luz in Canaan and blessed me. |
| 4He said to me, 'I am going to make you fruitful and will multiply you. I will make you into a group of nations, and I will give this land to your descendants as an everlasting possession.' | 4He told me, 'Pay attention! I'm going to make you fruitful and numerous. I'm going to build you into a vast nation of people and then I'll give this land to your descendants for an eternal possession.' |
| 5"Now, as for your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, they will be mine. Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine just as Reuben and Simeon are. | 5You have two sons who were born to you in Egypt before I came to be with you, whom I now take as my own. Ephraim and Manasseh are mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are. |
| 6Any children that you father after them will be yours; they will be listed under the names of their brothers in their inheritance. | 6Your descendants are to be reckoned as yours, but are to be referred to among the names of their brothers in their respective inheritances. |
| 7But as for me, when I was returning from Paddan, Rachel died--to my sorrow--in the land of Canaan. It happened along the way, some distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there on the way to Ephrath" (that is, Bethlehem). | 7"Now as for me, Rachel died after I arrived in Canaan from Paddan, much to my sorrow. While I was on my journey to Ephrathah (also known as Bethlehem), I buried her there." |
| 8When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he asked, "Who are these?" | 8Just then, Israel saw Joseph's sons and asked, "Who are these?" |
| 9Joseph said to his father, "They are the sons God has given me in this place." His father said, "Bring them to me so I may bless them." | 9"These are my sons," Joseph replied. "God gave them to me here in Egypt." "Please bring them close to me," Jacob said, "so I can bless them." |
| 10Now Israel's eyes were failing because of his age; he was not able to see well. So Joseph brought his sons near to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them. | 10Now Israel's eyesight had become poor from age. Because he couldn't see well, Joseph brought them close to him, and Israel kissed them both and embraced them. |
| 11Israel said to Joseph, "I never expected to see you again, but now God has allowed me to see your children too." | 11Then he told Joseph, "I never thought I'd see you again, and now God has allowed me to see your children as well!" |
| 12So Joseph moved them from Israel's knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. | 12Joseph took them off his knees and then bowed low with his face to the ground. |
| 13Joseph positioned them; he put Ephraim on his right hand across from Israel's left hand, and Manasseh on his left hand across from Israel's right hand. Then Joseph brought them closer to his father. | 13Then he brought them both close to his father, placing Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel's left and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel's right. |
| 14Israel stretched out his right hand and placed it on Ephraim's head, although he was the younger. Crossing his hands, he put his left hand on Manasseh's head, for Manasseh was the firstborn. | 14But Israel stretched out his right hand, laying it on Ephraim's head (he was the younger son) and laying his left hand on Manasseh's head (even though Manasseh was the firstborn). |
| 15Then 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 long to this day, | 15Then Israel blessed Joseph by saying: "May the God in whose presence my ancestors Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has continued shepherding me my whole life even until today, |
| 16the Angel who has protected me from all harm--bless these boys. May my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. May they grow into a multitude on the earth." | 16the angel who has been rescuing me from all sorts of evil, bless these young men. May my name continue to live on within them, including the names of my ancestors Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow into a vast multitude throughout the earth." |
| 17When Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim's head, it displeased him. So he took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. | 17But Joseph observed that his father had laid his right hand on Ephraim's head. That displeased him, so he grabbed his father's hand and started to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. |
| 18Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head." | 18"No, father, this one is the firstborn. Place your right hand on his head." |
| 19But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He too will become a nation and he too will become great. In spite of this, his younger brother will be even greater and his descendants will become a multitude of nations." | 19But his father refused. "I know," he said. "I know. He's going to produce a large nation, and he's going to be very great. However, his younger brother will become even greater than he, and his descendants will become a multitude of nations." |
| 20So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you will Israel bless, saying, 'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.'" So he put Ephraim before Manasseh. | 20That very day, Jacob blessed them with this blessing: "By you Israel will extend this blessing: 'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh!'" By doing this, he placed Ephraim before Manasseh. |
| 21Then Israel said to Joseph, "I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers. | 21Then Israel told Joseph, "Pay attention! I'm about to die, but God will be with you. He'll bring you back to the land that belongs to your ancestors. |
| 22As one who is above your brothers, I give to you the mountain slope, which I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow." | 22I'm assigning you one portion more than your brothers from the land that I confiscated from the control of the Amorites in battle." |
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