Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh
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, z“God Almighty1 appeared to me at aLuz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 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 bfor an everlasting possession.’ 5And now your ctwo sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, dare mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. 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 eRachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance2 to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”
8When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9Joseph said to his father, f“They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that gI may bless them.” 10Now hthe eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, iand he kissed them and embraced them. 11And Israel said to Joseph, j“I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.” 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. 14kAnd 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, lcrossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). 15And he blessed Joseph and said,
“The God mbefore whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,
16nthe angel who has oredeemed me from all evil, bless the boys;
and in them let pmy name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
and let them qgrow into a multitude3 in the midst of the earth.”
17When Joseph saw that his father rlaid 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. 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, r“I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, shis younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude4 of nations.” 20So he blessed them that day, saying,
“By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying,
t‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’”
Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 21Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but uGod will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. 22Moreover, I have given to vyou rather than to your brothers one mountain slope5 that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”
The Promised Kingdom
Genesis 1:1–50:26 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 40:54 • ID: 2382The Partial Kingdom: God’s People — Part One
Genesis 1:1–50:26 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 29:13 • ID: 2383The Perished Kingdom — Part Two
Genesis 1:1–50:26 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 38:05 • ID: 2379The Perished Kingdom — Part One
Genesis 1:1–50:26 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 34:16 • ID: 2377A Lesson in Dying — Part One
Genesis 47:28–48:2 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 42:28 • ID: 1891Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.