CHAP. XLVIII.
1, Ioseph with his sonnes, visiteth his sicke father. 2, Iakob strengtheneth himselfe to blesse them. 3, Hee repeateth the promise. 5, Hee adopteth Ephraim and Manasseh Iosephs sonnes, as his owne. 7, Hee telleth him of his mothers grave. 9, He blesseth Ephraim and Manasseh, 17, He preferreth the yonger before the el∣der, though it displeased Ioseph. 21, He prophesieth the Israelites returne to Canaan, and giveth Ioseph his por∣tion therein.
ANd it was, after these things; that one said unto Ioseph; Behold thy father is [unspec 1] sicke: and he took his two sonnes, with him; Manasses and Ephraim. And one told Iakob; [unspec 2] and said, behold thy sonne Ioseph, commeth unto thee: and Israel strengthned himselfe; and sate upon the bed. And Iakob said unto Ioseph; God almighty, appeared unto me in [unspec 3] Luz, in the land of Canaan: and blessed mee. And said unto me; behold I will make thee [unspec 4] fruitfull, and multiply thee; and give thee to be an assembly of peoples; and will give this land, to thy seed after thee, for an eternall possession. And now, thy two sonnes, which [unspec 5] were borne unto thee in the land of Egypt; before I came unto thee, into Egypt, they are mine: Ephraim and Manasses, as Ruben and Simeon, shall bee mine. And thy begotten [unspec 6] issue, which thou shalt beget after them, shall be thine: by the name of their brethren, shall they be called, in their inheritance. And I, [unspec 7] when I came from Padan; Rachel dyed by me, in the land of Canaan, in the way; when yet there was a little-peece of ground, to come to Ephrath: and I buried her there, in the way of Ephrath; that is Bethlehem. And [unspec 8] Israel saw, the sons of Ioseph: and said, who are these? And Ioseph said unto his father; [unspec 9] they are my sonnes; whom God hath given to me, in this place: and he said, take them I pray thee unto mee, and I will blesse them. And the eyes of Israel were heavy for old-age; [unspec 10] he could not see: and hee brought them neere unto him; and he kissed them, and im∣braced them. And Israel said unto Ioseph; I [unspec 11] had not thought to see thy face; and loe, God hath made me to see thy seed also. And [unspec 12] Ioseph brought them out, from betweene his knees: and hee bowed himselfe on his face, to the earth. And Ioseph tooke them [unspec 13] both; Ephraim in his right-hand, toward Israels left-hand; and Manasses in his left-hand, toward Israels right-hand: & brought them neere, unto him. And Israel stretched [unspec 14] out his right-hand, and put it upon Ephra∣ims head, and he was the yonger; and his left-hand, upon Manasses head: hee prudently∣guided his hands; for Manasses, was the first borne. And he blessed Ioseph, and said: [unspec 15] the God, before whom my fathers, Abra∣ham and Isaak, did walke; the God which fed me, since I was, unto this day. The An∣gell [unspec 16] which redeemed mee, from all evill; blesse the lads: and let my name, bee called on them; and the name of my fathers, Abra∣ham and Isaak: and let them increase like fish into a multitude, in the midst of the land. And Ioseph saw, that his father put his [unspec 17] right-hand, upon Ephraims head, and it was evill in his eyes: and hee held-up his fathers hand, to remove it from on Ephra∣ims head, unto Manasses head. And Ioseph [unspec 18] said, unto his father, not so my father: for this is the first borne; put thy right-hand, up∣on his head. And his father refused; and [unspec 19] said, I know it my sonne, I know it; hee also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly, his yonger brother shall bee greater then hee; and his seed, shall be a plen∣tie of nations. And he blessed them in that [unspec 20] day, saying; In thee, shall Israel blesse, saying; God put thee, as Ephraim, and as Manasses: and he put Ephraim, before Manasses. And [unspec 21] Israel said, unto Ioseph; Behold I dye: and God will bee with you; and will returne