¹ 这事以後，有人告诉约瑟说：你的父亲病了。他就带着两个儿子玛拿西和以法莲同去。

² 有人告诉雅各说：请看，你儿子约瑟到你这里来了。以色列就勉强在床上坐起来。

³ 雅各对约瑟说：全能的神曾在迦南地的路斯向我显现，赐福与我，

⁴ 对我说：我必使你生养众多，成为多民，又要把这地赐给你的後裔，永远为业。

⁵ 未到埃及见你之先，你在埃及地所生的以法莲和玛拿西这两个儿子是我的，正如流便和西缅是我的一样。

⁶ 你在他们以後所生的就是你的，他们可以归於他们弟兄的名下得产业。

⁷ 至於我，我从巴旦来的时候，拉结死在我眼前，在迦南地的路上，离以法他还有一段路程，我就把他葬在以法他的路上〈以法他就是伯利恒〉。

⁸ 以色列看见约瑟的两个儿子，就说：这是谁？

⁹ 约瑟对他父亲说：这是神在这里赐给我的儿子。以色列说：请你领他们到我跟前，我要给他们祝福。

¹⁰ 以色列年纪老迈，眼睛昏花，不能看见。约瑟领他们到他跟前，他就和他们亲嘴，抱着他们。

¹¹ 以色列对约瑟说：我想不到得见你的面，不料，神又使我得见你的儿子。

¹² 约瑟把两个儿子从以色列两膝中领出来，自己就脸伏於地下拜。

¹³ 随後，约瑟又拉着他们两个，以法莲在他的右手里，对着以色列的左手，玛拿西在他的左手里，对着以色列的右手，领他们到以色列的跟前。

¹⁴ 以色列伸出右手来，按在以法莲的头上〈以法莲乃是次子〉，又剪搭过左手来，按在玛拿西的头上〈玛拿西原是长子〉。

¹⁵ 他就给约瑟祝福说：愿我祖亚伯拉罕和我父以撒所事奉的神，就是一生牧养我直到今日的神，

¹⁶ 救赎我脱离一切患难的那使者，赐福与这两个童子。愿他们归在我的名下和我祖亚伯拉罕、我父以撒的名下。又愿他们在世界中生养众多。

¹⁷ 约瑟见他父亲把右手按在以法莲的头上，就不喜悦，便提起他父亲的手，要从以法莲的头上挪到玛拿西的头上。

¹⁸ 约瑟对他父亲说：我父，不是这样。这本是长子，求你把右手按在他的头上。

¹⁹ 他父亲不从，说：我知道，我儿，我知道。他也必成为一族，也必昌大。只是他的兄弟将来比他还大；他兄弟的後裔要成为多族。

²⁰ 当日就给他们祝福说：以色列人要指着你们祝福说：愿神使你如以法莲、玛拿西一样。於是立以法莲在玛拿西以上。

²¹ 以色列又对约瑟说：我要死了，但神必与你们同在，领你们回到你们列祖之地。

²² 并且我从前用弓用刀从亚摩利人手下夺的那块地，我都赐给你，使你比众弟兄多得一分。

¹ Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that behold, the place was a place for livestock;

² the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the princes of the congregation, saying,

³ "Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Sebam, and Nebo, and Beon,

⁴ the land which Yahweh struck before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock; and your servants have livestock."

⁵ They said, "If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession; don't bring us over the Jordan."

⁶ Moses said to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, "Shall your brothers go to the war, and shall you sit here?

⁷ Why do you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which Yahweh has given them?

⁸ Your fathers did so when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land.

⁹ For when they went up to the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which Yahweh had given them.

¹⁰ Yahweh's anger was kindled in that day, and he swore, saying,

¹¹ 'Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me:

¹² except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun; because they have followed Yahweh completely.'

¹³ Yahweh's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander back and forth in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, who had done evil in the sight of Yahweh, was consumed.

¹⁴ "Behold, you have risen up in your fathers' place, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of Yahweh toward Israel.

¹⁵ For if you turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and you will destroy all this people."

¹⁶ They came near to him, and said, "We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones:

¹⁷ but we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel, until we have brought them to their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.

¹⁸ We will not return to our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance.

¹⁹ For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan, and forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side of the Jordan eastward."

²⁰ Moses said to them, "If you will do this thing, if you will arm yourselves to go before Yahweh to the war,

²¹ and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before Yahweh, until he has driven out his enemies from before him,

²² and the land is subdued before Yahweh; then afterward you shall return, and be guiltless towards Yahweh, and towards Israel; and this land shall be to you for a possession before Yahweh.

²³ "But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against Yahweh; and be sure your sin will find you out.

²⁴ Build cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which has proceeded out of your mouth."

²⁵ The children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying, "Your servants will do as my lord commands.

²⁶ Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock, shall be there in the cities of Gilead;

²⁷ but your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before Yahweh to battle, as my lord says."

²⁸ So Moses commanded concerning them to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers' [houses] of the tribes of the children of Israel.

²⁹ Moses said to them, "If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every man who is armed to battle, before Yahweh, and the land shall be subdued before you; then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession:

³⁰ but if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan."

³¹ The children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, "As Yahweh has said to your servants, so will we do.

³² We will pass over armed before Yahweh into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance [shall remain] with us beyond the Jordan."

³³ Moses gave to them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, according to the cities of it with [their] borders, even the cities of the surrounding land.

³⁴ The children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,

³⁵ and Atrothshophan, and Jazer, and Jogbehah,

³⁶ and Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran: fortified cities, and folds for sheep.

³⁷ The children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kiriathaim,

³⁸ and Nebo, and Baal Meon, (their names being changed), and Sibmah: and they gave other names to the cities which they built.

³⁹ The children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were therein.

⁴⁰ Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh; and he lived therein.

⁴¹ Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its towns, and called them Havvoth Jair.

⁴² Nobah went and took Kenath, and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name.