6216. Genesis 48

1. And so it was after these things, that [someone] said to Joseph, Behold, your father is sick. And he took his two sons with him, Manasseh and Ephraim.

2. And [someone] told Jacob and said, Behold, your son Joseph has come to you; and Israel strengthened himself and sat on the bed.

3. And Jacob said to Joseph, God Shaddai showed Himself to me in Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me.

4. And He said to me, Behold, I am making you fruitful and will cause you to be multiplied, and I will make you into a congregation of peoples, and I will give this land to your seed after you as an everlasting possession.

5. And now your two sons born to you in the land of Egypt, prior to my coming to you, to Egypt, they are mine, Ephraim and Manasseh; as Reuben and Simeon will they be mine.

6. And your offspring ¹ that you beget after them will be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.

7. And as for me, when I was coming from Paddan, Rachel died on me in the land of Canaan on the road when there was still a stretch of land to go to Ephrath; [and I buried her there on the road to Ephrath,] that is, Bethlehem.

8. And Israel saw Joseph's sons and said, Whose are these?

9. And Joseph said to his father, My sons are they, whom God has given me here. And he said, Bring them now to me, and I will bless them.

10. And the eyes of Israel were weak ² because of old age; he could not see. And [Joseph] made them draw near him, and [Israel] kissed them and embraced them.

11. And Israel said to Joseph, I did not think to see your face, and behold, God has caused me to see your seed also.

12. And Joseph brought them away from his thighs and bowed down, his face to the earth.

13. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand to Israel's left, and Manasseh in his left to Israel's right, and made them draw near him.

14. And Israel put out his right hand and placed it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head; crosswise he put out his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn.

15. And he blessed Joseph, and said, The God before whom my fathers walked, Abraham and Isaac, the God feeding me since then, even until this day,

16. The angel redeeming me from every evil, may he bless the boys, and in them will my name be called, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and may they increase into a multitude in the midst of the earth.

17. And Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim's head, and it was wrong in his eyes; and he grasped his father's hand to remove it from upon Ephraim's head onto Manasseh's head.

18. And Joseph said to his father, Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn; place your right hand on his head.

19. And his father refused, and said, I know, my son, I know; he too will be a people, and he too will become great; but truly his younger brother will become greater than he, and his seed will be the fullness of nations. ³

20. And he blessed them on this day, saying, In you will Israel bless, saying, May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh. And he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

21. And Israel said to Joseph, Behold, I am dying; and God will be with you, and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.

22. And I give you one portion above your brothers, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.

CONTENTS

This chapter deals in the internal sense with the Church's understanding, which consists of truth, and with its will, which consists of good, the Church's understanding being 'Ephraim' and the Church's will 'Manasseh'.

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