Jacob Blesses Joseph's Two Sons
1 Joseph was told that his father Jacob had become very sick. So Joseph went to see him and took along his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 When Joseph arrived, someone told Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to see you.” Jacob sat up in bed, but it took almost all his strength.
3 Jacob told Joseph:
God All-Powerful appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, where he gave me his blessing 4 and promised, “I will give you a large family with many descendants that will grow into a nation. And I am giving you this land that will belong to you and your family forever.”
5 Then Jacob went on to say:
Joseph, your two sons Ephraim and Manasseh were born in Egypt, but I accept them as my own, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6 Any children you have later will be considered yours, but their inheritance will come from Ephraim and Manasseh. 7 Unfortunately, your mother Rachel died in Canaan after we had left northern Syria and before we reached Bethlehem. And I had to bury her along the way.
8-10 Jacob was very old and almost blind. He did not recognize the two boys, and so he asked Joseph, “Who are these boys?”
Joseph answered, “They are my sons. God has given them to me here in Egypt.”
“Bring them to me,” Jacob said. “I want to give them my blessing.” Joseph brought the boys to him, and he hugged and kissed them.
11 Jacob turned to Joseph and told him, “For many years I thought you were dead and that I would never see you again. But now God has even let me live to see your children.” 12 Then Joseph made his sons move away from Jacob's knees, and Joseph bowed down in front of him with his face to the ground.
13 After Joseph got up, he brought his two sons over to Jacob again. He led his younger son Ephraim to the left side of Jacob and his older son Manasseh to the right. 14 But before Jacob gave them his blessing, he crossed his arms, putting his right hand on the head of Ephraim and his left hand on the head of Manasseh. 15 Then he gave Joseph his blessing and said:
My grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac worshiped the Lord God. He has been with me all my life, 16 and his angel has kept me safe. Now I pray that he will bless these boys and that my name and the names of Abraham and Isaac will live on because of them. I ask God to give them many children and many descendants as well.
17 Joseph did not like it when he saw his father place his right hand on the head of the younger son. So he tried to move his father's right hand from Ephraim's head and place it on Manasseh. 18 Joseph said, “Father, you have made a mistake. This is the older boy. Put your right hand on him.”
19 But his father said, “Son, I know what I am doing. It's true that Manasseh's family will someday become a great nation. But Ephraim will be even greater than Manasseh, because his descendants will become many great nations.”
20 Jacob told him that in the future the people of Israel would ask God's blessings on one another by saying, “I pray for God to bless you as much as he blessed Ephraim and Manasseh.” Jacob put Ephraim's name first to show that he would be greater than Manasseh. 21 After that, Jacob said, “Joseph, you can see that I won't live much longer. But God will be with you and will lead you back to the land he promised our family long ago. 22 Meanwhile, I'm giving you the hillside I captured from the Amorites.”
Jēkabs svētī Jāzepa dēlus
(Ebr 11:21)1 Un pēc tam bija tā – kāds Jāzepam teica: “Redzi, tavs tēvs ir slims!” Un viņš paņēma sev līdzi abus dēlus – Manasi un Efraimu. 2 Jēkabam tika pateikts: “Redzi – pie tevis atnācis tavs dēls Jāzeps!” Un Israēls saņēmās spēku un apsēdās gultā. 3 Jēkabs teica Jāzepam: “Visvarenais Dievs parādījās man Lūzā, Kanaāna zemē, un svētīja mani. 4 Viņš man teica: redzi – es darīšu tevi auglīgu un vairošu tevi, es darīšu tevi par tautu pulku, un šo zemi es došu mūžīgā īpašumā taviem pēcnācējiem, kas nāks pēc tevis! 5 Un tagad, abi divi tavi dēli, kas tev tika dzemdināti Ēģiptes zemē, pirms es atnācu pie tevis uz Ēģipti, – viņi ir mani! Efraims un Manase būs mani kā Rūbens un Šimons! 6 Tava būs dzimta, kurai tu kļūsi par tēvu pēc tiem! Pēc viņu brāļu vārdiem tie tiks saukti viņu mantojuma tiesā! 7 Un es – kad es nācu no Padāna, man Kanaāna zemē ceļā nomira Rāhēle, kamēr vēl bija kāds ceļa gabals, ko iet līdz Efrātai, un es apglabāju viņu tur, ceļā uz Efrātu, tas ir, Betlēmi.” 8 Tad Israēls ieraudzīja Jāzepa dēlus un teica: “Kam šie ir?” 9 Jāzeps teica savam tēvam: “Tie ir mani dēli, ko Dievs man šeit devis!” Un viņš teica: “Pieved viņus pie manis, un es jūs svētīšu!” 10 Israēla acis bija vājas no vecuma, viņš nevarēja redzēt. Un Jāzeps pieveda viņus tam klāt, un viņš tos skūpstīja un apkampa. 11 Un Israēls teica Jāzepam: “Necerēju skatīt tavu vaigu, bet redzi – Dievs man parādījis arī tavus pēcnācējus!” 12 Un Jāzeps paņēma tos nost no viņa ceļgaliem un noliecās ar seju līdz zemei. 13 Jāzeps saņēma tos abus – Efraimu pie labās rokas, no kreisās puses Israēlam, un Manasi pie kreisās rokas, no labās puses Israēlam, un pieveda tos viņam tuvāk. 14 Un Israēls izstiepa savu labo roku un uzlika uz galvas Efraimam, bet viņš bija jaunākais, un savu kreiso roku – uz galvas Manasem. Viņš sakrustoja savas rokas, kaut arī pirmdzimtais bija Manase. 15 Viņš svētīja Jāzepu un teica:
“Dievs, kura priekšā staigāja mani tēvi Ābrahāms un Īzaks,
ir tas Dievs, kurš visu mūžu ir ganījis mani,
līdz šai dienai!
16 Tas eņģelis, kurš izpirka mani no visa ļauna,
lai svētī šos zēnus,
lai pie viņiem tiek atkārtots mans vārds
un manu tēvu Ābrahāma un Īzaka vārds,
lai tie iet daudzumā
pa visu zemi!”
17 Jāzeps ieraudzīja, ka viņa tēvs uzlicis labo roku uz Efraima galvas, un viņam tas nepatika. Viņš sakampa sava tēva roku, lai no Efraima galvas to liktu uz Manases galvas. 18 Un Jāzeps teica savam tēvam: “Ne tā, mans tēvs! Šis taču ir pirmdzimtais, liec savu labo roku viņam uz galvas!” 19 Bet viņa tēvs liedzās un teica: “Es zinu, mans dēls, es zinu! Arī viņš kļūs par tautu, arī viņš taps jo liels, tomēr viņa jaunākais brālis būs lielāks par viņu, un viņa pēcnācēji kļūs par daudzām tautām!” 20 Un todien viņš tos svētīja:
“Ar jums Israēlā dos svētību, sakot:
lai Dievs tevi dara kā Efraimu un Manasi!”
Un viņš lika Efraimu pirms Manases.
21 Un Israēls teica Jāzepam: “Redzi – es mirstu, bet Dievs būs ar jums un aizvedīs jūs atpakaļ uz tēvu zemi! 22 Un tev es esmu devis vienu pleca gabalu vairāk nekā taviem brāļiem, to es atņēmu amoriešiem ar savu zobenu un loku!”
