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.”
1 Un pēc šiem notikumiem Jāzepam tika sacīts: "Tavs tēvs ir sasirdzis." Tad viņš paņēma savus divi dēlus, Manasi un Efraimu, sev līdzi 2 un sacīja Jēkabam: "Redzi, tavs dēls Jāzeps nāk pie tevis!" Tad Israēls atguva spēkus un apsēdās savā gultā. 3 Un Jēkabs sacīja Jāzepam: "Tas visuvarenais Dievs parādījās man Lūzā, Kānaāna zemē, un svētīja mani, 4 un man sacīja: redzi, Es būšu tas, kas tev liek augļoties un vairoties un kas tevi darīs par tautu kopu, un Es došu šo zemi par mūžīgu īpašumu taviem pēcnācējiem pēc tevis. 5 Tad nu tavi divi dēli, kas tev ir dzimuši Ēģiptes zemē, pirms es atnācu uz Ēģipti, Efraims un Manase, būs manējie, līdzīgi Rūbenam un Simeonam. 6 Bet tavi bērni, kas tev dzimuši pēc viņiem, piederēs tev, tiem jānes savu brāļu vārdi savās īpašuma tiesībās. 7 Bet man, nākot no Mezopotāmijas, nomira Rahēle Kānaāna zemē, vēl ceļā esot, nelielā attālumā no Efratas, un es viņu apglabāju tur ceļā uz Efratu, tas ir, uz Bētlemi." 8 Kad Israēls ieraudzīja Jāzepa dēlus, tas sacīja: "Kas tie tādi?" 9 Un Jāzeps sacīja savam tēvam: "Tie ir mani dēli, kurus Dievs man ir devis." Un viņš sacīja: "Pieved tos man tuvāk, ka es tos svētīju." 10 Israēla acis vecuma dēļ bija tumšas, un viņš nevarēja redzēt; un viņš tos tam pieveda klāt, un tas tos apkampa un skūpstīja. 11 Un Israēls sacīja Jāzepam: "Es nedomāju, ka vēl redzēšu tavu vaigu, un redzi, tagad Dievs man licis redzēt arī tavus pēcnācējus." 12 Un Jāzeps tos paņēma no viņa klēpja un noliecās viņa priekšā līdz zemei. 13 Un Jāzeps tos abus ņēma - Efraimu pie savas labās rokas, Israēlam pa kreisi, un Manasi kreisajā pusē, Israēlam pa labi, un tos pieveda viņam klāt. 14 Un Israēls izstiepa savu labo roku un lika to uz Efraima galvas, kaut gan tas bija tas jaunākais, un kreiso roku uz Manases galvas; viņš krusteniski lika savas rokas, kaut arī Manase bija pirmdzimtais. 15 Un viņš svētīja Jāzepu un sacīja: "Tas Dievs, kura priekšā staigāja mani tēvi, Ābrahāms un Īzāks, tas Dievs, kas man ir bijis mans gans visu manu mūžu, līdz pat šai dienai, 16 tas eņģelis, kas mani atpestījis no visa ļauna, tas lai svētī šos zēnus, ka viņu starpā dzīvo tālāk mans vārds, mana tēva Ābrahāma un Īzāka vārds, ka tie aug un vairojas zemes virsū." 17 Un Jāzeps ievēroja, ka viņa tēvs savu labo roku lika uz Efraima galvas. Tas viņa acīm bija nepatīkami, un viņš satvēra sava tēva roku, lai to novirzītu no Efraima galvas uz Manases galvu. 18 Un Jāzeps sacīja savam tēvam: "Ne tā, mans tēvs, šis ir vecākais, liec savu labo roku uz viņa galvu." 19 Bet viņa tēvs liedzās un sacīja: "Es zinu, mans dēls, es zinu ir to; arī tas taps par tautu, arī tas pieaugs, bet viņa jaunākais brālis būs lielāks par to, un viņa pēcnācēji būs tie, kas piepildīs zemi." 20 Un viņš to svētīja tanī dienā, sacīdams: "Tavā vārdā Israēla dēli svētīsies. Tie teiks: lai Dievs tev dara tā, kā Viņš Efraimam un Manasem ir darījis." Un viņš cēla Efraimu pār Manasi. 21 Un Israēls sacīja Jāzepam: "Redzi, es mirstu, bet Dievs būs ar jums un vedīs jūs atpakaļ jūsu zemē. 22 Un es tev dodu vienu kalna muguru vairāk par taviem brāļiem, kuru es esmu ieguvis no amoriešiem ar savu zobenu un ar savu loku."
