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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Genesis 48 NIV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/genesis/48.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/genesis/48-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NIV</a> > Genesis 48</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../genesis/47.htm" title="Genesis 47">◄</a> Genesis 48 <a href="../genesis/49.htm" title="Genesis 49">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New International Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/niv/esv/genesis/48.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="sectionhead">Manasseh and Ephraim</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Hebrew El-Shaddai">a</a></sup></span> appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>“Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>As I was returning from Paddan, <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="That is, Northwest Mesopotamia">b</a></sup></span> to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>“They are the sons God has given me here,” Joseph said to his father.</p><p class="reg">Then Israel said, “Bring them to me so I may bless them.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>Then he blessed Joseph and said,</p><div class="stanza"><p class="line1">“May the God before whom my fathers</p><p class="line2">Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully,</p><p class="line1">the God who has been my shepherd</p><p class="line2">all my life to this day,</p> <p class="line1"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>the Angel who has delivered me from all harm</p><p class="line2">—may he bless these boys.</p><p class="line1">May they be called by my name</p><p class="line2">and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,</p><p class="line1">and may they increase greatly</p><p class="line2">on the earth.”</p></div> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>He blessed them that day and said,</p><div class="stanza"><p class="line1">“In your <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="The Hebrew is singular.">c</a></sup></span> name will Israel pronounce this blessing:</p><p class="line2">‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ”</p></div><p class="pcontinued">So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="The Hebrew is plural.">d</a></sup></span> and take you <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="The Hebrew is plural.">e</a></sup></span> back to the land of your <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="The Hebrew is plural.">f</a></sup></span> fathers. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/48-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>And to you I give one more ridge of land <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="The Hebrew for ridge of land is identical with the place name Shechem.">g</a></sup></span> than to your brothers, the ridge I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”</p><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><A name="footnotes"></a><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">3</span> <span class="footnotebot">Hebrew <i>El-Shaddai</i></span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">7</span> <span class="footnotebot">That is, Northwest Mesopotamia</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">c</span> <span class="fnverse">20</span> <span class="footnotebot">The Hebrew is singular.</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">d</span> <span class="fnverse">21</span> <span class="footnotebot">The Hebrew is plural.</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">e</span> <span class="fnverse">21</span> <span class="footnotebot">The Hebrew is plural.</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">f</span> <span class="fnverse">21</span> <span class="footnotebot">The Hebrew is plural.</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">g</span> <span class="fnverse">22</span> <span class="footnotebot">The Hebrew for <i>ridge of land</i> is identical with the place name Shechem.</span><br><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><p class="ntext"><a href="http://niv.scripturetext.com/version.htm">New International Version</a> (NIV)</p><p class="ntext2">Holy Bible, New International Version&reg, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by <a href="http://biblica.com">Biblica, Inc.</a>® Used by permission. 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