11 And Israel said to Joseph, a“I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!”
12 So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth.
13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him.
14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand and alaid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, bguiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the cfirstborn.
15 And ahe blessed Joseph, and said:
“God, bbefore whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,
“God, bbefore whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,
16 The Angel awho has redeemed me from all evil,
Bless the lads;
Let bmy name be named upon them,
And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
And let them cgrow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
Bless the lads;
Let bmy name be named upon them,
And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
And let them cgrow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
17 Now when Joseph saw that his father alaid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.
18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
19 But his father refused and said, a“I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly bhis younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”
20 So he blessed them that day, saying, a“By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’ ” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but aGod will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.
New King James Version®, Copyright© 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Book Notes:
Robertson's Book Notes (NT)
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