1And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. 3And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, 4And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.
5¶ And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. 6And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance. 7And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Beth-lehem.
8And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, Who are these? 9And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them. 10Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.48.10 dim: Heb. heavy 11And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed. 12And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 13And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near unto him. 14And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15¶ And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, 16The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.48.16 grow: Heb. as fishes do increase 17And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head.48.17 displeased…: was evil in his eyes 18And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. 19And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.48.19 multitude: Heb. fulness 20And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh. 21And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. 22Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.
Yakob Hyira Efraim Ne Manase
1Yei akyiri no, wɔka kyerɛɛ Yosef sɛ, “Wʼagya yare.” Enti, Yosef faa ne mmammarima baanu, Efraim ne Manase kaa ne ho kɔsraa no. 2Ɛberɛ a wɔbɔɔ Yakob amaneɛ sɛ, “Wo ba Yosef aba wo nkyɛn rebɛsra wo” no, Yakob miaa nʼani sɔre tenaa ne mpa so maa no akwaaba.
3Ɛnna Yakob ka kyerɛɛ Yosef sɛ, “Otumfoɔ Onyankopɔn yii ne ho adi kyerɛɛ me wɔ Lus a ɛwɔ Kanaan asase so. Ɛhɔ na ɔhyiraa me, 4ka kyerɛɛ me sɛ, ‘Mɛma woawo, ama wʼase afɛe. Mɛma wʼasefoɔ ayɛ ɔman kɛseɛ. Mede saa asase yi bɛma wʼasefoɔ sɛ wɔn agyapadeɛ afebɔɔ.’
5“Ɛno enti, mede wo mma baanu a wɔwoo wɔn maa wo ansa na mereba wo nkyɛn wɔ Misraim asase so ha no bɛka me mma no ho. Efraim ne Manase bɛka me mma ho, sɛdeɛ Ruben ne Simeon yɛ me mma no. 6Mma foforɔ biara a wobɛwo wɔn wɔ Efraim ne Manase akyiri no na wɔbɛyɛ wo dea. Wɔde wɔn bɛka wɔn nuanom no ho wɔ asase a wɔde bɛma wɔn sɛ wɔn agyapadeɛ no so. 7Ɛberɛ a mefiri Paddan-Aram reba no, ababaawa Rahel wuu wɔ ɛkwan mu, ma ɛyɛɛ me ya. Na aka akwansini kakra na yɛaduru Efrat. Ɛno enti, mesiee no wɔ Eufrate, a wɔfrɛ no Betlehem no kwankyɛn baabi.”
8Ɛberɛ a Israel hunuu Yosef mmammarima no, ɔbisaa sɛ, “Na yeinom yɛ ɛhefoɔ?”
9Yosef buaa nʼagya sɛ, “Wɔyɛ mmammarima a Onyankopɔn de wɔn adom me wɔ ha.”
Na Israel kaa sɛ, “Fa wɔn bra mʼanim ha na menhyira wɔn.”
10Saa ɛberɛ no, ɛsiane onyini enti, na Israel ani so ayɛ wisiwisi a, ɔnhunu adeɛ papa. Ne saa enti, Yosef de ne mma no kɔɔ ne nkyɛn pɛɛ, ma ɔyɛɛ wɔn atuu, fefee wɔn ano.
11Israel ka kyerɛɛ Yosef sɛ, “Manna mannwene sɛ mɛhunu wʼanim bio da, nanso hwɛ deɛ Onyame ayɛ. Wama me ho kwan ama mahunu wo mma nso.”
12Yosef pagyaa wɔn firii Israel kotodwe anim, ɛnna ɔno ara nso buu nkotodwe de nʼanim butuu fam. 13Ɔpagyaa ne mu no, ɔde ne nsa nifa sɔɔ Efraim mu, de no gyinaa Yakob benkum so, ɛnna ɔde ne nsa benkum sɔɔ Manase mu, de no gyinaa Yakob nifa so bɛn no pɛɛ. 14Israel tenee ne nsa nifa de too Efraim a ɔyɛ akumaa no apampam, ɛnna ɔde ne nsa benkum no too Manase nso apampam. Ɛwom sɛ na Manase yɛ abakan deɛ, nanso ɔde ne nsa benkum na ɛtoo nʼapampam.
15Ɔhyiraa Yosef sɛ,
“Onyankopɔn a mʼagyanom
Abraham ne Isak nantee nʼanim,
ne me Onyankopɔn a ɔhwɛɛ me sɛ odwanhwɛfoɔ
de bɛsi ɛnnɛ no,
16ɔsoro ɔbɔfoɔ a ɔgyee me firii ɔhaw nyinaa mu no,
ɔnhyira saa mmarimaa yi.
Wɔmfa me din ne mʼagyanom,
Abraham ne Isak edin ntoto wɔn,
na wɔn ase mfɛe
wɔ asase so.”
17Ɛberɛ a Yosef hunuu sɛ nʼagya de ne nsa nifa ato Efraim apampam no, anyɛ no dɛ. Enti, ɔyii nʼagya nsa nifa no firii Efraim apampam, kɔtoo Manase apampam. 18Yosef ka kyerɛɛ nʼagya sɛ, “Dabi, mʼagya, yei ne mʼabakan, enti fa wo nsa nifa to nʼapampam.”
19Nanso, nʼagya ampene so kaa sɛ, “Me ba, menim saa. Ɔno nso bɛyɛ ɔman, na wayɛ kɛse. Nanso, ne nua kumaa no bɛyɛ kɛse asene no, na nʼasefoɔ bɛyɛ amanaman bebree.” 20Enti ɛda no, Yakob hyiraa mmarimaa no sɛ,
“Israelfoɔ nyinaa nam mo din so bɛhyirahyira wɔn ho wɔn ho.
Wɔbɛka sɛ, ‘Onyankopɔn bɛhyirahyira mo, ama moakɔ so frɔmfrɔm te sɛ Efraim ne Manase.’ ”
Saa ɛkwan yi so na Yakob fa maa Efraim bɛdii Manase anim.
21Na Israel ka kyerɛɛ Yosef sɛ, “Merebɛwu, nanso Onyankopɔn bɛhwɛ mo so, na wasane de mo akɔ Kanaan, mo agyanom asase so bio. 22Wo a seesei woabɛyɛ wo nuanom nyinaa so panin no, mede asase a menam me sekan ne mʼagyan so gye firii Amorifoɔ nkyɛn no rema wo.”
