Not long afterward, Joseph received the news that his father’s health was failing, so he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. When Jacob heard that they had come to see him, Israel rallied his strength and sat up in bed.
Jacob said to Joseph, “The God who is more than enough appeared to me at Bethel in the land of Canaan where he blessed me! He said to me, ‘I will make you fruitful and multiply your descendants until I have made you a company of nations. And I will give this land to your descendants for an everlasting possession.’ Furthermore, I will adopt as my very own your two sons who were born in the land of Egypt before I came here. Yes, I claim Ephraim and Manasseh as mine, no less than my two oldest, Reuben and Simeon. As for any children born after them, they will be considered yours. They will receive their portion of the inheritance in the same territory as their brothers. For when I was returning from Paddan-Aram, my beloved Rachel died, to my sorrow, in the land of Canaan while we were still on our way, not far from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”
When Israel noticed Joseph’s two sons, he said, “Who are these?”
“They are the sons that God has graciously given me here,” Joseph said to his father.
“Please bring them closer,” he said, “so that I may bless them.”
Now Israel could barely see, for his eyes were failing because of old age. So, Joseph brought his sons closer to him, and Joseph’s father, their grandfather, hugged and kissed them.
Tearfully, Israel said to Joseph, “I never thought I’d see your face again, and now, God has let me see my grandchildren as well!”
Joseph then removed them from his father’s knees and bowed low in respect before his father with his face to the ground. And Joseph took his sons and had them stand facing their grandfather Israel, Ephraim at Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh at Israel’s right hand. But Israel crossed his arms, and stretched out his right hand on the head of the younger son, Ephraim, and his left hand on the head of the firstborn son, Manasseh.
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