Manasseh and Ephraim

48 Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim^(A) along with him. ² When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel^(B) rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.

³ Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty^[a](C) appeared to me at Luz^(D) in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me^{(E) 4} and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers.^(F) I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land^(G) as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’^(H)

⁵ “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt^(I) before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine,^(J) just as Reuben^(K) and Simeon^(L) are mine. ⁶ 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. ⁷ As I was returning from Paddan,^[b](M) to my sorrow^(N) 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).^(O)

⁸ When Israel^(P) saw the sons of Joseph,^(Q) he asked, “Who are these?”

⁹ “They are the sons God has given me here,”^(R) Joseph said to his father.

Then Israel said, “Bring them to me so I may bless^(S) them.”

¹⁰ Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see.^(T) So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them^(U) and embraced them.^(V)

¹¹ Israel^(W) said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again,^(X) and now God has allowed me to see your children too.”^(Y)

¹² Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees^(Z) and bowed down with his face to the ground.^{(AA) 13} 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,^(AB) and brought them close to him. ¹⁴ But Israel^(AC) reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head,^(AD) though he was the younger,^(AE) and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.^(AF)

¹⁵ Then he blessed^(AG) Joseph and said,

¹⁷ When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand^(AP) on Ephraim’s head^(AQ) he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸ Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”^(AR)

¹⁹ But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great.^(AS) Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he,^(AT) and his descendants will become a group of nations.^(AU)” ²⁰ He blessed^(AV) them that day^(AW) and said,

So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

²¹ Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you^[d](BB) and take you^[e] back to the land of your^[f] fathers.^{(BC) 22} And to you I give one more ridge of land^[g](BD) than to your brothers,^(BE) the ridge I took from the Amorites with my sword^(BF) and my bow.”

Isaac and Abimelek^(A)

26 Now there was a famine in the land^(B)—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines^(C) in Gerar.^{(D) 2} The Lord appeared^(E) to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt;^(F) live in the land where I tell you to live.^{(G) 3} Stay in this land for a while,^(H) and I will be with you^(I) and will bless you.^(J) For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands^(K) and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.^{(L) 4} I will make your descendants^(M) as numerous as the stars in the sky^(N) and will give them all these lands,^(O) and through your offspring^[a] all nations on earth will be blessed,^{[b](P) 5} because Abraham obeyed me^(Q) and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees^(R) and my instructions.^(S)”

28 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed^(A) him. Then he commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman.^{(B) 2} Go at once to Paddan Aram,^[a](C) to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel.^(D) Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.^{(E) 3} May God Almighty^[b](F) bless^(G) you and make you fruitful^(H) and increase your numbers^(I) until you become a community of peoples. ⁴ May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham,^(J) so that you may take possession of the land^(K) where you now reside as a foreigner,^(L) the land God gave to Abraham.” ⁵ Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way,^(M) and he went to Paddan Aram,^(N) to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean,^(O) the brother of Rebekah,^(P) who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

⁶ Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,”^{(Q) 7} and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. ⁸ Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women^(R) were to his father Isaac;^{(S) 9} so he went to Ishmael^(T) and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth^(U) and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.^(V)

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

¹⁰ Jacob left Beersheba^(W) and set out for Harran.^{(X) 11} When he reached a certain place,^(Y) he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head^(Z) and lay down to sleep. ¹² He had a dream^(AA) in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.^{(AB) 13} There above it^[c] stood the Lord,^(AC) and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.^(AD) I will give you and your descendants the land^(AE) on which you are lying.^{(AF) 14} Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you^(AG) will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.^(AH) All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.^{[d](AI) 15} I am with you^(AJ) and will watch over you^(AK) wherever you go,^(AL) and I will bring you back to this land.^(AM) I will not leave you^(AN) until I have done what I have promised you.^(AO)”^(AP)

¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’^[a](A) For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”^(B)

Jesus Questioned About Fasting^(C)

¹⁴ Then John’s^(D) disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often,^(E) but your disciples do not fast?”

¹⁵ Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them?^(F) The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.^(G)

Jacob Blesses His Sons^(A)

49 Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.^(B)

²⁸ All these are the twelve tribes of Israel,^(BY) and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing^(BZ) appropriate to him.

The Death of Jacob

²⁹ Then he gave them these instructions:^(CA) “I am about to be gathered to my people.^(CB) Bury me with my fathers^(CC) in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,^{(CD) 30} the cave in the field of Machpelah,^(CE) near Mamre^(CF) in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field^(CG) as a burial place^(CH) from Ephron the Hittite. ³¹ There Abraham^(CI) and his wife Sarah^(CJ) were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah^(CK) were buried, and there I buried Leah.^{(CL) 32} The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.^[p](CM)”

³³ When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.^(CN)

The Scroll and the Lamb

5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne^(A) a scroll with writing on both sides^(B) and sealed^(C) with seven seals. ² And I saw a mighty angel^(D) proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” ³ But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. ⁴ I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. ⁵ Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion^(E) of the tribe of Judah,^(F) the Root of David,^(G) has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”