His ita transactis, nuntiatum est Joseph quod ægrotaret pater suus: qui, assumptis duobus filiis Manasse et Ephraim, ire perrexit.

After these things, it was told Joseph that his father was sick: and he set out to go to him, taking his two sons Manasses and Ephraim.

Soon after this, Joseph was told that his father had fallen sick, and took his two sons, Ephraim and Manasses, to visit him.

Dictumque est seni: Ecce filius tuus Joseph venit ad te. Qui confortatus sedit in lectulo.

And it was told the old man: Behold thy son Joseph cometh to thee. And being strengthened he sat on his bed.

When the old man heard that Joseph had come to see him, he found strength to sit up in bed,

Et ingresso ad se ait: Deus omnipotens apparuit mihi in Luza, quæ est in terra Chanaan: benedixitque mihi,

And when Joseph was come in to him, he said: God Almighty appeared to me at Luza, which is in the land of Chanaan: and he blessed me,

and greeted him thus, The almighty God revealed himself to me at Luza in Chanaan, and gave me his blessing there.

et ait: Ego te augebo et multiplicabo, et faciam te in turbas populorum: daboque tibi terram hanc, et semini tuo post te in possessionem sempiternam.

And he said: I will cause thee to increase and multiply, and I will make of thee a multitude of people: and I will give this land to thee, and to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.

I will make thy posterity increase and multiply, he said, so that a host of nations shall spring from thee; and I will give this land to thee and to thy race after thee, to be their possession eternally.

Duo ergo filii tui, qui nati sunt tibi in terra Ægypti antequam huc venirem ad te, mei erunt: Ephraim et Manasses, sicut Ruben et Simeon reputabuntur mihi.

So thy two sons who were born to thee in the land of Egypt before I came hither to thee, shall be mine: Ephraim and Manasses shall be reputed to me as Ruben and Simeon.

Thy two sons were born to thee in Egypt, before my coming, but they shall be counted as sons of mine; Ephraim and Manasses shall take rank with Ruben and Simeon.

Reliquos autem quos genueris post eos, tui erunt, et nomine fratrum suorum vocabuntur in possessionibus suis.

But the rest whom thou shalt have after them, shall be thine, and shall be called by the name of their brethren in their possessions.

Whatever children thou shalt beget after this shall be thine, not mine, and they shall hold whatever possession they hold under the title of these brothers of theirs.

Mihi enim, quando veniebam de Mesopotamia, mortua est Rachel in terra Chanaan in ipso itinere, eratque vernum tempus: et ingrediebar Ephratam, et sepelivi eam juxta viam Ephratæ, quæ alio nomine appellatur Bethlehem.

For, when I came out of Mesopotamia, Rachel died from me in the land of Chanaan in the very journey, and it was springtime: and I was going to Ephrata, and I buried her near the way of Ephrata, which by another name is called Bethlehem.

It was when I was on my way back from Mesopotamia that I lost Rachel, there in Chanaan, while we were on our journey, in spring time, and when I reached Ephrata I buried her there, by the road which leads to Ephrata; Bethlehem is another name they call it by.

Videns autem filios ejus dixit ad eum: Qui sunt isti?

Then seeing his sons, he said to him: Who are these?

Then he saw Joseph’s two sons there, and asked, Who are these?

Respondit: Filii mei sunt, quos donavit mihi Deus in hoc loco. Adduc, inquit, eos ad me, ut benedicam illis.

He answered: They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said: Bring them to me that I may bless them.

The sons God has given me, said he, while I have been living here. Bring them close to me, he answered, and let me give them my blessing;

Oculi enim Israël caligabant præ nimia senectute, et clare videre non poterat. Applicitosque ad se, deosculatus et circumplexus eos,

For Israel’s eyes were dim by reason of his great age, and he could not see clearly. And when they were brought to him, he kissed and embraced them.

by now, Israel’s eyes were failing through his great age, and he could not see clearly.So they were brought close to him, and he kissed them;

dixit ad filium suum: Non sum fraudatus aspectu tuo: insuper ostendit mihi Deus semen tuum.

And said to his son: I am not deprived of seeing thee: moreover God hath shewed me thy seed.

then he said to his son, Once I never thought to see thee again; that fear was groundless, and now God has given me sight of thy children too.

Cumque tulisset eos Joseph de gremio patris, adoravit pronus in terram.

And when Joseph had taken them from his father’s lap, he bowed down with his face to the ground.

And Joseph took them from his father’s embrace, and bowed low,

Et posuit Ephraim ad dexteram suam, id est, ad sinistram Israël: Manassen vero in sinistra sua, ad dexteram scilicet patris, applicuitque ambos ad eum.

And he set Ephraim on his right hand, that is, towards the left hand of Israel; but Manasses on his left hand, to wit, towards his father’s right hand, and brought them near to him.

putting Ephraim on his right, by Israel’s left hand, and Manasses on his left, at Israel’s right hand, and holding them both close to him.

Qui extendens manum dexteram, posuit super caput Ephraim minoris fratris: sinistram autem super caput Manasse qui major natu erat, commutans manus.

But he stretching forth his right hand, put it upon the head of Ephraim the younger brother; and the left upon the head of Manasses who was the elder, changing his hands.

But Jacob stretched out his right hand, and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger, and put his left on the head of Manasses, the elder, changing his hands round.

Benedixitque Jacob filiis Joseph, et ait: Deus, in cujus conspectu ambulaverunt patres mei Abraham, et Isaac; Deus qui pascit me ab adolescentia mea usque in præsentem diem:

And Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph, and said: God, in whose sight my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, God that feedeth me from my youth until this day;

And this is the blessing which Jacob gave to Joseph’s sons; May that God, in whose presence my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, once lived and moved, that God who has guided me like a shepherd from my youth till now,

angelus, qui eruit me de cunctis malis, benedicat pueris istis: et invocetur super eos nomen meum, nomina quoque patrum meorum Abraham et Isaac, et crescant in multitudinem super terram.

The angel that delivereth me from all evils, bless these boys: and let my name be called upon them, and the names of my fathers Abraham, and Isaac, and may they grow into a multitude upon the earth.

that angel of God, who has rescued me from all my troubles, bless these sons of thine. Let them inherit my name, and the names of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac; may their posterity spread wide over the earth.

Videns autem Joseph quod posuisset pater suus dexteram manum super caput Ephraim, graviter accepit: et apprehensam manum patris levare conatus est de capite Ephraim, et transferre super caput Manasse.

And Joseph seeing that his father had put his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, was much displeased: and taking his father’s hand he tried to lift it from Ephraim’s head, and to remove it to the head of Manasses.

Joseph took it amiss when he saw his father put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, and would have raised it up from Ephraim’s to put it on Manasses’ instead;

Dixitque ad patrem: Non ita convenit, pater: quia hic est primogenitus, pone dexteram tuam super caput ejus.

And he said to his father: It should not be so, my father: for this is the firstborn, put thy right hand upon his head.

No, father, said he, thou art wide of the mark; here is the eldest, upon whom thy right hand should rest.

Qui renuens, ait: Scio, fili mi, scio: et iste quidem erit in populos, et multiplicabitur: sed frater ejus minor, major erit illo: et semen illius crescet in gentes.

But he refusing, said: I know, my son, I know: and this also shall become peoples, and shall be multiplied: but this younger brother shall be greater than he: and his seed shall grow into nations.

But Jacob would not be persuaded; I know it, my son, said he, I know it; Manasses too shall give birth to a people, and spread far; but this younger brother shall outdo him, and beget a multitude of nations.

Benedixitque eis in tempore illo, dicens: In te benedicetur Israël, atque dicetur: Faciat tibi Deus sicut Ephraim, et sicut Manasse. Constituitque Ephraim ante Manassen.

And he blessed them at that time, saying: In thee shall Israel be blessed, and it shall be said: God do to thee as to Ephraim, and as to Manasses. And he set Ephraim before Manasses.

So then and there he blessed them; When men give a blessing in Israel, he said, the words they use shall be, God make thee like Ephraim and Manasses. So he put Ephraim before Manasses.

Et ait ad Joseph filium suum: En ego morior, et erit Deus vobiscum, reducetque vos ad terram patrum vestrorum.

And he said to Joseph his son: Behold I die, and God will be with you, and will bring you back into the land of your fathers.

He said, too, to Joseph, I must die, but God be with you, and bring you back to the land of your fathers.

Do tibi partem unam extra fratres tuos, quam tuli de manu Amorrhæi in gladio et arcu meo.

I give thee a portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorrhite with my sword and bow.

And there I bequeath thee one portion to which thy brethren shall have no claim, the land I won from the Amorrhite with my sword and my bow.