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.”

Jacob Blesses His Sons^(BG)

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.^(BH)

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

The Death of Jacob

²⁹ Then he gave them these instructions:^(EG) “I am about to be gathered to my people.^(EH) Bury me with my fathers^(EI) in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,^{(EJ) 30} the cave in the field of Machpelah,^(EK) near Mamre^(EL) in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field^(EM) as a burial place^(EN) from Ephron the Hittite. ³¹ There Abraham^(EO) and his wife Sarah^(EP) were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah^(EQ) were buried, and there I buried Leah.^{(ER) 32} The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.^[w](ES)”

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.^(ET)

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand^(A)(B)(C)

²⁹ Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. ³⁰ Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.^{(D) 31} The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.^(E)

³² Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people;^(F) they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”

³³ His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”

³⁴ “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

³⁵ He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. ³⁶ Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them^(G) and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. ³⁷ They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.^{(H) 38} The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. ³⁹ After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.

The Demand for a Sign^(I)

16 The Pharisees and Sadducees^(J) came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.^(K)

² He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ ³ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.^{[a](L) 4} A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.”^(M) Jesus then left them and went away.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees

⁵ When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. ⁶ “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”^(N)

⁷ They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.”

⁸ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith,^(O) why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? ⁹ Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?^{(P) 10} Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?^{(Q) 11} How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ¹² Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.^(R)

Psalm 20^[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.