Κεφάλαιο 48

Κεφάλαιο 48

ΕΓΕΝΕΤΟ δὲ μετὰ τὰ ρήματα ταῦτα καὶ ἀπηγγέλη τῷ ᾿Ιωσήφ, ὅτι ὁ πατήρ σου ἐνοχλεῖται. καὶ ἀναλαβὼν τοὺς δύο υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ, τὸν Μανασσῆ καὶ τὸν ᾿Εφραΐμ, ἦλθε πρὸς ᾿Ιακώβ. 2 ἀπηγγέλη δὲ τῷ ᾿Ιακὼβ λέγοντες· ἰδοὺ ὁ υἱός σου ᾿Ιωσὴφ ἔρχεται πρὸς σέ. καὶ ἐνισχύσας ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐκάθησεν ἐπὶ τὴν κλίνην. 3 καὶ εἶπεν ᾿Ιακὼβ τῷ ᾿Ιωσήφ· ὁ Θεός μου ὤφθη μοι ἐν Λουζᾷ ἐν γῇ Χαναὰν καὶ εὐλόγησέ με 4 καὶ εἶπέ μοι· ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ αὐξανῶ σε καὶ πληθυνῶ σε καὶ ποιήσω σε εἰς συναγωγὰς ἐθνῶν καὶ δώσω σοι τὴν γῆν ταύτην καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου μετὰ σὲ εἰς κατάσχεσιν αἰώνιον. 5 νῦν οὖν οἱ δύο υἱοί σου οἱ γενόμενοί σοι ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ πρὸ τοῦ με ἐλθεῖν πρὸς σὲ εἰς Αἴγυπτον, ἐμοί εἰσιν, ᾿Εφραΐμ καὶ Μανασσῆ, ὡς Ρουβὴν καὶ Συμεὼν ἔσονταί μοι· 6 τὰ δέ ἔκγονα, ἃ ἐὰν γεννήσῃς μετὰ ταῦτα, ἔσονται ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτῶν· κληθήσονται ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐκείνων κλήροις. 7 ἐγὼ δὲ ἡνίκα ἠρχόμην ἐκ Μεσοποταμίας τῆς Συρίας, ἀπέθανε Ραχὴλ ἡ μήτηρ σου ἐν γῇ Χαναάν, ἐγγίζοντός μου κατὰ τὸν ἱππόδρομον Χαβραθὰ τῆς γῆς τοῦ ἐλθεῖν ᾿Εφραθά, καὶ κατώρυξα αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ ἱπποδρόμου (αὕτη ἐστὶ Βηθλεέμ). 8 ἰδὼν δὲ ᾿Ισραὴλ τοὺς υἱοὺς ᾿Ιωσὴφ εἶπε· τίνες σοι οὗτοι; 9 εἶπε δὲ ᾿Ιωσὴφ τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ· υἱοί μου εἰσιν, οὓς ἔδωκέ μοι ὁ Θεὸς ἐνταῦθα. καὶ εἶπεν ᾿Ιακώβ· προσάγαγέ μοι αὐτούς, ἵνα εὐλογήσω αὐτούς. 10 οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ δὲ ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐβαρυώπησαν ἀπὸ τοῦ γήρως, καὶ οὐκ ἠδύνατο βλέπειν· καὶ ἤγγισεν αὐτοὺς πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ ἐφίλησεν αὐτοὺς καὶ περιέλαβεν αὐτούς. 11 καὶ εἶπεν ᾿Ισραὴλ πρὸς ᾿Ιωσήφ· ἰδοὺ τοῦ προσώπου σου οὐκ ἐστερήθην, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἔδειξέ μοι ὁ Θεὸς καὶ τὸ σπέρμα σου. 12 καὶ ἐξήγαγε αὐτοὺς ᾿Ιωσὴφ ἀπὸ τῶν γονάτων αὐτοῦ, καὶ προσεκύνησαν αὐτῷ ἐπὶ πρόσωπον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 13 λαβὼν δὲ ᾿Ιωσὴφ τοὺς δύο υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ, τόν τε ᾿Εφραΐμ ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ, ἐξ ἀριστερῶν δὲ ᾿Ισραήλ, τὸν δὲ Μανασσῆ ἐξ ἀριστερῶν, ἐκ δεξιῶν δὲ ᾿Ισραήλ, ἤγγισεν αὐτοὺς αὐτῷ. 14 ἐκτείνας δὲ ᾿Ισραὴλ τὴν χεῖρα τὴν δεξιὰν ἐπέβαλεν ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ᾿Εφραΐμ, οὗτος δὲ ἦν ὁ νεώτερος, καὶ τὴν ἀριστερὰν ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν Μανασσῆ, ἐναλλὰξ τὰς χεῖρας. 15 καὶ εὐλόγησεν αὐτοὺς καὶ εἶπεν· ὁ Θεός, ᾧ εὐηρέστησαν οἱ πατέρες μου ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, ῾Αβραὰμ καὶ ᾿Ισαάκ, ὁ Θεὸς ὁ τρέφων με ἐκ νεότητος ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης, 16 ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ ρυόμενός με ἐκ πάντων τῶν κακῶν εὐλογήσαι τὰ παιδία ταῦτα, καὶ ἐπικληθήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸ ὄνομά μου καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τῶν πατέρων μου ῾Αβραὰμ καὶ ᾿Ισαάκ, καὶ πληθυνθείησαν εἰς πλῆθος πολὺ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 17 ἰδὼν δὲ ᾿Ιωσὴφ ὅτι ἐπέβαλεν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ τὴν χεῖρα τὴν δεξιὰν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ᾿Εφραΐμ, βαρὺ αὐτῷ κατεφάνη, καὶ ἀντελάβετο ᾿Ιωσὴφ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ ἀφελεῖν αὐτὴν ἀπὸ τῆς κεφαλῆς ᾿Εφραΐμ ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν Μανασσῆ. 18 εἶπε δὲ ᾿Ιωσὴφ τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ· οὐχ οὕτως, πάτερ, οὗτος γὰρ ὁ πρωτότοκος· ἐπίθες τὴν δεξιάν σου ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ. 19 καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησεν, ἀλλὰ εἶπεν· οἶδα, τέκνον, οἶδα· καὶ οὗτος ἔσται εἰς λαόν, καὶ οὗτος ὑψωθήσεται· ἀλλὰ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ ὁ νεώτερος μείζων αὐτοῦ ἔσται, καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἔσται εἰς πλῆθος ἐθνῶν. 20 καὶ εὐλόγησεν αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ λέγων· ἐν ὑμῖν εὐλογηθήσεται ᾿Ισραὴλ λέγοντες· ποιήσαι σε ὁ Θεὸς ὡς ᾿Εφραΐμ καὶ ὡς Μανασσῆ. καὶ ἔθηκε τὸν ᾿Εφραΐμ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Μανασσῆ. 21 εἶπε δὲ ᾿Ισραὴλ τῷ ᾿Ιωσήφ· ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποθνήσκω, καὶ ἔσται ὁ Θεὸς μεθ᾿ ὑμῶν καὶ ἀποστρέψει ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν γῆν τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν· 22 ἐγὼ δὲ δίδωμί σοι Σίκιμα ἐξαίρετον ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου, ἣν ἔλαβον ἐκ χειρὸς ᾿Αμορραίων ἐν μαχαίρᾳ μου καὶ τόξῳ.