{
  "1": "{Some time} after those things happened, {someone} told Joseph, “Listen, your father is sick.” So Joseph {went to visit his father and} took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him. ",
  "2": "{When they got there,} someone informed Jacob, “Look, your son Joseph has come to visit you.” {Immediately} Israel exerted himself and sat up at {the head of} {his} bed {and they greeted each other}.\n\n\\ts\\* ",
  "3": "Then Jacob told Joseph, “God {who is} all-powerful appeared to me {long ago} in the region of Canaan at {the town of} Luz. He blessed me {there} ",
  "4": "by saying to me, ‘Listen, I will give you many descendants who will increase {in number} and become many people groups. I will {also} give this land to your descendants to own forever.’ ”\n\n\\ts\\*\n\\p",
  "5": "{Then Jacob said to Joseph,} “Now then, your two sons Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you {here} in the country of Egypt before I joined you here, {I will treat as} my sons, just like my sons Reuben and Simeon. ",
  "6": "If you have any more children, they will be yours, {so that} what they inherit {from me} will be some of what their brothers {Ephraim and Manasseh} inherit {from me}. ",
  "7": "I {am doing this because} as our family was returning {home} from {the region of} Paddan {Aram}, {your mother} Rachel died beside me in the region of Canaan while we were still traveling and some distance away from {the town of} Ephrath. {As you know,} I buried her body there by the road that goes to Ephrath, which {now has the name} Bethlehem.”\n\n\\ts\\*\n\\p",
  "8": "Then Israel noticed Joseph’s {two} sons and asked {him}, “Who {are} these {young men}?” ",
  "9": "Joseph answered him, “These {are} my sons whom God gave to me here {in Egypt}.” Then Israel said {to Joseph}, “Please bring them {closer} to me so that I can {ask God to} bless them.” ",
  "10": "Now Israel was almost blind because of old age, {so that} he could not see {very clearly}. So Joseph took his sons {closer} to his father, and his father kissed them {on the cheeks} and hugged them.\n\n\\ts\\* ",
  "11": "Then Israel exclaimed to Joseph, “I never thought I would see you {again}, but {now} look, God has even let me meet your children!” ",
  "12": "Then Joseph had his sons move away from beside his father’s knees, and he bowed {before him} and touched the ground with his forehead {to show respect}.\n\n\\p",
  "13": "Then he brought his sons close to his father {again}. He had Ephraim stand in front of Israel’s left {side}, and he had Manasseh stand in front of Israel’s right {side}.\n\n\\ts\\* ",
  "14": "But Israel {intentionally} reached out his right hand and put {it} on Ephraim’s head, even though Ephraim {was} {Joseph’s} younger {son}. Then he crossed his arms and {put} his left hand on Manasseh’s head, {even} though Manasseh {was} {Joseph’s} oldest {son}. ",
  "15": "Then Israel blessed Joseph {and his sons} by saying,\n\\q1\n“I pray that the God whom my ancestors Abraham and Isaac served {will bless your sons}.\n\\q1\nHe is the God who has taken care of me my entire life.\n\\q1 ",
  "16": "{He is also} the Angel who saved me {continually} from every harm.\n\\q1\nI pray that he will cause {these} young men to prosper {greatly},\n\\q1\nso that my family line and the family line of my ancestors Abraham and Isaac will continue through them\n\\q1\nand so that they will have many descendants on the earth.”\n\\ts\\*\n\\p",
  "17": "{When} Joseph noticed that his father had put his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he thought it was a mistake. So he took hold of his father’s hand {in order} to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ",
  "18": "Then he said to his father, “That is the wrong son, Father. The other {one} {is} {my} oldest son. {So} {you need to} have your right hand on his head.”\n\n\\ts\\* ",
  "19": "But his father would not {move his hands} and replied, “I know {it}, my son, I know {what I am doing}. {In fact,} your oldest son will also be a great man, and he will become {the ancestor of} a people group. However, his younger brother will be {even} greater than he {will be}, and his {younger} brother’s descendants will become many people groups.” ",
  "20": "So Israel blessed Ephraim and Manasseh that day by saying {to them},\n\\q1\n“{The people of} Israel will use your names when they bless {people} and say,\n\\q2\n‘May God prosper you like {he prospered} Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ”\n\\p\nIn that way, Israel made Ephraim greater than Manasseh.\n\n\\ts\\*\n\\p",
  "21": "After that, Israel {turned} to Joseph {and} said {to him}, “As you can see, I am about to die, but God will {always} be with you and your brothers {and all your descendants} {to help you}. He will also take you back to the land that {he gave} to your ancestors. ",
  "22": "Besides that, {as part of your inheritance from me,} I {hereby} give you {the city of} Shechem, {which} I captured from the Amorite{s} when I defeated them in battle. This is more {land} than I am giving to your brothers.”\n\n\\ts\\*",
  "front": "\\s1 Jacob Blesses Joseph’s Sons Ephraim and Manasseh\n\\sr 48:1-22\n\\p"
}
