The Daily Audio Bible

48 And so when these things were done, it was told to Joseph, that his father was sick. And he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and he disposed him to go. (And so after that these things were done, it was told to Joseph, that his father was sick. And he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and he went to him.)

² And it was said to the eld man, Lo! thy son Joseph cometh to thee; which was comforted (who was strengthened), and sat up in the bed.

³ And when Joseph entered to him, he said, Almighty God appeared to me in Luz (Almighty God appeared to me at Luz), which is in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,

⁴ and (he) said, I shall increase thee, and multiply thee, and I shall make thee into companies of peoples, and I shall give to thee this land, and to thy seed after thee, into everlasting possession (and I shall give this land to thee, and to thy descendants after thee, for an everlasting possession).

⁵ Therefore thy two sons, that be born to thee in the land of Egypt, before that I came hither to thee, shall be mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, as Reuben and Simeon, shall be areckoned to me (Ephraim and Manasseh, just like Reuben and Simeon, shall be reckoned as mine);

⁶ forsooth the others which thou shalt beget after them shall be thine; and they shall be called by the name of their brethren in their possessions (and they shall be called after the names of their brothers in their inheritance).

⁷ Forsooth when I came from Mesopotamia, Rachel was dead to me in the land of Canaan, in that way; and it was the beginning of summer; and (before that) I entered into Ephratah, and I buried her beside the way of Ephratah, which by another name is called Bethlehem. (And when I came from Paddan-aram, Rachel died, and left me on the way, in the land of Canaan; and it was the beginning of summer; and before that I entered into Ephrath, I buried her beside the way to Ephrath, which by another name is called Bethlehem.)

⁸ Forsooth Jacob saw the sons of Joseph, and said to him, Who be these?

⁹ He answered, They be my sons, which God gave me in this place (whom God gave to me in this place). Jacob said, Bring them to me, (so) that I bless them.

¹⁰ For the eyes of Israel dimmed for great eld (age), and he might not see clearly; and he kissed and embraced those children joined to him, (And Jacob’s eyes had dimmed because of great old age, and he could not see clearly; and when the boys were brought close to him, he kissed them, and embraced them,)

¹¹ and he said to his son, I am not defrauded of thy sight; furthermore God hath showed to me thy seed. (and he said to his son, I am no longer deprived of the sight of you; and even more, God hath showed me thy children.)

¹² And when Joseph had taken them from his father’s lap, he worshipped low to the earth (he bowed low to the ground).

¹³ And he set Ephraim on his right side, that is, on the left side of Israel; forsooth he set Manasseh on his left side, that is, on the right side of his father; and he joined both to him. (And he put Ephraim on his right side, that is, on Jacob’s left side; and he put Manasseh on his left side, that is, on his father’s right side; and he brought them both close to him.)

¹⁴ Which held forth the right hand, and laid it on Ephraim’s head, the younger brother; soothly he laid his left hand on Manasseh’s head, that was the more through birth. Jacob changed his hands, (And Jacob put forth his right hand, and laid it on Ephraim’s head, the younger brother; and he laid his left hand on Manasseh’s head, who was the elder. Jacob had crossed his hands,)

¹⁵ and blessed his son Joseph^[a], and said, God, in whose sight my fathers Abraham and Isaac went; God that feedeth me from my young waxing age till into this present day; (and then he blessed his son Joseph, and said, May God, in whose sight my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked; the God who hath fed me from my young age unto this present day;)

¹⁶ the angel that delivered me from all evils, bless these children, and my name be called on them, and the names of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac; and wax they in multitude on (the) earth. (yea, the Angel who delivered me from every evil, bless these boys, and may they be called by my name, and the names of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac; and may they grow into a multitude upon the earth.)

¹⁷ Forsooth Joseph saw that his father had set his right hand on the head of Ephraim, and he took that heavily, and he endeavoured him(self) to raise his father’s hand, and take it from the head of Ephraim, and to bear it over upon the head of Manasseh. (And Joseph saw that his father had put his right hand on Ephraim’s head, and he was displeased, and he endeavoured to raise up his father’s hand, and take it from Ephraim’s head, and to bear it over onto Manasseh’s head.)

¹⁸ And Joseph said to his father, Father, it accordeth not so; for this is the first begotten (for Manasseh is the first-born); set thy right hand on his head.

¹⁹ Which forsook to do so, and said, I know, my son, I know; and soothly this child shall be into peoples (and truly this child shall become a people), and he shall be multiplied; but his younger brother shall be more than he, and his seed shall increase into (a multitude of) folks, (or into a multitude of nations).

²⁰ And he blessed them in that time, and said, Israel shall be blessed in thee, Joseph, and it shall be said, God do to thee as to Ephraim and as to Manasseh. And he set Ephraim before Manasseh; (And he blessed them at that time, and said, When they say a blessing in Israel, they shall say, God do to thee as to Ephraim and Manasseh. And so he put Ephraim before Manasseh;)

²¹ and (Jacob) said to Joseph, his son, Lo! I die, and God shall be with you, and shall lead you again to the land of your fathers; (and Jacob said to his son Joseph, Lo! soon I shall die, but God shall be with you, and he shall lead you back to the land of your fathers;)

²² (and now) I give to thee one part over thy brethren, which I took from the hand of Amorite, in my sword and bow. (and now I give thee one more portion than what thy brothers have, which I took from the hands of the Amorites, with my sword and my bow.)

49 Forsooth Jacob called his sons, and said to them, Be ye gathered together, that I tell what things shall come to you in the last days; (And Jacob called his sons, and said to them, Be ye gathered together, so that I can tell what things shall happen to you in the days to come;)

² be ye gathered [together], and hear, ye sons of Jacob, hear ye Israel your father (listen to your father Israel).

³ Reuben, my first begotten son, thou art my strength, and the beginning of my sorrow; thou oughtest to be the former in gifts, the more in lordship (thou ought to be the first in gifts, and the greatest in power, or in authority);

⁴ (but) thou art shed out as water; wax thou not, for thou ascendedest on the bed of thy father, and defouledest his bed.

⁵ Simeon and Levi, brethren, fighting vessels of wickedness; (Simeon and Levi truly be brothers, and they use their bodies for fighting, and for wickedness;)

⁶ my soul come not into the counsel of them, and my glory be not in the congregation of them; for in their strong vengeance, they killed a man, and in their [own] will, they undermined the wall (for in their anger, they have killed some men, and to make sport, they have wounded some oxen);

⁷ cursed be the strong vengeance of them, for it is obstinate, and the indignation of them, for it is hard; I shall part them in Jacob (I shall divide them in Jacob), and I shall scatter them in Israel.

⁸ Judah, thy brethren shall praise thee, thine hands shall be in the nolls of thine enemies; the sons of thy father shall worship thee. (Judah, thy brothers shall praise thee, thy hands shall be upon the necks of thy enemies; the sons of thy father shall bow before thee.)

⁹ Judah, the whelp of a lion; my son, thou hast gone up to the prey; thou restedest, and hast lain as a lion, and as a lioness, who shall raise him? (thou hast rested, and hast lain like a lion, and a lioness, and now who shall dare rouse thee?)

¹⁰ The sceptre shall not be taken away from Judah, and a duke (out) of his hip (nor a ruler from between his hips, or out of his loins), till he come that shall be sent, and he shall be the abiding of heathen men;

¹¹ and he shall tie his colt at the vinery, and his she-ass at the vine; O! my son, he shall wash his stole in wine, and his mantle in the blood of the grape;

¹² (yea,) his eyes be fairer than wine, and his teeth be whiter than milk.

¹³ Zebulun shall dwell in the brink of the sea, and in the standing of ships; and he shall stretch till to Sidon. (Zebulun shall live at the edge of the sea, and his shore shall be a haven for ships; and he shall reach as far as Sidon.)

¹⁴ Issachar, a strong ass, lying betwixt [the] terms, (Issachar, like a strong donkey, lying between two burdens,)

¹⁵ saw rest, that it was good, and saw the land, that it was best, and he underset his shoulder to bear, and he was made serving to tributes^[b]. (saw that the resting place was good, and that the land was the best, and so he underset his shoulder to carry the burden, and was made to serve as a slave.)

¹⁶ Dan shall deem his people, as also another lineage in Israel. (Dan shall judge, or shall rule, his people, like another tribe in Israel.)

¹⁷ Dan be made a serpent in the way, and (a) cerastes, that is, an horned adder, in the path, and bite he the feet of an horse, that the rider of him fall backward; (Let Dan be made a serpent on the way, and a cerastes, or a horned adder, on the path, and bite he the horse’s feet, so that his rider fall backwards;)

¹⁸ Lord, I shall abide thine health. (Lord, I wait for thy salvation!)

¹⁹ Gad shall be girded, and he shall fight (them) before him, and he shall be girded behind. (Gad shall be girded, and shall be attacked from the front, but he shall fight back from behind.)

²⁰ Asher, his bread shall be fat, and he shall give delights to kings.

²¹ Naphtali shall be an hart sent out, and giving speeches of fairness.

²² Joseph, a son increasing, (yea,) a son increasing, and fair in beholding; [the] daughters run about on the wall (his branches climb up over the wall),

²³ but his brethren wrathed (at) him, and chided him, and they had darts, and had envy to him (and they had arrows, and they envied him).

²⁴ His bow sat in the strong (One), the Lord, and the bonds of his arms and his hands were unbound by the hand of the mighty (God) of Jacob; of him a shepherd went out, the stone of Israel. (But his bow stood strong, and the bonds on his arms, and on his hands, were unbound by the power of the mighty God of Jacob; yea, by his Shepherd, by the Rock of Israel.)

²⁵ (The) God of thy father shall be thine helper, and Almighty God shall bless thee, with blessings of (the) heaven(s) from above (with blessings from heaven above), and with blessings of the sea lying beneath, with blessings of teats, and of the womb;

²⁶ the blessings of thy father be strengthened, that is, be (made) better than the blessings of his fathers, till the desire of (the) everlasting hills came; blessings be made on the head of Joseph, and in the noll of (the) Nazarite, that is, holy, among his brethren (blessings shall rest on Joseph’s head, yea, on the noll of the Nazarite, that is, the one set apart, or the holy one, among his brothers).

²⁷ Benjamin, a ravishing wolf (a ravenous wolf), shall eat the prey early, and in the eventide he shall part (the) spoils.

²⁸ All these were in [the] twelve kindreds of Israel; their father spake these things to them, and he blessed them all by proper blessings, (All these were the twelve tribes, or the twelve families, of Israel; their father spoke these things to them, and he blessed each of them with their own blessings,)

²⁹ and he commanded to them, and said, I am (soon to be) gathered to my people; bury ye me with my fathers in the double den, that is in the land of Ephron (the) Hittite, (and he commanded to them, and said, soon I shall join my people, yea, my ancestors; bury ye me with my fathers in the cave, that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,)

³⁰ (that is, in the den in the field at Machpelah,) against Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which den Abraham bought with the field of Ephron (the) Hittite, into (a) possession of a sepulchre. (that is, in the cave in the field at Machpelah, east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which cave Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite, for a burial place.)

³¹ There they buried him, and Sarah his wife; also Isaac was buried there, with Rebecca his wife; there also Leah lieth buried. (They buried him there, with his wife Sarah; Isaac was also buried there, with his wife Rebecca; and Leah also lieth buried there.)

³² (This verse is omitted in the original text.)

³³ And when the behests were ended, by which he taught his sons, he gathered together his feet on the bed, and died, and he was put to his people. (And when Jacob had finished giving these prophesies to his sons, he drew his feet up onto the bed, and died, and he joined his ancestors.)

²⁹ And when Jesus had passed from thence, he came beside the sea of Galilee. And he went up into an hill, and sat there.

³⁰ And much people came to him, and had with them dumb men and crooked [men], feeble and blind, and many others; and they casted down them at his feet. And he healed them, [And many companies came nigh to him, having with them dumb men and crooked men, feeble and blind, and many others; and they cast them down at his feet. And he healed them,]

³¹ so that the people wondered [so that the companies wondered], seeing dumb men speaking, and crooked [men] going, blind men seeing; and they magnified God of Israel.

³² And Jesus, when his disciples were called together, said to them, I have ruth of the people, for they have abided now three days with me, and have nothing to eat; and I will not let them go fasting, lest they fail in the way.^[a]

³³ And the disciples say to him, Whereof then so many loaves among us in desert, to fulfill so great a people [that we fill so great a company]?

³⁴ And Jesus said to them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few small fishes.^[b]

³⁵ And he commanded the people, to sit to meat on the earth. [And he commanded the company, that they should sit to the meat on the earth.]

³⁶ And he took the seven loaves and five fishes, and did thankings, and brake them, and gave to his disciples; and the disciples gave to the people.

³⁷ And all ate, and were fulfilled, and they took that that was left of remnants, seven baskets full. [And all ate, and were filled, and they took that that was over of the reliefs, seven baskets full.]

³⁸ And they that ate were four thousand of men, without little children and women.

³⁹ And when he had let go the people [And, the company left], he went up into a boat, and came into the coasts of Magdala.

16 And the Pharisees and the Sadducees came to him tempting [And Pharisees and Sadducees tempting him came nigh to him], and prayed him to show them a token from heaven.

² And he answered, and said to them, When the eventide is come, ye say, It shall be clear, for heaven is ruddy;^[c]

³ and the morrowtide, To day tempest [and the morrow, Made to day tempest], for heaven shineth heavily. Then ye know how to deem [wisely] the face of heaven, but ye be not able to know the tokens of times [but ye be not able to know the signs of times].

⁴ An evil generation and adulterous seeketh a token; and a token shall not be given to it, but the token of Jonas, the prophet. And when he had left them, he went forth [he went away].

⁵ And when his disciples came over the sea, they forgot to take loaves.

⁶ And he said to them, Behold ye, and beware of the sourdough of Pharisees and of Sadducees.

⁷ And they thought among them[selves], and said [saying], For we have not taken loaves.

⁸ But Jesus witting said to them, What think ye among you of little faith, for ye have not taken loaves?

⁹ Yet ye understand not, neither have mind of five loaves into five thousand of men, and how many baskets ye took [and how many coffins ye took]?

¹⁰ neither of seven loaves into four thousand of men, and how many baskets ye took?

¹¹ Why understand ye not, for I said not to you of bread, Be ye ware of the sourdough of Pharisees and of Sadducees?

¹² Then they understood, that he said not to beware of [the] sourdough of loaves, but of the teaching of Pharisees and of Sadducees.

20 To victory, the psalm of David. The Lord hear thee in the day of tribulation; the name of God of Jacob defend thee. (To victory, the song of David. May the Lord answer thee in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob defend thee.)

² Send he help to thee from the holy place; and from Zion defend he thee.

³ Be he mindful of all thy sacrifice; and thy burnt sacrifice be made fat. (May he remember all thy offerings; yea, may he be pleased with thy rich offerings/with thy burnt sacrifices.)

⁴ Give he to thee after thine heart; and confirm he all thy counsel. (May he give he thee thy heart’s desire; yea, may he grant success to all thy plans.)

⁵ We shall be glad in thine health; and we shall be magnified in the name of our God. The Lord [ful]fill all thine askings; (We shall be glad for thy victory/We shall be glad for thy salvation, or thy deliverance; and we shall magnify the name of our God. May the Lord grant all thy requests;)

⁶ now I have known, that the Lord hath made safe his christ. He shall hear him from his holy heaven; the health of his right hand is in powers. (now I know that the Lord hath saved his anointed king. He shall answer him from his holy heaven; with the saving power of his right hand.)

⁷ These, that is, adversaries, trust in chariots, and these in horses; but we shall inwardly call in the name of our Lord God. (Some, that is, our adversaries, trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we shall call on the name of the Lord our God.)

⁸ They be bound, and felled down; but we have risen, and be raised. (They stumbled, and fell; but we have risen, and stand upright.)

⁹ Lord, make thou safe the king; and hear thou us in the day in which we inwardly call thee. (Lord, save thou the king; yea, answer thou us on the day in which we call to thee.)

²⁰ My son, harken thou (to) my words; and bow down thine ears to my speeches.

²¹ Go not they away from thine eyes (Let them not go away from thine eyes); keep thou them in the middle of thine heart.

²² For those be life to men finding those, and health of all flesh. (For they be life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.)

²³ With all (safe) keeping keep thine heart (safe), for life cometh forth of it (for life cometh forth from it).

²⁴ Remove thou a shrewd mouth from thee (Do not thou speak depraved things); and backbiting lips be far from thee.

²⁵ Thine eyes see rightful things; and thine eyelids go before thy steps.

²⁶ (Ad)dress thou [the] paths to thy feet (Direct thou the steps of thy feet), and all thy ways shall be stablished.

²⁷ Bow thou not to the right side, neither to the left side; turn away thy foot from evil.