Chuàngshìjì 48

1 Zhè shì yǐhòu , yǒu rén gàosu Yūesè shuō , nǐde fùqin bìng le . tā jiù daì zhe liǎng gè érzi Mǎnáxī hé Yǐfǎlián tóng qù .

2 Yǒu rén gàosu Yǎgè shuō , qǐng kàn , nǐ érzi Yūesè dào nǐ zhèlǐ lái le . Yǐsèliè jiù miǎnqiǎng zaì chuáng shàng zuò qǐlai .

3 Yǎgè duì Yūesè shuō , quánnéng de shén céng zaì Jiānán dì de Lùsī xiàng wǒ xiǎnxiàn , cì fú yǔ wǒ ,

4 Duì wǒ shuō , wǒ bì shǐ nǐ shēng yǎng zhòngduō , chéngwéi duō mín , yòu yào bǎ zhè dì cìgĕi nǐde hòuyì , yǒngyuǎn wéi yè .

5 Wǒ wèi dào Āijí jiàn nǐ zhī xiān , nǐ zaì Āijí dì suǒ shēng de Yǐfǎlián hé Mǎnáxī zhè liǎng gè érzi shì wǒde , zhēng rú Liúbiàn hé Xīmiǎn shì wǒde yíyàng .

6 Nǐ zaì tāmen yǐhòu suǒ shēng de jiù shì nǐde , tāmen kĕyǐ guīyú tāmen dìxiōng de míng xià de chǎnyè .

7 Zhìyú wǒ , wǒ cóng bā dàn lái de shíhou , Lājié sǐ zaì wǒ yǎnqián , zaì Jiānán dì de lù shàng , lí Yǐfǎtā hái yǒu yī duàn lùchéng , wǒ jiù bǎ tā zàng zaì Yǐfǎtā de lù shàng . Yǐfǎtā jiù shì Bólìhéng .

8 Yǐsèliè kànjian Yūesè de liǎng gè érzi , jiù shuō , zhè shì shuí ,

9 Yūesè duì tā fùqin shuō , zhè shì shén zaì zhèlǐ cìgĕi wǒde érzi . Yǐsèliè shuō , qǐng nǐ lǐng tāmen dào wǒ gēnqián , wǒ yào gĕi tāmen zhùfú .

10 Yǐsèliè niánjì lǎomaì , yǎnjing hūnhuā , bùnéng kànjian . Yūesè lǐng tāmen dào tā gēnqián , tā jiù hé tāmen qīnzuǐ, bào zhe tāmen .

11 Yǐsèliè duì Yūesè shuō , wǒ xiǎng bù dào de jiàn nǐde miàn , búliào , shén yòu shǐ wǒ de jiàn nǐde érzi .

12 Yūesè bǎ liǎng gè érzi cóng Yǐsèliè liǎng xī zhōng lǐng chūlai , zìjǐ jiù liǎn fú yú dì xià baì .

13 Suíhòu , Yūesè yòu lā zhe tāmen liǎng gè , Yǐfǎlián zaì tāde yòushǒu lǐ , duì zhe Yǐsèliè de zuǒshǒu , Mǎnáxī zaì tāde zuǒshǒu lǐ , duì zhe Yǐsèliè de yòushǒu , lǐng tāmen dào Yǐsèliè de gēnqián .

14 Yǐsèliè shēn chū yòushǒu lái , àn zaì Yǐfǎlián de tóu shàng , Yǐfǎlián nǎi shì cì zǐ . yòu jiǎn dā guò zuǒshǒu lái , àn zaì Mǎnáxī de tóu shàng , Mǎnáxī yuán shì zhǎngzǐ .

15 Tā jiù gĕi Yūesè zhùfú shuō , yuàn wǒ zǔ Yàbólāhǎn hé wǒ fù Yǐsā suǒ shìfèng de shén , jiù shì yìshēng mù yǎng wǒ zhídào jīnrì de shén ,

16 Jiùshú wǒ tuōlí yīqiè huànnàn de nà shǐzhĕ , cì fú yǔ zhè liǎng gè tóngzǐ . yuàn tāmen guī zaì wǒde míng xià hé wǒ zǔ Yàbólāhǎn , wǒ fù Yǐsā de míng xià . yòu yuàn tāmen zaì shìjiè zhōng shēng yǎng zhòngduō .

17 Yūesè jiàn tā fùqin bǎ yòushǒu àn zaì Yǐfǎlián de tóu shàng , jiù bù xǐyuè , biàn tí qǐ tā fùqin de shǒu , yào cóng Yǐfǎlián de tóu shàng nuó dào Mǎnáxī de tóu shàng .

18 Yūesè duì tā fùqin shuō , wǒ fù , bù shì zhèyàng . zhè bĕn shì zhǎngzǐ , qiú nǐ bǎ yòushǒu àn zaì tāde tóu shàng .

19 Tā fùqin bù cóng , shuō , wǒ zhīdào , wǒ ér , wǒ zhīdào . tā yĕ bì chéngwéi yī zú , yĕ bì chāng dà . zhǐshì tāde xiōngdi jiānglái bǐ tā hái dà . tā xiōngdi de hòuyì yào chéngwéi duō zú .

20 Dàng rì jiù gĕi tāmen zhùfú shuō , Yǐsèliè rén yào zhǐ zhe nǐmen zhùfú shuō , yuàn shén shǐ nǐ rú Yǐfǎlián , Mǎnáxī yíyàng . yúshì lì Yǐfǎlián zaì Mǎnáxī yǐshàng .

21 Yǐsèliè yòu duì Yūesè shuō , wǒ yào sǐ le , dàn shén bì yù nǐmen tòng zaì , lǐng nǐmen huí dào nǐmen lièzǔ zhī dì .

22 Bìngqiĕ wǒ cóng qián yòng gōng yòng dāo cóng Yàmólìrén shǒu xià duó de nà kuaì dì , wǒ dōu cìgĕi nǐ , shǐ nǐ bǐ zhòng dìxiōng duō de yī fèn .

Chuàngshìjì 48 Commentary

Chapter 48

Joseph visits his dying father. (1-7) Jacob blesses Joseph's sons. (8-22)

Verses 1-7 The death-beds of believers, with the prayers and counsels of dying persons, are suited to make serious impressions upon the young, the gay, and the prosperous: we shall do well to take children on such occasions, when it can be done properly. If the Lord please, it is very desirable to bear our dying testimony to his truth, to his faithfulness, and the pleasantness of his ways. And one would wish so to live, as to give energy and weight to our dying exhortations. All true believers are blessed at their death, but all do not depart equally full of spiritual consolations. Jacob adopted Joseph's two sons. Let them not succeed their father, in his power and grandeur in Egypt; but let them succeed in the inheritance of the promise made to Abraham. Thus the aged dying patriarch teaches these young persons to take their lot with the people of God. He appoints each of them to be the head of a tribe. Those are worthy of double honour, who, through God's grace, break through the temptations of worldly wealth and preferment, to embrace religion in disgrace and poverty. Jacob will have Ephraim and Manasseh to know, that it is better to be low, and in the church, than high, and out of it.

Verses 8-22 The two good men own God in their comforts. Joseph says, They are my sons whom God has given me. Jacob says, God hath showed me thy seed. Comforts are doubly sweet to us when we see them coming from God's hand. He not only prevents our fears, but exceeds our hopes. Jacob mentions the care the Divine providence had taken of him all his days. A great deal of hardship he had known in his time, but God kept him from the evil of his troubles. Now he was dying, he looked upon himself as redeemed from all sin and sorrow for ever. Christ, the Angel of the covenant, redeems from all evil. Deliverances from misery and dangers, by the Divine power, coming through the ransom of the blood of Christ, in Scripture are often called redemption. In blessing Joseph's sons, Jacob crossed hands. Joseph was willing to support his first-born, and would have removed his father's hands. But Jacob acted neither by mistake, nor from a partial affection to one more than the other; but from a spirit of prophecy, and by the Divine counsel. God, in bestowing blessings upon his people, gives more to some than to others, more gifts, graces, and comforts, and more of the good things of this life. He often gives most to those that are least likely. He chooses the weak things of the world; he raises the poor out of the dust. Grace observes not the order of nature, nor does God prefer those whom we think fittest to be preferred, but as it pleases him. How poor are they who have no riches but those of this world! How miserable is a death-bed to those who have no well-grounded hope of good, but dreadful apprehensions of evil, and nothing but evil for ever!

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 48

Joseph, hearing that his father Jacob was sick, paid him a visit, Ge 49:1,2; at which time Jacob gave him an account of the Lord's appearing to him at Luz, and of the promise he made unto him, Ge 49:3,4; then he adopted his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and blessed them, and Joseph also, Ge 49:5-16; and whereas he crossed his hands when he blessed the sons of Joseph, putting his right hand on the youngest, and his left hand on the eldest, which was displeasing to Joseph, he gave him a reason for so doing, Ge 49:17-20; and then assured him that God would bring him, and the rest of his posterity, into the land of Canaan, where he assigned him a particular portion above his brethren, Ge 49:21,22.