Israel Blesses Manasseh and Ephraim

48 Now it happened after these things that ^[a]Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is sick.” So he took his two sons ^(A)Manasseh and Ephraim with him. ² Then ^[b]it was told to Jacob, “Behold, your son Joseph has come to you,” so Israel strengthened himself and sat ^[c]up in the bed. ³ Then Jacob said to Joseph, “^[d](B)God Almighty appeared to me at ^(C)Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, ⁴ and He said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply, and I will make you an assembly of peoples, and I will give this land to your seed after you for ^(D)an everlasting possession.’ ⁵ So now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; ^(E)Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as ^(F)Reuben and Simeon are. ⁶ But your kin that ^[e]have been born after them shall be yours; they shall be called by the ^[f]names of their brothers in their inheritance. ⁷ Now as for me, when I came from ^(G)Paddan, ^(H)Rachel died, ^[g]to my sorrow, in the land of Canaan on the journey, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”

⁸ Then Israel ^(I)saw Joseph’s sons and said, “Who are these?” ⁹ And Joseph said to his father, “^(J)They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” So he said, “Bring them to me, please, that ^(K)I may bless them.” ¹⁰ Now ^(L)the eyes of Israel were so dim from age that he could not see. Then ^[h]Joseph brought them close to him, and he ^(M)kissed them and embraced them. ¹¹ Then Israel said to Joseph, “I never ^[i]expected to see your face, and behold, God has let me see your seed as well.” ¹² Then Joseph ^[j]took them from his knees and ^(N)bowed with his face to the ground. ¹³ And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right, and brought them close to him. ¹⁴ But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, ^[k]crossing his hands, ^[l]although ^(O)Manasseh was the firstborn. ¹⁵ And he blessed Joseph and said,

¹⁷ But Joseph saw that his father ^(U)set his right hand on Ephraim’s head, and it was displeasing in his sight; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸ And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Place your right hand on his head.” ¹⁹ But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know; he also will become a people, and he also will be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and ^(V)his seed shall become the fullness of nations.” ^20 (W)And he blessed them that day, saying,

Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.