Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

48 Some time after this, Joseph was told, “Your father is weaker.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. ² When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed.

³ Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty^(A) appeared to me at Luz^(B) in the land of Canaan and blessed me. ⁴ He said to me, ‘I will make you fruitful and numerous; I will make many nations come from you, and I will give this land as a permanent possession^(C) to your future descendants.’^{(D) 5} Your two sons^(E) born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt are now mine.^(F) Ephraim and Manasseh belong to me just as Reuben and Simeon do. ⁶ Children born to you after them will be yours and will be recorded under the names of their brothers with regard to their inheritance. ⁷ When I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way,^(G) some distance from Ephrath in the land of Canaan. I buried her there along the way to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).

⁸ When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?”

⁹ And Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons God has given me here.”

So Israel said, “Bring them to me and I will bless them.”^{(H) 10} Now his eyesight was poor because of old age; he could hardly^[a] see.^(I) Joseph brought them to him, and he kissed and embraced them.^{(J) 11} Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, but now God has even let me see your offspring.” ¹² Then Joseph took them from his father’s knees and bowed with his face to the ground.^(K)

Ephraim’s Greater Blessing

¹³ Then Joseph took them both—with his right hand Ephraim toward Israel’s left, and with his left hand Manasseh toward Israel’s right—and brought them to Israel. ¹⁴ But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger, and crossing his hands, put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn.^{(L) 15} Then he blessed Joseph and said:

¹⁷ When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he thought it was a mistake^[b] and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s. ¹⁸ Joseph said to his father, “Not that way, my father! This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”

¹⁹ But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know! He too will become a tribe,^[c] and he too will be great; nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his offspring will become a populous nation.”^{[d] 20} So he blessed them that day, putting Ephraim before Manasseh when he said, “The nation Israel will invoke blessings by you, saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”