Genesis 48:8-22

Revised Standard Version

⁸ When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?” ⁹ Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, I pray you, that I may bless them.” ¹⁰ Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him; and he kissed them and embraced them. ¹¹ And Israel said to Joseph, “I had not thought to see your face; and lo, God has let me see your children also.” ¹² Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. ¹³ And Joseph took them both, E′phraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manas′seh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him. ¹⁴ And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it upon the head of E′phraim, who was the younger, and his left hand upon the head of Manas′seh, crossing his hands, for Manas′seh was the first-born. ¹⁵ And he blessed Joseph, and said,

¹⁷ When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of E′phraim, it displeased him; and he took his father’s hand, to remove it from E′phraim’s head to Manas′seh’s head. ¹⁸ And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father; for this one is the first-born; put your right hand upon his head.” ¹⁹ But his father refused, and said, “I know, my son, I know; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; nevertheless his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.” ²⁰ So he blessed them that day, saying,

and thus he put E′phraim before Manas′seh. ²¹ Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you, and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. ²² Moreover I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope^[a] which I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”