Genesis 48:15–22

¹⁵Then Jacob blessed Joseph, 

“May God, in whose presence my grandfather Abraham 

and my father Isaac walked, 

may God, who has been my shepherd all my life to this very day, 

¹⁶may the Messenger, who has rescued me from all evil, 

bless these boys. 

May they be called by my name 

and by the names of my grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac. 

May they have many children on the earth.” 

¹⁷When Joseph saw that his father had put his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he didn’t like it. So he took his father’s hand in order to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s. ¹⁸Then he said to his father, “That’s not right, Father! This is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.” 

¹⁹His father refused and said, “I know, Son, I know! Manasseh, too, will become a nation, and he, too, will be important. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be more important than he, and his descendants will become many nations.” 

²⁰That day he blessed them. He said, 

“Because of you, Israel will speak this blessing, 

‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh!’ ” 

In this way Israel put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh. 

²¹Then Israel said to Joseph, “Now I’m about to die, but God will be with you. He will bring you back to the land of your fathers. ²²I’m giving you one more mountain ridge than your brothers. I took it from the Amorites with my own sword and bow.”