Genesis 48:8–22

⁸When Israel saw the sons of Joseph he said, “Who are these?” ⁹Then Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Please bring them to me that I may bless them.” ¹⁰Now the eyes of Israel were dim^c on account of old age; he was not able to see. So he brought them near to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. ¹¹And Israel said to Joseph, “I did not expect to see your face and behold, God has also shown me your offspring.” ¹²Then Joseph removed them from his knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. ¹³And Joseph took the two of them, Ephraim at his right to the left of Israel, and Manasseh at his left to the right of Israel. And he brought them near to him. ¹⁴And Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim (now he was the younger), and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn. ¹⁵And he blessed Joseph and said,

“The God before whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, walked,

The God who shepherded me all my life^d unto this day,

¹⁶The angel who redeemed me from all evil,

may he bless the boys.

And through them let my name be perpetuated,^e

and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac.

And let them multiply into many in the midst of the earth.

¹⁷When Joseph saw that his father put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, he was displeased. And he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from the head of Ephraim over to the head of Manasseh. ¹⁸And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father; because this one is the firstborn. Put your right hand upon his head.” ¹⁹But his father refused and said, “I know, my son; I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great, but his younger brother shall be greater than him, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” ²⁰So he blessed them that day, saying,

Through you Israel shall pronounce blessing, saying,

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

So he put Ephraim before Manasseh. ²¹And Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your ancestors.^{f 22}And I have given to you one slope of land rather than your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorites by my sword and with my bow.”