1 And it was after these things that someone said to Joseph, “Look, your father is sick.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him. 2 And someone told Jacob and said, “Look, your son Joseph is coming to you,” and Israel gathered his strength and sat up in the bed. 3 And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Look, I will make you reproduce and make you increase in number, and I will make an assembly of peoples come from you, and I will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’ 5 Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you into Egypt, they are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh—like Reuben and Shimon--are mine. 6 Your descendants, whom you become the father of after them, will be yours. They will be listed under the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 As for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the road, when there was still some distance to come to Efrat, and I buried her there by the road to Efrat” (which is Bethlehem).
8 Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, “Who are these?”
9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.”
And he said, “Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were partially blind from age; he couldn’t see well. And Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and hugged them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I didn’t think I would see your face, and look, God has let me see your offspring also!” 12 Then Joseph brought them out away from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. 13 Then Joseph took both of them, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him. 14 Then Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, crossing his hands, because Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said,
“The God who my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked before,
the God who has taken care of me my whole life until this day,
16 the Messenger who has rescued me from every trouble,
bless the young men,
and have my name be called in them,
and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac.
And have them increase to become very many in the central part of the earth.”
17 And Joseph saw that his father put his right hand on Ephraim’s head, and it was bad in his eyes, so he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not like that, my father, because this is the firstborn! Put 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 will be greater than he, and his offspring will become the group of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “In you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.’” So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh. 21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look, I am dying, but God will be with you, and bring you back to the land of your fathers. 22 And I have given to you one portion* above your brothers, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.”