Genesis

48 And it came to pass, after these things, that one said to Joseph, Lo! thy father is sick. So he took his two sons with him, Manasseh and Ephraim.

2 And one told Jacob, and said—Lo! thy son Joseph coming in unto thee. So Israel strengthened himself, and sat up on the couch.

3 Then said Jacob unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me in Luz, in the land of Canaan,—and blessed me;

4 and said unto me—Behold me! about to make thee fruitful, so will I multiply thee and give thee to become a multitude of peoples,—so will I give this land to thy seed after thee as an age-abiding possession.

5 Now, therefore, thy two sons who were born to thee in the land of Egypt, before I came in unto thee in Egypt, are mine! Ephraim and Manasseh, like Reuben and Simeon, shall be mine!

6 But thine offspring which thou hast begotten after them thine own shall they be,—after the name of their brethren shall they be called in their inheritance.

7 But as for me, when I came in from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan, in the way, while yet there was a stretch of country to come into Ephrath,—so I buried her there, in the way to Ephrath, the same is Bethlehem.

8 Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons,—and said—Who are these?

9 And Joseph said unto his father, My sons they are, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said—Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, that I may bless them.

10 Now the eyes of Israel had become dim from old age,—he could not see,—so he drew them near unto him, and kissed them and embraced them.

11 And Israel said unto Joseph, To see thine own face had I not thought,—and lo! God hath caused me to see even thy seed!

12 And Joseph brought them out from beside his knees, and bowed himself down with his face towards the earth.

13 And Joseph took them both,—Ephraim in his right hand on Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand on Israel’s right hand,—and drew them near unto him.

14 Then Israel put forth his right hand and laid it upon the head of Ephraim, though he was the younger, and his left hand upon the head of Manasseh,—crossing his hands, although Manasseh was the first-born.

15 Thus blessed he Joseph and said,—God himself—before whom walked my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, God himself—who hath been my shepherd, since I came into being until this day;—

16 The Messenger—who hath been my redeemer from all evil—bless the lads! And may there be called upon them my name, and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac; And may they swarm into a multitude in the midst of the earth!

17 And Joseph saw that his father had laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, and it was displeasing in his eyes,—so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from off the head of Ephraim on to the head of Manasseh.

18 And Joseph said unto his father—Not so, my father! for this is the firstborn, lay thy right hand upon his head.

19 And his father refused and said—I know—my son, I know! He also shall become a people and he also shall become great,—but nevertheless his younger brother shall become greater than he, and his seed shall become a filling up of the nations.

20 And he blessed them on that day, saying—In thee let Israel bless himself, saying, God set thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh! So he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

21 And Israel said unto Joseph: Lo! I am about to die,—but it shall come to pass that God will be with you, and will take you back into the land of your fathers.

22 But I have given to thee one mountain-track above thy brethren,—which I took out of the hand of the Amorite, with my sword and with my bow.