Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

1After these deedes, one tolde Ioseph: beholde, thy father is sicke. And he toke with hym his two sonnes, Manasses and Ephraim. 2Then this message was declared vnto Iacob: beholde, thy sonne Ioseph cometh vnto thee. And Israel toke his strength vnto hym, and sate vpon the bedde. 3And Iacob sayd vnto Ioseph: God almyghtie appeared vnto me at Luz in the lande of Chanaan, and blessed me, and sayde vnto me: 4Beholde, I wyll make thee fruiteful, and cause thee to multiplie, and wyll make a great number of people of thee, and wyll geue this lande vnto thy seede after thee vnto an euerlastyng possession. 5And nowe thy two sonnes Manasses and Ephraim, whiche were borne vnto thee in the land of Egypt before I came vnto thee into Egypt, are myne, euen as Ruben and Simeon are mine. 6And the children which thou hast gotten after them, shalbe thyne owne, and shalbe called after the names of their brethren in their inheritaunce. 7And when I came from Mesopotamia, Rachel dyed vpon my hande in the land of Chanaan, by the way, when there was but a fieldes breadth to come vnto Ephratha: and I buried her there in the waye to Ephratha, the same is Beth-lehem.

8And Israel beheld Iosephes sonnes, and sayde: What are these? 9Ioseph sayde vnto his father: They are my sonnes whiche God hath geuen me here. And he sayde: Oh bring them to me, and let me blesse them. 10(And the eyes of Israel were dymme for age, so that he coulde not well see) And he brought them to hym, and he kyssed them, and imbraced them. 11And Israel sayde vnto Ioseph, I had not thought to haue seene thy face: and yet loe, God hath shewed me also thy seede. 12And Ioseph toke them away fro his lappe, and he bowed hym selfe with his face towarde the earth. 13Then toke Ioseph them both, Ephraim with his ryght hande towarde Israels left hande, and Manasses with his left hande towarde Israels ryght hande, and brought them vnto hym. 14And Israel stretched out his ryght hande, and layed it vppon Ephraims head, which was the younger: and his left hande vpon Manasses head, guydyng his hande wyttyngly, for Manasses was the first borne.

15And he blessed Ioseph, and sayde: God in whose syght my fathers Abraham & Isahac dyd walke, God which hath fedde me al my lyfe long vnto this day,

16And the angell which hath deliuered me from al euyl, blesse these laddes, and let my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham & Isahac, & that they may growe into a multitude in the middes of the earth.

17When Ioseph sawe that his father layed his ryght hande vpon the head of Ephraim, it displeased hym: and he lift vp his fathers hande, to haue remoued it from Ephraims head vnto Manasses head. 18And Ioseph sayde vnto his father, Not so my father, for this is the first borne: put thy right hande vpon his head. 19And his father would not, but sayde: I knowe it well my sonne, I knowe it well, he shalbe also a people, and shalbe great: But his younger brother shalbe greater then he, and his seede shall become a great people.

20And he blessed them that day, & saide: In thee let Israel blesse & saye, God make thee as Ephraim, & as Manasses. And he set Ephraim before Manasses.

21And Israel said vnto Ioseph: behold I dye, & God shalbe with you, & bryng you againe vnto ye land of your fathers. 22Moreouer, I haue geuen vnto thee a portion of lande aboue thy brethren, which I gat out of the hand of the Amorite in my sworde, and in my bowe.