Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

1And it came to pass after these things, that someone said to Joseph, “Behold, your father is sick.” And he took his two sons with him, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2And someone told, Jacob and said, “Behold, your son Joseph has come to you.” And Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed.

3And Jacob said to Joseph, “El-Shaddai† appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and He blessed me 4and He said to me, ‘Behold, I am making you fruitful, and I will multiply you, and I will give you to be an assembly of peoples, and I will give this land to your seed after you as an everlasting possession.’

5And now, your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before my coming to you in Egypt, they are mine: Ephraim and Manasseh; like Reuben and like Simeon, they shall be mine. 6And your offspring, whom you beget after them, shall be yours. By the name of their brothers they will be called in their inheritance.

7And I, when I was coming from Paddan,† Rachel died upon me in the land of Canaan, on the way, when there was a distance of land to go to to Ephrathah. And I buried her there on the way to Ephrath” (that is, in Bethlehem).

8And Israel saw the sons of Joseph and said, “Who are these?”

9And Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given to me in this place.”

And he said, “Bring them, please, to me, and I will bless them.”

10And the eyes of Israel were heavy from old age; he was not able to see. And he brought them near to him, and he kissed them and he embraced them.

11And Israel said to Joseph, “To see your face I had not expected, and behold, God has shown me also your seed.”

12And Joseph brought them from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his nose to the earth.

13And Joseph took the two of them: Ephraim in his right hand, from the left of Israel, and Manasseh in his left hand, from the right of Israel, and he brought them near to him. 14And Israel stretched out his right hand and set it on the head of Ephraim—and he was the younger—and his left hand on the head of Manasseh; he acted wisely with his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15And he blessed Joseph and said,

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

the God who has been my shepherd from my continued being unto this day,

16the angel† who has redeemed me from all evil,

may he bless the boys.

And let my name be called upon them,

and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac,

and may they multiply like fish into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

17And Joseph saw that his father had set his right hand on the head of Ephraim, and it was evil in his eyes; and he took hold of the hand of his father to remove it from the head of Ephraim to the head of Manasseh. 18And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; set your right hand on his head.”

19And his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know! He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. And yet, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become the fullness of the nations.”

20And he blessed them that day, saying,

“By you Israel will bless, saying,

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

And he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

21And Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, and God will be with you⁺ and He will bring you⁺ back to the land of your⁺ fathers. 22And I, I have given to you one portion above your brothers,† which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.”