[1] After this Joseph was told, "Behold, your father is ill"; so he took
with him his two sons, Manas'seh and E'phraim. [2] And it was told to
Jacob, "Your son Joseph has come to you"; then Israel summoned his
strength, and sat up in 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, `Behold, I will make you fruitful, and multiply you, and I will make of
you a company of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after
you for an everlasting possession.' [5] And now your two sons, who were
born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine;
E'phraim and Manas'seh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. [6] And the
offspring born to you after them shall be yours; they shall be called by
the name of their brothers in their inheritance. [7] For when I came from
Paddan, Rachel to my sorrow died in the land of Canaan on the way, when
there was still some distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on
the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)." [8] When Israel saw Joseph's
sons, he said, "Who are these?" [9] Joseph said to his father, "They are my
sons, whom God has given me here." And he said, "Bring them to me, I pray
you, that I may bless them." [10] Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age,
so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him; and he kissed
them and embraced them. [11] And Israel said to Joseph, "I had not thought
to see your face; and lo, God has let me see your children also." [12] Then
Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to
the earth. [13] And Joseph took them both, E'phraim in his right hand
toward Israel's left hand, and Manas'seh in his left hand toward Israel's
right hand, and brought them near him. [14] And Israel stretched out his
right hand and laid it upon the head of E'phraim, who was the younger, and
his left hand upon the head of Manas'seh, crossing his hands, for Manas'seh
was the first-born. [15] And he blessed Joseph, and said, "The God before
whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has led me all my
life long to this day, [16] the angel who has redeemed me from all evil,
bless the lads; and in them let my name be perpetuated, and the name of my
fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst
of the earth." [17] When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand
upon the head of E'phraim, it displeased him; and he took his father's
hand, to remove it from E'phraim's head to Manas'seh's head. [18] And
Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father; for this one is the
first-born; put your right hand upon his head." [19] But his father
refused, and said, "I know, my son, I know; he also shall become a people,
and he also shall be great; nevertheless his younger brother shall be
greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations."
[20] So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will pronounce
blessings, saying, `God make you as E'phraim and as Manas'seh'"; and thus
he put E'phraim before Manas'seh. [21] Then Israel said to Joseph, "Behold,
I am about to die, but God will be with you, and will bring you again to
the land of your fathers. [22] Moreover I have given to you rather than to
your brothers one mountain slope which I took from the hand of the Amorites
with my sword and with my bow."
