¹After these things , someone said to Joseph , “Behold , your father is sick .” He took with him his two sons , Manasseh and Ephraim.

²Someone told Jacob , and said, “Behold , your son Joseph comes to you ,” and Israel strengthened himself , and sat on the bed .

³Jacob said to Joseph , “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan , and blessed me ,

⁴and 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 offspring after you for an everlasting possession .’

⁵Now your two sons , who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you into Egypt , are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh , even as Reuben and Simeon , will be mine.

⁶Your offspring , whom you become the father of after them , will be yours. They will be called after the name of their brothers in their inheritance .

⁷As for me , when I came from Paddan , Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way , when there was still some distance to come to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (also called Bethlehem ).”

⁸Israel saw Joseph ’s sons , and said, “Who are these?”

⁹Joseph said to his father , “They are my sons , whom God has given me here .”

He said, “Please bring them to me , and I will bless them .”

¹⁰Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age , so that he couldn’t see well . Joseph brought them near to him ; and he kissed them , and embraced them .

¹¹Israel said to Joseph , “I didn’t think I would see your face , and behold , God has let me see your offspring also .”

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

¹³Joseph took them both , Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel ’s left hand , and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel ’s right hand , and brought them near to him .

¹⁴Israel stretched out his right hand , and laid it on Ephraim’s head , who was the younger , and his left hand on Manasseh ’s head , guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn .

¹⁵He blessed Joseph , and said,

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

the God who has fed me all my life long to this day ,

¹⁶the angel who has redeemed me from all evil , bless the lads ,

and let my name be named on them ,

and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac .

Let them grow into a multitude upon the earth.”

¹⁷When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him . He held up his father’s hand , to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh ’s head .

¹⁸Joseph said to his father, “Not so , my father, for this is the firstborn . Put your right hand on his head .”

¹⁹His 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 a multitude of nations .”

²⁰He blessed them that day , saying, “Israel will bless in your name, saying, ‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh ’” He set Ephraim before Manasseh .

²¹Israel said to Joseph , “Behold , I am dying , but God will be with you , and bring you again to the land of your fathers.

²²Moreover 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 .”