1 ¶ And it came to pass after these things that it was told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

2 A nd one told Jacob and said, Behold, thy son Joseph comes unto thee. Then Israel strengthened himself and sat upon the bed

3 a nd said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me

4 a nd said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of peoples and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.

5 A nd now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.

6 A nd those whom thou hast begotten after them shall be thine and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.

7 B ecause when I came from Padanaram, Rachel died unto me in the land of Canaan in the way when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath; and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

8 ¶ And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons and said, Who are these?

9 A nd Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.

10 N ow the eyes of Israel were so dim for age that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him, and he kissed them and embraced them.

11 A nd Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face, and, behold, God has showed me also thy seed.

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

13 A nd Joseph 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 unto him.

14 T hen Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands with understanding; for Manasseh was the firstborn.

15 A nd he blessed Joseph and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long unto this day,

16 t he Angel who frees me from all evil, bless these young men, and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.

17 T hen Joseph seeing that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head.

18 A nd Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.

19 A nd his father refused and said, I know it, my son, I know it; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of Gentiles.

20 A nd he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh. And he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

21 A nd Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die; but God shall be with you and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.

22 M oreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.