1 And it came to pass after these things, that one told
Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two
sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2 And one told
Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel
strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
3 And
Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of
Canaan, and blessed me,
4 And
said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will
make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after
thee for an
everlasting possession.
5 And
now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which 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 And
thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall
be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.
7 And
as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by 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; the same is Bethlehem.
8 And
Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these?
9 And
Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in
this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me,
and I will bless them.
10 Now
the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them
near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.
11 And
Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath
shewed me also thy seed.
12 And
Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his
face to the earth.
13 And
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 And
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 wittingly;
for Manasseh was the
firstborn.
15 And
he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did
walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,
16 The
Angel which 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; and let them grow into a
multitude in the midst of the earth.
17 And
when Joseph saw 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 And
Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the
firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
19 And
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 nations.
20 And
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 And
Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring
you again unto the land of your fathers.
22 Moreover
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.
