Jacob Blesses Joseph’s Sons Ephraim and Manasseh

48:1-22

48 Some time after those things happened, someone told Joseph, “Listen, your father is sick.” So Joseph went to visit his father and took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him. 2 When they got there, someone informed Jacob, “Look, your son Joseph has come to visit you.” Immediately Israel exerted himself and sat up at the head of his bed and they greeted each other. 3 Then Jacob told Joseph, “God who is all-powerful appeared to me long ago in the region of Canaan at the town of Luz. He blessed me there 4 by saying to me, ‘Listen, I will give you many descendants who will increase in number and become many people groups. I will also give this land to your descendants to own forever.’ ”

5 Then Jacob said to Joseph, “Now then, your two sons Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you here in the country of Egypt before I joined you here, I will treat as my sons, just like my sons Reuben and Simeon. 6 If you have any more children, they will be yours, so that what they inherit from me will be some of what their brothers Ephraim and Manasseh inherit from me. 7 I am doing this because as our family was returning home from the region of Paddan Aram, your mother Rachel died beside me in the region of Canaan while we were still traveling and some distance away from the town of Ephrath. As you know, I buried her body there by the road that goes to Ephrath, which now has the name Bethlehem.”

8 Then Israel noticed Joseph’s two sons and asked him, “Who are these young men?” 9 Joseph answered him, “These are my sons whom God gave to me here in Egypt.” Then Israel said to Joseph, “Please bring them closer to me so that I can ask God to bless them.” 10 Now Israel was almost blind because of old age, so that he could not see very clearly. So Joseph took his sons closer to his father, and his father kissed them on the cheeks and hugged them. 11 Then Israel exclaimed to Joseph, “I never thought I would see you again, but now look, God has even let me meet your children!” 12 Then Joseph had his sons move away from beside his father’s knees, and he bowed before his father and touched the ground with his forehead to show him respect.

13 Then he brought his sons close to his father again. He had Ephraim stand in front of Israel’s left side, and he had Manasseh stand in front of Israel’s right side. 14 But Israel intentionally reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, even though Ephraim was Joseph’s younger son. Then he crossed his arms and put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was Joseph’s oldest son. 15 Then Israel blessed Joseph and his sons by saying,

“I pray that the God whom my ancestors Abraham and Isaac served will bless your sons.

He is the God who has taken care of me my entire life.

16 He is also the Angel who saved me continually from every harm.

I pray that he will cause these young men to prosper greatly,

so that my family line and the family line of my ancestors Abraham and Isaac will continue through them

and so that they will have many descendants on the earth.”

17 When Joseph noticed that his father had put his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he thought it was a mistake. So he took hold of his father’s hand in order to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 Then he said to his father, “That is the wrong son, Father. The other one is my oldest son. So you need to have your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father would not move his hands and replied, “I know it, my son, I know what I am doing. In fact, your oldest son will also be a great man, and he will become the ancestor of a people group. However, his younger brother will be even greater than he will be, and his younger brother’s descendants will become many people groups.” 20 So Israel blessed Ephraim and Manasseh that day by saying to them,

“The people of Israel will use your names when they bless people and say,

‘May God prosper you like he prospered Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ”

In that way, Israel made Ephraim greater than Manasseh.

21 After that, Israel turned to Joseph and said to him, “As you can see, I am about to die, but God will always be with you and your brothers and all your descendants to help you. He will also take you back to the land that he gave to your ancestors. 22 Besides that, as part of your inheritance from me, I hereby give you the city of Shechem, which I captured from the Amorites when I defeated them in battle. This is more land than I am giving to your brothers.”