Jacob blessed Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, in a way contrary to what Joseph expected

12 Joseph took the boys from alongside Jacob’s knees. Then he bowed down with his face to the ground. 13 Then Joseph took both of the boys, putting Ephraim on his right side toward Jacob’s left hand, and putting Manasseh on his left side toward Jacob’s right hand, and brought them close to Jacob. 14 But Jacob did not do what Joseph wanted him to do. Instead, he reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, even though he was the younger son. He crossed his arms and put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the older son. 15 Then he ◄blessed/asked God to bless► Joseph and his sons, saying,

“My grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac conducted their lives as God desired,

and to this very day God has led me and taken care of me as a shepherd leads and cares for his sheep [MET].

16 The angel whom he sent has kept me from being harmed in any way.

I pray that God will bless these boys.

I pray that people will never forget about me and about Abraham and Isaac because of what God does for these boys.

I pray that they will have many descendants who will live all over the earth.”

17 When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head and not on Manasseh’s head, he was distressed/displeased. So he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 Joseph said to him, “My father, that is not right! The one on whom you put your left hand is my older son. Put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused, saying, “I know that, my son, I know what I am doing. Manasseh’s descendants will also become a people-group, and they will become important. But his younger brother’s descendants will become greater than his will. His descendants will become several nations.” 20 So he blessed them both on that day, saying, “The people in Israel will use your names when they bless people. They will say, ‘We pray that God will help you as he helped Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ” In that way, Jacob said that Ephraim would become more important than Manasseh.

21 Then Jacob said to Joseph, “I am about to die. But I know that God will help/protect you. And some day he will take your descendants back to the land of their ancestors. 22 And it is to you, not to your brothers, that I will give the fertile hill in the Shechem area. I captured that land from the Amor people-group, fighting them with my sword and my bow and arrows.”