Genesis 48:3-20
Jacob said to Joseph,“ God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me.He said to me,‘ I will make you fruitful and numerous; I will make many nations come from you, and I will give this land as an eternal possession to your future descendants.’Your two sons born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt are now mine. Ephraim and Manasseh belong to me just as Reuben and Simeon do.Children born to you after them will be yours and will be recorded under the names of their brothers with regard to their inheritance.When I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way, some distance from Ephrath in the land of Canaan. I buried her there along the way to Ephrath,”( that is, Bethlehem).When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said,“ Who are these?”And Joseph said to his father,“ They are my sons God has given me here.” So Jacob said,“ Bring them to me and I will bless them.”Now his eyesight was poor because of old age; he could hardly see. Joseph brought them to him, and he kissed and embraced them.Israel said to Joseph,“ I never expected to see your face again, but now God has even let me see your offspring.”Then Joseph took them from his father’s knees and bowed with his face to the ground.Then Joseph took them both— with his right hand Ephraim toward Israel’s left, and with his left hand Manasseh toward Israel’s right— and brought them to Israel.But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger, and crossing his hands, put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn.Then he blessed Joseph and said: The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,the Angel who has redeemed me from all harm— may He bless these boys. And may they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow to be numerous within the land.When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he thought it was a mistake and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s.Joseph said to his father,“ Not that way, my father! This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”But his father refused and said,“ I know, my son, I know! He too will become a tribe, and he too will be great; nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his offspring will become a populous nation.”So he blessed them that day with these words: The nation Israel will invoke blessings by you, saying,“ May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh,” putting Ephraim before Manasseh.
