Genesis 48

New King James Version

Jacob Blesses Joseph’s Sons^(A)

48 Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, “Indeed your fatherissick”; and he took with him his two sons,^(B)Manasseh and Ephraim.² And Jacob was told, “Look, your son Joseph is coming to you”; and Israel^[a]strengthened himself and sat up on the bed.³ Then Jacob said to Joseph: “God^(C)Almighty appeared to me at^(D)Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me,⁴ and said to me, ‘Behold, I will^(E)make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and^(F)give this land to your descendants after you^(G)asan everlasting possession.’⁵ And now your^(H)two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt,aremine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.⁶ Your^[b]offspring^[c]whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.⁷ But as for me, when I came from Padan,^(I)Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, whenthere wasbut a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”

⁸ Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, “Whoarethese?”

⁹ Joseph said to his father, “Theyaremy sons, whom God has given me in thisplace.”

And he said, “Please bring them to me, and^(J)I will bless them.”¹⁰ Now^(K)the eyes of Israel were dim with age,so thathe could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he^(L)kissed them and embraced them.¹¹ And Israel said to Joseph,^(M)“I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!”

¹² So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth.¹³ And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and broughtthemnear him.¹⁴ Then Israel stretched out his right hand and^(N)laiditon Ephraim’s head, whowasthe younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head,^(O)guiding his hands knowingly, for Manassehwasthe^(P)firstborn.¹⁵ And^(Q)he blessed Joseph, and said:

¹⁷ Now when Joseph saw that his father^(V)laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.¹⁸ And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for thisone isthe firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”

¹⁹ But his father refused and said,^(W)“I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly^(X)his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”

²⁰ So he blessed them that day, saying,^(Y)“By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’ ” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

²¹ Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but^(Z)God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.²² Moreover^(AA)I have given to you one^[d]portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand^(AB)of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”