Genesis 48

1And 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.● 2And {one} told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.● 3And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,● 4And 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.● 5And 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.● 6And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, {and} shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.● 7And 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.● 8And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who {are} these?● 9And 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.● 10Now 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. {dim: Heb. heavy}● 11And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.● 12And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.● 13And 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.● 14And 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.● 15And 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,● 16The 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. {grow: Heb. as fishes do increase}● 17And 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. {displeased...: was evil in his eyes}● 18And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this {is} the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.● 19And 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. {multitude: Heb. fulness}● 20And 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.● 21And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.● 22Moreover 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.●