Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

Joseph brings Manasseh and Ephraim to his sick father, and Jacob steadies himself to receive them. He recalls God's appearance at Luz, adopts the two sons as his own heirs, and places that act inside the long memory of promise and Rachel's death.

S¹ome time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. ²When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up in bed. ³Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed me ⁴and told me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you; I will make you a multitude of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’ ⁵And now your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here shall be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. ⁶Any children born to you after them shall be yours, and they shall be called by the names of their brothers in the territory they inherit. ⁷Now as for me, when I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way in the land of Canaan, some distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).

Jacob asks who the boys are, and Joseph presents them as gifts God has given him in Egypt. Though nearly blind, Jacob embraces them with wonder that he has lived to see Joseph's children as well as Joseph himself.

⁸When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?” ⁹Joseph said to his father, “They are the sons God has given me in this place.” ¹⁰Now Israel’s eyesight was poor because of old age; he could hardly see. Joseph brought his sons to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them. ¹¹“I never expected to see your face again,” Israel said to Joseph, “but now God has let me see your children as well.” ¹²Then Joseph removed his sons from his father’s knees and bowed facedown.

Joseph arranges the boys so Manasseh stands for the firstborn blessing, but Jacob crosses his hands and gives the right hand to Ephraim. As he blesses them, he names the God who has shepherded and redeemed him all his life.

¹³And Joseph took both of them— with Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand— and brought them close to him. ¹⁴But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger; and crossing his hands, he put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn. ¹⁵Then he blessed Joseph and said: ¹⁶the angel who has redeemed me from all harm—

Joseph tries to correct his father, but Jacob insists he knows what he is doing. Both sons will become peoples, yet the younger will surpass the elder, and Jacob seals that order in the blessing.

¹⁷When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he was displeased and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s. ¹⁸“Not so, my father!” Joseph said. “This one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.” ¹⁹But his father refused. “I know, my son, I know!” he said. “He too shall become a people, and he too shall be great; nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” ²⁰So that day Jacob blessed them and said:

Jacob tells Joseph that his death is near, but God's presence and the return to the fathers' land still stand ahead. He also grants Joseph a special portion of land above his brothers.

²¹Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. ²²And to you, as one who is above your brothers, I give the ridge of land that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow.”