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¹ Some time after this , someone told Joseph , “ Your father is ill .” When Joseph heard that , he took his two sons , Manasseh and Ephraim , to see his father . ² When someone told Jacob , “ Look , your son Joseph has come to see you !” Jacob , also called Israel , made an effort and sat up on the bed , even though it was difficult for him to do that . ³ He said to Joseph , “ When I was at Luz in the land of Canaan , God Almighty appeared to me . He blessed me ⁴ and said to me , ‘ I am going to enable you to become the father of many children . You will have many descendants , and they will become many people groups . And I will give this land to your descendants to possess forever .’

⁵ And now I will consider that your two sons , who were born to you here in Egypt before I came here , belong to me . Ephraim and Manasseh will be my sons , and they will inherit my possessions , just like my sons Reuben and Simeon and the others will . ⁶ If you later become the father of any more children , they will not be considered to be my children , but instead as my grandchildren . They will receive as part of what they inherit some of the same land that is in the territory that their brothers will inherit . ⁷ Many years ago , as I was returning from Paddan Aram , your mother Rachel sadly died in the land of Canaan , while we were still traveling , not far from the town of Ephrath . So I buried her body there alongside the road to Ephrath ” ( which is now called Bethlehem ).

⁸ When Jacob saw Joseph ’ s sons , he asked , “ Who are these boys ?” ⁹ Joseph replied to his father , “ They are the sons that God has given to me here in Egypt .” Jacob said , “ Bring them close to me so that I can bless them .” ¹⁰ Jacob was almost blind because he was very old . He could not see well . So Joseph brought his sons close to his father , and Jacob kissed them and hugged them . ¹¹ Jacob said to Joseph , “ I did not expect to see your face again , but look at this ! God has allowed me to see you , and he has allowed me to see your children , too !”

¹² Joseph took the boys from 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 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 . 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 think about me and my ancestors , Abraham and Isaac , because of what God does for them .

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 . 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 many 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 you . Some day he will take your descendants back to the land of their ancestors . ²² It is to you , who stands above your brothers that I will give the fertile hill in the area of Shechem . I captured that land from the Amor people group , fighting them with my sword and my bow and arrows .”