Genesis 48 Intro: Joseph visiteth his sick father -- Jacob blesseth Ephraim and Manasseh -- He prophesieth their return to Canaan.
1 And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Joseph, saying, Behold, thy father is sick; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2 And it was told Jacob, saying, Look, and behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee; and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
4 And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, saith the Lord, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee, for an everlasting possession.
5 And now, of thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt, before I came unto thee into Egypt; behold, they are mine, and the God of my fathers shall bless them; even as Reuben and Simeon they shall be blessed, for they are mine; wherefore they shall be called after my name. (Therefore they were called Israel.)
6 And thy issue which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance, in the tribes; therefore they were called the tribes of Manasseh and of Ephraim.
7 And Jacob said unto Joseph, When the God of my fathers appeared unto me in Luz, in the land of Canaan; he sware unto me, that he would give unto me, and unto my seed, the land for an everlasting possession.
8 Therefore, O my son, he hath blessed me in raising thee up to be a servant unto me, in saving my house from death;
9 In delivering my people, thy brethren, from famine which was sore in the land; wherefore the God of thy fathers shall bless thee, and the fruit of thy loins, that they shall be blessed above thy brethren, and above thy father's house;
10 For thou hast prevailed, and thy father's house hath bowed down unto thee, even as it was shown unto thee, before thou wast sold into Egypt by the hands of thy brethren; wherefore thy brethren shall bow down unto thee, from generation to generation, unto the fruit of thy loins forever;
11 For thou shalt be a light unto my people, to deliver them in the days of their captivity, from bondage; and to bring salvation unto them, when they are altogether bowed down under sin.
12 And therefore, as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan, in the way when we were yet but a little way to come unto Ephrath; and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is called Bethlehem.
13 And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these?
14 And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this land.
15 And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.
16 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see well. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.
17 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face; and lo, God hath showed me also thy seed.
18 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
19 And 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.
20 And 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.
21 And 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,
22 The 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.
23 And 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.
24 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father; for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
25 And 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.
26 And 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.
27 And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die; but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
28 Moreover 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.
