Genesis:48

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* And it came to pass after these things , that some one said to Joseph , Behold , thy father is sick ; and he took his two sons with him , Menasseh and Ephraim . * And some one told Jacob , and said , Behold , thy son Joseph is coming unto thee ; and Israel strengthened himself , and sat upon the bed . * And Jacob said unto Joseph , God , the Almighty , appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan , and blessed me , * And he said unto me , Behold , I will make thee fruitful , and multiply thee , and I will make of thee a multitude of people ; and I will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession . * And now thy two sons , who were born unto thee in the land of Egypt , before I came unto thee into Egypt , shall be mine ; Ephraim and Menasseh shall be unto me as Reuben and Simeon . * And thy issue , which thou begettest after them , shall be thine , after the name of their brothers shall they be called in their inheritance . * And as for me , when I came from Padan , Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan on the way , when yet there was some distance to come unto Ephrath : and I buried her there on the way of Ephrath , the same is Beth –lechem . * And Israel perceived the sons of Joseph , and said , Who are these ? * And 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 . * Now the eyes of Israel were dim through age , he could not see ; and he brought them near unto him , and he kissed them , and embraced them . * And Israel said unto Joseph , To see thy face I had not hoped ; and lo , God hath shown me also thy seed . * And Joseph brought them out from between his knees , and he bowed himself with his face to the earth . * And Joseph took them both , Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel ’s left , and Menasseh in his left hand toward Israel ’s right , and brought them near unto him . * And Israel stretched out his right hand , and laid it upon Ephraim ’s head , who was the younger , and his left hand upon Menasseh ’s head ; he laid his hands wittingly ; although Menasseh was the first –born . * And he blessed Joseph , and said , The God , before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk , the God who fed me from my first being unto this day , * The angel who redeemed me from all evil , bless the lads ; and let my name be called on them , and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac ; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth . * And when Joseph saw that his father would lay his right hand upon the head of Ephraim , it displeased him : and he took hold of his father ’s hand , to remove it from the head of Ephraim unto the head of Menasseh . * And Joseph said unto his father , Not so , my father ; for this is the first –born , put thy right hand upon his head . * And his father refused , and said , I know , my son , I know , 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 . * And he blessed them that day , saying , With thee shall Israel bless , saying , God make thee as Ephraim and Menasseh : and so he set Ephraim before Menasseh . * And Israel said unto Joseph , Behold , I die ; but God will be with you , and bring you again unto the land of your fathers * Moreover I have given unto thee one portion above thy brothers , which I took out of the hand of the Emorite with my sword and with my bow .

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