5Now, now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born in Egypt before I came to you here, will be mine, as well as Reuben and Simeon. 6The other children that will be born to you after them are yours, but as far as their ancestral inheritance is concerned, they will be numbered under the names of Ephraim and Manasseh, their elder brothers. 7And I do this because, alas! my Rachel died when I was returning from Paddan, she died in Canaan, not far from Ephrata. I buried her there, by the road to Efrata." (Now it is called Bethlehem.)

8When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he asked, "Who are they?" 9 "My sons, whom God has given me here," Joseph answered. "Bring them to me," said Israel, "and I will bless them." 10Israel's eyesight was dimened by old age, and he could scarcely see. Joseph brought his sons to him; Israel kissed them, embraced them, 11 and said to Joseph: "I no longer hoped to see you, but God has given me to see your children also."

12 Joseph led his children away from the tribes of Israel, and bowed down to him to the ground. 13He took both sons (Ephraim with his right hand, so that he was on Israel's left, and Manasseh with his left, so that he would be on Israel's right hand) and brought them closer to him. 14But Israel, stretching out her hands and crossing them,381 put her right hand on Ephraim's head, although he was the youngest, and her left hand on Manasseh's head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.

15Then he blessed Joseph, invoking a blessing on his sons, saying:

"God, in whose face my fathers Abraham and Isaac lived,

God, who was my Shepherd from my birth until this day,

16May the angel who delivered me from all troubles bless these youths!

They are to be called by my name

and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac.

Let their descendants be numerous on the earth!"

17Joseph thought that his father had made a mistake in laying his right hand on Ephraim's head, so he took his father's hand to shift it from Ephraim's to Manasseh's. 18"Not so, my father," he said, "for this firstborn, lay your right hand on his head."

19But his father refused him. "I know this, my son," he retorted, "I know that from him also will come a nation and he too will become great. Yet his younger brother will surpass him, and his descendants will be a whole host of nations." 20Then he blessed them that day and said,

"When they want to bless anyone in Israel,

they will use your names[384], saying: