48:15 Then he blessed Joseph and said,
“May the God before whom my fathers
Abraham and Isaac walked –
the God who has been my shepherd 4
all my life long to this day,
48:16 the Angel 5 who has protected me 6
from all harm –
bless these boys.
May my name be named in them, 7
and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac.
May they grow into a multitude on the earth.”
48:17 When Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it displeased him. 8 So he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 48:18 Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”
48:19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a nation and he too will become great. In spite of this, his younger brother will be even greater and his descendants will become a multitude 9 of nations.” 48:20 So he blessed them that day, saying,
“By you 10 will Israel bless, 11 saying,
‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”
So he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 12