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But Israel reached out his right hand and placed it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, crossing his hands, although ^(C1)Manasseh was the firstborn.

And he blessed Joseph, and said, "^(C1)The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, ^(C2)The God who has been my shepherd ^(F1)all my life to this day,

^(C1)The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, ^(C2)Bless the boys; And may my name ^(F1)live on in them, And the ^(F2)names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And ^(C3)may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth."

When Joseph saw that his father ^(C1)placed his right hand on Ephraim's head, it displeased him; and he grasped his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.

And Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Place your right hand on his head."

But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know; he also will become a people and he also will be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and ^(C1)his ^(F1)descendants shall become ^(F2)a multitude of nations."

So ^(C1)he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will pronounce blessing, saying, 'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh!'" And so he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

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