Ephraim’s Greater Blessing

¹³ Then Joseph took them both—with his right hand Ephraim toward Israel’s left, and with his left hand Manasseh toward Israel’s right—and brought them to Israel. ¹⁴ But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger, and crossing his hands, put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn.^{(A) 15} Then he blessed Joseph and said:

¹⁷ When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he thought it was a mistake^[a] and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s. ¹⁸ Joseph said to his father, “Not that way, my father! This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”

¹⁹ But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know! He too will become a tribe,^[b] and he too will be great; nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his offspring will become a populous nation.”^{[c] 20} So he blessed them that day, putting Ephraim before Manasseh when he said, “The nation Israel will invoke blessings by you, saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”