⁵² Joseph named his second son Ephraim,^[a] for he said, “God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief.”

²³ He lived to see three generations of descendants of his son Ephraim, and he lived to see the birth of the children of Manasseh’s son Makir, whom he claimed as his own.^[a]

⁶ I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!

³ May God Almighty^[a] bless you and give you many children. And may your descendants multiply and become many nations!

Comfort for God’s People

¹⁷ But Joseph was upset when he saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head. So Joseph lifted it to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸ “No, my father,” he said. “This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”

¹⁹ But his father refused. “I know, my son; I know,” he replied. “Manasseh will also become a great people, but his younger brother will become even greater. And his descendants will become a multitude of nations.”

⁶ Rachel named him Dan,^[a] for she said, “God has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me a son.” ⁷ Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. ⁸ Rachel named him Naphtali,^[b] for she said, “I have struggled hard with my sister, and I’m winning!”

⁹ Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn’t getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife. ¹⁰ Soon Zilpah presented him with a son. ¹¹ Leah named him Gad,^[c] for she said, “How fortunate I am!” ¹² Then Zilpah gave Jacob a second son. ¹³ And Leah named him Asher,^[d] for she said, “What joy is mine! Now the other women will celebrate with me.”