Though Judah was the strongest among his brothers and a leader descended from him,<n id="1" /> the right of the firstborn belonged to Joseph.)p>

<p class="bodytext">So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph:<n id="1" /> &#8220;In my dream, there was a vine in front of me.

<p class="bodytext">The first lot went to Asaph&#8217;s son Joseph and his relatives and sons &#8211; twelve in all,<n id="1" />p> <p class="bodytext">the second to Gedaliah and his relatives and sons &#8211; twelve in all,p>

<p class="poetry">Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt. Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On,<n id="1" /> bore them to him.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">After these things Joseph was told,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Your father is weakening.&#8221; So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him.

The time<n id="1" /> for Israel to die approached, so he called for his son Joseph and said to him, &#8220;If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh<n id="2" /> and show me kindness and faithfulness.<n id="3" /> Do not bury me in Egypt,

&#8216;Tell Joseph this: Please forgive the sin of your brothers and the wrong they did when they treated you so badly.&#8217; Now please forgive the sin of the servants of the God of your father.&#8221; When this message was reported to him, Joseph wept.<n id="1" />

&#8220;As for you, son of man, take one branch, and write on it, &#8216;For Judah, and for the Israelites associated with him.&#8217; Then take another branch and write on it, &#8216;For Joseph, the branch of Ephraim and all the house of Israel associated with him.&#8217;