Genesis 46

So Israel {and his family} started traveling {toward Egypt} with all their belongings. When they reached {the city of} Beersheba, he offered some of his animals {on an altar} {there} as sacrifices to God, whom his father Isaac had worshiped.

During the night God called to Israel in a vision, “Jacob! Jacob!” Jacob replied, “Yes, {Lord}?”

Then God said {to him}, “I {am} God, the God whom your father worshiped. Do not be afraid of moving down to {the country of} Egypt, because I will make your descendants {multiply and} become a large people group {while they live} there.

I will personally go with you down to Egypt {and take care of you there}. Later I will definitely bring your descendants {back} {here to Canaan}. When you die, Joseph will be with you.” \*

After that, Jacob left {the city of} Beersheba, and his sons took him and their wives and children in the wagons that {King} Pharaoh had provided for them to ride in {to Egypt}.

They {also} brought {with them} their livestock and their {other} belongings that they had gotten in the region of Canaan. Then Jacob and all of his descendants arrived in Egypt.

He brought his entire {extended} family with him to Egypt, {including} his sons and daughters, {and} his grandsons and granddaughters. \*

Here is a list of the names of Israel’s descendants who came {with him} to Egypt, {that is, the names of} Jacob’s descendants: Reuben, {who was} his oldest {son},

and Reuben’s sons, {who were} Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

{Simeon and} Simeon’s sons, {who were} Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, who had a Canaanite mother.

{Levi and} Levi’s sons, {who were} Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. \*

{Judah and} Judah’s sons, {who were} Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; actually, Er and Onan had {already} died in the region of Canaan. Perez’s sons were Hezron and Hamul.

{Issachar and} Issachar’s sons, {who were} Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron.

{Zebulun and} Zebulun’s sons, {who were} Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

Those {were} the sons {and grandsons} whom Jacob and {his wife} Leah had together in {the region of} Paddan Aram. {They} also {had} a daughter {named} Dinah. The total number of those descendants {was} thirty-three. \*

{Jacob’s other descendants who came with him included} {his son Gad and} Gad’s sons, {who were} Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

{He also took} {his son Asher and} Asher’s sons, {who were} Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah, and their sister Serah. Beriah’s sons {were} Heber and Malkiel.

Those {were} the children {and grandchildren} {that Jacob had} with Zilpah, {who was the servant woman} that Laban had given to his daughter Leah. {Those descendants that} Zilpah and Jacob had together {totaled} sixteen persons. \*

The sons that Jacob had with his wife Rachel {were} Joseph and Benjamin.

Joseph’s {sons} who were born in {the country of} Egypt {were} Manasseh and Ephraim. Their mother was {Joseph’s wife} Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, {who was} the priest at {the city of} On.

Benjamin’s sons {were} Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

Those {were} the sons {and grandsons} whom Jacob and {his wife} Rachel had together, a total of fourteen descendants. \*

{Other descendants who came with Jacob included:} {his son Dan and} Dan’s son Hushim.

{Naphtali and} Naphtali’s sons, {who were} Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

Those {were all} the sons {and grandsons} that Jacob had with Bilhah, {the servant woman} whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel. The total number of those descendants {was} seven. \*

Altogether Jacob had sixty-six blood relatives who went with him to Egypt. That {number} does not include {his wives or} his sons’ wives.

{If you include} {Jacob, Joseph, and} Joseph’s two sons, who were born in Egypt, {then} there was a total of seventy members of Jacob’s family in Egypt. \*

{When they reached Egypt,} Jacob had Judah go to Joseph ahead of them to get directions {from him} to Goshen {Province}. After that, Jacob’s family traveled to Goshen.

Then Joseph got his chariot ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. {There} Joseph greeted his father and hugged him {tightly} and cried {for joy} on his shoulder {for} a long time.

Then Israel exclaimed to Joseph, “Now when I die {I will be at peace}, because I have seen you in person {and know} that you are still alive!” \*

Then Joseph announced to his brothers and {the rest of} his father’s family, “I will go to {King} Pharaoh and inform him, ‘My brothers and {the rest of} my father’s family have traveled {here} from the region of Canaan to live near me.

The men {of my family} raise sheep {and goats}. In fact, they raise {all kinds of} livestock {for a living}, and they have brought {with them} {all} their sheep {and goats} and cattle, and everything {else} that they own.’ \*

So then, when the king summons you and asks {you} what your occupation is,

you should tell {him}, ‘Sir, ever since the time we were young until now, we have been raising livestock, {which is} the same occupation that our ancestors had.’ That way {he will allow} you to live {separately} in Goshen Province, {especially} since Egyptians despise everyone who raises sheep.” \*