Joseph in Egypt

Genesis 37

¹ Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had resided, the land of Canaan.

² This is the account of Jacob. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flock with his brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons, because Joseph had been born to him in his old age; so he made him a robe of many colors.

⁴ When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

⁵ Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.

⁶ He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had:

⁷ We were binding sheaves of grain in the field, and suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to mine.”

⁸ “Do you intend to reign over us?” his brothers asked. “Will you actually rule us?” So they hated him even more because of his dream and his statements.

⁹ Then Joseph had another dream and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

¹⁰ He told his father and brothers, but his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream that you have had? Will your mother and brothers and I actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”

¹¹ And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what he had said.

¹² Some time later, Joseph’s brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks near Shechem.

¹³ Israel said to him, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flocks at Shechem? Get ready; I am sending you to them.” “I am ready,” Joseph replied.

¹⁴ Then Israel told him, “Go now and see how your brothers and the flocks are faring, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. And when Joseph arrived in Shechem,

¹⁵ a man found him wandering in the field and asked, “What are you looking for?”

¹⁶ “I am looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Can you please tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?”

¹⁷ “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph set out after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

¹⁸ Now Joseph’s brothers saw him in the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill him.

¹⁹ “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to one another.

²⁰ “Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams!”

²¹ When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands. “Let us not take his life,” he said.

²² “Do not shed his blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this so that he could rescue Joseph from their hands and return him to his father.

²³ So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the robe of many colors he was wearing—

²⁴ and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, with no water in it.

²⁵ And as they sat down to eat a meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh on their way down to Egypt.

²⁶ Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?

²⁷ Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him; for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And they agreed.

²⁸ So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

²⁹ When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes,

³⁰ returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”

³¹ Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the robe in its blood.

³² They sent the robe of many colors to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe or not.”

³³ His father recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”

³⁴ Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.

³⁵ All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.

³⁶ Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.

Genesis 38

¹ About that time, Judah left his brothers and settled near a man named Hirah, an Adullamite.

² There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua, and he took her as a wife and slept with her.

³ So she conceived and gave birth to a son, and Judah named him Er.

⁴ Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Onan.

⁵ Then she gave birth to another son and named him Shelah; it was at Chezib that she gave birth to him.

⁶ Now Judah acquired a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

⁷ But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so the LORD put him to death.

⁸ Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife. Perform your duty as her brother-in-law and raise up offspring for your brother.”

⁹ But Onan knew that the offspring would not belong to him; so whenever he would sleep with his brother’s wife, he would spill his seed on the ground so that he would not produce offspring for his brother.

¹⁰ What he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well.

¹¹ Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s house.

¹² After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah.

¹³ When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,”

¹⁴ she removed her widow’s garments, covered her face with a veil to disguise herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that although Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife.

¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face.

¹⁶ Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.” “What will you give me for sleeping with you?” she inquired.

¹⁷ “I will send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah answered. But she replied, “Only if you leave me something as a pledge until you send it.”

¹⁸ “What pledge should I give you?” he asked. She answered, “Your seal and your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

¹⁹ Then Tamar got up and departed. And she removed her veil and put on her widow’s garments again.

²⁰ Now when Judah sent his friend Hirah the Adullamite with the young goat to collect the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her.

²¹ He asked the men of that place, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?” “No shrine prostitute has been here,” they answered.

²² So Hirah returned to Judah and said, “I could not find her, and furthermore, the men of that place said, ‘No shrine prostitute has been here.’”

²³ “Let her keep the items,” Judah replied. “Otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you could not find her.”

²⁴ About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and now she is pregnant.” “Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be burned to death!”

²⁵ As she was being brought out, Tamar sent a message to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these items belong.” And she added, “Please examine them. Whose seal and cord and staff are these?”

²⁶ Judah recognized the items and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again.

²⁷ When the time came for Tamar to give birth, there were twins in her womb.

²⁸ And as she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it around his wrist. “This one came out first,” she announced.

²⁹ But when he pulled his hand back and his brother came out, she said, “You have broken out first!” So he was named Perez.

³⁰ Then his brother came out with the scarlet thread around his wrist, and he was named Zerah.

Genesis 39

¹ Meanwhile, Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, where an Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

² And the LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.

³ When his master saw that the LORD was with him and made him prosper in all he did,

⁴ Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household and entrusted him with everything he owned.

⁵ From the time that he put Joseph in charge of his household and all he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s household on account of him. The LORD’s blessing was on everything he owned, both in his house and in his field.

⁶ So Potiphar left all that he owned in Joseph’s care; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,

⁷ and after some time his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”

⁸ But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has entrusted everything he owns to my care.

⁹ No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?”

¹⁰ Although Potiphar’s wife spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be near her.

¹¹ One day, however, Joseph went into the house to attend to his work, and not a single household servant was inside.

¹² She grabbed Joseph by his cloak and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his cloak in her hand, he escaped and ran outside.

¹³ When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house,

¹⁴ she called her household servants. “Look,” she said, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, but I screamed as loud as I could.

¹⁵ When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

¹⁶ So Potiphar’s wife kept Joseph’s cloak beside her until his master came home.

¹⁷ Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me,

¹⁸ but when I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

¹⁹ When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,” he burned with anger.

²⁰ So Joseph’s master took him and had him thrown into the prison where the king’s prisoners were confined. While Joseph was there in the prison,

²¹ the LORD was with him and extended kindness to him, granting him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.

²² And the warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care, so that he was responsible for all that was done in the prison.

²³ The warden did not concern himself with anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

Genesis 40

¹ Some time later, the king’s cupbearer and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt.

² Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,

³ and imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard, the same prison where Joseph was confined.

⁴ The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he became their personal attendant. After they had been in custody for some time,

⁵ both of these men—the Egyptian king’s cupbearer and baker, who were being held in the prison—had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning.

⁶ When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were distraught.

⁷ So he asked the officials of Pharaoh who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so downcast today?”

⁸ “We both had dreams,” they replied, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”

⁹ So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream: “In my dream there was a vine before me,

¹⁰ and on the vine were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes.

¹¹ Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into his cup, and placed the cup in his hand.”

¹² Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three branches are three days.

¹³ Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore your position. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did when you were his cupbearer.

¹⁴ But when it goes well for you, please remember me and show me kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh, that he might bring me out of this prison.

¹⁵ For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing for which they should have put me in this dungeon.”

¹⁶ When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: There were three baskets of white bread on my head.

¹⁷ In the top basket were all sorts of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”

¹⁸ Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three baskets are three days.

¹⁹ Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. Then the birds will eat the flesh of your body.”

²⁰ On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he held a feast for all his officials, and in their presence he lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.

²¹ Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.

²² But Pharaoh hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had described to them in his interpretation.

²³ The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot all about him.

Genesis 41

¹ After two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing beside the Nile,

² when seven cows, sleek and well-fed, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds.

³ After them, seven other cows, sickly and thin, came up from the Nile and stood beside the well-fed cows on the bank of the river.

⁴ And the cows that were sickly and thin devoured the seven sleek, well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke up,

⁵ but he fell back asleep and dreamed a second time: Seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, came up on one stalk.

⁶ After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the east wind.

⁷ And the thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, ripe ones. Then Pharaoh awoke and realized it was a dream.

⁸ In the morning his spirit was troubled, so he summoned all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.

⁹ Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures.

¹⁰ Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he put me and the chief baker in the custody of the captain of the guard.

¹¹ One night both the chief baker and I had dreams, and each dream had its own meaning.

¹² Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams and he interpreted them for us individually.

¹³ And it happened to us just as he had interpreted: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.”

¹⁴ So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, who was quickly brought out of the dungeon. After he had shaved and changed his clothes, he went in before Pharaoh.

¹⁵ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”

¹⁶ “I myself cannot do it,” Joseph replied, “but God will give Pharaoh a sound answer.”

¹⁷ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile,

¹⁸ when seven cows, well-fed and sleek, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds.

¹⁹ After them, seven other cows—sickly, ugly, and thin—came up. I have never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt!

²⁰ Then the thin, ugly cows devoured the seven well-fed cows that were there first.

²¹ When they had devoured them, however, no one could tell that they had done so; their appearance was as ugly as it had been before. Then I awoke.

²² In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, growing on a single stalk.

²³ After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind.

²⁴ And the thin heads of grain swallowed the seven plump ones. I told this dream to the magicians, but no one could explain it to me.”

²⁵ At this, Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do.

²⁶ The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven ripe heads of grain are seven years. The dreams have the same meaning.

²⁷ Moreover, the seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind—they are seven years of famine.

²⁸ It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.

²⁹ Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt,

³⁰ but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will devastate the land.

³¹ The abundance in the land will not be remembered, since the famine that follows it will be so severe.

³² Moreover, because the dream was given to Pharaoh in two versions, the matter has been decreed by God, and He will carry it out shortly.

³³ Now, therefore, Pharaoh should look for a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt.

³⁴ Let Pharaoh take action and appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.

³⁵ Under the authority of Pharaoh, let them collect all the excess food from these good years, that they may come and lay up the grain to be preserved as food in the cities.

³⁶ This food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine to come upon the land of Egypt. Then the country will not perish in the famine.”

³⁷ This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his officials.

³⁸ So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, in whom the Spirit of God abides?”

³⁹ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.

⁴⁰ You shall be in charge of my house, and all my people are to obey your commands. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”

⁴¹ Pharaoh also told Joseph, “I hereby place you over all the land of Egypt.”

⁴² Then Pharaoh removed the signet ring from his finger, put it on Joseph’s finger, clothed him in garments of fine linen, and placed a gold chain around his neck.

⁴³ He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, with men calling out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he placed him over all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁴ And Pharaoh declared to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission, no one in all the land of Egypt shall lift his hand or foot.”

⁴⁵ Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah, and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁶ Now Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt.

⁴⁷ During the seven years of abundance, the land brought forth bountifully.

⁴⁸ During those seven years, Joseph collected all the excess food in the land of Egypt and stored it in the cities. In every city he laid up the food from the fields around it.

⁴⁹ So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance, like the sand of the sea, that he stopped keeping track of it; for it was beyond measure.

⁵⁰ Before the years of famine arrived, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.

⁵¹ Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, saying, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s household.”

⁵² And the second son he named Ephraim, saying, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

⁵³ When the seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end,

⁵⁴ the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. And although there was famine in every country, there was food throughout the land of Egypt.

⁵⁵ When extreme hunger came to all the land of Egypt and the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”

⁵⁶ When the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

⁵⁷ And every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.

Genesis 42

¹ When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?”

² “Look,” he added, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”

³ So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

⁴ But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “I am afraid that harm might befall him.”

⁵ So the sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, since the famine had also spread to the land of Canaan.

⁶ Now Joseph was the ruler of the land; he was the one who sold grain to all its people. So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

⁷ And when Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We are here to buy food.”

⁸ Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.

⁹ Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said, “You are spies! You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

¹⁰ “Not so, my lord,” they replied. “Your servants have come to buy food.

¹¹ We are all sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”

¹² “No,” he told them. “You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

¹³ But they answered, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”

¹⁴ Then Joseph declared, “Just as I said, you are spies!

¹⁵ And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.

¹⁶ Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be confined so that the truth of your words may be tested. If they are untrue, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”

¹⁷ So Joseph imprisoned them for three days,

¹⁸ and on the third day he said to them, “I fear God. So do this and you will live:

¹⁹ If you are honest, leave one of your brothers in custody while the rest of you go and take back grain to relieve the hunger of your households.

²⁰ Then bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be verified, that you may not die.” And to this they consented.

²¹ Then they said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”

²² And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”

²³ They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them.

²⁴ And he turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes.

²⁵ Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man’s silver to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out,

²⁶ and they loaded the grain on their donkeys and departed.

²⁷ At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of the sack.

²⁸ “My silver has been returned!” he said to his brothers. “It is here in my sack.” Their hearts sank, and trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

²⁹ When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they described to him all that had happened to them:

³⁰ “The man who is lord of the land spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country.

³¹ But we told him, ‘We are honest men, not spies.

³² We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’

³³ Then the man who is lord of the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest: Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go.

³⁴ But bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’”

³⁵ As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! And when they and their father saw the bags of silver, they were dismayed.

³⁶ Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my sons. Joseph is gone and Simeon is no more. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is going against me!”

³⁷ Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I fail to bring him back to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him.”

³⁸ But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”

Genesis 43

¹ Now the famine was still severe in the land.

² So when Jacob’s sons had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”

³ But Judah replied, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’

⁴ If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you.

⁵ But if you will not send him, we will not go; for the man told us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’”

⁶ “Why did you bring this trouble upon me?” Israel asked. “Why did you tell the man you had another brother?”

⁷ They replied, “The man questioned us in detail about ourselves and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”

⁸ And Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will go at once, so that we may live and not die—neither we, nor you, nor our children.

⁹ I will guarantee his safety. You may hold me personally responsible. If I do not bring him back and set him before you, then may I bear the guilt before you all my life.

¹⁰ If we had not delayed, we could have come and gone twice by now.”

¹¹ Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and carry them down as a gift for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds.

¹² Take double the silver with you so that you may return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake.

¹³ Take your brother as well, and return to the man at once.

¹⁴ May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother along with Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

¹⁵ So the men took these gifts, along with double the amount of silver, and Benjamin as well. Then they hurried down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

¹⁶ When Joseph saw Benjamin with his brothers, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for they shall dine with me at noon.”

¹⁷ The man did as Joseph had commanded and took the brothers to Joseph’s house.

¹⁸ But the brothers were frightened that they had been taken to Joseph’s house. “We have been brought here because of the silver that was returned in our bags the first time,” they said. “They intend to overpower us and take us as slaves, along with our donkeys.”

¹⁹ So they approached Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house.

²⁰ “Please, sir,” they said, “we really did come down here the first time to buy food.

²¹ But when we came to the place we lodged for the night, we opened our sacks and, behold, each of us found his silver in the mouth of his sack! It was the full amount of our silver, and we have brought it back with us.

²² We have brought additional silver with us to buy food. We do not know who put our silver in our sacks.”

²³ “It is fine,” said the steward. “Do not be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, gave you the treasure that was in your sacks. I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

²⁴ And the steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided food for their donkeys.

²⁵ Since the brothers had been told that they were going to eat a meal there, they prepared their gift for Joseph’s arrival at noon.

²⁶ When Joseph came home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought, and they bowed to the ground before him.

²⁷ He asked if they were well, and then he asked, “How is your elderly father you told me about? Is he still alive?”

²⁸ “Your servant our father is well,” they answered. “He is still alive.” And they bowed down to honor him.

²⁹ When Joseph looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” Then he declared, “May God be gracious to you, my son.”

³⁰ Joseph hurried out because he was moved to tears for his brother, and he went to a private room to weep.

³¹ Then he washed his face and came back out. Regaining his composure, he said, “Serve the meal.”

³² They separately served Joseph, his brothers, and the Egyptians. They ate separately because the Egyptians would not eat with the Hebrews, since that was detestable to them.

³³ They were seated before Joseph in order by age, from the firstborn to the youngest, and the men looked at one another in astonishment.

³⁴ When the portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times larger than any of the others. So they feasted and drank freely with Joseph.

Genesis 44

¹ Then Joseph instructed his steward: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each one’s silver in the mouth of his sack.

² Put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” So the steward did as Joseph had instructed.

³ At daybreak, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.

⁴ They had not gone far from the city when Joseph told his steward, “Pursue the men at once, and when you overtake them, ask, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?

⁵ Is this not the cup my master drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is wicked!’”

⁶ When the steward overtook them, he relayed these words to them.

⁷ “Why does my lord say these things?” they asked. “Your servants could not possibly do such a thing.

⁸ We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found in the mouths of our sacks. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?

⁹ If any of your servants is found to have it, he must die, and the rest will become slaves of my lord.”

¹⁰ “As you say,” replied the steward. “But only the one who is found with the cup will be my slave, and the rest of you shall be free of blame.”

¹¹ So each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it.

¹² The steward searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest—and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

¹³ Then they all tore their clothes, loaded their donkeys, and returned to the city.

¹⁴ When Judah and his brothers arrived at Joseph’s house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him.

¹⁵ “What is this deed you have done?” Joseph declared. “Do you not know that a man like me can surely divine the truth?”

¹⁶ “What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed the iniquity of your servants. We are now my lord’s slaves—both we and the one who was found with the cup.”

¹⁷ But Joseph replied, “Far be it from me to do this. The man who was found with the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may return to your father in peace.”

¹⁸ Then Judah approached Joseph and said, “Sir, please let your servant speak personally to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are equal to Pharaoh himself.

¹⁹ My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’

²⁰ And we answered, ‘We have an elderly father and a younger brother, the child of his old age. The boy’s brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’

²¹ Then you told your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so that I can see him for myself.’

²² So we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.’

²³ But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your younger brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’

²⁴ Now when we returned to your servant my father, we relayed your words to him.

²⁵ Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy us some food.’

²⁶ But we answered, ‘We cannot go down there unless our younger brother goes with us. So if our younger brother is not with us, we cannot see the man.’

²⁷ And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.

²⁸ When one of them was gone, I said: “Surely he has been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since.

²⁹ Now if you also take this one from me and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.’

³⁰ So if the boy is not with us when I return to your servant, and if my father, whose life is wrapped up in the boy’s life,

³¹ sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.

³² Indeed, your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father, saying, ‘If I do not return him to you, I will bear the guilt before you, my father, all my life.’

³³ Now please let your servant stay here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy. Let him return with his brothers.

³⁴ For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the misery that would overwhelm him.”

Genesis 45

¹ Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me!” So none of them were with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers.

² But he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household soon heard of it.

³ Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But they were unable to answer him, because they were terrified in his presence.

⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near me.” And they did so. “I am Joseph, your brother,” he said, “the one you sold into Egypt!

⁵ And now, do not be distressed or angry with yourselves that you sold me into this place, because it was to save lives that God sent me before you.

⁶ For the famine has covered the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting.

⁷ God sent me before you to preserve you as a remnant on the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

⁸ Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God, who has made me a father to Pharaoh—lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

⁹ Now return quickly to my father and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me without delay.

¹⁰ You shall settle in the land of Goshen and be near me—you and your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and everything you own.

¹¹ And there I will provide for you, because there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise, you and your household and everything you own will come to destitution.’

¹² Behold! You and my brother Benjamin can see that I, Joseph, am the one speaking with you.

¹³ Tell my father about all my splendor in Egypt and everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”

¹⁴ Then Joseph threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept as they embraced.

¹⁵ Joseph kissed each of his brothers as he wept over them. And afterward his brothers talked with him.

¹⁶ When the news reached Pharaoh’s house that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and his servants were pleased.

¹⁷ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do as follows: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan.

¹⁸ Then bring your father and your families and return to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat from the fat of the land.’

¹⁹ You are also directed to tell them: ‘Take wagons from the land of Egypt for your young children and your wives, and bring your father and come back.

²⁰ But pay no regard to your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”

²¹ So the sons of Israel did as they were told. Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh had instructed, and he also gave them provisions for their journey.

²² He gave new garments to each of them, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes.

²³ And he sent to his father the following: ten donkeys loaded with the best of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and provisions for his father’s journey.

²⁴ Then Joseph sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving, he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the way!”

²⁵ So the brothers went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.

²⁶ “Joseph is still alive,” they said, “and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!” But Jacob was stunned, for he did not believe them.

²⁷ However, when they relayed all that Joseph had told them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob was revived.

²⁸ “Enough!” declared Israel. “My son Joseph is still alive! I will go to see him before I die.”

Genesis 46

¹ So Israel set out with all that he had, and when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

² And that night God spoke to Israel in a vision: “Jacob, Jacob!” He said. “Here I am,” replied Jacob.

³ “I am God,” He said, “the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.

⁴ I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will surely bring you back. And Joseph’s own hands will close your eyes.”

⁵ Then Jacob departed from Beersheba, and the sons of Israel took their father Jacob in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him, along with their children and wives.

⁶ They also took the livestock and possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt.

⁷ Jacob took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons, and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.

⁸ Now these are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.

⁹ The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

¹⁰ The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.

¹¹ The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

¹² The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.

¹³ The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron.

¹⁴ The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

¹⁵ These are the sons of Leah born to Jacob in Paddan-aram, in addition to his daughter Dinah. The total number of sons and daughters was thirty-three.

¹⁶ The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

¹⁷ The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel.

¹⁸ These are the sons of Jacob born to Zilpah—whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah—sixteen in all.

¹⁹ The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.

²⁰ Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.

²¹ The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

²² These are the sons of Rachel born to Jacob—fourteen in all.

²³ The son of Dan: Hushim.

²⁴ The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

²⁵ These are the sons of Jacob born to Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel—seven in all.

²⁶ All those belonging to Jacob who came to Egypt—his direct descendants, besides the wives of Jacob’s sons—numbered sixty-six persons.

²⁷ And with the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family who went to Egypt were seventy in all.

²⁸ Now Jacob had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When Jacob’s family arrived in the land of Goshen,

²⁹ Joseph prepared his chariot and went there to meet his father Israel. Joseph presented himself to him, embraced him, and wept profusely.

³⁰ Then Israel said to Joseph, “Finally I can die, now that I have seen your face and know that you are still alive!”

³¹ Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and inform Pharaoh: ‘My brothers and my father’s household from the land of Canaan have come to me.

³² The men are shepherds; they raise livestock, and they have brought their flocks and herds and all that they own.’

³³ When Pharaoh summons you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’

³⁴ you are to say, ‘Your servants have raised livestock ever since our youth—both we and our fathers.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the land of Goshen, since all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.”

Genesis 47

¹ So Joseph went and told Pharaoh: “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen.”

² And he chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh.

³ “What is your occupation?” Pharaoh asked Joseph’s brothers. “Your servants are shepherds,” they replied, “both we and our fathers.”

⁴ Then they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live in the land for a time, because there is no pasture for the flocks of your servants, since the famine in the land of Canaan has been severe. So now, please allow your servants to settle in the land of Goshen.”

⁵ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Now that your father and brothers have come to you,

⁶ the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and brothers in the best part of the land. They may dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know of any talented men among them, put them in charge of my own livestock.”

⁷ Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

⁸ “How many years have you lived?” Pharaoh asked.

⁹ “My travels have lasted 130 years,” Jacob replied. “My years have been few and hard, and they have not matched the years of the travels of my fathers.”

¹⁰ Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and departed from his presence.

¹¹ So Joseph settled his father and brothers in the land of Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.

¹² Joseph also provided his father and brothers and all his father’s household with food for their families.

¹³ There was no food, however, in all that region, because the famine was so severe; the lands of Egypt and Canaan had been exhausted by the famine.

¹⁴ Joseph collected all the money to be found in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain they were buying, and he brought it into Pharaoh’s palace.

¹⁵ When the money from the lands of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our funds have run out!”

¹⁶ “Then bring me your livestock,” said Joseph. “Since the money is gone, I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock.”

¹⁷ So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their flocks and herds, and their donkeys. Throughout that year he provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock.

¹⁸ When that year was over, they came to him the second year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord that our money is gone and all our livestock belongs to you. There is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land.

¹⁹ Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Purchase us and our land in exchange for food. Then we, along with our land, will be slaves to Pharaoh. Give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”

²⁰ So Joseph acquired for Pharaoh all the land in Egypt; the Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields because the famine was so severe upon them. The land became Pharaoh’s,

²¹ and Joseph reduced the people to servitude from one end of Egypt to the other.

²² However, he did not acquire the priests’ portion of the land, for it had been given to them by Pharaoh. They ate the rations that Pharaoh supplied; so they did not sell their land.

²³ Then Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have acquired you and your land for Pharaoh this day, here is seed for you to sow in the land.

²⁴ At harvest time, you are to give a fifth of it to Pharaoh, and four-fifths will be yours as seed for the field and food for yourselves and your households and children.”

²⁵ “You have saved our lives,” they said. “We have found favor in our lord’s eyes, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.”

²⁶ So Joseph established a law that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh, and it is in effect in the land of Egypt to this day. Only the priests’ land does not belong to Pharaoh.

²⁷ Now the Israelites settled in the land of Egypt, in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and became fruitful and increased greatly in number.

²⁸ And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, and the length of his life was 147 years.

²⁹ When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise to show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt,

³⁰ but when I lie down with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me with them.” Joseph answered, “I will do as you have requested.”

³¹ “Swear to me,” Jacob said. So Joseph swore to him, and Israel bowed in worship at the head of his bed.

Genesis 48

¹ Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

² When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up in bed.

³ Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed me

⁴ and told me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you; I will make you a multitude of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’

⁵ And now your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here shall be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.

⁶ Any children born to you after them shall be yours, and they shall be called by the names of their brothers in the territory they inherit.

⁷ Now as for me, when I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way in the land of Canaan, some distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).

⁸ When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?”

⁹ Joseph said to his father, “They are the sons God has given me in this place.” So Jacob said, “Please bring them to me, that I may bless them.”

¹⁰ Now Israel’s eyesight was poor because of old age; he could hardly see. Joseph brought his sons to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.

¹¹ “I never expected to see your face again,” Israel said to Joseph, “but now God has let me see your children as well.”

¹² Then Joseph removed his sons from his father’s knees and bowed facedown.

¹³ And Joseph took both of them—with Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand—and brought them close to him.

¹⁴ But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger; and crossing his hands, he put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn.

¹⁵ Then he blessed Joseph and said: “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,

¹⁶ the angel who has redeemed me from all harm— may He bless these boys. And may they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow into a multitude upon the earth.”

¹⁷ When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he was displeased and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s.

¹⁸ “Not so, my father!” Joseph 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 said. “He too shall become a people, and he too shall be great; nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.”

²⁰ So that day Jacob blessed them and said: “By you shall Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’” So he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

²¹ Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.

²² And to you, as one who is above your brothers, I give the ridge of land that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow.”

Genesis 49

¹ Then Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather around so that I can tell you what will happen to you in the days to come:

² Come together and listen, O sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.

³ Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power.

⁴ Uncontrolled as the waters, you will no longer excel, because you went up to your father’s bed, onto my couch, and defiled it.

⁵ Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are weapons of violence.

⁶ May I never enter their council; may I never join their assembly. For they kill men in their anger, and hamstring oxen on a whim.

⁷ Cursed be their anger, for it is strong, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will disperse them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

⁸ Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the necks of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you.

⁹ Judah is a young lion— my son, you return from the prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?

¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.

¹¹ He ties his donkey to the vine, his colt to the choicest branch. He washes his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.

¹² His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.

¹³ Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore and become a harbor for ships; his border shall extend to Sidon.

¹⁴ Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the sheepfolds.

¹⁵ He saw that his resting place was good and that his land was pleasant, so he bent his shoulder to the burden and submitted to labor as a servant.

¹⁶ Dan shall provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel.

¹⁷ He will be a snake by the road, a viper in the path that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward.

¹⁸ I await Your salvation, O LORD.

¹⁹ Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will attack their heels.

²⁰ Asher’s food will be rich; he shall provide royal delicacies.

²¹ Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.

²² Joseph is a fruitful vine— a fruitful vine by a spring, whose branches scale the wall.

²³ The archers attacked him with bitterness; they aimed at him in hostility.

²⁴ Yet he steadied his bow, and his strong arms were tempered by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

²⁵ by the God of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty who blesses you, with blessings of the heavens above, with blessings of the depths below, with blessings of the breasts and womb.

²⁶ The blessings of your father have surpassed the blessings of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince of his brothers.

²⁷ Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”

²⁸ These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this was what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.

²⁹ Then Jacob instructed them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite.

³⁰ The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.

³¹ There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and there I buried Leah.

³² The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites.”

³³ When Jacob had finished instructing his sons, he pulled his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and he was gathered to his people.

Genesis 50

¹ Then Joseph fell upon his father’s face, wept over him, and kissed him.

² And Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So they embalmed him,

³ taking the forty days required to complete the embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

⁴ When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please tell Pharaoh that

⁵ my father made me swear an oath when he said, ‘I am about to die. You must bury me in the tomb that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.’ Now let me go and bury my father, and then return.”

⁶ Pharaoh replied, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”

⁷ Then Joseph went to bury his father, and all the servants of Pharaoh accompanied him—the elders of Pharaoh’s household and all the elders of the land of Egypt—

⁸ along with all of Joseph’s household, and his brothers, and his father’s household. Only their children and flocks and herds were left in Goshen.

⁹ Chariots and horsemen alike went up with him, and it was an exceedingly large procession.

¹⁰ When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, which is across the Jordan, they lamented and wailed loudly, and Joseph mourned for his father seven days.

¹¹ When the Canaanites of the land saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a solemn ceremony of mourning by the Egyptians.” Thus the place across the Jordan is called Abel-mizraim.

¹² So Jacob’s sons did as he had charged them.

¹³ They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave at Machpelah in the field near Mamre, which Abraham had purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.

¹⁴ After Joseph had buried his father, he returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone with him to bury his father.

¹⁵ When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge? Then he will surely repay us for all the evil that we did to him.”

¹⁶ So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Before he died, your father commanded,

¹⁷ ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I beg you, please forgive the transgression and sin of your brothers, for they did you wrong.’ So now, Joseph, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.

¹⁸ His brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, “We are your slaves!”

¹⁹ But Joseph replied, “Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God?

²⁰ As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people.

²¹ Therefore do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones.” So Joseph reassured his brothers and spoke kindly to them.

²² Now Joseph and his father’s household remained in Egypt, and Joseph lived to the age of 110.

²³ He saw Ephraim’s sons to the third generation, and indeed the sons of Machir son of Manasseh were brought up on Joseph’s knees.

²⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

²⁵ And Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath and said, “God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.”

²⁶ So Joseph died at the age of 110. And they embalmed his body and placed it in a coffin in Egypt.