Genesis 39-50

GOD’S WORD Translation

Joseph in Potiphar’s House

39 Joseph had been taken to Egypt. Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s Egyptian officials and captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

² The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. He worked in the house of his Egyptian master. ³ Joseph’s master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he did successful. ⁴ Potiphar liked Joseph so much that he made him his trusted servant. He put him in charge of his household and everything he owned. ⁵ From that time on the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s household because of Joseph. Therefore, the Lord’s blessing was on everything Potiphar owned in his house and in his fields. ⁶ So he left all that he owned in Joseph’s care. He wasn’t concerned about anything except the food he ate.

Joseph was well-built and handsome. ⁷ After a while his master’s wife began to desire Joseph, so she said, “Come to bed with me.”

⁸ But Joseph refused and said to her, “My master doesn’t concern himself with anything in the house. He trusts me with everything he owns. ⁹ No one in this house is greater than I. He’s kept nothing back from me except you, because you’re his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” ¹⁰ Although she kept asking Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or be with her.

¹¹ One day he went into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants were there. ¹² She grabbed him by his clothes and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he ran outside and left his clothes in her hand.

¹³ When she realized that he had gone but had left his clothes behind, ¹⁴ she called her household servants and said to them, “Look! My husband brought this Hebrew here to fool around with us. He came in and tried to go to bed with me, but I screamed as loud as I could. ¹⁵ As soon as he heard me scream, he ran outside and left his clothes with me.”

¹⁶ She kept Joseph’s clothes with her until his master came home. ¹⁷ Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought here came in and tried to fool around with me. ¹⁸ But when I screamed, he ran outside and left his clothes with me.”

¹⁹ When Potiphar heard his wife’s story, especially when she said, “This is what your slave did to me,” he became very angry. ²⁰ So Joseph’s master arrested him and put him in the same prison where the king’s prisoners were kept.

While Joseph was in prison, ²¹ the Lord was with him. The Lord reached out to him with his unchanging love and gave him protection. The Lord also put Joseph on good terms with the warden. ²² So the warden placed Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in that prison. Joseph became responsible for everything that they were doing. ²³ The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care because the Lord was with Joseph and made whatever he did successful.

Joseph in Prison

40 Later the king’s cupbearer ^[a] and his baker offended their master, the king of Egypt. ² Pharaoh was angry with his chief cupbearer and his chief baker. ³ He put them in the prison of the captain of the guard, the same place where Joseph was a prisoner. ⁴ The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he took care of them.

After they had been confined for some time, ⁵ both prisoners—the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt—had dreams one night. Each man had a dream with its own special meaning.

⁶ When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were upset. ⁷ So he asked these officials of Pharaoh who were with him in his master’s prison, “Why do you look so unhappy today?”

⁸ “We both had dreams,” they answered him, “but there’s no one to tell us what they mean.”

“Isn’t God the only one who can tell what they mean?” Joseph asked them. “Why don’t you tell me all about them.”

⁹ So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said “In my dream a grapevine with three branches appeared in front of me. ¹⁰ Soon after it sprouted it blossomed. Then its clusters ripened into grapes. ¹¹ Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, so I took the grapes and squeezed them into it. I put the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”

¹² “This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. ¹³ In the next three days Pharaoh will release you and restore you to your position. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. ¹⁴ Remember me when things go well for you, and please do me a favor. Mention me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this prison. ¹⁵ I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I’ve done nothing to deserve being put in this prison.”

¹⁶ The chief baker saw that the meaning Joseph had given to the cupbearer’s dream was good. So he said to Joseph, “I had a dream too. In my dream three baskets of white baked goods were on my head. ¹⁷ The top basket contained all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”

¹⁸ “This is what it means,” Joseph replied. “The three baskets are three days. ¹⁹ In the next three days Pharaoh will cut off your head and hang your dead body on a pole. The birds will eat the flesh from your bones.”

²⁰ Two days later, on his birthday, Pharaoh had a special dinner prepared for all his servants. Of all his servants he gave special attention to the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. ²¹ He restored the chief cupbearer to his position. So the cupbearer put the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. ²² But he hung the chief baker just as Joseph had said in his interpretation.

²³ Nevertheless, the chief cupbearer didn’t remember Joseph. He forgot all about him.

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams

41 After two full years Pharaoh had a dream. He dreamed he was standing by the Nile River. ² Suddenly, seven nice-looking, well-fed cows came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds. ³ Seven other cows came up from the river behind them. These cows were sickly and skinny. They stood behind the first seven cows on the riverbank. ⁴ The cows that were sickly and skinny ate the seven nice-looking, well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

⁵ He fell asleep again and had a second dream. Seven good, healthy heads of grain were growing on a single stalk. ⁶ Seven other heads of grain, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted behind them. ⁷ The thin heads of grain swallowed the seven full, healthy heads. Then Pharaoh woke up. It was only a dream.

⁸ In the morning he was so upset that he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could tell him what they meant.

⁹ Then the chief cupbearer ^[b] spoke to Pharaoh, “I remember a promise I failed to keep. ¹⁰ Some time ago when Pharaoh was angry with his servants, he confined me and the chief baker to the captain of the guard’s prison. ¹¹ We both had dreams the same night. Each dream had its own meaning. ¹² A young Hebrew, a slave of the captain of the guard, was with us. We told him our dreams, and he told each of us what they meant. ¹³ What he told us happened: Pharaoh restored me to my position, but he hung the baker on a pole.”

¹⁴ Then Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and immediately he was brought from the prison. After he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came in front of Pharaoh.

¹⁵ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can tell me what it means. I heard that when you are told a dream, you can say what it means.”

¹⁶ Joseph answered Pharaoh, “I can’t, but God can give Pharaoh the answer that he needs.”

¹⁷ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile. ¹⁸ Suddenly, seven nice-looking, well-fed cows came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds. ¹⁹ Seven other cows came up behind them. These cows were scrawny, very sick, and thin. I’ve never seen such sickly cows in all of Egypt! ²⁰ The thin, sickly cows ate up the seven well-fed ones. ²¹ Even though they had eaten them, no one could tell they had eaten them. They looked just as sick as before. Then I woke up.

²² “In my second dream I saw seven good, full heads of grain growing on a single stalk. ²³ Seven other heads of grain, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted behind them. ²⁴ The thin heads of grain swallowed the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but no one could tell me what it meant.”

²⁵ Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh had the same dream twice. God has told Pharaoh what he’s going to do. ²⁶ The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years. It’s all the same dream. ²⁷ The seven thin, sickly cows that came up behind them are seven years. The seven empty heads of grain scorched by the east wind are also seven years. Seven years of famine are coming.

²⁸ “It’s just as I said to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what he’s going to do. ²⁹ Seven years are coming when there will be plenty of food in Egypt. ³⁰ After them will come seven years of famine. People will forget that there was plenty of food in Egypt, and the famine will ruin the land. ³¹ People won’t remember that there once was plenty of food in the land, because the coming famine will be so severe. ³² The reason Pharaoh has had a recurring dream is because the matter has been definitely decided by God, and he will do it very soon.

Joseph Advises Pharaoh

³³ “Pharaoh should look for a wise and intelligent man and put him in charge of Egypt. ³⁴ Make arrangements to appoint supervisors over the land to take a fifth of Egypt’s harvest during the seven good years. ³⁵ Have them collect all the food during these good years and store up grain under Pharaoh’s control, to be kept for food in the cities. ³⁶ This food will be a reserve supply for our country during the seven years of famine that will happen in Egypt. Then the land will not be ruined by the famine.”

³⁷ Pharaoh and all his servants liked the idea. ³⁸ So Pharaoh asked his servants, “Can we find anyone like this—a man who has God’s Spirit in him?”

³⁹ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has let you know all this, there is no one as wise and intelligent as you. ⁴⁰ You will be in charge of my palace, and all my people will do what you say. I will be more important than you, only because I’m Pharaoh.”

⁴¹ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I now put you in charge of Egypt.” ⁴² Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring and put it on Joseph’s finger. He had Joseph dressed in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. ⁴³ He had him ride in the chariot of the second-in-command. Men ran ahead of him and shouted, “Make way!” Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of Egypt.

⁴⁴ He also said to Joseph, “Even though I am Pharaoh, no one anywhere in Egypt will do anything without your permission.” ⁴⁵ Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenathpaneah and gave him Asenath as his wife. She was the daughter of Potiphera, priest from the city of On. Joseph traveled around Egypt.

Joseph Serves Pharaoh

⁴⁶ Joseph was 30 years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh (the king of Egypt). He left Pharaoh and traveled all around Egypt. ⁴⁷ During the seven good years the land produced large harvests. ⁴⁸ Joseph collected all the food grown in Egypt during those seven years and put this food in the cities. In each city he put the food from the fields around it. ⁴⁹ Joseph stored up grain in huge quantities like the sand on the seashore. He had so much that he finally gave up keeping any records because he couldn’t measure it all.

⁵⁰ Before the years of famine came, Joseph had two sons by Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest from the city of On. ⁵¹ Joseph named his firstborn son Manasseh [He Helps Me Forget], because God helped him forget all his troubles and all about his father’s family. ⁵² He named the second son Ephraim [Blessed Twice With Children], because God gave him children in the land where he had suffered.

⁵³ The seven years when there was plenty of food in Egypt came to an end. ⁵⁴ Then the seven years of famine began as Joseph had said they would. All the other countries were experiencing famine. Yet, there was food in Egypt. ⁵⁵ When everyone in Egypt began to feel the effects of the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. But Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph! Do what he tells you!”

⁵⁶ When the famine had spread all over the country, Joseph opened all the storehouses ^[c] and sold grain to the Egyptians. He did this because the famine was severe in Egypt. ⁵⁷ The whole world came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, since the famine was so severe all over the world.

Jacob [Israel] Sends Ten Sons to Egypt

42 When Jacob found out that grain was for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you keep looking at each other? ² I’ve heard there’s grain for sale in Egypt. Go there and buy some for us so that we won’t starve to death.”

³ Ten of Joseph’s brothers went to buy grain in Egypt. ⁴ Jacob wouldn’t send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with the other brothers, because he was afraid that something would happen to him. ⁵ Israel’s sons left with the others who were going to buy grain, because there was also famine in Canaan.

Joseph Sends Nine of His Brothers Back to Canaan

⁶ As governor of the country, Joseph was selling grain to everyone. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed in front of him with their faces touching the ground. ⁷ As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them. But he acted as if he didn’t know them and spoke harshly to them. “Where did you come from?” he asked them.

“From Canaan, to buy food,” they answered.

⁸ Even though Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn’t recognize him. ⁹ Then he remembered the dreams he once had about them. “You’re spies!” he said to them, “And you’ve come to find out where our country is unprotected.”

¹⁰ “No, sir!” they answered him. “We’ve come to buy food. ¹¹ We’re all sons of one man. We’re honest men, not spies.”

¹² He said to them, “No! You’ve come to find out where our country is unprotected.”

¹³ They answered him, “We were 12 brothers, sons of one man in Canaan. The youngest brother stayed with our father, and the other one is no longer with us.”

¹⁴ “It’s just as I told you,” Joseph said to them. “You’re spies! ¹⁵ This is how you’ll be tested: I solemnly swear, as surely as Pharaoh lives, that you won’t leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. ¹⁶ One of you must be sent to get your brother while the rest of you stay in prison. We’ll see if you’re telling the truth. If not, I solemnly swear, as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” ¹⁷ Then he put them in jail for three days.

¹⁸ On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this, and you will live. I, too, fear God. ¹⁹ If you are honest men, you will let one of your brothers stay here in prison. The rest of you will go and take grain back to your starving families. ²⁰ But you must bring me your youngest brother. This will show that you’ve been telling the truth. Then you won’t die.” So they agreed.

²¹ They said to each other, “We’re surely being punished for what we did to our brother. We saw how troubled he was when he pleaded with us for mercy, but we wouldn’t listen. That’s why we’re in trouble now.”

²² Reuben said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen. Now we must pay for this bloodshed.”

²³ They didn’t know that Joseph could understand them, because he was speaking through an interpreter. ²⁴ He stepped away from them to cry. When he could speak to them again, he came back. Then he picked Simeon and had him arrested right in front of their eyes.

²⁵ Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain. He put each man’s money back into his sack and gave them supplies for their trip. After their bags were filled, ²⁶ they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.

²⁷ At the place where they stopped for the night, one of them opened his sack to feed his donkey. His money was right inside his sack. ²⁸ He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back! It’s right here in my sack!”

They wanted to die. They trembled and turned to each other and asked, “What has God done to us?”

Jacob’s [Israel’s] Sons Report to Him

²⁹ When they came to their father Jacob in Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said, ³⁰ “The governor of that land spoke harshly to us and treated us like spies. ³¹ But we said to him, ‘We’re honest men, not spies. ³² We were 12 brothers, sons of the same father. One is no longer with us. The youngest brother stayed with our father in Canaan.’

³³ “Then the governor of that land said to us, ‘This is how I’ll know that you’re honest men: Leave one of your brothers with me. Take food for your starving families and go. ³⁴ But bring me your youngest brother. Then I’ll know that you’re not spies but honest men. I’ll give your brother back to you, and you’ll be able to move about freely in this country.’ ”

³⁵ As they were emptying their sacks, each man found his bag of money in his sack. When they and their father saw the bags of money, they were frightened. ³⁶ Their father Jacob said to them, “You’re going to make me lose all my children! Joseph is no longer with us, Simeon is no longer with us, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything’s against me!”

³⁷ So Reuben said to his father, “You may put my two sons to death if I don’t bring him back to you. Let me take care of him, and I’ll bring him back to you.”

³⁸ Jacob replied, “My son will not go with you. His brother is dead, and he’s the only one left. If any harm comes to him on the trip you’re taking, the grief would drive this gray-haired old man to his grave!”

Jacob [Israel] Sends Ten Sons Back to Egypt

43 The famine was severe in the land. ² When they finished eating the grain they had brought from Egypt, Israel said to his sons, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”

³ Judah said to him, “The man gave us a severe warning: ‘You won’t be allowed to see me again unless your brother is with you.’ ⁴ If you let our brother go with us, we’ll go and buy food for you. ⁵ If you won’t let him go, we won’t go. The man said to us, ‘You won’t be allowed to see me again unless your brother is with you.’ ”

⁶ Israel asked, “Why have you made trouble for me by telling the man you had another brother?”

⁷ They answered, “The man kept asking about us and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ We simply answered his questions. How could we possibly know he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”

⁸ Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy along with me. Let’s get going so that we won’t starve to death. ⁹ I guarantee that he will come back. You can hold me responsible for him. If I don’t bring him back to you and place him here in front of you, you can blame me the rest of my life. ¹⁰ If we hadn’t waited so long, we could have made this trip twice by now.”

¹¹ Then their father Israel said to them, “If that’s the way it has to be, then take the man a gift. Put some of the best products of the land in your bags. Take a little balm, a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. ¹² Take twice as much money with you. You must return the money that was put back in your sacks. Maybe it was a mistake. ¹³ Take your brother, and go back to the man. ¹⁴ May God Almighty make him merciful to you so that he will send your other brother and Benjamin ⌞home⌟ with you. If I lose my children, I lose my children.”

¹⁵ The men took the gifts, twice as much money, and Benjamin. They went to Egypt, where they presented themselves to Joseph.

The Banquet at Joseph’s House

¹⁶ When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the man in charge of his house, “Take these men to my house. Butcher an animal, and prepare a meal, because they are going to eat with me at noon.”

¹⁷ So the man did as Joseph said and took them to Joseph’s house. ¹⁸ The men were frightened, because they had been brought to Joseph’s house. They thought, “We’ve been brought here because of the money that was put back into our sacks the first time. They’re going to attack us, overpower us, take our donkeys, and make us slaves.”

¹⁹ So they came to the man in charge of Joseph’s house and spoke to him at the door. ²⁰ “Please, sir,” they said, “we came here to buy food once before. ²¹ When we stopped for the night, we opened our sacks, and each man found all of his money inside. So we brought it back with us. ²² We also brought more money to buy food. We have no idea who put our money back in our sacks.”

²³ “It’s alright,” he said. “Don’t be afraid! Your God, the God of your father, must have given you treasure in your sacks. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

²⁴ The man took the brothers into Joseph’s house. He gave them water to wash their feet and feed for their donkeys. ²⁵ They got their gifts ready for Joseph’s return at noon, because they had heard they were going to eat there.

²⁶ When Joseph came home, they gave him the gifts they had brought to the house. Then they bowed to him with their faces touching the ground. ²⁷ He asked them how they were. Then he said, “You told me about your elderly father. How is he? Is he still alive?”

²⁸ They answered, “Yes, sir. Our father is alive and well.” Then they knelt, bowing down.

²⁹ As Joseph looked around, he saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son. “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” he asked. “God be gracious to you, my son,” he said. ³⁰ Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, he hurried away, looking for a place to cry. He went into his private room and cried there.

³¹ Then he washed his face and came out. He was in control of his emotions when he said, “Serve the food.”

³² He was served separately from his brothers. The Egyptians who were there with him were also served separately, because they found it offensive to eat with Hebrews. ³³ The brothers were seated facing him according to their ages—from the oldest to the youngest. They looked at each other in amazement.

³⁴ Joseph had portions of food brought to them from his table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times more than any of the others. So they ate and drank with Joseph until they were drunk.

Joseph’s Plan to Trap His Brothers

44 Joseph commanded the man in charge of his house,

“Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry. Put each man’s money in his sack. ² Then put my silver cup in the youngest brother’s sack along with the money for his grain.” He did what Joseph told him.

³ At dawn the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. ⁴ They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to the man in charge of his house, “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you paid me back with evil when I was good to you? ⁵ Isn’t this the cup that my master drinks from and that he uses for telling the future? What you have done is evil!’ ”

⁶ When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. ⁷ They answered him, “Sir, how can you say such things? We would never think of doing anything like that! ⁸ We brought the money we found in our sacks back from Canaan. So why would we steal any silver or gold from your master’s house? ⁹ If one of us has it, he will die, and the rest of us will become your slaves.”

¹⁰ “I agree,” he said. “We’ll do what you’ve said. The man who has the cup will be my slave, and the rest of you can go free.”

¹¹ Each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. ¹² Then the man made a thorough search. He began with the oldest and ended with the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. ¹³ When they saw this, they tore their clothes in grief. Then each one loaded his donkey and went back into the city.

¹⁴ Judah and his brothers arrived at Joseph’s house while Joseph was still there. Immediately, they bowed with their faces touching the ground. ¹⁵ Joseph asked them, “What have you done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out because he knows the future?”

¹⁶ “Sir, what can we say to you?” Judah asked. “How else can we explain it? How can we prove we’re innocent? God has uncovered our guilt. Now all of us are your slaves, including the one who had the cup.”

¹⁷ But Joseph said, “I would never think of doing that! Only the man who had the cup will be my slave. The rest of you can go back to your father in peace.”

Judah Defends Benjamin

¹⁸ Then Judah went up to Joseph and said, “Please, sir, let me speak openly with you. Don’t be angry with me, although you are equal to Pharaoh. ¹⁹ Sir, you asked us, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ ²⁰ We answered, ‘We have a father who is old and a younger brother born to him when he was already old. The boy’s brother is dead, so he’s the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’

²¹ “Then you said to us, ‘Bring him here to me so that I can see him myself.’ ²² We replied, ‘The boy can’t leave his father. If the boy leaves him, his father will die.’ ²³ Then you told us, ‘If your youngest brother doesn’t come here with you, you will never be allowed to see me again.’ ²⁴ When we went back to our father, we told him what you had said.

²⁵ “Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little more food.’ ²⁶ We answered, ‘We can’t go back. We can only go back if our youngest brother is with us. The man won’t see us unless our youngest brother is with us.’

²⁷ “Then our father said to us, ‘You know that my wife ⌞Rachel⌟ gave me two sons. ²⁸ One is gone, and I said, “He must have been torn to pieces!” I haven’t seen him since. ²⁹ If you take this one away from me too and anything happens to him, you’ll drive this gray-haired old man to his grave.’

³⁰ “Our father’s life is wrapped up with the boy’s life. If I come ⌞home⌟ without the boy ³¹ and he sees that the boy isn’t ⌞with me⌟, he’ll die. The grief would drive our gray-haired old father to his grave.

³² “I guaranteed my father that the boy would come back. I said, ‘If I don’t bring him back to you, then you can blame me the rest of my life, Father.’ ³³ Sir, please let me stay and be your slave in the boy’s place, and let the boy go back with his brothers. ³⁴ How could I go back to my father if the boy isn’t with me? I couldn’t bear to see my father’s misery!”

Joseph Reveals His Identity

45 Joseph could no longer control his emotions in front of everyone who was standing around him, so he cried out, “Have everyone leave me!” No one else was there when Joseph told his brothers who he was. ² He cried so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.

³ Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” His brothers could not answer him because they were afraid of him.

⁴ “Please come closer to me,” Joseph said to his brothers. When they did so, he said, “I am Joseph, the brother you sold into slavery in Egypt! ⁵ Now, don’t be sad or angry with yourselves that you sold me. God sent me ahead of you to save lives. ⁶ The famine has been in the land for two years. There will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. ⁷ God sent me ahead of you to make sure that you would have descendants on the earth and to save your lives in an amazing way. ⁸ It wasn’t you who sent me here, but God. He has made me ⌞like⌟ a father to Pharaoh, lord over his entire household, and ruler of Egypt.

⁹ “Hurry back to my father, and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says, “God has made me lord of Egypt. Come here to me right away! ¹⁰ Live in the land of Goshen, where you will be near me. Live there with your children and your grandchildren, as well as your flocks, your herds, and everything you have. ¹¹ I will provide for you in Egypt, since there will be five more years of famine. Then you, your family, and all who belong to you won’t lose everything.” ’

¹² “You and my brother Benjamin can see for yourselves that I am the one who is speaking to you. ¹³ Tell my father how greatly honored I am in Egypt and about everything you have seen. Hurry and bring my father here!”

¹⁴ He threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and cried with Benjamin, who was crying on his shoulder. ¹⁵ He kissed all his brothers and cried with them. After that his brothers talked with him.

Pharaoh Invites Jacob’s [Israel’s] Family to Live in Egypt

¹⁶ When Pharaoh’s household heard the news that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and his officials were pleased. ¹⁷ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Load up your animals, and go back to Canaan. ¹⁸ Take your father and your families, and come to me. I will give you the best land in Egypt. Then you can enjoy the best food in the land.’

¹⁹ “Give them this order: ‘Take wagons with you from Egypt for your children and your wives. Bring your father, and come back. ²⁰ Don’t worry about your belongings because the best of everything in Egypt is yours.’ ”

²¹ Israel’s sons did as they were told. Joseph gave them wagons and supplies for their trip as Pharaoh had ordered. ²² He gave each of them a change of clothes, but he gave Benjamin three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothes. ²³ He sent his father ten male donkeys carrying Egypt’s best products and ten female donkeys carrying grain, bread, and food for his father’s trip. ²⁴ So Joseph sent his brothers on their way. As they were leaving, he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on your way back!”

²⁵ So they left Egypt and came to their father Jacob in Canaan. ²⁶ They told him, “Joseph is still alive! Yes, he is ruler of Egypt.” Jacob was stunned and didn’t believe them. ²⁷ Yet, when they told their father everything Joseph had said to them and he saw the wagons Joseph had sent to bring him back, his spirits were lifted.

²⁸ “You have convinced me!” Israel said. “My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

Jacob’s [Israel’s] Seventh Encounter with God

46 Israel moved with all he had. When he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

² God spoke to Israel in a vision that night and said, “Jacob, Jacob!”

“Here I am,” he answered.

³ “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to go to Egypt, because I will make you a great nation there. ⁴ I will go with you to Egypt, and I will make sure you come back again. Joseph will close your eyes ⌞when you die⌟.”

⁵ So Jacob left Beersheba. Israel’s sons put their father Jacob, their children, and their wives in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to bring him back. ⁶ They also took their livestock and the possessions they had accumulated in Canaan.

Jacob and all his family arrived in Egypt. ⁷ He had brought his sons, his grandsons, his daughters, and his granddaughters—his entire family.

Jacob’s [Israel’s] Descendants^(A)

⁸ These are the names of Israel’s descendants (Jacob and his descendants) who arrived in Egypt.

Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.

Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. (Er and Onan had died in Canaan.)

The sons of Perez were

Hezron and Hamul.

Tola, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron.

Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Their sister was Serah.

The sons of Beriah were

Heber and Malchiel.

Hushim.

Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

Joseph and Jacob [Israel] Reunited

²⁸ Israel sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When Israel’s family arrived in the region of Goshen, ²⁹ Joseph prepared his chariot and went to meet his father Israel. As soon as he saw his father, he threw his arms around him and cried on his shoulder a long time.

³⁰ Israel said to Joseph, “Now that I’ve seen for myself that you’re still alive, I’m ready to die.”

³¹ Then Joseph said to his brothers and his father’s family, “I’m going to Pharaoh to tell him, ‘My brothers and my father’s family, who were in Canaan, have come to me. ³² The men are shepherds. They take care of livestock. They’ve brought their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ ³³ Now, when Pharaoh calls for you and asks, ‘What kind of work do you do?’ ³⁴ you must answer, ‘We have taken care of herds all our lives, as our ancestors have done.’ ⌞You must say this⌟ so that you may live in the region of Goshen, because all shepherds are disgusting to Egyptians.”

Jacob [Israel] Meets Pharaoh

47 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers have arrived from Canaan with their flocks, herds, and everything they have. Now they are in Goshen.” ² Since he had taken five of his brothers with him, he presented them to Pharaoh.

³ Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What kind of work do you do?”

They answered Pharaoh, “We are shepherds, as were our ancestors. ⁴ We have come to live in this land for a while. The famine is so severe in Canaan that there’s no pasture for our flocks. So please let us live in Goshen.”

⁵ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. ⁶ All of Egypt is available to you. Have your father and your brothers live in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. If they are qualified, put them in charge of my livestock.”

⁷ Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and had him stand in front of Pharaoh. Jacob blessed Pharaoh. ⁸ Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?”

⁹ Jacob answered Pharaoh, “The length of my stay on earth has been 130 years. The years of my life have been few and difficult, fewer than my ancestors’ years.” ¹⁰ Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and left.

¹¹ As Pharaoh had ordered, Joseph had his father and his brothers live in the best part of Egypt, the region of Rameses. He gave them property there. ¹² Joseph also provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s family with food based on the number of children they had.

Joseph Acquires All the Land in Egypt for Pharaoh

¹³ The famine was so severe that there was no food anywhere. Neither Egypt nor Canaan were producing crops because of the famine. ¹⁴ Joseph collected all the money that could be found in Egypt and in Canaan as payment for the grain people bought. Then he took it to Pharaoh’s palace. ¹⁵ When the money in Egypt and Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph. “Give us food,” they said. “Do you want us to die right in front of you? We don’t have any more money!”

¹⁶ Joseph replied, “If you don’t have any more money, give me your livestock, and I’ll give you food ^[d] in exchange.” ¹⁷ So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys. During that year he supplied them with food in exchange for all their livestock.

¹⁸ When that year was over, they came to him the next year. “Sir,” they said to him, “you know that our money is gone, and you have all our livestock. There’s nothing left to bring you except our bodies and our land. ¹⁹ Do you want us to die right in front of you? Do you want the land to be ruined? Take us and our land in exchange for food. Then we will be Pharaoh’s slaves and our land will be his property. But give us seed so that we won’t starve to death and the ground won’t become a desert.”

²⁰ Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. Every Egyptian sold his fields because the famine was so severe. The land became Pharaoh’s. ²¹ All over Egypt Joseph moved the people to the cities. ²² But he didn’t buy the priests’ land because the priests received an income from Pharaoh, and they lived on that income. That’s why they didn’t sell their land.

²³ Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh, here is seed for you. Plant crops in the land. ²⁴ Every time you harvest, give one-fifth of the produce to Pharaoh. Four-fifths will be yours to use as seed for your fields and as food for your households.”

²⁵ “You have saved our lives,” they said. “Please, sir, we are willing to be Pharaoh’s slaves.”

²⁶ Joseph made a law concerning the land in Egypt which is still in force today: One-fifth ⌞of the produce⌟ belongs to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests didn’t belong to Pharaoh.

Jacob’s [Israel’s] Last Days in Egypt

²⁷ So the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and had many children.

²⁸ Jacob lived in Egypt 17 years, so he lived a total of 147 years. ²⁹ Israel was about to die. He called for his son Joseph and said to him, “I want you to swear that you love me and are faithful to me. Please don’t bury me here. ³⁰ I want to rest with my ancestors. Take me out of Egypt, and bury me in their tomb.”

“I will do as you say,” Joseph answered.

³¹ “Swear to me,” he said. So Joseph swore to him. Then Israel bowed down in prayer with his face at the head of his bed.

Jacob [Israel] Blesses Joseph’s Two Sons

48 Later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim ⌞to see Jacob⌟. ² When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph is here to see you,” Israel gathered his strength and sat up in bed.

³ Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in Canaan and blessed me. ⁴ He said to me, ‘I will make you fertile and increase the number of your descendants so that you will become a community of people. I will give this land to your descendants as a permanent possession.’

⁵ “So your two sons, who were born in Egypt before I came here, are my sons. Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine just as Reuben and Simeon are. ⁶ Any other children you have after them will be yours. They will inherit the land listed under their brothers’ names. ⁷ As I was coming back from Paddan, Rachel died in Canaan when we were still some distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there on the way to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).

⁸ When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are they?”

⁹ “They are my sons, whom God has given me here in Egypt,” Joseph answered his father.

Then Israel said, “Please bring them to me so that I may bless them.”

¹⁰ Israel’s eyesight was failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to his father, and Israel hugged them and kissed them.

¹¹ Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see you again, and now God has even let me see your sons.”

¹² Joseph took them off his father’s lap and bowed with his face touching the ground. ¹³ Then Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right, facing Israel’s left, and Manasseh on his left, facing Israel’s right, and brought them close to him. ¹⁴ But Israel crossed his hands and reached out. He put his right hand on Ephraim’s head, although Ephraim was the younger son. He put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was older.

¹⁵ Then Jacob blessed Joseph,

¹⁷ When Joseph saw that his father had put his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he didn’t like it. So he took his father’s hand in order to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s. ¹⁸ Then he said to his father, “That’s not right, Father! This is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”

¹⁹ His father refused and said, “I know, Son, I know! Manasseh, too, will become a nation, and he, too, will be important. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be more important than he, and his descendants will become many nations.”

²⁰ That day he blessed them. He said,

In this way Israel put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

²¹ Then Israel said to Joseph, “Now I’m about to die, but God will be with you. He will bring you back to the land of your fathers. ²² I’m giving you one more mountain ridge than your brothers. I took it from the Amorites with my own sword and bow.”

Jacob [Israel] Blesses His 12 Sons

49 Jacob called for his sons and said, “Come here, and let me tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.

²⁸ These are the 12 tribes of Israel and what their father said to them when he gave each of them his special blessing.

²⁹ Then he gave them these instructions, “I am about to join my ancestors in death. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. ³⁰ Abraham bought the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre in Canaan, from Ephron the Hittite to use as a tomb. ³¹ Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried there. Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried there. I also buried Leah there. ³² The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.”

³³ When Jacob finished giving these instructions to his sons, he pulled his feet into his bed. He took his last breath and joined his ancestors in death.

Joseph Buries His Father

50 Joseph threw himself on his father, cried over him, and kissed him. ² Then Joseph ordered the doctors in his service to embalm his father. So the doctors embalmed Israel. ³ The embalming was completed in the usual time—40 days. The Egyptians mourned for him 70 days.

⁴ When the time of mourning for Jacob was over, Joseph spoke to the Pharaoh’s palace staff. He said, “Please speak directly to Pharaoh. Tell him, ⁵ ‘My father made me swear an oath. He said, “I’m about to die. Bury me in the tomb I bought for myself in Canaan.” Please let me go there and bury my father; then I’ll come back.’ ”

⁶ Pharaoh replied, “Go and bury your father, as you have promised him.”

⁷ So Joseph left to bury his father. All Pharaoh’s officials, the leaders in his palace staff, and all the leaders of Egypt went with him. ⁸ Joseph’s household, his brothers, and his father’s household also went with him. (Only their children, their flocks, and their cattle were left in Goshen.) ⁹ Chariots and horsemen went with him. It was a very large group.

¹⁰ When they came to the threshing floor ^[f] of Atad, which is on the east side of the Jordan River, they began a great and solemn ceremony to mourn Jacob’s death. Joseph took seven days to mourn his father’s death. ¹¹ When the Canaanites living there saw the funeral ceremonies at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “These funeral ceremonies are taken very seriously by the Egyptians.” That’s why that place on the east side of the Jordan was named Abel Mizraim [Egyptian Funeral Ceremonies].

¹² Jacob’s sons did for him what he had told them to do. ¹³ They carried him back to Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre. Abraham had bought this tomb from Ephron the Hittite.

¹⁴ After Joseph had buried his father, he went back to Egypt along with his brothers and everyone who had gone there with him to bury his father.

Joseph Forgives His Brothers

¹⁵ Joseph’s brothers realized what their father’s death could mean. So they thought, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us? What if he decides to pay us back for all the evil we did to him?” ¹⁶ They sent a messenger to Joseph to say, “Before your father died, he commanded us, ¹⁷ ‘This is what you should say to Joseph, “I’m begging you to forgive the crime and the sin your brothers committed against you. What they did to you was very evil.” ’ So now, please forgive our crime, because we are servants of your father’s God.” Joseph cried when he got their message.

¹⁸ Then his brothers also came and immediately bowed down in front of him. “We are your slaves!” they said.

¹⁹ Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I can’t take God’s place. ²⁰ Even though you planned evil against me, God planned good to come out of it. This was to keep many people alive, as he is doing now. ²¹ Don’t be afraid! I will provide for you and your children.” In this way he reassured them, setting their minds at ease.

²² Joseph and his father’s family stayed in Egypt. Joseph lived to be 110 years old. ²³ He saw his grandchildren, Ephraim’s children. Even the children of Machir, son of Manasseh, were adopted by Joseph at birth.

²⁴ At last Joseph said to his brothers, “I’m about to die. God will definitely take care of you and take you out of this land to the land he swore with an oath to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” ²⁵ Joseph made Israel’s sons swear an oath. He said, “God will definitely take care of you. So be sure to carry my bones back with you.”

²⁶ Joseph died when he was 110 years old. His body was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.