Joseph Brings His Family to Egypt

46 So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to (A)Beersheba, and offered sacrifices (B)to the God of his father Isaac. And God spoke to Israel (C)in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “I am God, (D)the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will (E)make you into a great nation. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also (F)bring you up again, and (G)Joseph's hand shall close your eyes.”

Then Jacob set out from Beersheba. The sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons (H)that Pharaoh had sent to carry him. They also took their livestock and their goods, which they had gained in the land of Canaan, and (I)came into Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him, his sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters. All his offspring he brought with him into Egypt.

(J)Now (K)these are the names of the descendants of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons. (L)Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and 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 (M)Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 The sons of (N)Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but (O)Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan); and the sons of (P)Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13 (Q)The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Yob, and Shimron. 14 The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. 15 These are the sons of Leah, (R)whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, together with his daughter Dinah; altogether his sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three.

16 The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. 17 (S)The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, with Serah their sister. And the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel. 18 (T)These are the sons of Zilpah, (U)whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob—sixteen persons.

19 The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife: Joseph and Benjamin. 20 And (V)to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera the priest of (W)On, bore to him. 21 And (X)the sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. 22 These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob—fourteen persons in all.

23 The son[a] of Dan: Hushim. 24 (Y)The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. 25 (Z)These are the sons of Bilhah, (AA)whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob—seven persons in all.

26 All the persons belonging to Jacob who came into Egypt, who were his own descendants, not including Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all. 27 And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two. (AB)All the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.

Jacob and Joseph Reunited

28 He had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to show the way before him in Goshen, and they came (AC)into the land of Goshen. 29 Then Joseph prepared his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. He presented himself to him and (AD)fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while. 30 Israel said to Joseph, (AE)“Now let me die, since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.” 31 Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, (AF)“I will go up and tell Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father's household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 (AG)And the men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of livestock, and they have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.’ 33 When Pharaoh calls you and says, (AH)‘What is your occupation?’ 34 you shall say, (AI)‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock (AJ)from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ in order that you may dwell (AK)in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is (AL)an abomination to the Egyptians.”

Jacob's Family Settles in Goshen

47 So Joseph (AM)went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in (AN)the land of Goshen.” And from among his brothers he took five men and (AO)presented them to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to his brothers, (AP)“What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, (AQ)“Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” They said to Pharaoh, (AR)“We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell (AS)in the land of Goshen.” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers (AT)in the best of the land. (AU)Let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any (AV)able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”

Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, (AW)and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my (AX)sojourning are 130 years. (AY)Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and (AZ)they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their (BA)sojourning.” 10 And Jacob (BB)blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. 11 Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of (BC)Rameses, (BD)as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 And Joseph (BE)provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with food, according to the number of their dependents.

Joseph and the Famine

13 Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished by reason of the famine. 14 (BF)And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, in exchange for the grain that they bought. And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. 15 And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. (BG)Why should we die before your eyes? For our money is gone.” 16 And Joseph answered, “Give your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock, if your money is gone.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. He supplied them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year. 18 And when that year was ended, they came to him the following year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is all spent. The herds of livestock are my lord's. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? (BH)Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”

20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for all the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine was severe on them. The land became Pharaoh's. 21 As for the people, he made servants of them[b] from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 (BI)Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land.

23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. 24 And at the harvests you shall give a (BJ)fifth to Pharaoh, and four fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your households, and as food for your little ones.” 25 And they said, “You have saved our lives; (BK)may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh.” 26 So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, and it stands to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; (BL)the land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh's.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 46:23 Hebrew sons
  2. Genesis 47:21 Samaritan, Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew he removed them to the cities

Jacob Goes to Egypt

46 So Israel(A) set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba,(B) he offered sacrifices(C) to the God of his father Isaac.(D)

And God spoke to Israel(E) in a vision at night(F) and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”

“Here I am,”(G) he replied.

“I am God, the God of your father,”(H) he said. “Do not be afraid(I) to go down to Egypt,(J) for I will make you into a great nation(K) there.(L) I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again.(M) And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.(N)

Then Jacob left Beersheba,(O) and Israel’s(P) sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts(Q) that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt,(R) taking with them their livestock and the possessions(S) they had acquired(T) in Canaan. Jacob brought with him to Egypt(U) his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.(V)

These are the names of the sons of Israel(W) (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt:

Reuben the firstborn(X) of Jacob.

The sons of Reuben:(Y)

Hanok, Pallu,(Z) Hezron and Karmi.(AA)

10 The sons of Simeon:(AB)

Jemuel,(AC) Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar(AD) and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.

11 The sons of Levi:(AE)

Gershon,(AF) Kohath(AG) and Merari.(AH)

12 The sons of Judah:(AI)

Er,(AJ) Onan,(AK) Shelah, Perez(AL) and Zerah(AM) (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan).(AN)

The sons of Perez:(AO)

Hezron and Hamul.(AP)

13 The sons of Issachar:(AQ)

Tola, Puah,[a](AR) Jashub[b](AS) and Shimron.

14 The sons of Zebulun:(AT)

Sered, Elon and Jahleel.

15 These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram,[c](AU) besides his daughter Dinah.(AV) These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all.

16 The sons of Gad:(AW)

Zephon,[d](AX) Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.

17 The sons of Asher:(AY)

Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah.

Their sister was Serah.

The sons of Beriah:

Heber and Malkiel.

18 These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah,(AZ) whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah(BA)—sixteen in all.

19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:(BB)

Joseph and Benjamin.(BC) 20 In Egypt, Manasseh(BD) and Ephraim(BE) were born to Joseph(BF) by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.[e](BG)

21 The sons of Benjamin:(BH)

Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.(BI)

22 These were the sons of Rachel(BJ) who were born to Jacob—fourteen in all.

23 The son of Dan:(BK)

Hushim.(BL)

24 The sons of Naphtali:(BM)

Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.

25 These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah,(BN) whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel(BO)—seven in all.

26 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons.(BP) 27 With the two sons[f] who had been born to Joseph in Egypt,(BQ) the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy[g] in all.(BR)

28 Now Jacob sent Judah(BS) ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen.(BT) When they arrived in the region of Goshen, 29 Joseph had his chariot(BU) made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel.(BV) As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father[h] and wept(BW) for a long time.(BX)

30 Israel(BY) said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.”(BZ)

31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were living in the land of Canaan,(CA) have come to me.(CB) 32 The men are shepherds;(CC) they tend livestock,(CD) and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.’(CE) 33 When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’(CF) 34 you should answer, ‘Your servants(CG) have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.’(CH) Then you will be allowed to settle(CI) in the region of Goshen,(CJ) for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.(CK)

47 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan(CL) and are now in Goshen.”(CM) He chose five of his brothers and presented them(CN) before Pharaoh.

Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?”(CO)

“Your servants(CP) are shepherds,(CQ)” they replied to Pharaoh, “just as our fathers were.” They also said to him, “We have come to live here for a while,(CR) because the famine is severe in Canaan(CS) and your servants’ flocks have no pasture.(CT) So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen.”(CU)

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, and the land of Egypt is before you; settle(CV) your father and your brothers in the best part of the land.(CW) Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability,(CX) put them in charge of my own livestock.(CY)

Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him(CZ) before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed[i] Pharaoh,(DA) Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?”

And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty.(DB) My years have been few and difficult,(DC) and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.(DD) 10 Then Jacob blessed[j] Pharaoh(DE) and went out from his presence.

11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land,(DF) the district of Rameses,(DG) as Pharaoh directed. 12 Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children.(DH)

Joseph and the Famine

13 There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine.(DI) 14 Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying,(DJ) and he brought it to Pharaoh’s palace.(DK) 15 When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone,(DL) all Egypt came to Joseph(DM) and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes?(DN) Our money is all gone.”

16 “Then bring your livestock,(DO)” said Joseph. “I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.(DP) 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses,(DQ) their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys.(DR) And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock.

18 When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone(DS) and our livestock belongs to you,(DT) there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we perish before your eyes(DU)—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food,(DV) and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh.(DW) Give us seed so that we may live and not die,(DX) and that the land may not become desolate.”

20 So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe(DY) for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, 21 and Joseph reduced the people to servitude,[k](DZ) from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 However, he did not buy the land of the priests,(EA) because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment(EB) Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.

23 Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed(EC) for you so you can plant the ground.(ED) 24 But when the crop comes in, give a fifth(EE) of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.”

25 “You have saved our lives,” they said. “May we find favor in the eyes of our lord;(EF) we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.”(EG)

26 So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth(EH) of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh’s.(EI)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 46:13 Samaritan Pentateuch and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Puvah
  2. Genesis 46:13 Samaritan Pentateuch and some Septuagint manuscripts (see also Num. 26:24 and 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Iob
  3. Genesis 46:15 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
  4. Genesis 46:16 Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also Num. 26:15); Masoretic Text Ziphion
  5. Genesis 46:20 That is, Heliopolis
  6. Genesis 46:27 Hebrew; Septuagint the nine children
  7. Genesis 46:27 Hebrew (see also Exodus 1:5 and note); Septuagint (see also Acts 7:14) seventy-five
  8. Genesis 46:29 Hebrew around him
  9. Genesis 47:7 Or greeted
  10. Genesis 47:10 Or said farewell to
  11. Genesis 47:21 Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also Vulgate); Masoretic Text and he moved the people into the cities