Genesis 50
Legacy Standard Bible
50 Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him. 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians (A)embalmed Israel. 3 Then the forty days to do this were fulfilled, because in this manner the days of embalming are fulfilled. And the Egyptians (B)wept for him seventy days.
4 Then the days of weeping for him were past, and Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your sight, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, 5 ‘(C)My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am about to die; in my grave (D)which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” So now, please let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’” 6 And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”
7 So Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8 and all the household of Joseph and his brothers and his father’s household; they left only their little ones and their flocks and their herds in the land of Goshen. 9 There also went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and it was a very [a]immense camp. 10 And they came to the [b]threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they (E)lamented there with a very great and [c]immense lamentation; and he [d]observed seven days of mourning for his father. 11 Now the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at [e]the threshing floor of Atad, and they said, “This is an [f]immense [g]mourning for the Egyptians.” Therefore it was named [h]Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.
Jacob’s Burial at Machpelah
12 Thus his sons did for him as he had commanded them. 13 Indeed, his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in (F)the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field for his possession as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite. 14 After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.
15 Then Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, and they said, “(G)What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and returns back to us all the evil which we dealt against him!” 16 So they [i]sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father commanded before he died, saying, 17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph, “Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they dealt evil against you.”’ So now, please forgive the transgression of the slaves of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 Then his brothers also came and (H)fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your slaves.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? 20 As for you, (I)you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to do [j]what has happened on this day, to keep many people alive. 21 So now, do not be afraid; (J)I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke to their heart.
The Death of Joseph
22 Now Joseph stayed in Egypt, he and his father’s household, and Joseph lived 110 years. 23 And Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim’s sons; also the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were (K)born on Joseph’s knees. 24 And Joseph said to his brothers, “(L)I am about to die, but God will surely [k]take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He swore to (M)Abraham, to (N)Isaac, and to (O)Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely [l]take care of you, and (P)you shall carry my bones up from here.” 26 So Joseph died at the age of 110 years; and (Q)they embalmed him, and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
Footnotes
- Genesis 50:9 Lit heavy
- Genesis 50:10 Heb Goren ha-Atad
- Genesis 50:10 Lit heavy
- Genesis 50:10 Lit made a mourning for seven days
- Genesis 50:11 Heb Goren ha-Atad
- Genesis 50:11 Lit heavy
- Genesis 50:11 Heb ebel
- Genesis 50:11 The meadow (or mourning) of Egypt
- Genesis 50:16 Lit commanded
- Genesis 50:20 Lit as it is this day
- Genesis 50:24 Or visit
- Genesis 50:25 Or visit
Genesis 50
New Living Translation
50 Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him. 2 Then Joseph told the physicians who served him to embalm his father’s body; so Jacob[a] was embalmed. 3 The embalming process took the usual forty days. And the Egyptians mourned his death for seventy days.
4 When the period of mourning was over, Joseph approached Pharaoh’s advisers and said, “Please do me this favor and speak to Pharaoh on my behalf. 5 Tell him that my father made me swear an oath. He said to me, ‘Listen, I am about to die. Take my body back to the land of Canaan, and bury me in the tomb I prepared for myself.’ So please allow me to go and bury my father. After his burial, I will return without delay.”
6 Pharaoh agreed to Joseph’s request. “Go and bury your father, as he made you promise,” he said. 7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. He was accompanied by all of Pharaoh’s officials, all the senior members of Pharaoh’s household, and all the senior officers of Egypt. 8 Joseph also took his entire household and his brothers and their households. But they left their little children and flocks and herds in the land of Goshen. 9 A great number of chariots and charioteers accompanied Joseph.
10 When they arrived at the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan River, they held a very great and solemn memorial service, with a seven-day period of mourning for Joseph’s father. 11 The local residents, the Canaanites, watched them mourning at the threshing floor of Atad. Then they renamed that place (which is near the Jordan) Abel-mizraim,[b] for they said, “This is a place of deep mourning for these Egyptians.”
12 So Jacob’s sons did as he had commanded them. 13 They carried his body to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre. This is the cave that Abraham had bought as a permanent burial site from Ephron the Hittite.
Joseph Reassures His Brothers
14 After burying Jacob, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had accompanied him to his father’s burial. 15 But now that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers became fearful. “Now Joseph will show his anger and pay us back for all the wrong we did to him,” they said.
16 So they sent this message to Joseph: “Before your father died, he instructed us 17 to say to you: ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you—for their sin in treating you so cruelly.’ So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin.” When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept. 18 Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said.
19 But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. 21 No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.
The Death of Joseph
22 So Joseph and his brothers and their families continued to live in Egypt. Joseph lived to the age of 110. 23 He lived to see three generations of descendants of his son Ephraim, and he lived to see the birth of the children of Manasseh’s son Makir, whom he claimed as his own.[c]
24 “Soon I will die,” Joseph told his brothers, “but God will surely come to help you and lead you out of this land of Egypt. He will bring you back to the land he solemnly promised to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”
25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath, and he said, “When God comes to help you and lead you back, you must take my bones with you.” 26 So Joseph died at the age of 110. The Egyptians embalmed him, and his body was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
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