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.
Genesis 50
International Standard Version
Joseph Mourns for His Father
50 Then Joseph embraced his father,[a] cried over him, and kissed him. 2 After this, he issued orders to his physician servants to embalm his father. So they embalmed Israel. 3 It took 40 days to complete the process, the normal period required for embalming. Meanwhile, the Egyptians mourned for him for 70 days. 4 At the conclusion of the mourning period, Joseph addressed Pharaoh’s household. “If you’re satisfied with me, would you please take this message to Pharaoh for me? Tell him, 5 ‘My father told me, “Look! I’m about to die. Bury me in my grave that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” So please let me travel to bury my father. I’ll be right back.’”
6 “Please go,” Pharaoh replied. “Bury your father, as he asked you to do.”
Joseph Mourns in Canaan
7 So Joseph got up and went to bury his father, accompanied by all of Pharaoh’s servants, all of the elders of Egypt, 8 all of Joseph’s household, his brothers, and his father’s household. They left behind in the territory of Goshen only their youngest children, their flocks, and their herds. 9 Chariots and horsemen also accompanied Joseph,[b] so there were a lot of people. 10 When they arrived at Atad’s threshing floor, which is located beyond the Jordan River,[c] they held a great and mournful memorial service, during which Joseph[d] spent seven days mourning for his father. 11 As soon as the Canaanites who lived in the land observed the mourning going on at Atad’s threshing floor, they commented “This is a significant time of mourning for the Egyptians.” That’s why the place, which is located beyond the Jordan River,[e] became known as Abel-mizraim.[f]
The Burial at Machpelah
12 And so Israel’s[g] sons did what he had instructed them to do: 13 they carried him to the territory of Canaan and buried him in the cave in Machpelah field near Mamre that Abraham had purchased[h] as a cemetery from Ephron the Hittite. 14 After he had buried his father, Joseph and his brothers returned to Egypt, along with everyone who had gone with him to attend the burial.
15 Later, after Joseph’s brothers faced the reality of their father’s death, they asked themselves, “What happens if Joseph decides to hold a grudge against us? What if he pays us back in full for all the wrong things we did to him?”
16 So they sent this message to Joseph: 17 “Before he died, your father left some instructions. He told us, ‘Tell Joseph, “Please forgive your brothers’ offenses. I beg you, forgive their sins, because they wronged you.”’ So please forgive the transgression of the servants of your father’s God.”
Joseph wept when they talked to him. 18 So Joseph’s[i] brothers went to visit him, fell prostrate in front of him, and declared, “Look! We’re your servants.”
19 “Don’t be afraid,” Joseph responded. “Am I sitting in God’s place? 20 As far as you’re concerned, you were planning evil against me, but God intended it for good, planning to bring about the present result so that many people would be preserved alive. 21 So don’t be afraid! I’ll take care of you and your little ones.” So Joseph[j] kept on comforting them, speaking to the needs of[k] their hearts.
Joseph’s Death and Burial
22 Joseph continued to live in Egypt, along with his father’s household, until he was 110 years old. 23 Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children, as well as the children who had been born to Manasseh’s son Machir, whom he adopted as his own.[l] 24 Later, Joseph told his brothers, “I’m going to die soon, but God will certainly provide for you and bring you up from this land to the land that he promised with an oath to give[m] to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” 25 So Joseph made all of Israel’s other[n] children make this promise: “Because God is certainly going to take care of you, you are to carry my bones up from here.”
26 Some time later, Joseph died at the age of 110 years, and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.
Footnotes
- Genesis 50:1 Lit. Joseph fell on his father’s face
- Genesis 50:9 Lit. him
- Genesis 50:10 The Heb. lacks River
- Genesis 50:10 Lit. he
- Genesis 50:11 The Heb. lacks River
- Genesis 50:11 The Heb. name Abel-mizraim means Mourning of the Egyptians
- Genesis 50:12 Lit. so his
- Genesis 50:13 Lit. purchased along with the field
- Genesis 50:18 Lit. his
- Genesis 50:21 Lit. he
- Genesis 50:21 The Heb. lacks the needs of
- Genesis 50:23 Lit. Machir, who were born on Joseph’s knees; i.e. they were placed in a special position of inheritance rights
- Genesis 50:24 The Heb. lacks to give
- Genesis 50:25 The Heb. lacks other
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