Genesis 42:1-49:29

New International Reader's Version

Joseph’s Brothers Go Down to Egypt

42 Jacob found out that there was grain in Egypt. So he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at one another?” ² He continued, “I’ve heard there’s grain in Egypt. Go down there. Buy some for us. Then we’ll live and not die.”

³ So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain there. ⁴ But Jacob didn’t send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with them. He was afraid Benjamin might be harmed. ⁵ Israel’s sons were among the people who went to buy grain. There wasn’t enough food in the land of Canaan.

⁶ Joseph was the governor of the land. He was the one who sold grain to all its people. When Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. ⁷ As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them. But he pretended to be a stranger. He spoke to them in a mean way. “Where do you come from?” he asked.

“From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We’ve come to buy food.”

⁸ Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him. ⁹ Then Joseph remembered his dreams about them. So he said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the places where our land isn’t guarded very well.”

¹⁰ “No, sir,” they answered. “We’ve come to buy food. ¹¹ All of us are the sons of one man. We’re honest men. We aren’t spies.”

¹² “No!” he said to them. “You have come to see the places where our land isn’t guarded very well.”

¹³ But they replied, “We were 12 brothers. All of us were the sons of one man. He lives in the land of Canaan. Our youngest brother is now with our father. And one brother is gone.”

¹⁴ Joseph said to them, “I still say you are spies! ¹⁵ So I’m going to test you. And here’s the test. You can be sure that you won’t leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. You can be just as sure of this as you are sure that Pharaoh lives. I give you my word that you won’t leave here unless your brother comes. ¹⁶ Send one of you back to get your brother. The rest of you will be kept in prison. I’ll test your words. Then we’ll find out whether you are telling the truth. You can be sure that Pharaoh lives. And you can be just as sure that if you aren’t telling the truth, we’ll know that you are spies!” ¹⁷ So Joseph kept all of them under guard for three days.

¹⁸ On the third day, Joseph spoke to them again. He said, “Do what I say. Then you will live, because I have respect for God. ¹⁹ If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison. The rest of you may go and take grain back to your hungry families. ²⁰ But you must bring your youngest brother to me. That will prove that your words are true. Then you won’t die.” So they did what he said.

²¹ They said to one another, “God is surely punishing us because of our brother. We saw how upset he was when he begged us to let him live. But we wouldn’t listen. That’s why all this trouble has come to us.”

²² Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we’re being paid back for killing him.” ²³ They didn’t realize that Joseph could understand what they were saying. He was using someone else to explain their words to him in the Egyptian language.

²⁴ Joseph turned away from his brothers and began to weep. Then he came back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken and tied up right there in front of them.

²⁵ Joseph gave orders to have their bags filled with grain. He had each man’s money put back into his sack. He also made sure they were given food for their journey. ²⁶ Then the brothers loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.

²⁷ When night came, they stopped. One of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey. He saw his money in the top of his sack. ²⁸ “My money has been given back,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.”

They had a sinking feeling in their hearts. They began to tremble. They turned to one another and said, “What has God done to us?”

²⁹ They came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him everything that had happened to them. They said, ³⁰ “The man who is the governor of the land spoke to us in a mean way. He treated us as if we were spying on the land. ³¹ But we said to him, ‘We’re honest men. We aren’t spies. ³² We were 12 brothers. All of us were the sons of one father. But now one brother is gone. And our youngest brother is with our father in Canaan.’

³³ “Then the man who is the governor of the land spoke to us. He said, ‘Here’s how I will know whether you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers here with me. Take food for your hungry families and go. ³⁴ But bring your youngest brother to me. Then I’ll know that you are honest men and not spies. I’ll give your brother back to you. And you will be free to trade in the land.’ ”

³⁵ They began emptying their sacks. There in each man’s sack was his bag of money! When they and their father saw the money bags, they were scared to death. ³⁶ Their father Jacob said to them, “You have taken my children away from me. Joseph is gone. Simeon is gone. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is going against me!”

³⁷ Then Reuben spoke to his father. He said, “You can put both of my sons to death if I don’t bring Benjamin back to you. Trust me to take care of him. I’ll bring him back.”

³⁸ But Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you. His brother is dead. He’s the only one left here with me. Suppose he’s harmed on the journey you are taking. Then I would die as a sad old man.”

Joseph’s Brothers Go Down to Egypt Again

43 There still wasn’t enough food anywhere in the land. ² After a while Jacob’s family had eaten all the grain the brothers had brought from Egypt. So their father said to them, “Go back. Buy us a little more food.”

³ But Judah said to him, “The man gave us a strong warning. He said, ‘You won’t see my face again unless your brother Benjamin is with you.’ ⁴ So send our brother along with us. Then we’ll go down and buy food for you. ⁵ If you won’t send him, we won’t go down. The man said to us, ‘You won’t see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ ”

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

⁷ They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. He asked us, ‘Is your father still living? Do you have another brother?’ We just answered his questions. How could we possibly know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”

⁸ Judah spoke to Israel his father. “Send the boy along with me,” he said. “We’ll go right away. Then we and you and our children will live and not die. ⁹ I myself promise to keep Benjamin safe. You can blame me if I don’t bring him back to you. I’ll set him right here in front of you. If I don’t, you can put the blame on me for the rest of my life. ¹⁰ As it is, we’ve already waited too long. We could have made the trip to Egypt and back twice by now.”

¹¹ Then their father Israel spoke to them. He said, “If that’s the way it has to be, then do what I tell you. Put some of the best things from our land in your bags. Take them down to the man as a gift. Take some lotion and a little honey. Take some spices and myrrh. Take some pistachio nuts and almonds. ¹² Take twice the amount of money with you. You have to give back the money that was put in your sacks. Maybe it was a mistake. ¹³ Also take your brother. Go back to the man at once. ¹⁴ May the Mighty God cause him to show you mercy. May the man let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. And if I lose my sons, I lose them.”

¹⁵ So the men took the gifts. They took twice the amount of money. They also took Benjamin. They hurried down to Egypt and went to Joseph. ¹⁶ When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he spoke to the manager of his house. “Take these men to my house,” he said. “Kill an animal and prepare a meal. I want them to eat with me at noon.”

¹⁷ The manager did what Joseph told him to do. He took the men to Joseph’s house. ¹⁸ They were frightened when they were taken to Joseph’s house. They thought, “We were brought here because of the money that was put back in our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us. Then he can hold us as slaves and take our donkeys.”

¹⁹ So they went up to Joseph’s manager. They spoke to him at the entrance to the house. ²⁰ “Please, sir,” they said. “We came down here the first time to buy food. ²¹ We opened our sacks at the place where we stopped for the night. Each of us found in our sacks the exact amount of the money we had paid. So we’ve brought it back with us. ²² We’ve also brought more money with us to buy food. We don’t know who put our money in our sacks.”

²³ “It’s all right,” the manager said. “Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you riches in your sacks. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

²⁴ The manager took the men into Joseph’s house. He gave them water to wash their feet. He provided feed for their donkeys. ²⁵ The brothers prepared their gifts for Joseph. He was planning to arrive at noon. They had heard that they were going to eat there.

²⁶ When Joseph came home, they gave him the gifts they had brought into the house. They bowed down low in front of him. ²⁷ He asked them how they were. Then he said, “How is your old father you told me about? Is he still living?”

²⁸ They replied, “Your servant our father is still alive and well.” And they bowed down to show him honor.

²⁹ Joseph looked around. Then he saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son. He asked, “Is this your youngest brother? Is he the one you told me about?” He continued, “May God be gracious to you, my son.” ³⁰ It moved him deeply to see his brother. So Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to cry. He went into his own room and cried there.

³¹ Then he washed his face and came out. He calmed down and said, “Serve the food.”

³² They served Joseph by himself. They served the brothers by themselves. They also served the Egyptians who ate with Joseph by themselves. Because of their beliefs, Egyptians couldn’t eat with Hebrews. ³³ The brothers had been given places in front of Joseph. They had been seated in the order of their ages, from the oldest to the youngest. That made them look at each other in great surprise. ³⁴ While they were eating, some food was brought to them from Joseph’s table. Benjamin was given five times as much as anyone else. So all Joseph’s brothers ate and drank a lot with him.

A Silver Cup in a Sack

44 Joseph told the manager of his house what to do. “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry,” he said. “Put each man’s money in his sack. ² Then put my silver cup in the youngest one’s sack. Put it there along with the money he paid for his grain.” So the manager did what Joseph told him to do.

³ When morning came, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. ⁴ They hadn’t gone very far from the city when Joseph spoke to his manager. “Go after those men right away,” he said. “Catch up with them. Say to them, ‘My master was good to you. Why have you paid him back by doing evil? ⁵ Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from? Doesn’t he also use it to find things out? You have done an evil thing.’ ”

⁶ When the manager caught up with them, he told them what Joseph had said. ⁷ But they said to him, “Why do you say these things? We would never do anything like that! ⁸ We even brought back to you from Canaan the money we found in our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? ⁹ If you find out that any of us has the cup, he will die. And the rest of us will become your slaves.”

¹⁰ “All right, then,” he said. “As you wish. The one found to have the cup will become my slave. But the rest of you will not be blamed.”

¹¹ Each of them quickly put his sack down on the ground and opened it. ¹² Then the manager started to search. He began with the oldest and ended with the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. ¹³ When that happened, they were so upset they tore their clothes. Then all of them loaded their donkeys and went back to the city.

¹⁴ Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in. They threw themselves down on the ground in front of him. ¹⁵ Joseph said to them, “What have you done? Don’t you know that a man like me has ways to find things out?”

¹⁶ “What can we say to you?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove we haven’t done anything wrong? God has shown you that we are guilty. We are now your slaves. All of us are, including the one found to have the cup.”

¹⁷ But Joseph said, “I would never do anything like that! Only the man found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you may go back to your father in peace.”

¹⁸ Then Judah went up to him. He said, “Please, sir. Let me speak a word to you. Don’t be angry with me, even though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. ¹⁹ You asked us, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ ²⁰ We answered, ‘We have an old father. A young son was born to him when he was old. His brother is dead. He’s the only one of his mother’s sons left. And his father loves him.’

²¹ “Then you said to us, ‘Bring him down to me. I want to see him for myself.’ ²² We said to you, ‘The boy can’t leave his father. If he does, his father will die.’ ²³ But you told us, ‘Your youngest brother must come down here with you. If he doesn’t, you won’t see my face again.’ ²⁴ So we went back to my father. We told him what you had said.

²⁵ “Then our father said, ‘Go back. Buy a little more food.’ ²⁶ But we said, ‘We can’t go down. We’ll only go if our youngest brother goes there with us. We can’t even see the man’s face unless our youngest brother goes with us.’

²⁷ “Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife had two sons by me. ²⁸ One of them went away from me. And I said, “He must have been torn to pieces.” I haven’t seen him since. ²⁹ What if you take this one from me too and he is harmed? Then you would cause me to die as a sad old man. I would go down into the grave full of pain and suffering.’

³⁰ “So now, what will happen if the boy isn’t with us when I go back to my father? His life depends on the boy’s life. ³¹ When he sees that the boy isn’t with us, he’ll die. Because of us, he’ll go down into the grave as a sad old man. ³² I promised my father I would keep the boy safe. I said, ‘Father, I’ll bring him back to you. If I don’t, you can put the blame on me for the rest of my life.’

³³ “Now then, please let me stay here. Let me be your slave in place of the boy. Let the boy return with his brothers. ³⁴ How can I go back to my father if the boy isn’t with me? No! Don’t let me see the pain and suffering that would come to my father.”

Joseph Tells His Brothers Who He Is

45 Joseph couldn’t control himself anymore in front of all his attendants. He cried out, “Have everyone leave me!” So there wasn’t anyone with Joseph when he told his brothers who he was. ² He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him. Everyone in Pharaoh’s house heard about it.

³ Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers weren’t able to answer him. They were too afraid of him.

⁴ Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” So they did. Then he said, “I am your brother Joseph. I’m the one you sold into Egypt. ⁵ But don’t be upset. And don’t be angry with yourselves because you sold me here. God sent me ahead of you to save many lives. ⁶ For two years now, there hasn’t been enough food in the land. And for the next five years, people won’t be plowing or gathering crops. ⁷ But God sent me ahead of you to keep some of you alive on earth. He sent me here to save your lives by an act of mighty power.

⁸ “So then, it wasn’t you who sent me here. It was God. He made me like a father to Pharaoh. He made me master of Pharaoh’s entire house. God made me ruler of the whole land of Egypt. ⁹ Now hurry back to my father. Say to him, ‘Your son Joseph says, “God has made me master of the whole land of Egypt. Come down to me. Don’t waste any time. ¹⁰ You will live in the area of Goshen. You, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and everything you have will be near me. ¹¹ There I will provide everything you need. There are still five years to come when there won’t be enough food. If you don’t come down here, you and your family and everyone who belongs to you will lose everything.” ’

¹² “My brothers, I am Joseph. You can see for yourselves that I am the one speaking to you. My brother Benjamin can see it too. ¹³ Tell my father about all the honor given to me in Egypt. Tell him about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”

¹⁴ Then Joseph threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept. Benjamin also hugged him and wept. ¹⁵ Joseph kissed all his brothers and wept over them. After that, his brothers talked with him.

¹⁶ The news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come. Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. ¹⁷ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Here’s what I want you to tell your brothers. Say to them, ‘Load your animals. Return to the land of Canaan. ¹⁸ Bring your father and your families back to me. I’ll give you the best land in Egypt. You can enjoy all the good things in the land.’

¹⁹ “And here’s something else I want you to tell them. Say to them, ‘Take some carts from Egypt. Your children and your wives can use them. Get your father and come back. ²⁰ Don’t worry about the things you have back there. The best of everything in Egypt will belong to you.’ ”

²¹ Then the sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded. He also gave them supplies for their journey. ²² He gave new clothes to each of them. But he gave Benjamin more than seven pounds of silver. He also gave him five sets of clothes. ²³ He sent his father ten male donkeys loaded with the best things from Egypt. He also sent ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other supplies for his journey. ²⁴ Then Joseph sent his brothers away. As they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t argue on the way!”

²⁵ So they went up out of Egypt. They came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. ²⁶ They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of the whole land of Egypt.” Jacob was shocked. He didn’t believe them. ²⁷ So they told him everything Joseph had said to them. Jacob saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back. That gave new life to their father Jacob. ²⁸ Israel said, “I believe it now! My son Joseph is still alive. I’ll go and see him before I die.”

Jacob Goes Down to Egypt

46 So Israel started out with everything that belonged to him. When he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

² God spoke to Israel in a vision at night. “Jacob! Jacob!” he said.

“Here I am,” Jacob replied.

³ “I am God. I am the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt. There I will make you into a great nation. ⁴ I will go down to Egypt with you. I will surely bring you back again. And when you die, Joseph will close your eyes with his own hand.”

⁵ Then Jacob left Beersheba. Israel’s sons put their father Jacob and their families in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to carry him. ⁶ So Jacob and his whole family went to Egypt. They took their livestock with them. And they took everything they had acquired in Canaan. ⁷ Jacob brought his sons and grandsons with him to Egypt. He also brought his daughters and granddaughters. He brought his whole family with him.

⁸ Here are the names of Israel’s children and grandchildren who went to Egypt. Jacob and his whole family are included.

¹⁵ These were the sons and grandsons born to Jacob and Leah in Paddan Aram. Leah also had a daughter by Jacob. Her name was Dinah. The total number of people in the family line of Jacob and Leah was 33.

¹⁸ These were the children and grandchildren born to Jacob and Zilpah. Laban had given Zilpah to his daughter Leah. The total number of people in the family line of Jacob and Zilpah was 16.

²² These were the sons and grandsons born to Jacob and Rachel. The total number of people in the family line of Jacob and Rachel was 14.

²⁵ These were the sons and grandsons born to Jacob and Bilhah. Laban had given Bilhah to his daughter Rachel. The total number of people in the family line of Jacob and Bilhah was seven.

²⁶ The total number of people who went to Egypt with Jacob was 66. That number includes only his own children and grandchildren. It doesn’t include his sons’ wives or his grandsons’ wives. ²⁷ The total number of the members of Jacob’s family who went to Egypt was 70. That includes the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt.

²⁸ Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph. He sent him to get directions to Goshen. And so they arrived in the area of Goshen. ²⁹ Then Joseph had his servants get his chariot ready. He went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as he came to his father, Joseph threw his arms around him. Then Joseph wept for a long time.

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

³¹ Then Joseph spoke to his brothers and to the rest of his father’s family. He said, “I will go up and speak to Pharaoh. I’ll say to him, ‘My brothers and the rest of my father’s family have come to me. They were living in the land of Canaan. ³² The men are shepherds. They take care of livestock. They’ve brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ ³³ Pharaoh will send for you. He’ll ask, ‘What do you do for a living?’ ³⁴ You should answer, ‘We’ve taken care of livestock from the time we were boys. We’ve done just as our fathers did.’ It’s the practice of the people of Egypt not to mix with shepherds. So Pharaoh will let you settle in the area of Goshen.”

47 Joseph went to Pharaoh. He told him, “My father and brothers have come from the land of Canaan. They’ve brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own. They are now in Goshen.” ² Joseph had chosen five of his brothers to meet with Pharaoh.

³ Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What do you do for a living?”

“We’re shepherds,” they replied to Pharaoh. “And that’s what our fathers were.” ⁴ They also said to him, “We’ve come to live in Egypt for a while. There isn’t enough food anywhere in Canaan. There isn’t any grass for our flocks. So please let us live in Goshen.”

⁵ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. ⁶ The land of Egypt is open to you. Let your father and brothers live in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. Do any of them have special skills? If they do, put them in charge of my own livestock.”

⁷ Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in to meet Pharaoh. Jacob gave Pharaoh his blessing. ⁸ Then Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?”

⁹ Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my journey through life are 130. My years have been few and hard. They aren’t as many as the years of my father and grandfather before me.” ¹⁰ Jacob gave Pharaoh his blessing. Then he left him.

¹¹ So Joseph helped his father and his brothers make their homes in Egypt. He gave them property in the best part of the land, just as Pharaoh had directed him to do. That part was known as the territory of Rameses. ¹² Joseph also provided food for his father and brothers. He provided for them and the rest of his father’s family. He gave them enough for all their children.

Joseph Saves Many Lives

¹³ But there wasn’t any food in the whole area. In fact, there wasn’t enough food anywhere. The people of Egypt and Canaan lost their strength because there wasn’t enough food to go around. ¹⁴ Joseph collected all the money in Egypt and Canaan. People paid it to him for the grain they were buying. And Joseph brought it to Pharaoh’s palace. ¹⁵ When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph. They said, “Give us food. What good would it do you to watch us all die? Our money is all gone.”

¹⁶ “Then bring your livestock,” said Joseph. “You say your money is gone. So I’ll trade you food for your livestock.” ¹⁷ They brought their livestock to Joseph. He traded them food for their animals. They gave him their horses, sheep, goats, cattle and donkeys. He helped the people live through that year by trading them food for all their livestock.

¹⁸ When that year was over, they came to him the next year. They said, “We can’t hide the truth from you. Our money is gone. Our livestock belongs to you. We don’t have anything left to give you except our bodies and our land. ¹⁹ What good would it do you to watch us die? Why should our land be destroyed? Trade us food for ourselves and our land. Then we and our land will belong to Pharaoh. Give us some seeds so we can live and not die. We don’t want the land to become a desert.”

²⁰ So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. All the people of Egypt sold their fields. They did that because there wasn’t enough food anywhere. So the land became Pharaoh’s. ²¹ Joseph made the people slaves from one end of Egypt to the other. ²² But Joseph didn’t buy the land that belonged to the priests. They received a regular share of food from Pharaoh. They had enough food from what Pharaoh gave them. That’s why they didn’t have to sell their land.

²³ Joseph said to the people, “I’ve bought you and your land today for Pharaoh. So here are some seeds for you to plant in the ground. ²⁴ But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. Keep the other four-fifths for yourselves. They will be seeds for the fields. And they will be food for yourselves, your children, and the other people who live with you.”

²⁵ “You have saved our lives,” they said. “If you are pleased with us, we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.”

²⁶ So Joseph made a law about land in Egypt. It’s still the law today. A fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. Only the land belonging to the priests didn’t become Pharaoh’s.

²⁷ The people of Israel lived in Egypt in the area of Goshen. They received property there. They had children and so became many.

²⁸ Jacob lived 17 years in Egypt. He lived a total of 147 years. ²⁹ The time came near for Israel to die. So he sent for his son Joseph. He said to him, “If you are pleased with me, put your hand under my thigh. Promise me that you will be kind and faithful to me. Don’t bury me in Egypt. ³⁰ When I join the members of my family who have already died, carry me out of Egypt. Bury me where they are buried.”

“I’ll do exactly as you say,” Joseph said.

³¹ “Give me your word that you will do it,” Jacob said. So Joseph gave him his word. And Israel worshiped God as he leaned on the top of his walking stick.

Ephraim and Manasseh

48 Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is sick.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. ² Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” So Israel became stronger and sat up in bed.

³ Jacob said to Joseph, “The Mighty God appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan. He blessed me there. ⁴ He said to me, ‘I am going to give you children. I will make your family very large. I will make you a community of nations. And I will give this land to your children after you. It will belong to them forever.’

⁵ “Now then, two sons were born to you in Egypt. It happened before I came to you here. They will be counted as my own sons. Ephraim and Manasseh will belong to me, in the same way that Reuben and Simeon belong to me. ⁶ Any children born to you after them will belong to you. Any territory they receive will come from the land that will be given to Ephraim and Manasseh. ⁷ As I was returning from Paddan, Rachel died. It made me very sad. She died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way. We weren’t very far away from Ephrath. So I buried her body there beside the road to Ephrath.” Ephrath was also called Bethlehem.

⁸ Israel saw Joseph’s sons. He asked, “Who are they?”

⁹ “They are the sons God has given me here,” Joseph said to his father.

Then Israel said, “Bring them to me. I want to give them my blessing.”

¹⁰ Israel’s eyes were weak because he was old. He couldn’t see very well. So Joseph brought his sons close to him. His father kissed them and hugged them.

¹¹ Israel said to Joseph, “I never thought I’d see your face again. But now God has let me see your children too.”

¹² Then Joseph lifted his sons off Israel’s knees. Joseph bowed down with his face to the ground. ¹³ He placed Ephraim on his right, toward Israel’s left hand. He placed Manasseh on his left, toward Israel’s right hand. Then he brought them close to Israel. ¹⁴ But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head. He did it even though Ephraim was the younger son. He crossed his arms and put his left hand on Manasseh’s head. He did it even though Manasseh was the older son.

¹⁵ Then Israel gave Joseph his blessing. He said,

¹⁷ Joseph saw his father putting his right hand on Ephraim’s head. And Joseph didn’t like it. So he took hold of his father’s hand to move it over to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸ Joseph said to him, “No, my father. Here’s my older son. Put your right hand on his head.”

¹⁹ But his father wouldn’t do it. He said, “I know, my son. I know. He too will become a nation. He too will become great. But his younger brother will be greater than he is. His children after him will become a group of nations.” ²⁰ On that day, Jacob gave them his blessing. He said,

So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

²¹ Then Israel said to Joseph, “I’m about to die. But God will be with all of you. He’ll take you back to the land of your fathers. ²² But to you, Joseph, I am giving more land than your brothers. I’m giving you the land I took from the Amorites. I took it with my sword and bow.”

Jacob Gives Blessings to His Sons

49 Then Jacob sent for his sons. He said, “Gather around me so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.

²⁸ All these are the 12 tribes of Israel. That’s what their father said to them when he blessed them. He gave each one the blessing that was just right for him.

Jacob Dies

²⁹ Then Jacob gave directions to his sons. He said, “I’m about to join the members of my family who have already died. Bury me with them in the cave in the field of Ephron, the Hittite.