The Move to Egypt

46 Later, Israel began his journey, taking along everything that he owned, and arrived at Beer-sheba, where he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. ² God spoke to Israel through night visions, addressing him, “Jacob! Jacob!”

“Here I am!” Jacob^[a] replied.

³ “I’m God, your father’s God. Don’t be afraid to move down to Egypt, because I’m going to turn you into a mighty nation there. ⁴ I’m going down with you to Egypt, and I’m certainly going to bring you back again. And Joseph himself will be with you when you die.”^{[b] 5} So Jacob got up and left Beer-sheba, and Israel’s sons carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives in the transport wagons that Pharaoh had sent to carry them. ⁶ They took their livestock and their household property that they had acquired in the land of Canaan and traveled to Egypt. Jacob and all of his descendants went with him— ⁷ including his sons, his grandsons, his daughters, and his granddaughters—every one of his descendants accompanied him to Egypt.

List of Those who Went to Egypt^(A)

⁸ Here’s a list of the names of Israel’s sons, that is, of Jacob and his sons who moved to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn; ⁹ Reuben’s sons Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; ¹⁰ Simeon’s sons Jemuel,^[c] Jamin, Ohad, Jachin,^[d] Zohar,^[e] and Shaul, who was the son of a Canaanite woman; ¹¹ Levi’s sons Gershon,^[f] Kohath, and Merari; ¹² and Judah’s sons Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. (Technically,^[g] Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan.) Perez’s sons were Hezron and Hamul. ¹³ Also included were Issachar’s sons Tola, Puvvah,^[h] Job,^[i] and Shimron; ¹⁴ along with Zebulun’s sons Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. ¹⁵ These were all sons from Leah, whom she bore for Jacob in Paddan-aram,^[j] along with his daughter Dinah. He had 33 sons and daughters.

¹⁶ Also included were Gad’s sons Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli; ¹⁷ Asher’s sons Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. Beriah’s sons Heber and Malchiel were also included.^{[k] 18} These were all sons from Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah. She bore these sixteen children for Jacob.

¹⁹ Jacob’s wife Rachel’s sons were Joseph and Benjamin.

²⁰ Joseph’s sons born in the land of Egypt were Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On, bore for him. ²¹ Benjamin’s sons included Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. ²² These were all the sons of Rachel, who were born for Jacob—fourteen in all.

²³ Also included were Dan’s son Hushim; ²⁴ Naphtali’s sons Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. ²⁵ These were sons of Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel. She bore these children for Jacob—seven in all.

²⁶ All of these people, who belonged to Jacob’s family, traveled to Egypt. All of Jacob’s^[l] direct descendants, not including his sons’ wives, numbered 66 persons in all. ²⁷ Joseph had two sons born to him in Egypt, and all of Jacob’s household who went to Egypt numbered 70.