The Death of Israel

50 Then Joseph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him and kissed him. ² Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians ^(A)embalmed Israel. ³ Now forty days were ^[a]required for ^[b]it, for ^[c]such is the period required for embalming. And the Egyptians ^(B)wept for him seventy days.

⁴ When the days of ^[d]mourning for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your sight, please speak ^[e]to 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.” Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’” ⁶ 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 great company. ¹⁰ When they came to the ^[f]threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they ^(E)lamented there with a very great and ^[g]sorrowful lamentation; and he ^[h]observed seven days mourning for his father. ¹¹ Now when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at ^[i]the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a ^[j]grievous ^[k]mourning for the Egyptians.” Therefore it was named ^[l]Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.

Burial at Machpelah

¹² Thus his sons did for him as he had charged them; ¹³ for 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 a ^[m]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 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “^(G)What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!” ¹⁶ So they ^[n]sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father charged 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 did you wrong.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants 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 servants.” 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 bring about ^[o]this present result, to preserve many people alive. ²¹ So therefore, do not be afraid; ^(J)I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke ^[p]kindly to them.

Death of Joseph

²² Now Joseph stayed in Egypt, he and his father’s household, and Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. ²³ 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 Joseph said to his brothers, “^(L)I am about to die, but God will surely ^[q]take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He ^[r]promised on oath to ^(M)Abraham, to ^(N)Isaac and to ^(O)Jacob.” ²⁵ Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely ^[s]take care of you, and ^(P)you shall carry my bones up from here.” ²⁶ So Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years; and ^[t]he was ^(Q)embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

The Vanity of Life.

For the choir director, for ^[a]Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

²⁵ So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill? ²⁶ Look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. ^(A)The rulers do not really know that this is ^[a]the Christ, do they? ²⁷ However, ^(B)we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from.” ²⁸ Then Jesus cried out in the temple, ^(C)teaching and saying, “^(D)You both know Me and know where I am from; and ^(E)I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. ^29 (F)I know Him, because ^(G)I am from Him, and ^(H)He sent Me.” ³⁰ So they ^(I)were seeking to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His ^(J)hour had not yet come. ³¹ But ^(K)many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, “^(L)When ^[b]the Christ comes, He will not perform more ^[c](M)signs than those which this man has, will He?”

³² The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about Him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent ^(N)officers to ^(O)seize Him. ³³ Therefore Jesus said, “^(P)For a little while longer I am with you, then ^(Q)I go to Him who sent Me. ^34 (R)You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.” ^35 (S)The Jews then said to one another, “^(T)Where does this man intend to go that we will not find Him? He is not intending to go to ^(U)the Dispersion among ^(V)the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, is He? ³⁶ What is this statement that He said, ‘^(W)You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come’?”

³⁷ Now on ^(X)the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “^[d](Y)If anyone is thirsty, ^[e]let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸ He who believes in Me, ^(Z)as the Scripture said, ‘From ^[f]his innermost being will flow rivers of ^(AA)living water.’” ³⁹ But this He spoke ^(AB)of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for ^(AC)the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet ^(AD)glorified.

Division of People over Jesus

⁴⁰ Some of the people therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, “This certainly is ^(AE)the Prophet.” ⁴¹ Others were saying, “This is ^[g]the Christ.” Still others were saying, “^(AF)Surely ^[h]the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He? ⁴² Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from ^(AG)the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” ⁴³ So ^(AH)a division occurred in the crowd because of Him. ^44 (AI)Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

⁴⁵ The ^(AJ)officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?” ⁴⁶ The ^(AK)officers answered, “^(AL)Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.” ⁴⁷ The Pharisees then answered them, “^(AM)You have not also been led astray, have you? ^48 (AN)No one of ^(AO)the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he? ⁴⁹ But this crowd which does not know the Law is accursed.” ^50 (AP)Nicodemus (he who came to Him before, being one of them) *said to them, ⁵¹ “^(AQ)Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” ⁵² They answered him, “^(AR)You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.” ⁵³ [^[i]Everyone went to his home.