² God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.”^{(A) 3} Then he said, “I am God,^[a] the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.^{(B) 4} I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph’s own hand shall close your eyes.”^(C)

⁵ Then Jacob set out from Beer-sheba, and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent to carry him.^{(D) 6} They also took their livestock and the goods that they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and they came into Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him,^{(E) 7} his sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters; all his offspring he brought with him into Egypt.

⁸ Now these are the names of the Israelites, Jacob and his offspring, who came to Egypt. Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn,^{(F) 9} and the children of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. ¹⁰ The children of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.^{(G) 11} The children of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.^{(H) 12} The children of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan), and the children of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.^{(I) 13} The children of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Jashub,^[b] and Shimron. ¹⁴ The children of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. ¹⁵ These are the sons of Leah whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, together with his daughter Dinah; in all, his sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three. ¹⁶ The children of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. ¹⁷ The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. The children of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel.^{(J) 18} These are the children of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah, and these she bore to Jacob—sixteen persons.^{(K) 19} The children of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.^{(L) 20} To Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him.^{(M) 21} The children of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.^{(N) 22} These are the children of Rachel who were born to Jacob—fourteen persons in all. ²³ The children of Dan: Hashum.^{[c](O) 24} The children of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.^{(P) 25} These are the children of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel, and these she bore to Jacob—seven persons in all.^{(Q) 26} All the persons belonging to Jacob who came into Egypt who were his own offspring, not including the wives of his sons, were sixty-six persons in all.^{(R) 27} The children of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two; all the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.^(S)

Jacob Settles in Goshen

²⁸ Israel^[d] sent Judah ahead to Joseph to lead the way before him into Goshen. When they came to the land of Goshen,^{(T) 29} Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to meet his father Israel in Goshen. He presented himself to him, fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.^{(U) 30} Israel said to Joseph, “I can die now, having seen for myself that you are still alive.” ³¹ Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.^{(V) 32} The men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of livestock, and they have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.’ ³³ When Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’^{(W) 34} you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our ancestors,’ in order that you may settle in the land of Goshen, because all shepherds are abhorrent to the Egyptians.”^(X)

47 So Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; they are now in the land of Goshen.”^{(Y) 2} From among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. ³ Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our ancestors were.”^{(Z) 4} They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to reside as aliens in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks because the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now, we ask you, let your servants settle in the land of Goshen.”^{(AA) 5} Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. ⁶ The land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land; let them live in the land of Goshen; and if you know that there are capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”^(AB)

⁷ Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. ⁸ Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the years of your life?”^{(AC) 9} Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my earthly sojourn are one hundred thirty; few and hard have been the years of my life. They do not compare with the years of the life of my ancestors during their long sojourn.” ¹⁰ Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.^{(AD) 11} Joseph settled his father and his brothers and granted them a holding in the land of Egypt, in the best part of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had instructed.^{(AE) 12} And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their dependents.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

³⁰ He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it?^{(A) 31} It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, ³² yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

The Use of Parables

³³ With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it;^{(B) 34} he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.^(C)