Old/New Testament
Jacob and His Offspring Go to Egypt
46 So Israel journeyed with all that he had, and he came to Beersheba and offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac. 2 And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” 3 Then he said, “I am the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. 4 I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I myself will also bring you up. And Joseph will place his hand over your eyes.” 5 So Jacob arose from Beersheba. And the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, and their little ones and their wives in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to transport him. 6 And they took their livestock and their possessions that they had acquired in the land of Canaan. And they came to Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him, 7 his sons and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters and his daughters’ daughters with him, into Egypt.
8 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons. Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob 9 and the sons of Reuben: Enoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 10 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. 11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13 The sons of Issachar: Tolah, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron. 14 The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. 15 These are the sons of Leah that she bore to Jacob in Paddan-Aram, and Dinah his daughter. His sons and daughters were thirty-three persons in all. 16 The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. 17 The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah, and their sister Serah. And the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malkiel. 18 There are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob—sixteen persons. 19 The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife: Joseph and Benjamin. 20 And Ephraim and Manasseh, whom Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On bore to him, were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt. 21 The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. 22 These are the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob—fourteen persons in all. 23 The sons of Dan: Hushim. 24 The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. 25 These are the sons of Bilhah whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob—seven persons in all. 26 All the persons belonging to Jacob who came to Egypt who were his descendants,[a] not including the wives of the sons of Jacob were sixty-six persons in all. 27 And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who came to Egypt were seventy.
28 He[b] had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to appear before him[c] in Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen. 29 Then Joseph harnessed his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. He presented himself to him and fell upon his neck and wept upon his neck a long time. 30 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die since I have seen your face, for you are still alive.” 31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and report to Pharaoh, and I will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household who were in the land of Canaan have come to me. 32 And the men are shepherds, for they are men of livestock, and they have brought their flocks and their cattle and all that they have.’ 33 And it shall be that when Pharaoh calls you he will say, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 Then you must say, ‘You servants are men of livestock from our childhood until now, both we and also our ancestors,’[d] so that you may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is a detestable thing to Egyptians.”
Jacob Settles in Goshen
47 So Joseph went and reported to Pharaoh. And he said, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and their herds, and all that they have, have come from the land of Canaan. Now they are here in the land of Goshen.” 2 And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them before Pharaoh. 3 And Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are keepers of sheep, both we and also our ancestors.”[e] 4 And they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servant’s flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. So now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” 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 of the land. Let them live in the land of Goshen, and if you know there is among them men of ability, then appoint them overseers of my own livestock.” 7 Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 Then Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How old are you?”[f] 9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty years. Few and hard have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not reached the days of the years of the lives of my ancestors[g] in the days of their sojourning.” 10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and he went out from the presence of Pharaoh. 11 And Joseph settled his father and his brothers, and he gave them property in the land of Egypt in the best part of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had instructed. 12 And Joseph provided his father and his brothers and all the household of his father with food, according to the number of their children.
The Famine in Egypt Continues
13 Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe. And the land of Egypt languished, with the land of Canaan, on account of the famine. 14 And Joseph collected all the money found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain that they were buying. And Joseph brought the money into the house of Pharaoh. 15 And when the money was spent in the land of Egypt and from the land of Canaan, all of Egypt came to Joseph, saying, “Give us food! Why should we die before you? For the money is used up.” 16 And Joseph said, “Give your livestock and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock if your money is used up.” 17 So they brought their herds to Joseph, and Joseph gave food to them in exchange for horses, their flocks, and their cattle and donkeys. And he provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year. 18 When that year ended, they came to him in the following year and said to him, “We cannot hide from my lord that our money and livestock belong to my lord. Nothing remains before my lord except our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we die in front of you, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, then we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. Then give us seed and we shall live and not die, and the land will not become desolate.” 20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for each Egyptian sold his field, for the famine was severe upon them. And the land became Pharaoh’s. 21 As for the people, he transferred them to the cities, from one end of the territory of Egypt to the other. 22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for there was an allotment for the priests from Pharaoh, and they lived on[h] the allotment that Pharaoh gave to them. Therefore they did not sell their land. 23 And Joseph said to the people, “Look, I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you so you can sow the land. 24 And it shall happen that at the harvest, you must give a fifth to Pharaoh and four-fifths shall be yours, as seed for the field and for your food and for those who are in your households, and as food for your little ones.” 25 And they said, “You have saved our lives. If we have found favor in the eyes of my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh.” 26 So Joseph made it a statute unto this day concerning the land of Egypt: one fifth to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests alone did not belong to Pharaoh. 27 So Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. And they acquired possessions in it and were fruitful and multiplied greatly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. And the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred and forty-seven years. 29 When the time of Israel’s death drew near,[i] he called to his son, to Joseph. And he said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please put your hand under my thigh, that you might vow to deal kindly[j] and faithfully with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but let me lie with my ancestors.[k] Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial site.” And he said, “I will do according to your word.” 31 Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.
Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh
48 And it happened that after these things, it was said to Joseph, “Behold, your father is ill.” And he took his two sons with him, Ephraim and Manasseh. 2 And it was told to Jacob, “Behold, your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel strengthened himself and he sat up in the bed. 3 Then Jacob said to Joseph, “El-Shaddai[l] appeared to me in Luz, in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and make you numerous, and will make you a company of nations. And I will give this land to your offspring after you as an everlasting possession.’ 5 And now, your two sons who were born to you in the land of Egypt before my coming to you in Egypt, are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine as Reuben and Simeon are. 6 And your children whom you father after them shall be yours. By the name of their brothers they shall be called, with respect to their inheritance. 7 As for me, when I came to Paddan-Aram Rachel died to my sorrow[m] in the land of Canaan on the way when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath. And I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).” 8 When Israel saw the sons of Joseph he said, “Who are these?” 9 Then Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Please bring them to me that I may bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim[n] on account of old age; he was not able to see. So he brought them near to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I did not expect to see your face and behold, God has also shown me your offspring.” 12 Then Joseph removed them from his knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. 13 And Joseph took the two of them, Ephraim at his right to the left of Israel, and Manasseh at his left to the right of Israel. And he brought them near to him. 14 And Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim (now he was the younger), and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 And he blessed Joseph and said,
“The God before whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, walked,
The God who shepherded me all my life[o] unto this day,
16 The angel who redeemed me from all evil,
may he bless the boys.
And through them let my name be perpetuated,[p]
and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac.
And let them multiply into many in the midst of the earth.
17 When Joseph saw that his father put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, he was displeased. And he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from the head of Ephraim over to the head of Manasseh. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father; because this one is the firstborn. Put your right hand upon his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son; I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great, but his younger brother shall be greater than him, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day, saying,
Through you Israel shall pronounce blessing, saying,
‘May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.’”
So he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 21 And Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your ancestors.[q] 22 And I have given to you one slope of land rather than your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorites by my sword and with my bow.”
The Parable of the Sower
13 On that day Jesus went out of the house and[a] was sitting by the sea.[b] 2 And large crowds gathered close around him, so that he got into a boat to sit down, and all the crowd was standing on the shore. 3 And he spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow, 4 and while he was sowing, some seed[c] fell on the side of the path, and the birds came and[d] devoured it. 5 And other seed fell on the rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up at once because it did not have any depth of soil. 6 But when[e] the sun rose it was scorched, and because it did not have enough root, it withered. 7 And other seed fell among the thorn plants, and the thorn plants came up and choked it. 8 But other seed fell on the good soil and produced grain,[f] this one a hundred times as much and this one sixty and this one thirty. 9 The one who has ears, let him hear!”
The Reason for the Parables
10 And the disciples came up and[g] said to him, “Why[h] do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered and[i] said to them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to those people it has not been granted. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 For this reason I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand, 14 and with reference to them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says,
“You will listen carefully[j] and will never understand,
and you will look closely[k] and will never perceive.
15 For the heart of this people has become dull,
and with their ears they hear with difficulty,
and they have shut their eyes,
so that they would not see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.”[l]
16 But your eyes are blessed because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it,[m] and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it![n]
The Parable of the Sower Interpreted
18 “You, therefore, listen to the parable of the sower: 19 When[o] anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it,[p] the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown on the side of the path. 20 And what was sown on the rocky ground—this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 21 But he does not have a root in himself, but lasts only a little while,[q] and when[r] affliction or persecution happens because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 And what was sown into the thorn plants—this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of this world[s] and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word and it becomes unproductive. 23 But what was sown on the good soil—this is the one who hears the word and understands it,[t] who indeed bears fruit and produces, this one a hundred times as much, and this one sixty, and this one thirty.”
The Parable of the Weeds Among the Wheat
24 He put before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while his[u] people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed darnel[v] in the midst of the wheat and went away. 26 So when the wheat[w] sprouted and yielded grain, then the darnel appeared also. 27 So the slaves of the master of the house came and[x] said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have darnel?’ 28 And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ So the slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and[y] gather them?’ 29 But he said, “No, lest when you[z] gather the darnel you uproot the wheat together with it. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the season of the harvest I will tell the reapers, “First gather the darnel and tie it into bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my storehouse.”’”
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software