Old/New Testament
46 Israel set out on his journey to Egypt with all of his belongings, and when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrificial gifts to the God of his father, Isaac. 2 God spoke there to Israel in visions during the night.
God: Jacob, Jacob!
Jacob: I’m here. I’m listening!
God: 3 I am the True God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go down to Egypt and leave the land I promised you, for I am going to make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down with you to Egypt, and one day I will be the One to bring you back again. And something else—Joseph’s own hands will be the ones to close your eyes at the time of your death.
5 Then Jacob got up and continued on from Beersheba toward Egypt, and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little children, and their wives in the wagons Pharaoh sent with them. 6-7 They also brought their livestock and the goods they had acquired in the land of Canaan. And at last, Jacob and his family arrived in Egypt. His sons, his grandsons, his daughters, and his granddaughters—all of his descendants came with him to Egypt.
8 Here are the names of the descendants of Israel—that is, Jacob and his family—who settled in Egypt. Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn son) 9 and his sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 10 Simeon and his sons: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul (the son of a Canaanite woman). 11 Levi and his sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 Judah and his sons: Er and Onan (who both died in the land of Canaan), Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; Perez and his sons (Judah’s grandchildren): Hezron and Hamul. 13 Issachar and his sons: Tola, Puvvah, Iob, and Shimron. 14 Zebulun and his sons: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. 15 These sons, along with his daughter Dinah, are the 33 sons and daughters born to Jacob by Leah in Paddan-aram.
16 Gad and his sons: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. 17 Asher and his sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah; Beriah and his sons (Gad’s grandchildren): Heber and Malchiel. 18 These are the 16 children born to Jacob by Zilpah. (Zilpah was the servant Laban gave to his daughter, Leah, when she married Jacob.)
19 Jacob’s sons by Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. 20 Joseph had Manasseh and Ephraim in the land of Egypt with his wife Asenath (daughter of Potiphera, priest of On). 21 Benjamin and his sons: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. 22 These are the 14 children born to Jacob by Rachel.
23 Dan had only one son: Hushim. 24 Naphtali and his sons: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. 25 These are the 7 children born to Jacob by Bilhah. (Bilhah was the servant Laban gave to his daughter, Rachel, when she married Jacob.)
26 So all of Jacob’s children and grandchildren who came to Egypt—those who were in some way his offspring, but not the wives of his sons—were 66 in all. 27 Joseph had two sons who were born in Egypt. All of the people directly related to Jacob who now lived in Egypt numbered 70 people.
28 Now Israel decided to send Judah ahead to Joseph in order to learn the way into Goshen. When they came to the land of Goshen, they stopped. 29 Joseph got into his chariot and went out to meet his father, Israel. When he saw him, he fell on his neck and wept for a long time.
Jacob (to Joseph): 30 I can die now in peace, because I’ve seen your face and I know you are alive.
31 Joseph gathered his brothers and his father’s household and told them his plans.
Joseph: I’m going now to let Pharaoh know you are here. I will tell him, “My brothers and my father’s household have arrived from Canaan. 32 The men are shepherds. They make their living by keeping livestock, and they’ve brought their flocks and herds and all of their belongings.” 33 When Pharaoh calls you to the court and asks your occupation, 34 tell him, “Your servants keep livestock. We start in the family business when we are just boys. That is what we and our ancestors have always done.” That way, you’ll be allowed to settle in the land of Goshen because Egyptians can’t stand to be around shepherds.
47 So Joseph went to Pharaoh.
Joseph (to Pharaoh): My father and brothers have arrived from the land of Canaan with their flocks and herds and the rest of their belongings. They are now waiting in the land of Goshen.
2 Now Joseph had chosen five of his brothers and brought them along to present to Pharaoh.
Pharaoh (to Joseph’s brothers): 3 What is your occupation?
Joseph’s Brothers: Your servants are shepherds. We tend sheep and goats as our ancestors did before us.
4 We’ve come to reside in this land as foreigners for a time because there is no place in the land of Canaan for us to pasture our flocks on account of the severity of the famine. Now please, allow your servants to settle in the land of Goshen until this famine is over.
Pharaoh (to Joseph): 5 Your father and brothers have come to you for help. 6 You have the entire land of Egypt at your disposal. Settle your family in the best areas of the land. Let them live in Goshen, and if you know of any who are particularly good at what they do, then put them in charge of my livestock.
7 Then Joseph brought his father, Jacob, and presented him to Pharaoh, and Jacob gave Pharaoh a blessing.
Jacob blesses Pharaoh. As we have seen, words spoken as a blessing have great meaning at this time. It may be no more than a greeting spoken, such as “shalom,” which means “peace.” However the story of Genesis prompts us to consider another possibility. In God’s plan to redeem and reclaim His creation, He chooses Abraham and his descendants to be a blessing to all the families on earth. Jacob, Abraham’s grandson and God’s covenant partner, speaks a blessing over Pharaoh that creates a new reality for Egypt and its king. Little does Pharaoh know that this humble nomadic family in need of his help will one day change the course of history.
Pharaoh (to Jacob): 8 How old are you now?
Jacob: 9 I have journeyed through life for 130 years. My life has been short and hard. But they don’t compare with the many years my ancestors traveled this earth.
10 Jacob gave Pharaoh a blessing for a second time and left his presence. 11 So Joseph settled his father and brothers on some of the best land in Egypt—granting them property of their own in a region known as Rameses, as Pharaoh had instructed. 12 And Joseph also provided them with food, according to the number of all of their dependents.
13 As time went on, the famine became more severe, and food became scarce in the lands of Egypt and Canaan. The people were starving. 14 Everyone from the lands of Egypt and Canaan spent all the money they had to buy grain. Joseph collected all the money and stored it in Pharaoh’s palace. 15 But when the people of Egypt and Canaan ran out of money, the Egyptians came to Joseph to plead with him.
Egyptians: Please, give us food! Why should we all die here in front of you? Our money is gone.
Joseph: 16 You can pay with livestock then. I will give you food in exchange for your livestock, if your money is gone.
17 So the people brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for horses, flocks, herds, and donkeys. That year, he supplied them with food in exchange for livestock. 18 But when that year was over, they came to him the next year.
Egyptians: My lord, we cannot hide the fact that our money is all spent, and now the herds of livestock all belong to you. We have nothing left to exchange for food except our bodies and our lands. 19 Why should we and our land perish now right before your eyes? Buy us and our land in exchange for food. We will become slaves to Pharaoh. We will work the land for him. Just please give us seed, so that we can live and avoid dying of hunger and so that the land doesn’t become wild and deserted.
20 So Joseph agreed. He bought up all of the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians sold their fields because the famine was too severe for them to get by on their own, and so all of the land became the property of Pharaoh. 21 As for the people, he made slaves of them, from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 But he did not purchase the land belonging to the priests because they received an allowance from Pharaoh and were able to live off of it. So they didn’t have to sell their land.
Joseph (to the people): 23 See I have done what you asked. I have bought you and your lands for Pharaoh. Now here is the seed you need to sow the land. 24 When the harvest arrives, you will be required to give one-fifth of what you produce to Pharaoh; and four-fifths will be your own to plant the fields and feed your families, households, and children.
Egyptians: 25 You have saved our lives. If it pleases my lord, we are honored to serve as slaves to Pharaoh under these terms.
26 So Joseph made a law regarding the land of Egypt—which stands to this day—declaring Pharaoh is due one-fifth of all the land produces. Only the land of the priests remained personal property.
27 So this was how Israel and his descendants came to live in the land of Egypt, in the region known as Goshen. They acquired property in the area, had children, and their number increased rapidly. 28 Jacob lived another 17 years in the land of Egypt; he lived to be 147. 29 And when Israel was close to death, he called his son Joseph to his side.
Jacob (to Joseph): If I have found favor with you, I need a favor from you. Put your hand here under my thigh. Swear to deal kindly and faithfully with me by honoring my dying wish: please do not bury me in Egypt. 30 When I die let me lie with my ancestors. Take my body away from Egypt, and bury me where they are buried.
Joseph: I will do as you ask, Father.
Jacob: 31 Swear to me.
And Joseph took the oath. Then, Israel bowed down at the head of his bed.
Jacob bows his final bow—perhaps in the weakness of old age or in thankfulness for Joseph’s promise, or maybe in prayer to the Lord.
In the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, custom demands that the firstborn son become the next head of the family and inherit the name, status, and wealth of his father. But as we have seen throughout Genesis, God makes a habit of ignoring human customs, subverting tradition, and privileging the younger over the older. When it comes to the covenant, God typically chooses to pass its blessings and duties to the younger. The trend continues throughout Scripture as God selects David and then Solomon, both younger sons, as the two greatest kings over Israel. It is almost humorous the way Joseph tries to engineer the situation placing Manasseh, his firstborn, at his father’s right hand to receive the greater blessing. But Israel has none of it. He crosses his hands and extends the right hand to Ephraim, the second-born. Joseph is sure his ailing father has made a mistake. But Jacob knows exactly what he is doing.
48 Soon after this, Joseph was brought word that his father was gravely ill; so he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to see Jacob. 2 When Jacob was told that his son Joseph had come to see him, he gathered his strength and sat up in bed.
Jacob (to Joseph): 3 The All-Powerful God[a] appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan many years ago and spoke His blessing over me, 4 telling me, “I am going to make you fruitful and multiply your descendants so that you will give rise to nation after nation. I will give this land to them after you to have as their possession forever.” 5 So Joseph, your two sons who were born to you in Egypt before I came here are mine. I claim Ephraim and Manasseh as my own, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6 As for any children you father after them, you may regard them as your own. When it comes time for your other children to gain their inheritances, they will be given land within the regions granted to their brothers, Ephraim and Manasseh. 7 When I left Paddan, your mother Rachel died on our journey in the land of Canaan. We were not far from Ephrath, so I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (which is also known as Bethlehem).
8 Just then Israel noticed Joseph’s sons.
Jacob: And who are these?
Joseph: 9 These are my sons, Father, whom God has given to me here in Egypt.
Jacob: Please bring them here to me, so I can lay my hands on them and bless them.
10 Israel’s eyes were dim because of his old age, so he couldn’t see well. Joseph brought the boys near to him, and Israel kissed them and hugged them warmly.
Jacob (to Joseph): 11 I didn’t know if I would ever see your face again, but now God has given me more than I hoped: He has let me see your children too.
12 Then Joseph moved the boys aside—they had been at his father’s knees—and he bowed down low with his face to the ground. 13 Then Joseph took his sons and brought them near to his father. He took his younger son Ephraim in his right hand and put him to the left hand of Israel, and he took Manasseh in his left hand and put him to the right hand of Israel. 14 But Israel stretched out his hands and crossed his arms, laying his right hand on the head of Ephraim, the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, the firstborn. 15 And he spoke this blessing over Joseph.
Jacob: May the God before whom my ancestors Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all of my life and still to this day,
16 The messenger who has rescued me from all harm,
bless these boys.
And let my name be perpetuated through them,
as well as the name of my ancestors Abraham and Isaac,
And let them grow into a great multitude of people
throughout the world.
17 When Joseph saw that his father had laid his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he was troubled, and so he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s.
Joseph: 18 No, Father! Since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.
19 But Israel refused.
Jacob: I know, my son, I know. Manasseh will also become a people, and he will be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his children will give rise to many nations.
20 So it was that Israel blessed Joseph and his sons that day.
Jacob: When the people of Israel speak blessings, they’ll remember you: “May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.”
So this is how Israel ranked Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
Jacob (to Joseph): 21 Look, I am about to die; but I know that God will be with you, and He will bring you back to the land of your ancestors someday. 22 I am going to hand down to you more land than I give to your brothers. You will inherit a mountain ridge that I seized from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.
13 That same day, Jesus left the house and went to sit by the sea. 2 Large crowds gathered around Him, and He got into a boat on the sea and sat there. The crowd stood on the shore waiting for His teaching.
This next sermon series, the third of Jesus’ five Mosaic-like sermons, is filled with parables or stories with a deeper meaning about the kingdom of heaven.
3 And so Jesus began to teach. On this day, He spoke in parables. Here is His first parable:
Jesus: Once there was a sower who scattered seeds. 4 One day he walked in a field scattering seeds as he went. Some seeds fell beside a road, and a flock of birds came and ate all those seeds. 5 So the sower scattered seeds in a field, one with shallow soil and strewn with rocks. But the seeds grew quickly amid all the rocks, 6 without rooting themselves in the shallow soil. Their roots got tangled up in all the stones. The sun scorched these seeds, and they died. 7 And so the sower scattered seeds near a path, this one covered with thorny vines. The seeds fared no better there—the thorns choked them, and they died. 8 And so finally the sower scattered his seeds in a patch of good earth. At home in the good earth, the seeds grew and grew. Eventually the seeds bore fruit, and the fruit grew ripe and was harvested. The harvest was immense—30, 60, 100 times what was sown.
9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Disciples: 10 Why do You speak to the people in parables?
Jesus: 11 The knowledge of the secrets of heaven has been given to you, but it has not been given to them. 12 Those who have something will be given more—and they will have abundance. Those who have nothing will lose what they have—they will be destitute. 13 I teach in parables so the people may look but not see, listen but not hear or understand.[a] 14 They are fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy:
You will listen, but you will not understand;
you will look, but you will not see.
15 The people’s hearts have turned to flab;
their ears are clogged;
their eyes are shut.
They will try to see, but they will not see;
they will try to hear, but they will not hear;
they will try to understand, but they will not comprehend.
If they, with their blindness and deafness, so choose, then I will heal them.[b]
16-17 Many holy prophets and righteous men and women and people of prayer and doers of good have wanted to see but did not see, and have wanted to hear but did not hear. Your eyes and ears are blessed.
18 This is what the parable of the sower means. 19 It is about the kingdom of heaven. When someone hears the story of the Kingdom and cannot understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away whatever goodness and holiness had been sown in the heart. This is like the seeds sown beside the road. 20-21 You know people who hear the word of God and receive it joyfully—but then, somehow, the word fails to take root in their hearts. It is temporary. As soon as there is trouble for those people, they trip: those people are the seeds strewn on the rocky soil. 22 And you know people who hear the word, but it is choked inside them because they constantly worry and prefer the wealth and pleasures of the world: they prefer drunken dinner parties to prayer, power to piety, and riches to righteousness. Those people are like the seeds sown among thorns. 23 The people who hear the word and receive it and grow in it—those are like the seeds sown on good soil. They produce a bumper crop, 30 or 60 or 100 times what was sown.
Our Father in heaven plants many seeds in order to ensure that some seeds bear fruit. The final harvest, however, is worth any amount of hard work.
24 Jesus told them another parable.
Jesus: The kingdom of heaven is like this: Once there was a farmer who sowed good seeds in his field. 25 While the farmer’s workers were sleeping, his enemy crept into the field and sowed weeds among all the wheat seeds. Then he snuck away again. 26 Eventually the crops grew—wheat, but also weeds. 27 So the farmer’s workers said to him, “Sir, why didn’t you sow good seeds in your field? Where did these weeds come from?”
28 “My enemy must have done this,” replied the farmer.
“Should we go pull up all the weeds?” asked his workers.
29 “No,” said the farmer. “It’s too risky. As you pull up the weeds, you would probably pull up some wheat as well. 30 We’ll let them both grow until harvesttime. I will tell the harvesters to collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, and only then to harvest the wheat and bring it to my barn.”
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.