Old/New Testament

Jacob Goes to Egypt

46 So Israel set out, along with everything that belonged to him. When he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. ² In visions of the night God said to Israel, “Jacob, Jacob.”

“Hineni,” he said.

³ “I am God, the God of your father,” He said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will turn you into a great nation there. ⁴ I Myself will go down with you to Egypt and I Myself will also most certainly bring you up. Joseph will put his hands on your eyes.”

⁵ Then Jacob arose from Beersheba and Israel’s sons carried Jacob their father, their little children, and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to carry him. ⁶ They also took their livestock and their possessions 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 grandsons with him, his daughters and his granddaughters, and all his offspring, he brought with him to Egypt. ⁸ Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Jacob’s firstborn, Reuben, ⁹ and Reuben’s sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. ¹⁰ Simeon’s sons: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zochar and Shaul the son of the Canaanite woman. ¹¹ Levi’s sons: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. ¹² Judah’s sons: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah. Er died along with Onan in the land of Canaan. Perez’s sons were Hezron and Hamul. ¹³ Issachar’s sons: Tola, Puvah, Iob and Shimron. ¹⁴ Zebulun’s sons: Sered, Elon and Jahleel. ¹⁵ These are Leah’s sons whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, along with his daughter Dinah. The tally of all of his sons and daughters was 33 people.

¹⁶ Gad’s sons: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli. ¹⁷ Asher’s sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and Serah their sister. Beriah’s sons: Heber and Malchiel. ¹⁸ These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter. She bore these to Jacob: 16 people.

¹⁹ The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. ²⁰ Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt—Asenath the daughter of Potiphera priest of On bore them to him. ²¹ Benjamin’s sons: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard. ²² These are Rachel’s sons who were born to Jacob. The tally of all the people was 14.

²³ The sons of Dan: Hushim ²⁴ Naphtali’s sons: Yachzeel, Guni, Yezer and Shillem. ²⁵ These are the sons of Bilhah whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter and she bore these to Jacob. The tally of all the people was seven. ²⁶ All the people belonging to Jacob who came to Egypt—those coming from his loins (not counting the wives of Jacob’s sons)—the tally of all the people was 66. ²⁷ The sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt was a tally of two people. The tally of all the people belonging to Jacob’s house who came to Egypt was 70.

²⁸ Now he sent Judah before him to Joseph to show him the way to Goshen. When they came to the land of Goshen, ²⁹ Joseph harnessed his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as he appeared before him, he fell upon his neck, and wept on his neck for some time.

³⁰ Then Israel said to Joseph, “At this time I am ready to die, after seeing your face in person—for you’re still alive!”

³¹ Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I’ll go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household who were in the land of Canaan have come to me. ³² The men are shepherds, for they’ve been men who handle livestock, who have brought their flocks and cattle and everything that they possess.’ ³³ So when Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ ³⁴ you must say, ‘Your servants have been men who handle livestock since the time of our youth until now, both we and our fathers,’ so that you can live in the land of Goshen, because every shepherd is loathsome to the Egyptians.”

Jacob Blesses Pharaoh

47 Then Joseph came and informed Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers and their flocks and their cattle and everything that belongs to them have come from the land of Canaan, and behold, they are in the land of Goshen.”

² From among his brothers he took five men and presented them before Pharaoh. ³ Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?”

So they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers.” ⁴ Then they said to Pharaoh, “We came to dwell temporarily in the land, since there is no pasture for the flocks that belong to your servants, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. So now, please let your servants live in the land of Goshen.”

⁵ Pharaoh said to Joseph saying, “Your father and your brothers came 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. If you know of any capable men among them, make them overseers of the livestock—over those that are mine.”

⁷ Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. ⁸ Pharaoh asked Jacob, “How many days are the years of your life?”

⁹ Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourn are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life. Moreover, the days of the years of my life have not attained the days of the years of the lives of my fathers, in the days of their sojourn.”

¹⁰ And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from Pharaoh’s presence. ¹¹ Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them property in the land of Egypt, in the best part of the land, in the land of Rameses, just as Pharaoh commanded. ¹² And Joseph supported his father and his brothers and his father’s entire household with food for the mouths of the little ones.

Joseph’s Leadership in the Famine

¹³ Now there was no food in all the land because the famine was very severe. Both the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. ¹⁴ Joseph collected all the money that could be found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan for the grain that they bought, and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. ¹⁵ Then the money of the land of Egypt and of the land of Canaan ran out and all of Egypt came to Joseph saying, “Give us food. Why should we die in front of you because the money is gone?”

¹⁶ Joseph said, “Give your livestock and I’ll give it to you for your livestock, if the money is gone.” ¹⁷ So they brought their livestock to Joseph and Joseph gave them food in exchange for horses, for flocks of sheep, for herds of cattle and for donkeys. He provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year. ¹⁸ When that year came to an end, they came to him in the second year and said to him, “We won’t hide from my lord that the money has run out and the livestock and the domestic animals are my lord’s. There is nothing left in my lord’s sight except our bodies and our land. ¹⁹ Why should we die before your eyes—both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food—we and our land will become Pharaoh’s slaves. Provide seed so that we may live and not die, and the land won’t be deserted.”

²⁰ So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh because the Egyptians, each one, sold his field, for the famine overcame them. Thus the land became Pharaoh’s. ²¹ He made the people slaves from one end of Egypt’s border to the other. ²² Only he did not buy the land belonging to the priests, because the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh, and they ate their allotment that Pharaoh gave them. Therefore they did not sell their land.

²³ Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you, so that you can sow the land. ²⁴ During the harvest you must give a fifth part to Pharaoh and four-fifths will be for you, for seed for the field and for your food, and for those in your houses, and for food for your little ones.”

²⁵ “You’ve saved our lives,” they said. “We find favor in the eyes of my lord, and we’ll be Pharaoh’s slaves.” ²⁶ So Joseph set it as a statute until this very day concerning the land of Egypt: a fifth-part goes to Pharaoh. Only the priests’ land did not become Pharaoh’s.

²⁷ Meanwhile, Israel settled in the land of Egypt in the land of Goshen, acquired property in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly.

Parashat Vayechi

Joseph’s Promise to Jacob

²⁸ Now Jacob lived in the land of Egypt for 17 years, so the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were 147 years. ²⁹ As the time of Israel’s death drew near, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please put your hand under my thigh and show me faithful kindness. Please do not bury me in Egypt. ³⁰ When I lie down with my fathers, you must carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.”

So he said, “I myself will do according to your word.”

³¹ “Swear to me,” he said. So he swore to him. Then Israel bowed down in worship on the head of his staff.^[a]

Blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh

48 After these things, someone told Joseph, “Behold, your father is sick.” So he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, with him. ² When someone told Jacob, saying, “Behold, your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel summoned his strength and sat up in the bed.

³ Then Jacob said to Joseph, “El Shaddai appeared to me in Luz, in the land of Canaan, and blessed me.” ⁴ He said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and multiply you and turn you into an assembly of peoples, and I will give this land to your seed after you as an everlasting possession.’ ⁵ So now, your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, they are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just like Reuben and Simeon. ⁶ Any descendent of yours whom you father after them will be yours; they will be identified by the names of their brothers for their inheritance. ⁷ “Now as for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way, in the land of Canaan, while we were still a distance from entering Ephrath. And I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”

⁸ Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons and said, “Who are these?”

⁹ Joseph said to his father, “They’re my sons, whom God has given me here.”

Then he said, “Please bring them to me, so I may bless them.”

¹⁰ Now Israel’s eyes had grown heavy with old age—he could not see. So he brought them near to him, and he kissed them and hugged them. ¹¹ Then Israel said to Joseph, “To see your face, I didn’t expect—and look, God has let me see your offspring as well!”

¹² Then Joseph took them from his knees and bowed with his face down to the ground. ¹³ Then Joseph took the two of them—Ephraim with his right hand across from Israel’s left, and Manasseh with his left hand across from Israel’s right—and brought them close to him. ¹⁴ But Israel stretched out his right hand and placed it upon Ephraim’s head (though he was the younger), and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, crossing his hands (though Manasseh was the firstborn). ¹⁵ Then he blessed Joseph and said,

¹⁷ When Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand upon Ephraim’s head, it was wrong in his eyes. So his took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸ Joseph said to his father, “Not like that, my father, because this one’s the firstborn. Put your right hand upon his head.”

¹⁹ But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also will become a people, and he also will become great. But his younger brother will become greater than he and his seed will be the fullness of the nations.” ²⁰ Then he blessed them that day saying,

Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

²¹ Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look, I am about to die. But God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers. ²² Now I myself give you one portion more than your brothers, that which I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”

Simple Stories, Profound Truths

13 On that day after Yeshua left the house, He was sitting by the sea. ² And large crowds gathered around Him; so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood on the shore. ³ And He told them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, a sower went out to spread some seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some seeds fell by the road; and the birds came and ate them up. ⁵ Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they didn’t have much soil. They sprang up immediately, because the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶ But when the sun came up, they were scorched; and because they had no roots, they withered away. ⁷ Other seeds fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew and choked them out. ⁸ But others fell on good soil and were producing fruit. They yielded a crop—some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ⁹ He who has ears,^[a] let him hear.”

¹⁰ Then the disciples came to Him and said, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

¹¹ And He replied to them, “To you has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹² For whoever has, to him more will be given and he will have plenty. 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,

¹⁴ “And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,

¹⁶ “But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. ¹⁷ Amen, I tell you, many a prophet and tzaddik longed to see what you are seeing and did not see, and to hear what you are hearing and did not hear.”

Parable of the Sower Explained

¹⁸ “You then, hear the parable of the sower. ¹⁹ When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one having been sown along the road.

²⁰ “The one sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. ²¹ Yet he has no root himself but lasts only a short while; and when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away.

²² “But the one sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word; and the worries of the world and the seduction of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

²³ “Now the one sown on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands. He indeed bears fruit, yielding a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty times what was sown.”

Yeshua Tells More Parables

²⁴ He presented to them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while the men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. ²⁶ Now when the stalk sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also appeared. ²⁷ So the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Master, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’ ²⁸ But he replied, ‘An enemy did this.’ Now the slaves say to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go out and gather them up?’ ²⁹ But he says, ‘No, for while you are gathering up the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time, I will tell the reapers, “First, gather up the weeds and tie them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.’”