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43 And the famine was grievous in the land.

And it came to pass, when they had finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, Go again, buy us a little food.

And Judah spoke to him, saying, The man did positively testify to us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, unless your brother be with you.

If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food;

but if thou do not send [him], we will not go down, for the man said to us, Ye shall not see my face, unless your brother be with you.

And Israel said, Why did ye deal [so] ill with me [as] to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?

And they said, The man asked very closely after us, and after our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye a brother? And we told him according to the tenor of these words. Could we at all know that he would say, Bring your brother down?

And Judah said to Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live, and not die, both we and thou and our little ones.

I will be surety for him: of my hand shalt thou require him; if I bring him not to thee, and set him before thy face, then shall I be guilty toward thee for ever.

10 For had we not lingered, we should now certainly have returned already twice.

11 And their father Israel said to them, If it is then so, do this: take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a gift: a little balsam and a little honey, tragacanth and ladanum, pistacia-nuts and almonds.

12 And take other money in your hand, and the money that was returned to you in the mouth of your sacks, carry back in your hand: perhaps it is an oversight.

13 And take your brother, and arise, go again to the man.

14 And the Almighty God give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother and Benjamin! And I, if I be bereaved of children, am bereaved.

15 And the men took that gift, and took double money in their hand, and Benjamin, and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and came before Joseph.

16 And Joseph saw Benjamin with them, and said to the [man] who was over his house, Bring the men into the house, and slaughter cattle, and make ready; for the men shall eat with me at noon.

17 And the man did as Joseph had said; and the man brought the men into Joseph's house.

18 And the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph's house, and said, Because of the money that was returned to us in our sacks at the beginning are we brought in, that he may turn against us, and fall upon us and take us for bondmen, and our asses.

19 And they came up to the man that was over Joseph's house, and they spoke to him at the door of the house,

20 and said, Ah! my lord, we came indeed down at the first to buy food.

21 And it came to pass when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and behold, [every] man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money according to its weight; and we have brought it again in our hand.

22 And other money have we brought down in our hand to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.

23 And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; your money came to me. And he brought Simeon out to them.

24 And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses food.

25 And they made ready the gift for Joseph's coming at noon; for they had heard that they should eat bread there.

26 When Joseph came home, they brought him the gift that was in their hand, into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.

27 And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well—the old man of whom ye spoke? Is he yet alive?

28 And they said, Thy servant our father is well; he is yet alive. And they bowed, and made obeisance.

29 And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your younger brother of whom ye spoke to me? And he said, God be gracious to thee, my son!

30 And Joseph made haste, for his bowels burned for his brother; and he sought [a place] to weep, and he went into the chamber, and wept there.

31 And he washed his face, and came out, and controlled himself, and said, Set on bread.

32 And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth; and the men marvelled one at another.

34 And he had portions carried to them from before him. And Benjamin's portion was five times greater than the portions of them all. And they drank, and made merry with him.

44 And he commanded him who was over his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry; and put every man's money in the mouth of his sack.

And put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain-money. And he did according to the word of Joseph which he had spoken.

In the morning, when it was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

They were gone out of the city, [and] not [yet] far off, when Joseph said to him who was over his house, Up! follow after the men; and when thou overtakest them, thou shalt say to them, Why have ye rewarded evil for good?

Is not this [it] in which my lord drinks, and in which indeed he divines? Ye have done evil [in] what ye have done.

And he overtook them, and he spoke to them these words.

And they said to him, Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from thy servants to do such a thing!

Behold, the money that we found in our sacks' mouths we have brought again to thee from the land of Canaan; and how should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?

With whomsoever of thy servants it is found, let him die; and we also will be my lord's bondmen.

10 And he said, Now also [let] it [be] according to your words: let him with whom it is found be my bondman, but ye shall be blameless.

11 And they hasted and laid down every man his sack on the ground, and opened every man his sack.

12 And he searched carefully: he began at the eldest, and ended at the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

13 Then they rent their clothes, and loaded every man his ass, and they returned to the city.

14 And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; and he was still there; and they fell down before him to the ground.

15 And Joseph said to them, What deed is this which ye have done? Did ye not know that such a man as I can certainly divine?

16 And Judah said, What shall we say to my lord? what shall we speak, and how justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of thy servants; behold, we are my lord's bondmen, both we, and he in whose hand the cup has been found.

17 And he said, Far be it from me to do so! The man in whose hand the cup has been found, he shall be my bondman; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.

18 Then Judah came near to him, and said, Ah! my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant; for thou art even as Pharaoh.

19 My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?

20 And we said to my lord, We have an aged father, and a child born to him in his old age, [yet] young; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother; and his father loves him.

21 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down to me, that I may set mine eye on him.

22 And we said to my lord, The youth cannot leave his father: if he should leave his father, [his father] would die.

23 And thou saidst to thy servants, Unless your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.

24 And it came to pass when we came up to thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

25 And our father said, Go again, buy us a little food.

26 But we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down; for we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.

27 And thy servant my father said to us, Ye know that my wife bore me two [sons];

28 and the one went out from me, and I said, He must certainly have been torn in pieces; and I have not seen him [again] hitherto.

29 And if ye take this one also from me, and mischief should befall him, ye will bring down my grey hairs with misery to Sheol.

30 And now, when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad is not with us,—seeing that his life is bound up with his life,

31 it will come to pass when he sees that the lad is not [there], that he will die; and thy servants will bring down the grey hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.

32 For thy servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, If I bring him not to thee, then I shall be guilty toward my father all my days.

33 And now, let thy servant stay, I pray thee, instead of the lad a bondman to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brethren;

34 for how should I go up to my father if the lad were not with me?—lest I see the evil that would come on my father.

45 And Joseph could not control himself before all them that stood by him, and he cried, Put every man out from me! And no man stood with him when Joseph made himself known to his brethren.

And he raised his voice in weeping; and the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard.

And Joseph said to his brethren, I am Joseph. Does my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him, for they were troubled at his presence.

And Joseph said to his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.

And now, be not grieved, and be not angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither, for God sent me before you to preserve life.

For the famine has been these two years in the land; and yet there are five years in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvest.

So God sent me before you to preserve you a remnant in the earth, and to save you alive by a great deliverance.

And now it was not you [that] sent me here, but God; and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and governor over all the land of Egypt.

Haste and go up to my father, and say to him, Thus says thy son Joseph: God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, tarry not.

10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near to me, thou, and thy sons, and thy sons' sons, and thy sheep, and thy cattle, and all that thou hast.

11 And there will I maintain thee; for yet there are five years of famine; in order that thou be not impoverished, thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast.

12 And behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth which speaks to you.

13 And tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen, and haste and bring down my father hither.

14 And he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept on his neck.

15 And he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them; and after that his brethren talked with him.

16 And the report was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come. And it was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his bondmen.

17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Say to thy brethren, Do this: load your beasts and depart, go into the land of Canaan,

18 and take your father and your households, and come to me; and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.

19 And thou art commanded—this do: take waggons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and take up your father, and come.

20 And let not your eye regret your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt shall be yours.

21 And the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them waggons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.

22 To each one of them all he gave changes of clothing; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred [pieces] of silver and five changes of clothing.

23 And to his father he sent this: ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden with corn and bread, and food for his father by the way.

24 And he sent his brethren away, and they departed. And he said to them, Do not quarrel on the way.

25 And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan to Jacob their father.

26 And they told him, saying, Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And his heart fainted, for he did not believe them.

27 And they spoke to him all the words of Joseph, which he had spoken to them. And he saw the waggons that Joseph had sent to carry him. And the spirit of Jacob their father revived.

28 And Israel said, It is enough: Joseph my son is yet alive; I will go and see him before I die.

46 And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba; and he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

And God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night and said, Jacob, Jacob! And he said, Here am I.

And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down to Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation.

I will go down with thee to Egypt, and I will also certainly bring thee up; and Joseph shall put his hand on thine eyes.

And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba; and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, on the waggons that Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

And they took their cattle, and their goods which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and came to Egypt, Jacob and all his seed with him;

his sons and his sons' sons with him, his daughters and his sons' daughters and all his seed he brought with him to Egypt.

And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt: Jacob and his sons. Jacob's firstborn, Reuben.

And the sons of Reuben: Enoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.

10 —And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Saul the son of a Canaanitish woman.

11 —And the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

12 —And the sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pherez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pherez were Hezron and Hamul.

13 —And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Puah, and Job, and Shimron.

14 —And the sons of Zebulun: Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.

15 —These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan-Aram; and his daughter, Dinah. All the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty-three.

16 And the sons of Gad: Ziphion and Haggi, Shuni and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.

17 —And the sons of Asher: Jimnah, and Jishvah, and Jishvi, and Beriah; and Serah their sister; and the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel.

18 —These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and she bore these to Jacob: sixteen souls.

19 The sons of Rachel Jacob's wife: Joseph and Benjamin.

20 And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asnath bore to him, the daughter of Potipherah the priest in On.

21 —And the sons of Benjamin: Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera and Naaman, Ehi and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard.

22 —These are the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.

23 And the sons of Dan: Hushim.

24 —And the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.

25 —These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter; and she bore these to Jacob: all the souls were seven.

26 All the souls that came with Jacob to Egypt, that had come out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives: all the souls were sixty-six.

27 And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt, were two souls. All the souls of the house of Jacob that came to Egypt were seventy.

28 And he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to give notice before he came to Goshen. And they came into the land of Goshen.

29 Then Joseph yoked his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and he presented himself to him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.

30 And Israel said to Joseph, Now let me die, after I have seen thy face, since thou still livest.

31 And Joseph said to his brethren and to his father's house, I will go up, and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, My brethren and my father's house, who were in the land of Canaan, are come to me;

32 and the men are shepherds, for they have been occupied with cattle; and they have brought their sheep, and their cattle, and all that they have.

33 And it shall come to pass that when Pharaoh shall call you and say, What is your occupation?

34 then ye shall say, Thy servants are men that have been occupied with cattle from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers; in order that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.

The Second Journey to Egypt

43 Now the famine was still severe in the land.(A) So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt,(B) their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”(C)

But Judah(D) said to him, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’(E) If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you.(F) But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.(G)’”

Israel(H) asked, “Why did you bring this trouble(I) on me by telling the man you had another brother?”

They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. ‘Is your father still living?’(J) he asked us. ‘Do you have another brother?’(K) We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”(L)

Then Judah(M) said to Israel(N) his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die.(O) I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him.(P) If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame(Q) before you all my life.(R) 10 As it is, if we had not delayed,(S) we could have gone and returned twice.”

11 Then their father Israel(T) said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products(U) of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift(V)—a little balm(W) and a little honey, some spices(X) and myrrh,(Y) some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double the amount(Z) of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks.(AA) Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at once.(AB) 14 And may God Almighty[a](AC) grant you mercy(AD) before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you.(AE) As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”(AF)

15 So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver,(AG) and Benjamin also. They hurried(AH) down to Egypt and presented themselves(AI) to Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin(AJ) with them, he said to the steward of his house,(AK) “Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare a meal;(AL) they are to eat with me at noon.”

17 The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph’s house.(AM) 18 Now the men were frightened(AN) when they were taken to his house.(AO) They thought, “We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks(AP) the first time. He wants to attack us(AQ) and overpower us and seize us as slaves(AR) and take our donkeys.(AS)

19 So they went up to Joseph’s steward(AT) and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. 20 “We beg your pardon, our lord,” they said, “we came down here the first time to buy food.(AU) 21 But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver—the exact weight—in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us.(AV) 22 We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don’t know who put our silver in our sacks.”

23 “It’s all right,” he said. “Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father,(AW) has given you treasure in your sacks;(AX) I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.(AY)

24 The steward took the men into Joseph’s house,(AZ) gave them water to wash their feet(BA) and provided fodder for their donkeys. 25 They prepared their gifts(BB) for Joseph’s arrival at noon,(BC) because they had heard that they were to eat there.

26 When Joseph came home,(BD) they presented to him the gifts(BE) they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground.(BF) 27 He asked them how they were, and then he said, “How is your aged father(BG) you told me about? Is he still living?”(BH)

28 They replied, “Your servant our father(BI) is still alive and well.” And they bowed down,(BJ) prostrating themselves before him.(BK)

29 As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son,(BL) he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?”(BM) And he said, “God be gracious to you,(BN) my son.” 30 Deeply moved(BO) at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept(BP) there.

31 After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself,(BQ) said, “Serve the food.”(BR)

32 They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews,(BS) for that is detestable to Egyptians.(BT) 33 The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn(BU) to the youngest;(BV) and they looked at each other in astonishment. 34 When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s.(BW) So they feasted(BX) and drank freely with him.

A Silver Cup in a Sack

44 Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house:(BY) “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack.(BZ) Then put my cup,(CA) the silver one,(CB) in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said.

As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.(CC) They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward,(CD) “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?(CE) Isn’t this the cup(CF) my master drinks from and also uses for divination?(CG) This is a wicked thing you have done.’”

When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. But they said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants(CH) to do anything like that!(CI) We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan(CJ) the silver(CK) we found inside the mouths of our sacks.(CL) So why would we steal(CM) silver or gold from your master’s house? If any of your servants(CN) is found to have it, he will die;(CO) and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.(CP)

10 “Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it(CQ) will become my slave;(CR) the rest of you will be free from blame.”(CS)

11 Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. 12 Then the steward(CT) proceeded to search,(CU) beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest.(CV) And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.(CW) 13 At this, they tore their clothes.(CX) Then they all loaded their donkeys(CY) and returned to the city.

14 Joseph was still in the house(CZ) when Judah(DA) and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him.(DB) 15 Joseph said to them, “What is this you have done?(DC) Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?(DD)

16 “What can we say to my lord?(DE)” Judah(DF) replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence?(DG) God has uncovered your servants’(DH) guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves(DI)—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.(DJ)

17 But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing!(DK) Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave.(DL) The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.”(DM)

18 Then Judah(DN) went up to him and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord,(DO) let me speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry(DP) with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants,(DQ) ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’(DR) 20 And we answered, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age.(DS) His brother is dead,(DT) and he is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’(DU)

21 “Then you said to your servants,(DV) ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’(DW) 22 And we said to my lord,(DX) ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.’(DY) 23 But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’(DZ) 24 When we went back to your servant my father,(EA) we told him what my lord(EB) had said.(EC)

25 “Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’(ED) 26 But we said, ‘We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’(EE)

27 “Your servant my father(EF) said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.(EG) 28 One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.”(EH) And I have not seen him since.(EI) 29 If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave(EJ) in misery.’(EK)

30 “So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father,(EL) and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life,(EM) 31 sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die.(EN) Your servants(EO) will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave(EP) in sorrow. 32 Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’(EQ)

33 “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave(ER) in place of the boy,(ES) and let the boy return with his brothers. 34 How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery(ET) that would come on my father.”(EU)

Joseph Makes Himself Known

45 Then Joseph could no longer control himself(EV) before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!”(EW) So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. And he wept(EX) so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.(EY)

Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?”(EZ) But his brothers were not able to answer him,(FA) because they were terrified at his presence.(FB)

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.”(FC) When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!(FD) And now, do not be distressed(FE) and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here,(FF) because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.(FG) For two years now there has been famine(FH) in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant(FI) on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.[b](FJ)

“So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.(FK) He made me father(FL) to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.(FM) Now hurry(FN) back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay.(FO) 10 You shall live in the region of Goshen(FP) and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have.(FQ) 11 I will provide for you there,(FR) because five years of famine(FS) are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’(FT)

12 “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin,(FU) that it is really I who am speaking to you.(FV) 13 Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt(FW) and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.(FX)

14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin(FY) embraced him,(FZ) weeping. 15 And he kissed(GA) all his brothers and wept over them.(GB) Afterward his brothers talked with him.(GC)

16 When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come,(GD) Pharaoh and all his officials(GE) were pleased.(GF) 17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals(GG) and return to the land of Canaan,(GH) 18 and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt(GI) and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’(GJ)

19 “You are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts(GK) from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. 20 Never mind about your belongings,(GL) because the best of all Egypt(GM) will be yours.’”

21 So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts,(GN) as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey.(GO) 22 To each of them he gave new clothing,(GP) but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels[c] of silver and five sets of clothes.(GQ) 23 And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys(GR) loaded with the best things(GS) of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey.(GT) 24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”(GU)

25 So they went up out of Egypt(GV) and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.(GW) 26 They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.”(GX) Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them.(GY) 27 But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts(GZ) Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, “I’m convinced!(HA) My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”(HB)

Jacob Goes to Egypt

46 So Israel(HC) set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba,(HD) he offered sacrifices(HE) to the God of his father Isaac.(HF)

And God spoke to Israel(HG) in a vision at night(HH) and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”

“Here I am,”(HI) he replied.

“I am God, the God of your father,”(HJ) he said. “Do not be afraid(HK) to go down to Egypt,(HL) for I will make you into a great nation(HM) there.(HN) I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again.(HO) And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.(HP)

Then Jacob left Beersheba,(HQ) and Israel’s(HR) sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts(HS) that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt,(HT) taking with them their livestock and the possessions(HU) they had acquired(HV) in Canaan. Jacob brought with him to Egypt(HW) his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.(HX)

These are the names of the sons of Israel(HY) (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt:

Reuben the firstborn(HZ) of Jacob.

The sons of Reuben:(IA)

Hanok, Pallu,(IB) Hezron and Karmi.(IC)

10 The sons of Simeon:(ID)

Jemuel,(IE) Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar(IF) and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.

11 The sons of Levi:(IG)

Gershon,(IH) Kohath(II) and Merari.(IJ)

12 The sons of Judah:(IK)

Er,(IL) Onan,(IM) Shelah, Perez(IN) and Zerah(IO) (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan).(IP)

The sons of Perez:(IQ)

Hezron and Hamul.(IR)

13 The sons of Issachar:(IS)

Tola, Puah,[d](IT) Jashub[e](IU) and Shimron.

14 The sons of Zebulun:(IV)

Sered, Elon and Jahleel.

15 These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram,[f](IW) besides his daughter Dinah.(IX) These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all.

16 The sons of Gad:(IY)

Zephon,[g](IZ) Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.

17 The sons of Asher:(JA)

Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah.

Their sister was Serah.

The sons of Beriah:

Heber and Malkiel.

18 These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah,(JB) whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah(JC)—sixteen in all.

19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:(JD)

Joseph and Benjamin.(JE) 20 In Egypt, Manasseh(JF) and Ephraim(JG) were born to Joseph(JH) by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.[h](JI)

21 The sons of Benjamin:(JJ)

Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.(JK)

22 These were the sons of Rachel(JL) who were born to Jacob—fourteen in all.

23 The son of Dan:(JM)

Hushim.(JN)

24 The sons of Naphtali:(JO)

Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.

25 These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah,(JP) whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel(JQ)—seven in all.

26 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons.(JR) 27 With the two sons[i] who had been born to Joseph in Egypt,(JS) the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy[j] in all.(JT)

28 Now Jacob sent Judah(JU) ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen.(JV) When they arrived in the region of Goshen, 29 Joseph had his chariot(JW) made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel.(JX) As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father[k] and wept(JY) for a long time.(JZ)

30 Israel(KA) said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.”(KB)

31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were living in the land of Canaan,(KC) have come to me.(KD) 32 The men are shepherds;(KE) they tend livestock,(KF) and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.’(KG) 33 When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’(KH) 34 you should answer, ‘Your servants(KI) have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.’(KJ) Then you will be allowed to settle(KK) in the region of Goshen,(KL) for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.(KM)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 43:14 Hebrew El-Shaddai
  2. Genesis 45:7 Or save you as a great band of survivors
  3. Genesis 45:22 That is, about 7 1/2 pounds or about 3.5 kilograms
  4. Genesis 46:13 Samaritan Pentateuch and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Puvah
  5. Genesis 46:13 Samaritan Pentateuch and some Septuagint manuscripts (see also Num. 26:24 and 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Iob
  6. Genesis 46:15 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
  7. Genesis 46:16 Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also Num. 26:15); Masoretic Text Ziphion
  8. Genesis 46:20 That is, Heliopolis
  9. Genesis 46:27 Hebrew; Septuagint the nine children
  10. Genesis 46:27 Hebrew (see also Exodus 1:5 and note); Septuagint (see also Acts 7:14) seventy-five
  11. Genesis 46:29 Hebrew around him