Genesis 50:1-14

New American Standard Bible 1995

The Death of Israel

50 Then Joseph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him and kissed him. ² Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians ^(A)embalmed Israel. ³ Now forty days were ^[a]required for ^[b]it, for ^[c]such is the period required for embalming. And the Egyptians ^(B)wept for him seventy days.

⁴ When the days of ^[d]mourning for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your sight, please speak ^[e]to Pharaoh, saying, ⁵ ‘^(C)My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am about to die; in my grave ^(D)which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’” ⁶ Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”

⁷ So Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household and all the elders of the land of Egypt, ⁸ and all the household of Joseph and his brothers and his father’s household; they left only their little ones and their flocks and their herds in the land of Goshen. ⁹ There also went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and it was a very great company. ¹⁰ When they came to the ^[f]threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they ^(E)lamented there with a very great and ^[g]sorrowful lamentation; and he ^[h]observed seven days mourning for his father. ¹¹ Now when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at ^[i]the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a ^[j]grievous ^[k]mourning for the Egyptians.” Therefore it was named ^[l]Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.

Burial at Machpelah

¹² Thus his sons did for him as he had charged them; ¹³ for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in ^(F)the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field for a ^[m]burial site from Ephron the Hittite. ¹⁴ After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.