Bible in 90 Days
12 Then Joseph said to him, “This is the (A)interpretation of it: the three branches are three days; 13 within three more days Pharaoh will [a]lift up your head and restore you to your [b]office; and you will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand according to your former custom when you were his cupbearer. 14 Only remember me when it goes well with you, and please (B)show me lovingkindness by remembering me to Pharaoh and getting me out of this house. 15 For (C)I was in fact stolen from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the pit.”
16 And the chief baker saw that he had interpreted favorably, so he said to Joseph, “I also saw in my dream, and behold, there were three baskets of white bread on my head; 17 and in the top basket there were some of all [c]sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.” 18 Then Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days; 19 within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head off of you and will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh off of you.”
20 Thus it happened on the third day, which was (D)Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; (E)and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21 And he restored the chief cupbearer to his [d]office, and (F)he put the cup into Pharaoh’s [e]hand; 22 but (G)he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but (H)forgot him.
Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dream
41 Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile. 2 And behold, from the Nile there came up seven cows, sleek and [f]fat; and they grazed in the (I)reeds. 3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, [g]ugly and [h]thin, and they stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. 4 And the ugly and [i]thin cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke. 5 He again fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good. 6 And behold, seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. 7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. 8 Now it happened that in the morning (J)his spirit was troubled, so he sent and called for all the [j](K)magicians of Egypt and all its (L)wise men. And Pharaoh recounted to them his dream, but (M)there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
9 Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I would bring to remembrance today (N)my own [k]offenses. 10 Pharaoh was (O)furious with his servants, and (P)he put me in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, both me and the chief baker. 11 (Q)And we had a dream [l]on the same night, [m]he and I; each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. 12 Now there was with us a Hebrew youth, a (R)slave of the captain of the bodyguard, and we recounted them to him, and (S)he interpreted our dreams for us. To each one he interpreted according to his own dream. 13 And just (T)as he interpreted for us, so it happened; he restored me in my [n]office, but he hanged him.”
14 Then Pharaoh sent and (U)called for Joseph, and they (V)rushed him out of the pit; and he shaved himself and changed his clothes, and he came to Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, (W)but no one can interpret it; yet (X)I have heard [o]it said about you, that [p]you hear a dream and that you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “[q](Y)It is not in me; (Z)God will [r]answer concerning the welfare of Pharaoh.” 17 So Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile; 18 and behold, seven cows, [s]fat and sleek came up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds. 19 And behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and lean, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt, in regard to [t]ugliness; 20 and the lean and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows. 21 But they [u]devoured them, and yet it could not be known that they had [v]devoured them. [w]For they were just as ugly as [x]before. Then I awoke. 22 Then I saw also in my dream, and behold, seven ears, full and good, came up on a single stalk; 23 and behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them; 24 and the thin ears swallowed the seven good ears. So (AA)I told it to the [y]magicians, but there was no one who could declare it to me.”
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s [z]dreams are one and the same; (AB)God has declared to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years; the [aa]dreams are one and the same. 27 And the seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven lean ears scorched by the east wind (AC)will be seven years of famine. 28 [ab]It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: (AD)God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29 Behold, (AE)seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt; 30 and after them (AF)seven years of famine will arise, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will [ac]ravage the land, 31 so that the abundance will be unknown in the land because of that subsequent famine; for it will be very heavy. 32 Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that (AG)the matter is confirmed by God, and God will quickly bring it about. 33 So now let Pharaoh look for a man (AH)understanding and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh take action and appoint overseers over the land, and let him exact a fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance. 35 Then let them (AI)gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and let them store up the grain for food in the cities under Pharaoh’s authority, and let them keep watch over it. 36 And let the food be appointed for the land for the seven years of famine which will happen in the land of Egypt, so that the land will not be cut off during the famine.”
Joseph Is Set over Egypt
37 And the [ad]proposal seemed good [ae]to Pharaoh and [af]to all his servants. 38 Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, (AJ)in whom is a divine spirit?” 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made you know all of this, there is no one so (AK)understanding and wise as you are. 40 (AL)You shall be over my house, and according to your [ag]command all my people shall [ah]do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you (AM)over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh (AN)removed his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand and clothed him in garments of fine linen and (AO)put the gold necklace around his neck. 43 And he had him ride in [ai]his second chariot; and they called out before him, “[aj]Bow the knee!” And he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Though I am Pharaoh, yet (AP)without [ak]your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 Then Pharaoh named Joseph [al]Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of [am](AQ)On, as a wife. And Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt.
46 Now Joseph was (AR)thirty years old when he [an]stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and passed through all the land of Egypt. 47 And during the seven years of plenty the land brought forth [ao]abundantly. 48 So he gathered all the food of these seven years which happened in the land of Egypt and placed the food in the cities; he placed in every city the food from its own surrounding fields. 49 Thus Joseph stored up grain [ap]in great abundance like the sand of the sea, until he stopped [aq]measuring it, for it was [ar]beyond measure.
The Sons of Joseph
50 Now before the year of famine came, (AS)two sons were born to Joseph, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of [as]On, bore to him. 51 And Joseph named the firstborn [at]Manasseh, “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” 52 And he named the second [au]Ephraim, “For,” he said, “(AT)God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
53 Then the seven years of plenty which had been in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54 and (AU)the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. So there was famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 Then all the land of Egypt was famished, and the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; (AV)whatever he says to you, you shall do.” 56 Now the famine was over all the face of the land. And Joseph opened all [av]the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 Now all the earth also came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph because (AW)the famine was severe in all the earth.
Joseph’s Brothers Sent to Egypt
42 Now (AX)Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?” 2 Then he said, “Behold, (AY)I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us from there, (AZ)so that we may live and not die.” 3 So ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother (BA)Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “(BB)Lest any harm befall him.” 5 So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, (BC)for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.
6 Now (BD)Joseph was the one in power over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and (BE)bowed down to him with their [aw]faces to the ground. 7 And Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and (BF)spoke to them harshly. And he said to them, “Where have you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.”
8 But Joseph recognized his brothers, although (BG)they did not recognize him. 9 And Joseph (BH)remembered the dreams which he [ax]had about them and said to them, “You are spies; you have come to look at the [ay]nakedness of the land.” 10 Then they said to him, “No, (BI)my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all sons of one man; we are (BJ)honest men; your servants are not spies.” 12 And he said to them, “No, but you have come to look at the [az]nakedness of our land!” 13 So they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers in all, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with (BK)our father today, and (BL)one is no more.” 14 And Joseph said to them, “It is as I said [ba]to you, you are spies; 15 by this you will be tested: (BM)by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here! 16 Send one of you that he may get your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is (BN)truth in you. But if not, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.” 17 Then he put them all together in (BO)prison for three days.
18 And Joseph said to them on the third day, “Do this and live, for (BP)I fear God: 19 if you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in [bb]your prison; but as for the rest of you, go, bring grain for the famine of your households, 20 and (BQ)bring your youngest brother to me, so your words may be proven true, and you will not die.” And they did so. 21 Then they said to one another, “(BR)Surely we are guilty concerning our brother because we saw the distress of his soul when he begged us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.” 22 And Reuben answered them, saying, “(BS)Did I not tell you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; yet you would not listen? (BT)So also his blood, behold, it is required of us.” 23 Now they did not know that Joseph was listening, for there was an interpreter between them. 24 And he turned away from them and (BU)wept. Then he returned to them and spoke to them. And he (BV)took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 25 (BW)Then Joseph gave a command to fill their bags with grain and to restore every man’s money in his sack and to give them provisions for the journey. And thus it was done for them.
26 So they loaded their donkeys with their grain and went from there. 27 Then one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place. And he saw his (BX)money; and behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. 28 So he said to his brothers, “My money has been returned, and behold, it is even in my sack.” And their hearts [bc]sank, and they turned [bd]trembling to one another, saying, “(BY)What is this that God has done to us?”
Jacob Is Bereaved
29 Then they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 “The man, the lord of the land, (BZ)spoke harshly with us and took us for spies of the country. 31 So we said to him, ‘We are (CA)honest men; we are not spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan.’ 33 Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘(CB)By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me and take grain for the famine of your households, and go. 34 But bring your youngest brother to me that I may know that you are not spies, but [be]honest men. I will give your brother to you, and you may (CC)trade in the land.’”
35 Now it happened that they were emptying their sacks, and behold, (CD)every man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and they and their father saw their bundles of money, and they feared. 36 And their father Jacob said to them, “You have (CE)bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin; all these things are against me.” 37 Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hand, and I will return him to you.” 38 But [bf]Jacob said, “My son shall not go down with you; for his (CF)brother is dead, and he alone remains. (CG)If harm should befall him on the journey on which you are going, then you will (CH)bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”
The Brothers Return to Egypt
43 (CI)Now the famine was heavy in the land. 2 And it happened when they had finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.” 3 Judah spoke to him, however, saying, “(CJ)The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. 5 But if you do not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’” 6 Then Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly [bg]by telling the man whether you still had another brother?” 7 But they said, “The man questioned particularly about us and our kin, saying, ‘(CK)Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ So we told him concerning these things. Could we possibly have known that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?” 8 Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, (CL)that we may live and not die, we as well as you and our little ones. 9 (CM)I myself will be the guarantee for him; from my hand you may require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then [bh]I shall bear the sin before you all my days. 10 For if we had not delayed, surely by now we could have returned twice.”
11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the best products of the land in your [bi]bags, and bring them down to the man (CN)as a present, a little [bj](CO)balm and a little honey, [bk]aromatic gum and [bl]myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Now take double the money in your hand, and take back in your hand (CP)the money that was put back in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was a mistake. 13 And take your brother also, and arise, return to the man; 14 and may [bm](CQ)God Almighty (CR)grant you compassion before the man, so that he will release to you (CS)your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, (CT)if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” 15 So the men took (CU)this present, and they took double the money in their hand, and Benjamin; and they arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.
Joseph Sees Benjamin
16 Then Joseph saw Benjamin with them and said to his (CV)house steward, “Bring the men into the house, and slay an animal and prepare it; for the men are to eat with me at noon.” 17 So the man did as Joseph said and [bn]brought the men to Joseph’s house. 18 And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time that we are being brought in, that he may [bo]seek occasion against us and fall upon us and take us for slaves with our donkeys.” 19 So they came near to Joseph’s house steward and spoke to him at the entrance of the house, 20 and they said, “Oh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food, 21 and it happened when we came to the lodging place, that we opened our sacks, and behold, (CW)each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in [bp]full. So (CX)we have brought it back in our hand. 22 We have also brought down other money in our hand to buy food; we do not know who put our money in our sacks.” 23 And he said, “[bq]Be well, do not be afraid. (CY)Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; your money has come to me.” Then (CZ)he brought Simeon out to them. 24 Then the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and (DA)gave them water, and they (DB)washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys fodder. 25 So they prepared (DC)the present [br]for Joseph’s coming at noon; for they had heard that they were to eat [bs]a meal there.
26 Then Joseph came home, and they brought into the house to him the present which was in their hand and (DD)bowed to the ground before him. 27 And he asked them about their [bt]well-being and said, “(DE)Is your old father [bu]well, of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” 28 And they said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” (DF)They bowed down and prostrated themselves. 29 Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son. And he said, “Is this (DG)your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “(DH)May God be gracious to you, my son.” 30 And Joseph hurried out for [bv](DI)he was deeply stirred with compassion over his brother, and he sought a place to weep; and he entered his chamber and (DJ)wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out; and he (DK)restrained himself and said, “Set the [bw]meal.” 32 So they set the meal for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is (DL)an abomination to the Egyptians. 33 And they [bx]were seated before him, (DM)the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth, and the men looked at one another in astonishment. 34 And he took portions to them from [by]his own table, (DN)but Benjamin’s portion was five times greater than any of theirs. So they feasted and drank freely with him.
The Brothers Fall Before Joseph
44 (DO)Then he commanded his house steward, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack. 2 Now put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his money for the grain.” And he did [bz]as Joseph had told him. 3 [ca]As the morning light broke, the men were sent away, they with their donkeys. 4 Now they had just gone out of (DP)the city and were not far off when Joseph said to his house steward, “Arise, pursue the men; you shall overtake them and say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? 5 Is not this the one from which my lord drinks and which he indeed uses to interpret (DQ)omens? You have done evil in doing this.’”
6 So he overtook them and spoke these words to them. 7 And they said to him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing. 8 Behold, (DR)the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks we have brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? 9 (DS)With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s (DT)slaves.” 10 So he said, “Now let it also be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, but the rest of you shall be innocent.” 11 Then they hurried, each man brought his sack down to the ground, and each man opened his sack. 12 So he searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and (DU)the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13 Then they (DV)tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to (DW)the city.
14 Then Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there. So (DX)they fell to the ground before him. 15 And Joseph said to them, “What is this deed that you have done? Do you not know that such a man as I can indeed interpret (DY)omens?” 16 So Judah said, “What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s (DZ)slaves, both we and the one in whose [cb]possession the cup has been found.” 17 But he said, “Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose [cc]possession the cup has been found, he shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.”
Judah Remains Instead of Benjamin
18 Then Judah came near to him and said, “O my lord, may your servant please speak a word in my lord’s ears, and [cd](EA)do not be angry with your servant; for (EB)you are equal to Pharaoh. 19 (EC)My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ 20 And we said to my lord, ‘We have an old father and (ED)a little child of his old age. Now (EE)his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.’ 21 Then you said to your servants, ‘(EF)Bring him down to me that I may set my eyes on him.’ 22 And we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he should leave his father, [ce]his father would die.’ 23 You said to your servants, however, ‘(EG)If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not see my face again.’ 24 Thus it happened that when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25 (EH)And our father said, ‘Go back, buy us a little food.’ 26 But we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we cannot see the man’s face if our youngest brother is not with us.’ 27 And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that (EI)my wife bore me two sons; 28 and the one went out from me, and (EJ)I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces,” and I have not seen him since. 29 If you take this one also from [cf]me and harm befalls him, you will (EK)bring my gray hair down to Sheol in [cg]evil.’ 30 So now, when I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us—[ch](EL)and his life is bound up in the boy’s life— 31 so it will be that when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Thus your servants will (EM)bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow. 32 For your servant (EN)became a guarantee for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, [ci]then I shall bear the sin before my father all my days.’ 33 So now, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a slave to my lord, and let the boy go up with his brothers. 34 For how shall I go up to my father if the boy is not with me, lest I see the evil that would [cj]overtake my father?”
Joseph Sends for Jacob
45 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he called out, “Have everyone go out from me.” So there [ck]was no man with him (EO)when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 (EP)Then he [cl]wept loudly. And the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. 3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “(EQ)I am Joseph! (ER)Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for (ES)they were terrified at his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” And they came near. And he said, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you (ET)sold into Egypt. 5 So now do not be grieved or angry [cm]with yourselves because (EU)you sold me here, for (EV)God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land (EW)these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 (EX)So God sent me before you to establish for you a remnant in the earth and to keep you alive for a great remnant of survivors. 8 So now, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has set me as a (EY)father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father, and (EZ)say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, “God has set me as lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. 10 And you shall [cn]live in the land of (FA)Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. 11 There I will also (FB)provide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, lest you and your household and all that you have be impoverished.”’ 12 And behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you. 13 So you must tell my father of all my glory in Egypt and all that you have seen; and you must hurry and (FC)bring my father down here.” 14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and (FD)wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. 15 He kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him.
16 Now (FE)the [co]news was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come.” And it was good in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your beasts and [cp]go to the land of Canaan, 18 and take your father and your households and come to me, and (FF)I will give you the [cq]best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.’ 19 Now you are commanded, ‘Do this: [cr]take (FG)wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father and come. 20 Now do not [cs]concern yourselves with your goods, for the [ct]best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”
21 Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them (FH)wagons according to the [cu]command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey. 22 To [cv]each of them he gave (FI)changes of garments, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and (FJ)five changes of garments. 23 Now to his father he sent [cw]as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the [cx]best things of Egypt and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and sustenance for his father [cy]on the journey.
24 So he sent his brothers away, and they departed. And he said to them, “Do not be stirred up on the journey.” 25 Then they went up from Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. 26 And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and indeed he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” But [cz]his heart was stunned, for (FK)he did not believe them. 27 Yet they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them, and he saw the (FL)wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him. Then the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, “It is enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
Jacob Moves to Egypt
46 So Israel set out with all that he had and came to (FM)Beersheba and offered sacrifices to the (FN)God of his father Isaac. 2 (FO)And God spoke to Israel [da]in visions of the night and said, “(FP)Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” 3 And He said, “(FQ)I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will (FR)make you a great nation there. 4 (FS)I Myself will go down with you to Egypt, and (FT)I Myself will also bring you up again; and (FU)Joseph will [db]close your eyes with his hand.”
5 Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob and their little ones and their wives in the (FV)wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6 And they took their livestock and their possessions, which they had accumulated in the land of Canaan, and they (FW)came to Egypt, Jacob and all his seed with him: 7 his sons and his grandsons with him, his daughters and his granddaughters, and all his seed he brought with him to Egypt.
8 Now these are the (FX)names of the sons of Israel—of Jacob and his sons—who were coming to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn. 9 The sons of Reuben: Hanoch and Pallu and Hezron and Carmi. 10 The (FY)sons of Simeon: [dc]Jemuel and Jamin and Ohad and [dd]Jachin and [de]Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. 11 The sons of Levi: [df]Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 The sons of Judah: Er and Onan and Shelah and Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). And the (FZ)sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13 The sons of Issachar: Tola and [dg]Puvvah and [dh]Iob and Shimron. 14 The sons of Zebulun: Sered and Elon and Jahleel. 15 These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, with his daughter Dinah; [di]all his sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three.
16 The (GA)sons of Gad: [dj]Ziphion and Haggi, Shuni and [dk]Ezbon, Eri and [dl]Arodi and Areli. 17 The (GB)sons of Asher: Imnah and Ishvah and Ishvi and Beriah and their sister Serah. And the (GC)sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel. 18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah; and she bore to Jacob these sixteen persons.
19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 20 (GD)Now to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him. 21 The (GE)sons of Benjamin: Bela and Becher and Ashbel, Gera and Naaman, [dm]Ehi and Rosh, [dn]Muppim and [do]Huppim and Ard. 22 These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob; there were fourteen persons in all.
23 The sons of Dan: [dp]Hushim. 24 The sons of Naphtali: [dq]Jahzeel and Guni and Jezer and [dr]Shillem.
25 These are the (GF)sons of Bilhah, whom (GG)Laban gave to his daughter Rachel, and she bore these to Jacob; there were seven persons in all. 26 (GH)All the persons belonging to Jacob, who came to Egypt, who came out of his loins, excluding the wives of Jacob’s sons, were sixty-six persons in all, 27 and the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt were [ds]two; (GI)all the persons of the house of Jacob, who came to Egypt, were seventy.
28 Now he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out the way before him to (GJ)Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen. 29 And Joseph harnessed his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; as soon as he appeared [dt]before him, he fell on his neck and (GK)wept on his neck a long time. 30 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Now I can die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive.” 31 And Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “(GL)I will 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 and the men are shepherds, for they have been [du]keepers of livestock; and they have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.’ 33 And it will be when Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘(GM)What is your occupation?’ 34 then you shall say, ‘Your servants have been [dv](GN)keepers of livestock from our youth and until now, both we and our fathers,’ that you may [dw]live in the land of (GO)Goshen; for every shepherd is (GP)an abomination to the Egyptians.”
Jacob’s Family Settles in Goshen
47 Then (GQ)Joseph went in and told Pharaoh and said, “My father and my brothers and their flocks and their herds and all that they have, have come out of the land of Canaan; and behold, they are in the land of (GR)Goshen.” 2 And he took five men from among his brothers and (GS)set them before Pharaoh. 3 Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, “(GT)What is your occupation?” So they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are (GU)shepherds, both we and our fathers.” 4 And they said to Pharaoh, “(GV)We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for (GW)the famine is heavy in the land of Canaan. So now, please let your servants [dx](GX)live in the land of Goshen.” 5 Then Pharaoh said to [dy]Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is [dz]at your disposal; have your father and your brothers settle in (GY)the best of the land, let them settle in the land of Goshen; and if you know any (GZ)excellent men among them, then [ea]put them in charge of my livestock.”
7 Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and stood him before Pharaoh; and Jacob (HA)blessed Pharaoh. 8 And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” 9 So Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days (HB)of the years of my sojourning are [eb]130; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not [ec]attained to (HC)the days of the years [ed]that my fathers lived during the days of their sojourning.” 10 And Jacob (HD)blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. 11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in (HE)the best of the land, in the land of (HF)Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 And Joseph (HG)provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with [ee]food, according to their little ones.
Joseph and the Famine
13 Now there was no [ef]food in all the land because the famine was very heavy, so that (HH)the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. 14 (HI)And Joseph gathered all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan for the grain which they bought, and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. 15 Then the money came to an end in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan. So all the Egyptians came to Joseph [eg]and said, “Give us [eh]food, for (HJ)why should we die in your presence? For our money [ei]is gone.” 16 Then Joseph said, “Give up your livestock, and I will give you food for your livestock, since your money [ej]is gone.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them [ek]food in exchange for the horses and the [el]flocks and the herds and the donkeys; and he [em]fed them with [en]food in exchange for all their livestock [eo]that year. 18 Then that year came to an end. And they came to him the [ep]next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money has come to an end, and the [eq]livestock are my lord’s. There is nothing left [er]for my lord 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 [es]food, and we and our land will be slaves to Pharaoh. So give us seed, that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”
20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for [et]every Egyptian sold his field because the famine was severe upon them. Thus the land became Pharaoh’s. 21 As for the people, he moved them to the cities from one end of Egypt’s border to the other end. 22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh, and they ate off the allotment which Pharaoh gave them. Therefore, they did not sell their land. 23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have today bought you and your land for Pharaoh; now, here is seed for you, and you may sow the land. 24 And it will be, at the harvest you shall give a (HK)fifth to Pharaoh, and [eu]four-fifths shall be your own for seed of the field and for your food and for those of your households and as food for your little ones.” 25 So they said, “You have kept us alive! Let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” 26 And Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt valid to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; (HL)only the land of the priests [ev]did not become Pharaoh’s.
27 Now Israel [ew]lived in the land of Egypt, [ex]in Goshen, and they (HM)took possession of property in it and (HN)were fruitful and became very numerous. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt (HO)seventeen years; so the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were 147 years.
29 Then (HP)the days for Israel to die drew near, and he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Please, if I have found favor in your sight, (HQ)place now your hand under my thigh and (HR)deal with me in lovingkindness and truth. Please do not bury me in Egypt. 30 But I will (HS)lie down with my fathers, and you will carry me out of Egypt and bury me in (HT)their burial place.” And he said, “I will do as you have said.” 31 Then he said, “(HU)Swear to me.” So he swore to him. Then (HV)Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed.
Israel Blesses Manasseh and Ephraim
48 Now it happened after these things that [ey]Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is sick.” So he took his two sons (HW)Manasseh and Ephraim with him. 2 Then [ez]it was told to Jacob, “Behold, your son Joseph has come to you,” so Israel strengthened himself and sat [fa]up in the bed. 3 Then Jacob said to Joseph, “[fb](HX)God Almighty appeared to me at (HY)Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and He said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply, and I will make you an assembly of peoples, and I will give this land to your seed after you for (HZ)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, are mine; (IA)Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as (IB)Reuben and Simeon are. 6 But your kin that [fc]have been born after them shall be yours; they shall be called by the [fd]names of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 Now as for me, when I came from (IC)Paddan, (ID)Rachel died, [fe]to my sorrow, in the land of Canaan on the journey, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”
8 Then Israel (IE)saw Joseph’s sons and said, “Who are these?” 9 And Joseph said to his father, “(IF)They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” So he said, “Bring them to me, please, that (IG)I may bless them.” 10 Now (IH)the eyes of Israel were so dim from age that he could not see. Then [ff]Joseph brought them close to him, and he (II)kissed them and embraced them. 11 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I never [fg]expected to see your face, and behold, God has let me see your seed as well.” 12 Then Joseph [fh]took them from his knees and (IJ)bowed with his face to the ground. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right, and brought them close to him. 14 But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, [fi]crossing his hands, [fj]although (IK)Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 And he blessed Joseph and said,
“(IL)May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
(IM)The God who has been my shepherd [fk]throughout my life to this day,
16 (IN)The angel who has redeemed me from all evil,
(IO)Bless these boys;
And may my name [fl]live on in them,
And the [fm]names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
And (IP)may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
17 But Joseph saw that his father (IQ)set his right hand on Ephraim’s head, and it was displeasing in his sight; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Place your right hand on 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 be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and (IR)his seed shall become the fullness of nations.” 20 (IS)And he blessed them that day, saying,
“By you Israel will pronounce blessing, saying,
‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh!’”
Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but (IT)God will be with you and (IU)will bring you back to the land of your fathers. 22 And I give you one [fn]portion more than your brothers, (IV)which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”
Jacob Assembles His Sons
49 Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, “Gather together that I may tell you what will befall you (IW)in the last days.
2 Assemble together and hear, O sons of Jacob;
And (IX)listen to Israel your father.
3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn;
My might and (IY)the beginning of my vigor,
[fo]Preeminent in dignity and [fp]preeminent in strength.
4 [fq]Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence,
(IZ)Because you went up to your father’s bed;
Then you defiled it—he went up to my couch.
5 “(JA)Simeon and Levi are brothers;
Their swords are implements of violence.
6 (JB)Let my soul not enter into their council;
Let not my glory be united with their assembly;
Because in their anger they killed [fr]men,
And in their self-will they hamstrung [fs]oxen.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it is strong;
And their wrath, for it is cruel.
(JC)I will divide them amongst Jacob,
And scatter them in Israel.
8 “Judah, as for you, your brothers shall praise you;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
(JD)Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
9 Judah is a (JE)lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
(JF)He [ft]crouches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a lioness, who [fu]dares rouse him up?
10 (JG)The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
[fv]Until Shiloh comes,
And (JH)to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
11 [fw](JI)He ties his foal to the vine,
And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine;
(JJ)He washes his garments in wine,
And his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are [fx]dark from wine,
And his teeth [fy]white from milk.
13 “(JK)Zebulun will dwell at the seashore;
And he shall be a shore for ships,
And his flank shall be toward Sidon.
14 “Issachar is [fz]a strong donkey,
(JL)Lying down between the [ga]sheepfolds.
15 And he saw that a resting place was good
And that the land was pleasant,
So he bowed his shoulder to bear burdens,
And became a slave at forced labor.
16 “(JM)Dan shall (JN)render justice to his people,
As one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent in the way,
A horned snake in the path,
That bites the horse’s heels,
So that his rider falls backward.
18 (JO)For Your salvation I hope, O Yahweh.
21 “(JS)Naphtali is a doe let loose,
He gives beautiful words.
22 “(JT)Joseph is a fruitful [gg]bough,
A fruitful [gh]bough by a spring;
Its [gi]branches run over a wall.
23 And the archers bitterly attacked him and shot at him,
And they bore a grudge against him;
24 But his (JU)bow remained [gj]firm,
And [gk](JV)his arms were agile,
From the hands of the (JW)Mighty One of Jacob,
From there is (JX)the Shepherd, (JY)the Stone of Israel,
25 From (JZ)the God of your father who helps you,
And [gl](KA)by the [gm]Almighty who blesses you
With (KB)blessings of heaven above,
Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
26 The blessings of your father
Have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors
Up to the [gn]utmost bound of (KC)the everlasting hills;
May they be on the head of Joseph,
And on the top of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.
27 “Benjamin is a [go]ravenous wolf;
In the morning he devours the prey,
And in the evening he divides the spoil.”
Jacob Breathes His Last
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. So he blessed them. He blessed them, every one [gp]with the blessing appropriate to him. 29 Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am about to be (KD)gathered to my people; (KE)bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in (KF)the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the (KG)cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial site. 31 There they buried (KH)Abraham and his wife (KI)Sarah, there they buried (KJ)Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah— 32 the field and the cave that is in it, purchased from the sons of Heth.” 33 So Jacob finished commanding his sons. And he drew his feet into the bed and (KK)breathed his last and was (KL)gathered to his people.
50 Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him. 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians (KM)embalmed Israel. 3 Then the forty days to do this were fulfilled, because in this manner the days of embalming are fulfilled. And the Egyptians (KN)wept for him seventy days.
4 Then the days of weeping for him were past, and Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your sight, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, 5 ‘(KO)My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am about to die; in my grave (KP)which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” So now, please let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’” 6 And 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 [gq]immense camp. 10 And they came to the [gr]threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they (KQ)lamented there with a very great and [gs]immense lamentation; and he [gt]observed seven days of mourning for his father. 11 Now the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at [gu]the threshing floor of Atad, and they said, “This is an [gv]immense [gw]mourning for the Egyptians.” Therefore it was named [gx]Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.
Jacob’s Burial at Machpelah
12 Thus his sons did for him as he had commanded them. 13 Indeed, his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in (KR)the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field for his possession as a 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.
15 Then Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, and they said, “(KS)What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and returns back to us all the evil which we dealt against him!” 16 So they [gy]sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father commanded before he died, saying, 17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph, “Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they dealt evil against you.”’ So now, please forgive the transgression of the slaves of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 Then his brothers also came and (KT)fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your slaves.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? 20 As for you, (KU)you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to do [gz]what has happened on this day, to keep many people alive. 21 So now, do not be afraid; (KV)I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke to their heart.
The Death of Joseph
22 Now Joseph stayed in Egypt, he and his father’s household, and Joseph lived 110 years. 23 And Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim’s sons; also the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were (KW)born on Joseph’s knees. 24 And Joseph said to his brothers, “(KX)I am about to die, but God will surely [ha]take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He swore to (KY)Abraham, to (KZ)Isaac, and to (LA)Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely [hb]take care of you, and (LB)you shall carry my bones up from here.” 26 So Joseph died at the age of 110 years; and (LC)they embalmed him, and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
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