Old/New Testament
The Family of Jacob goes to Egypt
46 So Israel began his journey, taking with him all that he had.[a] When he came to Beer Sheba[b] he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 God spoke to Israel in a vision during the night[c] and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He replied, “Here I am!” 3 He said, “I am God,[d] the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down with you to Egypt and I myself will certainly bring you back from there.[e] Joseph will close your eyes.”[f]
5 Then Jacob started out[g] from Beer Sheba, and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little children, and their wives in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent along to transport him. 6 Jacob and all his descendants took their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and they went to Egypt.[h] 7 He brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons,[i] his daughters and granddaughters—all his descendants.
8 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt—Jacob and his sons: Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob.
9 The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul (the son of a Canaanite woman).
11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan).
The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
13 The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah,[j] Jashub,[k] and Shimron.
14 The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15 These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, along with Dinah his daughter. His sons and daughters numbered thirty-three in all.[l]
16 The sons of Gad: Zephon,[m] Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
17 The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and Serah their sister.
The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malkiel.
18 These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter. She bore these to Jacob, sixteen in all.
19 The sons of Rachel the wife of Jacob: Joseph and Benjamin.
20 Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt. Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On,[n] bore them to him.
21 The sons of Benjamin:[o] Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.
22 These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob, fourteen in all.
23 The son of Dan: Hushim.[p]
24 The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
25 These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter. She bore these to Jacob, seven in all.
26 All the direct descendants of Jacob who went to Egypt with him were sixty-six in number. (This number does not include the wives of Jacob’s sons.)[q] 27 Counting the two sons[r] of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt, all the people of the household of Jacob who were in Egypt numbered seventy.[s]
28 Jacob[t] sent Judah before him to Joseph to accompany him to Goshen.[u] So they came to the land of Goshen. 29 Joseph harnessed his chariot and went up to meet his father Israel in Goshen. When he met him,[v] he hugged his neck and wept on his neck for quite some time.
30 Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.”[w] 31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh,[x] ‘My brothers and my father’s household who were in the land of Canaan have come to me. 32 The men are shepherds;[y] they take care of livestock.[z] They have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.’ 33 Pharaoh will summon you and say, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 Tell him, ‘Your servants have taken care of cattle[aa] from our youth until now, both we and our fathers,’ so that you may live in the land of Goshen,[ab] for everyone who takes care of sheep is disgusting[ac] to the Egyptians.”
Joseph’s Wise Administration
47 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father, my brothers, their flocks and herds, and all that they own have arrived from the land of Canaan. They are now[ad] in the land of Goshen.” 2 He took five of his brothers and introduced them to Pharaoh.[ae]
3 Pharaoh said to Joseph’s[af] brothers, “What is your occupation?” They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants take care of flocks, just as our ancestors did.”[ag] 4 Then they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live as temporary residents[ah] in the land. There is no[ai] pasture for your servants’ flocks because 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, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best region of the land. They may live in the land of Goshen. If you know of any highly capable men[aj] among them, put them in charge[ak] of my livestock.”
7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and presented him[al] before Pharaoh. Jacob blessed[am] Pharaoh. 8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How long have you lived?”[an] 9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “All[ao] the years of my travels[ap] are 130. All[aq] the years of my life have been few and painful;[ar] the years of my travels are not as long as those of my ancestors.”[as] 10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence.[at]
11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers. He gave them territory[au] in the land of Egypt, in the best region of the land, the land of Rameses,[av] just as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 Joseph also provided food for his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household, according to the number of their little children.
13 But there was no food in all the land because the famine was very severe; the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan wasted away[aw] 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 as payment[ax] for the grain they were buying. Then Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s palace.[ay] 15 When the money from the lands of Egypt and Canaan was used up, all the Egyptians[az] came to Joseph and said, “Give us food! Why should we die[ba] before your very eyes because our money has run out?”
16 Then Joseph said, “If your money is gone, bring your livestock, and I will give you food[bb] in exchange for[bc] your livestock.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for their horses, the livestock of their flocks and herds, and their donkeys.[bd] He got them through that year by giving them food in exchange for all their livestock.
18 When that year was over, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We cannot hide from our[be] lord that the money is used up and the livestock and the animals belong to our lord. Nothing remains before our lord except our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we die before your very eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we, with our land, will become[bf] Pharaoh’s slaves.[bg] Give us seed that we may live[bh] and not die. Then the land will not become desolate.”[bi]
20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. Each[bj] of the Egyptians sold his field, for the famine was severe.[bk] So the land became Pharaoh’s. 21 Joseph[bl] made all the people slaves[bm] from one end of Egypt’s border to the other end of it. 22 But he did not purchase the land of the priests because the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh and they ate from their allotment that Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.
23 Joseph said to the people, “Since I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you. Cultivate[bn] the land. 24 When the crop comes in, give[bo] one-fifth of it to Pharaoh. The remaining four-fifths will be yours for seed for the fields and for you to eat, including those in your households and your little children.” 25 They replied, “You have saved our lives! You are showing us favor,[bp] and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.”[bq]
26 So Joseph made it a statute,[br] which is in effect[bs] to this day throughout the land of Egypt: One-fifth belongs to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh’s.
27 Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they owned land there. They were fruitful and increased rapidly in number.
28 Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; the years[bt] of Jacob’s life were 147 in all. 29 The time[bu] for Israel to die approached, so he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh[bv] and show me kindness and faithfulness.[bw] Do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but when I rest[bx] with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” Joseph[by] said, “I will do as you say.”
31 Jacob[bz] said, “Swear to me that you will do so.”[ca] So Joseph[cb] gave him his word.[cc] Then Israel bowed down[cd] at the head of his bed.[ce]
Manasseh and Ephraim
48 After these things Joseph was told,[cf] “Your father is weakening.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him. 2 When Jacob was told,[cg] “Your son Joseph has just[ch] come to you,” Israel regained strength and sat up on his bed. 3 Jacob said to Joseph, “The Sovereign God[ci] appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. 4 He said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful[cj] and will multiply you.[ck] I will make you into a group of nations, and I will give this land to your descendants[cl] as an everlasting possession.’[cm]
5 “Now, as for your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, they will be mine.[cn] Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine just as Reuben and Simeon are. 6 Any children that you father[co] after them will be yours; they will be listed[cp] under the names of their brothers in their inheritance.[cq] 7 But as for me, when I was returning from Paddan, Rachel died—to my sorrow[cr]—in the land of Canaan. It happened along the way, some distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there on the way to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).
8 When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he asked, “Who are these?” 9 Joseph said to his father, “They are the[cs] sons God has given me in this place.” His father[ct] said, “Bring them to me so I may bless them.”[cu] 10 Now Israel’s eyes were failing[cv] because of his age; he was not able to see well. So Joseph[cw] brought his sons[cx] near to him, and his father[cy] kissed them and embraced them. 11 Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected[cz] to see you[da] again, but now God has allowed me to see your children[db] too.”
12 So Joseph moved them from Israel’s knees[dc] and bowed down with his face to the ground. 13 Joseph positioned them;[dd] he put Ephraim on his right hand across from Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh on his left hand across from Israel’s right hand. Then Joseph brought them closer to his father.[de] 14 Israel stretched out his right hand and placed it on Ephraim’s head, although he was the younger.[df] Crossing his hands, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 Then he blessed Joseph and said,
“May the God before whom my fathers
Abraham and Isaac walked—
the God who has been my shepherd[dg]
all my life long to this day,
16 the angel[dh] who has protected me[di]
from all harm—
bless these boys.
May my name be named in them,[dj]
and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac.
May they grow into a multitude on the earth.”
17 When Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it displeased him.[dk] So he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”
19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a nation and he too will become great. In spite of this, his younger brother will be even greater and his descendants will become a multitude[dl] of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day, saying,
“By you[dm] will Israel bless,[dn] saying,
‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”
Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.[do]
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you[dp] and will bring you back to the land of your fathers. 22 As one who is above your[dq] brothers, I give to you the mountain slope,[dr] which I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”
The Parable of the Sower
13 On that day after Jesus went out of the house, he sat by the lake.[a] 2 And such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat[b] to sit while[c] the whole crowd stood on the shore. 3 He[d] told them many things in parables,[e] saying: “Listen![f] A sower went out to sow.[g] 4 And as he sowed, some seeds[h] fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other[i] seeds fell on rocky ground[j] where they did not have much soil. They sprang up quickly because the soil was not deep.[k] 6 But when the sun came up, they were scorched, and because they did not have sufficient root, they withered. 7 Other seeds fell among the thorns,[l] and they grew up and choked them.[m] 8 But other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. 9 The one who has ears had better listen!”[n]
10 Then[o] the disciples came to him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 He replied,[p] “You have been given[q] the opportunity to know[r] the secrets[s] of the kingdom of heaven, but they have not. 12 For whoever has will be given more, and will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.[t] 13 For this reason I speak to them in parables: Although they see they do not see, and although they hear they do not hear nor do they understand. 14 And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
‘You will listen carefully[u] yet will never understand,
you will look closely[v] yet will never comprehend.
15 For the heart of this people has become dull;
they are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes,
so that they would not see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’[w]
16 “But your eyes are blessed[x] because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For I tell you the truth,[y] many prophets and righteous people longed to see[z] what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
18 “So listen to the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one[aa] comes and snatches what was sown in his heart;[ab] this is the seed sown along the path. 20 The[ac] seed sown on rocky ground[ad] is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 21 But he has no root in himself and does not endure;[ae] when[af] trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 The[ag] seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth[ah] choke the word,[ai] so it produces nothing. 23 But as for the seed sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word and understands. He bears fruit, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.”[aj]
The Parable of the Weeds
24 He presented them with another parable:[ak] “The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed darnel[al] among the wheat and went away. 26 When[am] the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the darnel also appeared. 27 So the slaves[an] of the landowner[ao] came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the darnel come from?’ 28 He said, ‘An enemy has done this!’ So[ap] the slaves replied, ‘Do you want us to go and gather it?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, since in gathering the darnel you may uproot the wheat along with it. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At[aq] harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burned, but then gather[ar] the wheat into my barn.”’”
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