Genesis 45

The Reconciliation of the Brothers

1 Joseph was no longer able to control himself before all his attendants,t so he cried out, “Make everyone go out from my presence!” No one remainedt with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers.

2 He wept loudly;t the Egyptians heard it and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.t
3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” His brothers could not answer him because they were dumbfounded before him.4 Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me,” so they came near. Then he said, “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.5 Now, do not be upset and do not be angry with yourselves because you sold me here,t for God sent mes ahead of you to preserve life!6 For these past two years there has been famine int the land and for five more years there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.7 God sent mes ahead of you to preserve yout on the earth and to save your livest by a great deliverance.8 So now, it is not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me an advisert to Pharaoh, lord over all his household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.9 Now go up to my father quicklyt and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not delay!10 You will livet in the land of Goshen, and you will be near me – you, your children, your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and everything you have.11 I will provide you with foodt there because there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise you would become poor – you, your household, and everyone who belongs to you.”’12 You and my brother Benjamin can certainly see with your own eyes that I really am the one who speaks to you.t

13 So tellt my father about all my honor in Egypt and about everything you have seen. But bring my father down here quickly!”t
14 Then he threw himself on the neck of his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.

15 He kissed all his brothers and wept over them. After this his brothers talked with him.
16 Now it was reportedt in the household of Pharaoh, “Joseph’s brothers have arrived.” It pleasedt Pharaoh and his servants.17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and got to the land of Canaan!18 Get your father and your households and come to me! Then I will give yout the best land in Egypt and you will eatt the bestt of the land.’19 You are also commanded to say,t ‘Do this: Take for yourselves wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives. Bring your father and come.

20 Don’t worryt about your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt will be yours.’”
21 So the sons of Israel did as he said.t Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh had instructed,t and he gave them provisions for the journey.22 He gave sets of clothes to each one of them,t but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five sets of clothes.t23 To his father he sent the following:t ten donkeys loaded with the best products of Egypt and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, food, and provisions for his father’s journey.

24 Then he sent his brothers on their way and they left. He said to them, “As you travel don’t be overcome with fear.”t
25 So they went up from Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.t26 They told him, “Joseph is still alive and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!” Jacob was stunned,t for he did not believe them.27 But when they related to him everything Joseph had said to them,t and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, their father Jacob’s spirit revived.

28 Then Israel said, “Enough! My son Joseph is still alive! I will go and see him before I die.”

Genesis 46

The Family of Jacob goes to Egypt

1 So Israel began his journey, taking with him all that he had.t When he came to Beer Shebas he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.2 God spoke to Israel in a vision during the nightt and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He replied, “Here I am!”3 He said, “I am God,t 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.t Joseph will close your eyes.”t
5 Then Jacob started outt 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.t

7 He brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons,t 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,s Jashub,s 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.t

16 The sons of Gad:
Zephon,s 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,s bore them to him.

21 The sons of Benjamin:s
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.t

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.)ts

27 Counting the two sonst of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt, all the people of the household of Jacob who were in Egypt numbered seventy.ts
28 Jacobt sent Judah before him to Joseph to accompany him to Goshen.t 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,t 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.”t31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh,t ‘My brothers and my father’s household who were in the land of Canaan have come to me.32 The men are shepherds;t they take care of livestock.t 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 cattlet from our youth until now, both we and our fathers,’ so that you may live in the land of Goshen,s for everyone who takes care of sheep is disgustingt to the Egyptians.”

Genesis 47

Joseph’s Wise Administration

1 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 nowt in the land of Goshen.”

2 He took five of his brothers and introduced them to Pharaoh.t
3 Pharaoh said to Joseph’st brothers, “What is your occupation?” They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants take care of flocks, just as our ancestors did.”t

4 Then they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live as temporary residentst in the land. Theret is no 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 ment among them, put them in chargets of my livestock.”
7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and presented himt before Pharaoh. Jacob blesseds Pharaoh.8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How long have you lived?”t9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “Allt the years of my travelst are 130. Allt the years of my life have been few and painful;t the years of my travels are not as long as those of my ancestors.”t

10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence.t
11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers. He gave them territoryt in the land of Egypt, in the best region of the land, the land of Rameses,s 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 awayt 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 paymentt for the grain they were buying. Then Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s palace.t

15 When the money from the lands of Egypt and Canaan was used up, all the Egyptianst came to Joseph and said, “Give us food! Why should we diet 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 foodt in exchange fort 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.t He got them through that year by giving them food in exchange for livestock.
18 When that year was over, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We cannot hide from ourt 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 becomet Pharaoh’s slaves.s Give us seed that we may livet and not die. Then the land will not become desolate.”t
20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. Eacht of the Egyptians sold his field, for the famine was severe.t So the land became Pharaoh’s.21 Josepht made all the people slavess 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. Cultivatet the land.24 When you gather in the crop,t givet one-fifth of it to Pharaoh, and the restt 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,t and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.”s

26 So Joseph made it a statute,t which is in effectt 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 yearst of Jacob’s life were 147 in all.29 The timet 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 thighs and show me kindness and faithfulness.t Do not bury me in Egypt,

30 but when I restt with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” Josepht said, “I will do as you say.”

31 Jacobt said, “Swear to me that you will do so.”t So Josepht gave him his word.t Then Israel bowed downs at the head of his bed.s