Jacob Moves to Egypt

46 So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to (A)Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the (B)God of his father Isaac. And (C)God spoke to Israel [a]in visions of the night and said, “(D)Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “(E)I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will (F)make you into a great nation there. (G)I will go down with you to Egypt, and (H)I will also assuredly bring you up again; and (I)Joseph will [b]close your eyes.”

Then Jacob left Beersheba, and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob and their little ones and their wives in the (J)wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. They also took their livestock and their possessions, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and (K)came to Egypt, Jacob and all his [c]descendants with him: his sons and his grandsons with him, his daughters and his granddaughters, and all his [d]descendants he brought with him to Egypt.

Those Who Came to Egypt

Now these are the (L)names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn. And the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 10 And the (M)sons of Simeon: [e]Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, [f]Jachin, [g]Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. 11 And the sons of Levi: [h]Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 And the sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). And the (N)sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13 And the sons of Issachar: Tola, [i]Puvvah, [j]Iob, and Shimron. 14 And the sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. 15 These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, with his daughter Dinah; [k]all his sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three. 16 And the (O)sons of Gad: [l]Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, [m]Ezbon, Eri, [n]Arodi, and Areli. 17 And the (P)sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. And the (Q)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 (R)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 And the (S)sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, [o]Ehi, Rosh, [p]Muppim, [q]Huppim, and Ard. 22 These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob; there were fourteen persons in all. 23 And the sons of Dan: [r]Hushim. 24 And the sons of Naphtali: [s]Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and [t]Shillem. 25 These are the (T)sons of Bilhah, whom (U)Laban gave to his daughter Rachel, and she bore these to Jacob; there were seven persons in all. 26 (V)All the people belonging to Jacob, who came to Egypt, [u]his direct descendants, not including 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 [v]two; (W)all the people of the house of Jacob, who came to Egypt, were seventy.

28 Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph, to [w]guide him to (X)Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen. 29 And Joseph [x]prepared his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; as soon as he appeared to him, Joseph threw himself on his neck and (Y)wept on his neck a long time. 30 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive.” 31 But Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “(Z)I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and will 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 [y]keepers of livestock; and they have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.’ 33 When Pharaoh calls for you and says, ‘(AA)What is your occupation?’ 34 you shall say, ‘Your servants have been [z](AB)keepers of livestock since our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ so that you may live in the land of (AC)Goshen; for every shepherd is an (AD)abomination to the Egyptians.”

Jacob’s Family Settles in Goshen

47 Then (AE)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 (AF)Goshen.” And he took five men from among his brothers and (AG)presented them to Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, “(AH)What is your occupation?” So they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are (AI)shepherds, both we and our fathers.” They also said to Pharaoh, “(AJ)We have come to reside in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for (AK)the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now, therefore, please let your servants (AL)live in the land of Goshen.” Then Pharaoh said to [aa]Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is [ab]at your disposal; settle your father and your brothers in (AM)the best of the land, let them live in the land of Goshen; and if you know any (AN)capable men among them, then [ac]put them in charge of my livestock.”

Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and [ad]presented him to Pharaoh; and Jacob (AO)blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many [ae]years have you lived?” So Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The [af](AP)years of my living abroad are [ag]130; few and [ah]unpleasant have been the [ai]years of my life, nor have they [aj]attained (AQ)the [ak]years [al]that my fathers lived during the days of their living abroad.” 10 So Jacob (AR)blessed Pharaoh, and went out from [am]his presence. 11 Now Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them property in the land of Egypt, in (AS)the best of the land, in the land of (AT)Rameses, as Pharaoh had ordered. 12 Joseph also (AU)provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with [an]food, according to the [ao]number of their little ones.

13 Now there was no [ap]food in all the land, because the famine was very severe, so that (AV)the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. 14 And (AW)Joseph collected all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan in payment for the grain which they bought, and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. 15 When the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph saying, “Give us [aq]food, for (AX)why should we die in your presence? For our money is [ar]gone.” 16 Then Joseph said, “Give up your livestock, and I will give you food for your livestock, since your money is [as]gone.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them [at]food in exchange for the horses and the [au]flocks and the herds and the donkeys; and he [av]fed them with [aw]food in exchange for all their livestock [ax]that year. 18 But when that year ended, they came to him the [ay]next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord the fact that our money is all spent, and the [az]livestock are my lord’s. There is nothing left [ba]for my lord except our bodies and our lands. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for [bb]food, and we and our land will be slaves to Pharaoh. So give us seed, so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”

Result of the Famine

20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for [bc]every Egyptian sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh’s. 21 As for the people, he relocated them to the cities from one end of Egypt’s border to the other. 22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy, because the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh, and they [bd]lived off the allotment which Pharaoh gave them. Therefore, they did not sell their land. 23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, today I have purchased you and your land for Pharaoh; now, here is seed for you, and you may sow the land. 24 [be]At the harvest you shall give a (AY)fifth to Pharaoh, and [bf]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 saved our lives! Let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” 26 Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, valid to this day, that Pharaoh was to have the fifth; (AZ)only the land of the priests [bg]did not become Pharaoh’s.

27 Now Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in [bh]Goshen, and they (BA)acquired property in it and (BB)were fruitful and became very numerous. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt for (BC)seventeen years; so the [bi]length of Jacob’s life was 147 years.

29 When [bj](BD)the time for Israel to die drew near, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Please, if I have found favor in your sight, (BE)place your hand under my thigh now and (BF)deal with me in kindness and [bk]faithfulness: please do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but when I (BG)[bl]lie down with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in (BH)their burial place.” And he said, “I will do as you have said.” 31 And he said, “(BI)Swear to me.” So he swore to him. Then (BJ)Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 46:2 Lit in the visions
  2. Genesis 46:4 Lit put his hand on
  3. Genesis 46:6 Lit seed
  4. Genesis 46:7 Lit seed
  5. Genesis 46:10 In Num 26:12 and 1 Chr 4:24, Nemuel
  6. Genesis 46:10 In 1 Chr 4:24, Jarib
  7. Genesis 46:10 In Num 26:13 and 1 Chr 4:24, Zerah
  8. Genesis 46:11 In 1 Chr 6:16, Gershom
  9. Genesis 46:13 In Num 26:23, Puvah; in 1 Chr 7:1, Puah
  10. Genesis 46:13 In Num 26:24 and 1 Chr 7:1, Jashub
  11. Genesis 46:15 Lit all the souls of
  12. Genesis 46:16 In Num 26:15, Zephon
  13. Genesis 46:16 In Num 26:16, Ozni
  14. Genesis 46:16 In Num 26:17, Arod
  15. Genesis 46:21 In Num 26:38, Ahiram
  16. Genesis 46:21 In Num 26:39, Shephupham; in 1 Chr 7:12, Shuppim
  17. Genesis 46:21 In Num 26:39, Hupham
  18. Genesis 46:23 In Num 26:42, Shuham
  19. Genesis 46:24 In 1 Chr 7:13, Jahziel
  20. Genesis 46:24 In 1 Chr 7:13, Shallum
  21. Genesis 46:26 Lit who came out of his loins
  22. Genesis 46:27 Lit two souls
  23. Genesis 46:28 Lit instruct before him
  24. Genesis 46:29 Lit harnessed
  25. Genesis 46:32 Lit men
  26. Genesis 46:34 Lit men
  27. Genesis 47:5 Lit Joseph, saying
  28. Genesis 47:6 Lit before you
  29. Genesis 47:6 Lit appoint them rulers
  30. Genesis 47:7 Lit set him before
  31. Genesis 47:8 Lit are the days of the years of your life
  32. Genesis 47:9 Lit days of the years
  33. Genesis 47:9 Lit 130 years
  34. Genesis 47:9 Lit evil
  35. Genesis 47:9 Lit days of the years
  36. Genesis 47:9 Lit reached
  37. Genesis 47:9 Lit days of the years
  38. Genesis 47:9 Lit of the life of my fathers
  39. Genesis 47:10 Lit Pharaoh’s
  40. Genesis 47:12 Or bread
  41. Genesis 47:12 Lit mouth
  42. Genesis 47:13 Or bread
  43. Genesis 47:15 Or bread
  44. Genesis 47:15 Lit at an end
  45. Genesis 47:16 Lit at an end
  46. Genesis 47:17 Or bread
  47. Genesis 47:17 Lit livestock of the flocks and livestock of the herds
  48. Genesis 47:17 Lit led them as a shepherd
  49. Genesis 47:17 Or bread
  50. Genesis 47:17 Lit in that year
  51. Genesis 47:18 Lit second
  52. Genesis 47:18 Lit livestock of the cattle
  53. Genesis 47:18 Lit in the presence of
  54. Genesis 47:19 Or bread
  55. Genesis 47:20 Lit Egypt, every man
  56. Genesis 47:22 Lit ate their allotment
  57. Genesis 47:24 Lit It shall come about...that you shall
  58. Genesis 47:24 Lit four parts
  59. Genesis 47:26 Lit alone did
  60. Genesis 47:27 Lit the land of Goshen
  61. Genesis 47:28 Lit days of Jacob, the years of his life
  62. Genesis 47:29 Lit the days of Israel
  63. Genesis 47:29 Lit truth
  64. Genesis 47:30 I.e., die

Jacob Goes to Egypt

46 So Israel(A) set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba,(B) he offered sacrifices(C) to the God of his father Isaac.(D)

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

“Here I am,”(G) he replied.

“I am God, the God of your father,”(H) he said. “Do not be afraid(I) to go down to Egypt,(J) for I will make you into a great nation(K) there.(L) I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again.(M) And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.(N)

Then Jacob left Beersheba,(O) and Israel’s(P) sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts(Q) that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt,(R) taking with them their livestock and the possessions(S) they had acquired(T) in Canaan. Jacob brought with him to Egypt(U) his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.(V)

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

Reuben the firstborn(X) of Jacob.

The sons of Reuben:(Y)

Hanok, Pallu,(Z) Hezron and Karmi.(AA)

10 The sons of Simeon:(AB)

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

11 The sons of Levi:(AE)

Gershon,(AF) Kohath(AG) and Merari.(AH)

12 The sons of Judah:(AI)

Er,(AJ) Onan,(AK) Shelah, Perez(AL) and Zerah(AM) (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan).(AN)

The sons of Perez:(AO)

Hezron and Hamul.(AP)

13 The sons of Issachar:(AQ)

Tola, Puah,[a](AR) Jashub[b](AS) and Shimron.

14 The sons of Zebulun:(AT)

Sered, Elon and Jahleel.

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

16 The sons of Gad:(AW)

Zephon,[d](AX) Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.

17 The sons of Asher:(AY)

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,(AZ) whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah(BA)—sixteen in all.

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

Joseph and Benjamin.(BC) 20 In Egypt, Manasseh(BD) and Ephraim(BE) were born to Joseph(BF) by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.[e](BG)

21 The sons of Benjamin:(BH)

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

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

23 The son of Dan:(BK)

Hushim.(BL)

24 The sons of Naphtali:(BM)

Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.

25 These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah,(BN) whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel(BO)—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.(BP) 27 With the two sons[f] who had been born to Joseph in Egypt,(BQ) the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy[g] in all.(BR)

28 Now Jacob sent Judah(BS) ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen.(BT) When they arrived in the region of Goshen, 29 Joseph had his chariot(BU) made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel.(BV) As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father[h] and wept(BW) for a long time.(BX)

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

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,(CA) have come to me.(CB) 32 The men are shepherds;(CC) they tend livestock,(CD) and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.’(CE) 33 When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’(CF) 34 you should answer, ‘Your servants(CG) have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.’(CH) Then you will be allowed to settle(CI) in the region of Goshen,(CJ) for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.(CK)

47 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan(CL) and are now in Goshen.”(CM) He chose five of his brothers and presented them(CN) before Pharaoh.

Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?”(CO)

“Your servants(CP) are shepherds,(CQ)” they replied to Pharaoh, “just as our fathers were.” They also said to him, “We have come to live here for a while,(CR) because the famine is severe in Canaan(CS) and your servants’ flocks have no pasture.(CT) So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen.”(CU)

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, and the land of Egypt is before you; settle(CV) your father and your brothers in the best part of the land.(CW) Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability,(CX) put them in charge of my own livestock.(CY)

Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him(CZ) before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed[i] Pharaoh,(DA) Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?”

And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty.(DB) My years have been few and difficult,(DC) and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.(DD) 10 Then Jacob blessed[j] Pharaoh(DE) and went out from his presence.

11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land,(DF) the district of Rameses,(DG) as Pharaoh directed. 12 Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children.(DH)

Joseph and the Famine

13 There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine.(DI) 14 Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying,(DJ) and he brought it to Pharaoh’s palace.(DK) 15 When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone,(DL) all Egypt came to Joseph(DM) and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes?(DN) Our money is all gone.”

16 “Then bring your livestock,(DO)” said Joseph. “I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.(DP) 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses,(DQ) their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys.(DR) And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock.

18 When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone(DS) and our livestock belongs to you,(DT) there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we perish before your eyes(DU)—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food,(DV) and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh.(DW) Give us seed so that we may live and not die,(DX) and that the land may not become desolate.”

20 So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe(DY) for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, 21 and Joseph reduced the people to servitude,[k](DZ) from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 However, he did not buy the land of the priests,(EA) because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment(EB) Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.

23 Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed(EC) for you so you can plant the ground.(ED) 24 But when the crop comes in, give a fifth(EE) of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.”

25 “You have saved our lives,” they said. “May we find favor in the eyes of our lord;(EF) we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.”(EG)

26 So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth(EH) of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh’s.(EI)

27 Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen.(EJ) They acquired property there(EK) and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.(EL)

28 Jacob lived in Egypt(EM) seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven.(EN) 29 When the time drew near for Israel(EO) to die,(EP) he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes,(EQ) put your hand under my thigh(ER) and promise that you will show me kindness(ES) and faithfulness.(ET) Do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but when I rest with my fathers,(EU) carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.”(EV)

“I will do as you say,” he said.

31 “Swear to me,”(EW) he said. Then Joseph swore to him,(EX) and Israel(EY) worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.[l](EZ)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 46:13 Samaritan Pentateuch and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Puvah
  2. Genesis 46:13 Samaritan Pentateuch and some Septuagint manuscripts (see also Num. 26:24 and 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Iob
  3. Genesis 46:15 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
  4. Genesis 46:16 Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also Num. 26:15); Masoretic Text Ziphion
  5. Genesis 46:20 That is, Heliopolis
  6. Genesis 46:27 Hebrew; Septuagint the nine children
  7. Genesis 46:27 Hebrew (see also Exodus 1:5 and note); Septuagint (see also Acts 7:14) seventy-five
  8. Genesis 46:29 Hebrew around him
  9. Genesis 47:7 Or greeted
  10. Genesis 47:10 Or said farewell to
  11. Genesis 47:21 Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also Vulgate); Masoretic Text and he moved the people into the cities
  12. Genesis 47:31 Or Israel bowed down at the head of his bed