Genesis 46

Jacob Goes to Egypt

1So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

2And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

3“I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”

5Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel’s sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. 6So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt, taking with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan. 7Jacob brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.

8These are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt:

Reuben the firstborn of Jacob.

9The sons of Reuben:

Hanok, Pallu, Hezron and Karmi.

10The sons of Simeon:

Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.

11The sons of Levi:

Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

12The sons of Judah:

Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan).

The sons of Perez:

Hezron and Hamul.

13The sons of Issachar:

Tola, Puah,#46:13 Samaritan Pentateuch and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Puvah Jashub#46:13 Samaritan Pentateuch and some Septuagint manuscripts (see also Num. 26:24 and 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Iob and Shimron.

14The sons of Zebulun:

Sered, Elon and Jahleel.

15These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram,#46:15 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia besides his daughter Dinah. These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all.

16The sons of Gad:

Zephon,#46:16 Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also Num. 26:15); Masoretic Text Ziphion Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.

17The sons of Asher:

Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah.

Their sister was Serah.

The sons of Beriah:

Heber and Malkiel.

18These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah—sixteen in all.

19The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:

Joseph and Benjamin. 20In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.#46:20 That is, Heliopolis

21The sons of Benjamin:

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

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

23The son of Dan:

Hushim.

24The sons of Naphtali:

Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.

25These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel—seven in all.

26All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons. 27With the two sons#46:27 Hebrew; Septuagint the nine children who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy#46:27 Hebrew (see also Exodus 1:5 and note); Septuagint (see also Acts 7:14) seventy-five in all.

28Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen, 29Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father#46:29 Hebrew around him and wept for a long time.

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

31Then 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, have come to me. 32The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ 33When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34you should answer, ‘Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.”

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Genesis 46

CHAPTER 46

1And Israel went forth with all things that he had, and he came to the well of oath or Beersheba; and when sacrifices were slain there to [the] God of his father Isaac,

2he heard God by a vision in that night calling to him, and saying to him, Jacob! Jacob! To whom he answered, Lo! I am present.

3God said to him, I am the full strong God of thy father; do not thou dread, go down into Egypt, for I shall make thee there into a great folk;

4I shall go down thither with thee, and I shall bring thee turning again from thence, and Joseph shall set his hand on thine eyes.

5Jacob rose from the well of oath, and his sons took him, with their little children, and wives, in the wains which Pharaoh had sent to bear the eld [or old] man,

6and all things which he wielded in the land of Canaan; and he came into Egypt with [all] his seed,

7his sons, and their sons, and daughters, and all the generations together.

8Forsooth these be the names of the sons of Israel, that entered into Egypt; Jacob with his free children. The first begotten is Reuben;

9the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.

10The sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a woman of Canaan.

11The sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

12The sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Perez, and Zarah. Forsooth Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan; and the sons of Perez were born, Hezron, and Hamul.

13The sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.

14The sons of Zebulun; Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.

15These be the sons of Leah, which she childed to Jacob in Mesopotamia of Syria, with Dinah, her daughter; all the souls of his sons and daughters by Leah, three and thirty.

16The sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.

17The sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah; and Serah, the sister of them. The sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel.

18These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah, his daughter, and through whom Jacob begat these sixteen persons.

19The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife, were Joseph and Benjamin.

20And two sons were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath, [the] daughter of Potipherah, priest of Heliopolis, childed to him.

21The sons of Benjamin were Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, and Ehi, and Rosh, and Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard.

22These were the sons of Rachel, the which Jacob begat through her; all the persons were fourteen.

23The son of Dan; Hushim.

24The sons of Naphtali; Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.

25These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter. And Jacob begat these through Bilhah; all the souls were seven.

26And all the men that entered with Jacob into Egypt, and went out of his thigh, without his sons’ wives, were sixty and six.

27Forsooth the sons of Joseph, that were born to him in the land of Egypt, were two men. All the souls of the house of Jacob, that entered into Egypt, were seventy.

28Forsooth Jacob sent Judah before him to Joseph, that he should tell to him, and he meet with them in Goshen. And when Jacob had come thither,

29Joseph went up in his chariot to meet his father at the same place. And he saw Jacob, and felled on his neck, and wept betwixt embraces.

30And the father said to Joseph, Now I shall die joyful, for I have seen thy face, and I leave thee living.

31And Joseph spake to his brethren, and to all his father’s household, I shall go up, and tell to Pharaoh, and I shall say to him, My brethren, and the household of my father, that were in the land of Canaan, be come to me,

32and they be men keepers of sheep, and have busyness of flocks to be fed; they brought with them their sheep, and great beasts, and all things which they might have.

33And when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your work?

34ye shall answer, We be thy servants, men shepherds, from our childhood till into this present time, both we and our fathers. Soothly ye shall say these things, that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen, for Egyptians loathe all keepers of sheep.

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