Genesis 46

Jacob’s Journey to Egypt

1So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to #Gen. 21:31, 33; 26:32, 33; 28:10Beersheba, and offered sacrifices #Gen. 26:24, 25; 28:13; 31:42; 32:9to the God of his father Isaac. 2Then God spoke to Israel #Gen. 15:1; 22:11; 31:11; Num. 12:6; Job 33:14, 15in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

3So He said, “I am God, #Gen. 17:1; 28:13the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will #Gen. 12:2; Ex. 1:9; 12:37; Deut. 26:5make of you a great nation there. 4#Gen. 28:15; 31:3; 48:21; Ex. 3:12I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely #Gen. 15:16; 50:12, 24, 25; Ex. 3:8bring you up again; and #Gen. 50:1Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”

5Then #Gen. 47:9; Acts 7:15Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the carts #Gen. 45:19–21which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, #Deut. 26:5; Josh. 24:4; Ps. 105:23; Is. 52:4; Acts 7:15Jacob and all his descendants with him. 7His sons and his sons’ sons, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.

8Now #Ex. 1:1–4these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: #Num. 26:4, 5; 1 Chr. 2:1Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn. 9The #Ex. 6:14sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 10#Ex. 6:15; Num. 26:12The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. 11The sons of #Ex. 6:16, 17; 1 Chr. 6:1, 16Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12The sons of #Num. 26:19, 20; 1 Chr. 2:3; 4:21Judah were #Gen. 38:3, 7, 10Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). #Gen. 38:29The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron. 14The #Num. 26:26sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. 15These were the #Gen. 35:23; 49:31sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the persons, his sons and his daughters, were thirty-three.

16The sons of Gad were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. 17#Num. 26:44–47; 1 Chr. 7:30The sons of Asher were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah, and Serah, their sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel. 18#Gen. 30:10; 37:2These were the sons of Zilpah, #Gen. 29:24whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons.

19The #Gen. 35:24sons of Rachel, #Gen. 44:27Jacob’s wife, were Joseph and Benjamin. 20#Gen. 41:45, 50–52; 48:1And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. 21#1 Chr. 7:6; 8:1The sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, #Num. 26:38Ehi, Rosh, #Num. 26:39; 1 Chr. 7:12Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. 22These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons in all.

23The son of Dan was Hushim. 24#Num. 26:48The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. 25#Gen. 30:5, 7These were the sons of Bilhah, #Gen. 29:29whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob: seven persons in all.

26#Ex. 1:5All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body, #Gen. 35:11besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, were sixty-six persons in all. 27And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. #Ex. 1:5; Deut. 10:22; Acts 7:14All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.

Jacob Settles in Goshen

28Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph, #Gen. 31:21to point out before him the way to Goshen. And they came #Gen. 47:1to the land of Goshen. 29So Joseph made ready his #Gen. 41:43chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and #Gen. 45:14, 15fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while.

30And Israel said to Joseph, #Luke 2:29, 30“Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive.”

31Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, #Gen. 47:1“I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘My brothers and those of my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32And the men are #Gen. 47:3shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.’ 33So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, #Gen. 47:2, 3‘What is your #Gen. 47:3occupation?’ 34that you shall say, ‘Your servants’ occupation has been with livestock #Gen. 30:35; 34:5; 37:17from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,’ that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is #Gen. 43:32; Ex. 8:26an abomination to the Egyptians.”

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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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