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 and His Family Go to Egypt

1Jacob packed up everything he owned and left for Egypt. On the way he stopped near the town of Beersheba and offered sacrifices to the God his father Isaac had worshiped. 2That night, God spoke to him in a dream and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”

“Here I am,” Jacob answered.

3God said, “I am God, the same God your father worshiped. Don't be afraid to go to Egypt. I will give you so many descendants that one day they will become a nation. 4I will go with you to Egypt, and later I will bring your descendants back here. Your son Joseph will be at your side when you die.”

5-7 # Ac 7.15. Jacob and his family set out from Beersheba and headed for Egypt. His sons put him in the wagon that the king#46.5-7 the king: See the note at 12.15. had sent for him, and they put their small children and their wives in the other wagons. Jacob's whole family went to Egypt, including his sons, his grandsons, his daughters, and his granddaughters. They took along their animals and everything else they owned.

8-15When Jacob went to Egypt, his children who were born in northern Syria#46.8-15 northern Syria: See the note at 24.10. also went along with their families.

Jacob and his wife Leah had a total of 33 children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, but two of their grandchildren had died in Canaan.

Their oldest son Reuben took his sons Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

Their son Simeon took his sons Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, whose mother was a Canaanite.

Their son Levi took his sons Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

Their son Judah took his sons Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. Judah's sons Er and Onan had died in Canaan. Judah's son Perez took his sons Hezron and Hamul.

Their son Issachar took his sons Tola, Puvah, Jashub,#46.8-15 Jashub: The Samaritan Hebrew Text and one ancient translation; the Standard Hebrew Text “Iob.” and Shimron.

Their son Zebulun took his sons Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

Their daughter Dinah also went.

16-18Jacob and Zilpah, the servant woman Laban had given his daughter Leah, had a total of 16 children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Their son Gad took his sons Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

Their son Asher took his sons Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah, who took his sons, Heber and Malchiel.

Serah, the daughter of Asher, also went.

19-22 # Gn 41.50-52. Jacob and Rachel had 14 children and grandchildren.

Their son Joseph was already in Egypt, where he had married Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, the priest of Heliopolis.#46.19-22 Heliopolis: See the note at 41.45. Joseph and Asenath had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

Jacob and Rachel's son Benjamin took his sons Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

23-25Jacob and Bilhah, the servant woman Laban had given his daughter Rachel, had seven children and grandchildren.

Their son Dan took his son Hushim.

Their son Naphtali took his sons Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

26Sixty-six members of Jacob's family went to Egypt with him, not counting his daughters-in-law. 27#Ac 7.14. Jacob's two grandsons who were born there made it a total of 70 members of Jacob's family in Egypt.

28Jacob had sent his son Judah ahead of him to ask Joseph to meet them in Goshen. 29So Joseph got in his chariot and went to meet his father. When they met, Joseph hugged his father around the neck and cried for a long time. 30Jacob said to Joseph, “Now that I have seen you and know you are still alive, I am ready to die.”

31Then Joseph said to his brothers and to everyone who had come with them:

I must go and tell the king#46.31 the king: See the note at 12.15. that you have arrived from Canaan. 32I will tell him that you are shepherds and that you have brought your sheep, goats, cattle, and everything else you own. 33The king will call you in and ask what you do for a living. 34When he does, be sure to say, “We are shepherds. Our families have always raised sheep.” If you tell him this, he will let you settle in the region of Goshen.

Joseph wanted them to say this to the king, because the Egyptians did not like to be around anyone who raised sheep.

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