Genesis 46
46
Jacob Leaves for Egypt
1Israel set out with all that he had and came to Beer-sheba,#Gn 21:14; 28:10; Jos 15:28; Jdg 20:1; 2Sm 24:7; 1Kg 19:3 and he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2That night God spoke to Israel in a vision:#Gn 15:1; Jb 33:14–15 “Jacob, Jacob!” he said.
And Jacob replied, “Here I am.”
3God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.#Gn 12:2; 15:13–14; 35:11; Ex 1:7,9; Dt 26:5 4I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you back.#Gn 15:16; 28:15; 48:21; 50:24; Ex 3:8 Joseph will close your eyes when you die.”#46:4 Lit will put his hand on your eyes#Gn 50:1
5Jacob left Beer-sheba. The sons of Israel took their father Jacob in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him,#Gn 45:19,21 along with their dependents and their wives. 6They also took their cattle and possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan. Then Jacob and all his offspring with him came to Egypt.#Dt 26:5; Jos 24:4; Ps 105:23; Is 52:4; Ac 7:15 7His sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters, indeed all his offspring, he brought with him to Egypt.
Jacob’s Family
8These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt#Ex 1:1–5; Nm 26:4–5 — Jacob and his sons:
Jacob’s firstborn: Reuben.
9Reuben’s sons:#Ex 6:14 Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10Simeon’s sons:#Ex 6:15 Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.
11Levi’s sons:#Ex 6:16; 1Ch 6:16 Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12Judah’s sons: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
The sons#Gn 38:29; 1Ch 2:5 of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
13Issachar’s sons:#1Ch 7:1 Tola, Puvah,#46:13 Sam, Syr read Puah; 1Ch 7:1 Jashub,#46:13 Sam, LXX; MT reads Iob and Shimron.
14Zebulun’s sons: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15These were Leah’s sons born to Jacob in Paddan-aram, as well as his daughter Dinah. The total number of persons:#46:15 Lit All persons his sons and his daughters: thirty-three.
16Gad’s sons: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
17Asher’s sons:#1Ch 7:30–31 Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah.
Beriah’s sons were Heber and Malchiel.
18These were the sons of Zilpah — whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah — that she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons.
19The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
20Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt. They were born to him by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, a priest at On.#46:20 Or Heliopolis
21Benjamin’s sons:#Nm 26:38–40; 1Ch 7:6–12; 8:1 Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
22These were Rachel’s sons who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons.
23Dan’s son:#46:23 Alt Hb tradition reads sons: Hushim.
24Naphtali’s sons:#1Ch 7:13 Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
25These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel.#Gn 29:29; 30:5–8 She bore to Jacob: seven persons.
26The total number of persons belonging to Jacob — his direct descendants,#46:26 Lit Jacob who came out from his loins not including the wives of Jacob’s sons — who came to Egypt: sixty-six.
27And Joseph’s sons who were born to him in Egypt: two persons.
All those of Jacob’s household who came to Egypt: seventy#46:27 LXX reads 75; Ac 7:14 persons.#Ex 1:5; Dt 10:22; Ac 7:14
Jacob Arrives in Egypt
28Now Jacob had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to prepare for his arrival#46:28 Lit to give directions before him at Goshen.#Gn 45:10 When they came to the land of Goshen, 29Joseph hitched the horses to his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel. Joseph presented himself to him, threw his arms around him, and wept for a long time.#Gn 45:14
30Then Israel said to Joseph, “I’m ready to die now because I have seen your face and you are still alive!”
31Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s family, “I will go up and inform Pharaoh, telling him, ‘My brothers and my father’s family, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.#Gn 47:1 32The men are shepherds; they also raise livestock. They have brought their flocks and herds and all that they have.’ 33When Pharaoh addresses you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34you are to say, ‘Your servants, both we and our ancestors, have raised livestock#46:34 Lit fathers, are men of livestock from our youth until now.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the land of Goshen, since all shepherds are detestable to Egyptians.”#Gn 43:32; Ex 8:26
© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Genesis 46
46
Jacob Brings His Whole Family to Egypt
1When Israel set out on his journey with all that he had and came to Beer-sheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2God spoke to Israel in visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” 3Then he said, “I am God,#46.3 Heb the God the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. 4I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again; and Joseph's own hand shall close your eyes.”
5Then Jacob set out from Beer-sheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6They also took their livestock and the goods that they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and they came into Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him, 7his sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters; all his offspring he brought with him into Egypt.
8Now these are the names of the Israelites, Jacob and his offspring, who came to Egypt. Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, 9and the children of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 10The children of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul,#46.10 Or Saul the son of a Canaanite woman. 11The children of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12The children of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan); and the children of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13The children of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Jashub,#46.13 Compare Sam Gk Num 26.24 1 Chr 7.1: MT Iob and Shimron. 14The children of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel 15(these are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, together with his daughter Dinah; in all his sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three). 16The children of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. 17The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. The children of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel 18(these are the children of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah; and these she bore to Jacob—sixteen persons). 19The children of Jacob's wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 20To Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him. 21The children of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard 22(these are the children of Rachel, who were born to Jacob—fourteen persons in all). 23The children of Dan: Hashum.#46.23 Gk: Heb Hushim 24The children of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem 25(these are the children of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel, and these she bore to Jacob—seven persons in all). 26All the persons belonging to Jacob who came into Egypt, who were his own offspring, not including the wives of his sons, were sixty-six persons in all. 27The children of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two; all the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.
Jacob Settles in Goshen
28Israel#46.28 Heb He sent Judah ahead to Joseph to lead the way before him into Goshen. When they came to the land of Goshen, 29Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to meet his father Israel in Goshen. He presented himself to him, fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. 30Israel said to Joseph, “I can die now, having seen for myself that you are still alive.” 31Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, “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. 32The men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of livestock; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.’ 33When Pharaoh calls you, and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our ancestors’—in order that you may settle in the land of Goshen, because all shepherds are abhorrent to the Egyptians.”
New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.