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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Genesis 46

Jacob Brings His Whole Family to Egypt

1 # Gen 26.24; 28.10, 13 When 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. 2#Gen 22.11; 31.11; Job 33.14, 15God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” 3#Gen 12.2; 28.13Then 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. 4#Gen 28.15; 50.1, 13, 24, 25; Ex 3.8I 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.”

5 # Gen 45.19, 21 Then 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. 6#Deut 26.5; Josh 24.4; Ps 105.23; Isa 52.4; Acts 7.15They 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.

8 # Ex 1.1 Now 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. 10#Ex 6.15The children of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. 11#1 Chr 6.1, 16The children of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12#1 Chr 2.3; 4.21The 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: MT Iob and Shimron. 14The children of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. 15These 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. 17#1 Chr 7.30The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. The children of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel. 18#Gen 29.24; 30.10These are the children of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah, and these she bore to Jacob—sixteen persons. 19#Gen 44.27The children of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 20#Gen 41.50To Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him. 21#1 Chr 7.6; 8.1The children of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. 22These are the children of Rachel who were born to Jacob—fourteen persons in all. 23#1 Chr 7.12The children of Dan: Hashum.#46.23 Gk: Heb Hushim 24#1 Chr 7.13The children of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. 25#Gen 29.29; 30.5, 7These are the children of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel, and these she bore to Jacob—seven persons in all. 26#Ex 1.5All 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. 27#Deut 10.22; Acts 7.14The 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

28 # Gen 47.1 Israel#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, 29#Gen 45.14, 15Joseph 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.” 31#Gen 47.1Joseph 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.’ 33#Gen 47.2, 3When Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34#Gen 13.7, 8; 26.20; 37.2; 45.10, 18; Ex 8.26you 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.”

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