Genesis 50

1Joseph started crying, then leaned over to hug and kiss his father.

2Joseph gave orders for Jacob's body to be embalmed, 3and it took the usual 40 days.

The Egyptians mourned 70 days for Jacob. 4When the time of mourning was over, Joseph said to the Egyptian leaders, “If you consider me your friend, please speak to the king#50.4 the king: See the note at 12.15. for me. 5#Gn 47.29-31. Just before my father died, he made me promise to bury him in his burial cave in Canaan. If the king will give me permission to go, I will come back here.”

6The king answered, “Go to Canaan and keep your promise to your father.”

7-9When Joseph left Goshen with his brothers, his relatives, and his father's relatives to bury Jacob, many of the king's highest officials and even his military chariots and cavalry went along. The Israelites left behind only their children, their cattle, and their sheep and goats.

10After crossing the Jordan River, Joseph stopped at Atad's threshing place, where they all mourned and wept seven days for Jacob. 11The Canaanites saw this and said, “The Egyptians are in great sorrow.” Then they named the place “Egypt in Sorrow.”#50.11 Egypt in Sorrow: Or “Abel-Mizraim.”

12So Jacob's sons did just as their father had instructed. 13#Ac 7.16. They took him to Mamre in Canaan and buried him in Machpelah Cave, the burial place Abraham had bought from Ephron the Hittite.

14After the funeral, Joseph, his brothers, and everyone else returned to Egypt.

Joseph's Promise to His Brothers

15After Jacob died, Joseph's brothers said to each other, “What if Joseph still hates us and wants to get even with us for all the cruel things we did to him?”

16So they sent this message to Joseph:

Before our father died, 17he told us, “You did some cruel and terrible things to Joseph, but you must ask him to forgive you.”

Now we ask you to please forgive the terrible things we did. After all, we serve the same God that your father worshiped.

When Joseph heard this, he started crying.

18Right then, Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to the ground in front of him and said, “We are your slaves.”

19But Joseph told them, “Don't be afraid! I have no right to change what God has decided. 20You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that he could save all these people, as he is now doing. 21Don't be afraid! I will take care of you and your children.” After Joseph said this, his brothers felt much better.

Joseph's Death

22Joseph lived in Egypt with his brothers until he died at the age of 110. 23Joseph lived long enough to see Ephraim's children and grandchildren. He also lived to see the children of Manasseh's son Machir, and he welcomed them into his family. 24Before Joseph died, he told his brothers, “I won't live much longer. But God will take care of you and lead you out of Egypt to the land he promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25#Ex 13.19; Js 24.32; He 11.22. Now promise me that you will take my body with you when God leads you to that land.”

26So Joseph died in Egypt at the age of 110; his body was embalmed and put in a coffin.

Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)

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Berĕshith (Genesis) 50

1And Yosĕph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him, and kissed him.

2And Yosĕph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Yisra’ĕl.

3And forty days were completed for him, for so are completed the days of embalming. And the Mitsrites wept for him seventy days.

4And when the days of weeping for him were past, Yosĕph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If, now, I have found favour in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying,

5My father made me swear, saying, “See, I am dying, bury me in my burial-site which I dug for myself in the land of Kena‛an.” And now, please let me go up and bury my father, and return.’ ”

6And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”

7And Yosĕph went up to bury his father. And with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Mitsrayim,

8and all the house of Yosĕph, and his brothers, and his father’s house. Only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen.

9And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great company.

10And they came to the threshing-floor of Ataḏ, which is beyond the Yardĕn, and they lamented there with a great and very heavy lamentation. And he performed seven days of mourning for his father.

11And when the inhabitants of the land, the Kena‛anites, saw the mourning at the threshing-floor of Ataḏ, they said, “This is a grievous mourning for the Mitsrites.” That is why its name was called Aḇĕl Mitsrayim, which is beyond the Yardĕn.

12And his sons did to him as he had commanded them,

13for his sons brought him to the land of Kena‛an, and buried him in the cave of the field of Maḵpĕlah, before Mamrĕ, which Aḇraham bought with the field from Ephron the Ḥittite as property for a burial-site.

14And after he had buried his father, Yosĕph returned to Mitsrayim, he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father.

15And when Yosĕph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Yosĕph hates us, and pays us back all the evil which we did to him?”

16And they sent word to Yosĕph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying,

17This is what you are to say to Yosĕph, “I beg you, please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did evil to you.” ’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the Elohim of your father.” And Yosĕph wept when they spoke to him.

18And his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “See, we are your servants.”

19And Yosĕph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of Elohim?

20“And you, you intended evil against me, but Elohim intended it for good, in order to do it as it is this day, to keep a great many people alive.

21“And now, do not fear, I provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

22And Yosĕph dwelt in Mitsrayim, he and his father’s household. And Yosĕph lived one hundred and ten years.

23And Yosĕph saw Ephrayim’s children to the third generation. The children of Maḵir, son of Menashsheh, were also born on Yosĕph’s knees.

24And Yosĕph said to his brothers, “I am dying, but Elohim shall certainly visit you and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Ya‛aqoḇ.”

25And Yosĕph made the children of Yisra’ĕl swear, saying, “Elohim shall certainly visit you, and you shall bring up my bones from here.”

26And Yosĕph died, being one hundred and ten years old. And they embalmed him, and he was placed in a coffin in Mitsrayim.

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