Genesis 46
46
God Assures Israel
1So Israel began his trip to Egypt. First he went to Beersheba. There he worshiped God, the God of his father Isaac. He offered sacrifices. 2During the night God spoke to Israel in a dream and said, “Jacob, Jacob.”
Israel answered, “Here I am.”
3Then God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go to Egypt. In Egypt I will make you a great nation. 4I will go to Egypt with you, and I will bring you out of Egypt again. You will die there, but Joseph will be with you. His own hands will close your eyes when you die.”
Israel Goes to Egypt
5Then Jacob left Beersheba and traveled to Egypt. His sons, the sons of Israel, brought their father, their wives, and all their children to Egypt. They traveled in the wagons the Pharaoh had sent. 6They also had their cattle and everything they owned in the land of Canaan. So Israel went to Egypt with all his children and his family. 7With him were his sons and his grandsons, his daughters and his granddaughters. All of his family went with him.
The Family of Jacob (Israel)
8These are the names of Israel’s sons and family who went to Egypt with him:
Reuben was Jacob’s first son. 9Reuben’s sons were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10Simeon’s sons were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, and Zohar. There was also Shaul. (Shaul was born from a Canaanite woman.)
11Levi’s sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12Judah’s sons were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. (Er and Onan died while still in Canaan.) Perez’s sons were Hezron and Hamul.
13Issachar’s sons were Tola, Puah, Job, and Shimron.
14Zebulun’s sons were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun were Jacob’s sons from his wife Leah. Leah had these sons in Paddan Aram. She also had a daughter named Dinah. There were 33 people in this family.
16Gad’s sons were Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
17Asher’s sons were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. Also there were Beriah’s sons, Heber and Malkiel.
18All these were Jacob’s sons from his wife’s servant, Zilpah. (Zilpah was the maid that Laban had given to his daughter Leah.) There were 16 people in this family.
19Benjamin was also with Jacob. Benjamin was Jacob and Rachel’s son. (Joseph was also Rachel’s son, but he was already in Egypt.)
20In Egypt, Joseph had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. (Joseph’s wife was Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest in the city of On.)
21Benjamin’s sons were Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
22These were the sons of Jacob from his wife Rachel. There were 14 people in this family.
23Dan’s son was Hushim.
24Naphtali’s sons were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
25These were the sons of Jacob and Bilhah. (Bilhah was the maid that Laban had given to his daughter Rachel.) There were seven people in this family.
26The total number of Jacob’s direct descendants who went with him to Egypt was 66 people. (The wives of Jacob’s sons were not counted in this number.) 27Also, Joseph had two sons in Egypt. With these two grandsons, Jacob’s family in Egypt numbered 70 people in all.
Israel Arrives in Egypt
28Jacob sent Judah ahead to speak to Joseph. Judah went to Joseph in the land of Goshen. Then Jacob and his people followed into the land. 29Joseph learned that his father was coming. So he prepared his chariot and went out to meet his father, Israel, in Goshen. When Joseph saw his father, he hugged his neck and cried for a long time.
30Then Israel said to Joseph, “Now I can die in peace. I have seen your face, and I know that you are still alive.”
31Joseph said to his brothers and to the rest of his father’s family, “I will go and tell Pharaoh that you are here. I will say to Pharaoh, ‘My brothers and the rest of my father’s family have left the land of Canaan and have come here to me. 32They are a family of shepherds. They have always kept sheep and cattle. They have brought all their animals and everything they own with them.’ 33When Pharaoh calls you, he will ask, ‘What work do you do?’ 34You tell him, ‘We are shepherds. All our lives we have been shepherds, and our ancestors were shepherds before us.’ Then Pharaoh will allow you to live in the land of Goshen. Egyptians don’t like shepherds, so it is better that you stay in Goshen.”
© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Genesis 46
46
1And Israel taking his journey, with all that he had, came to the well of the oath, and killing victims there to the God of his father Isaac,
2He heard him by a vision in the night calling him, and saying to him: Jacob, Jacob. And he answered him: Lo, here I am.
3God said to him: I am the most mighty God of thy father. Fear not, go down into Egypt, for I will make a great nation of thee there.
4I will go down with thee thither, and will bring thee back again from thence: Joseph also shall put his hands upon thy eyes.
5And Jacob rose up from the well of the oath: and his sons took him up, with their children and wives in the wagons, which Pharao had sent to carry the old man,
6And all that he had in the land of Chanaan. And he came into Egypt with all his seed:
7His sons, and grandsons, daughters, and all his offspring together.
8And these are the names of the children of Israel, that entered into Egypt, he and his children. His firstborn Ruben.
9The sons of Ruben: Henoch and Phallu, and Hesron and Charmi.
10The sons of Simeon: Jamuel and Jamin and Ahod, and Jachin and Sohar, and Saul the son of a woman of Chanaan.
11The sons of Levi: Gerson and Caath and Merari.
12The sons of Juda: Her and Onan and Sela and Phares and Zara. And Her and Onan died in the land of Chanaan. And sons were born to Phares: Hesron and Hamul.
13The sons of Issachar: Thola and Phua and Job and Semron.
14The sons of Zabulon: Sared and Elon and Jahelel.
15These are the sons of Lia, whom she bore in Mesopotamia of Syria, with Dina his daughter. All the souls of her sons and daughters, thirty-three.
16The sons of Gad: Sephian and Haggi and Suni and Esebon and Heri and Arodi and Areli.
17The sons of Aser: Jamne and Jesua and Jessuri and Beria, and Sara their sister. The sons of Beria: Heber and Melchiel.
18These are the sons of Zelpha, whom Laban gave to Lia his daughter. And these she bore to Jacob, sixteen souls.
19The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife: Joseph and Benjamin.
20And sons were born to Joseph, in the land of Egypt, whom Aseneth the daughter of Putiphare priest of Heliopolis bore him: Manasses and Ephraim.
21The sons of Benjamin: Bela and Bechor and Asbel and Gera and Naaman and Echi and Ros and Mophim and Ophim and Ared.
22These are the sons of Rachel, whom she bore to Jacob. All the souls, fourteen.
23The sons of Dan: Husim.
24The sons of Nephtali: Jaziel and Guni and Jeser and Sallem.
25These are the sons of Bala, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter: and these she bore to Jacob. All the souls, seven.
26All the souls that went with Jacob into Egypt, and that came out of his thigh, besides his sons' wives, sixty-six.
27And the sons of Joseph, that were born to him in the land of Egypt, two souls. All the souls of the house of Jacob, that entered into Egypt, were seventy.
28And he sent Juda before him to Joseph, to tell him; and that he should meet him in Gessen.
29And when he was come thither, Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet his father, in the same place: and seeing him, he fell upon his neck, and embracing him wept.
30And the father said to Joseph: Now shall I die with joy, because I have seen thy face, and leave thee alive.
31And Joseph said to his brethren, and to all his father's house: I will go up, and will tell Pharao, and will say to him: My brethren and my father's house, that were in the land of Chanaan, are come to me.
32And the men are shepherds, and their occupation is to feed cattle: their flocks and herds, and all they have, they have brought with them.
33And when he shall call you, and shall say: What is your occupation?
34You shall answer: We thy servants are shepherds, from our infancy until now, both we and our fathers. And this you shall say, that you may dwell in the land of Gessen, because the Egyptians have all shepherds in abomination.
An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.