Genesis 50

Jacob’s Funeral

1When Israel died, Joseph was very sad. He hugged his father and cried over him and kissed him. 2Joseph commanded his servants to prepare his father’s body. (These servants were doctors.) The doctors prepared Jacob’s body to be buried. They prepared the body in the special way of the Egyptians. 3When the Egyptians prepared the body in this special way, they waited 40 days before they buried the body. Then the Egyptians had a special time of sadness for Jacob. This time was 70 days.

4After the time of sadness was finished, Joseph spoke to Pharaoh’s officers and said, “Please tell this to Pharaoh: 5‘When my father was near death, I made a promise to him. I promised that I would bury him in a cave in the land of Canaan. This is the cave that he prepared for himself. So please let me go and bury my father. Then I will come back here to you.’”

6Pharaoh answered, “Keep your promise. Go and bury your father.”

7So Joseph went to bury his father. All of Pharaoh’s officials, personal advisors, and all the older leaders of Egypt went with Joseph. 8All the people in Joseph’s family, his brothers, and all the people in his father’s family went with him. Only the children and the animals stayed in the land of Goshen. 9So there was a large crowd of people with him. There was even a group of soldiers riding in chariots and some on horses.

10They went to Goren Atad,#50:10 Goren Atad Or “Atad’s threshing floor.” east of the Jordan River. There they had a long funeral service for Israel, which continued for seven days. 11When the people who lived in Canaan saw the funeral service at Goren Atad, they said, “This is a time of great sorrow for those Egyptians.” So now that place across the Jordan River is named Abel Mizraim.#50:11 Abel Mizraim This means “Egyptian time of sadness.”

12So Jacob’s sons did what their father told them. 13They carried his body to Canaan and buried it in the cave at Machpelah. This was the cave near Mamre in the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite. Abraham bought that cave to use as a burial place. 14After Joseph buried his father, he and everyone in the group with him went back to Egypt.

The Brothers Are Still Afraid of Joseph

15After Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers were worried. They were afraid that Joseph would still be mad at them for what they had done years before. They said, “Maybe Joseph still hates us for what we did.” 16So the brothers sent this message to Joseph: “Before your father died, he told us to give you a message. 17He said, ‘Tell Joseph that I beg him to please forgive his brothers for the bad things they did to him.’ So now Joseph, we beg you, please forgive us for the bad things we did to you. We are the servants of God, the God of your father.”

That message made Joseph very sad, and he cried. 18His brothers went to him and bowed down in front of him. They said, “We will be your servants.”

19Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am not God! I have no right to punish you. 20It is true that you planned to do something bad to me. But really, God was planning good things. God’s plan was to use me to save the lives of many people. And that is what happened. 21So don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.” And so Joseph said kind things to his brothers, and this made them feel better.

22Joseph continued to live in Egypt with his father’s family. He died when he was 110 years old. 23During Joseph’s life Ephraim had children and grandchildren. And his son Manasseh had a son named Makir. Joseph lived to see Makir’s children.

The Death of Joseph

24When Joseph was near death, he said to his brothers, “My time to die is almost here. But I know that God will take care of you and lead you out of this country. God will lead you to the land he promised to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

25Then Joseph asked his people to make a promise. Joseph said, “Promise me that you will carry my bones with you when God leads you out of Egypt.”

26Joseph died in Egypt when he was 110 years old. Doctors prepared his body for burial and put the body in a coffin in Egypt.

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Genesis 50

1Then Joseph #ch. 46:4fell on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him. 2And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to #ver. 26; [2 Chr. 16:14; Mark 16:1; Luke 23:56; John 19:39, 40]embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. 3Forty days were required for it, for that is how many are required for embalming. And the Egyptians #[ver. 10; Num. 20:29; Deut. 34:8; 1 Sam. 31:13; Job 2:13]wept for him seventy days.

4And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, #ch. 47:29; See ch. 33:15“If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, 5‘My father made me swear, saying, “I am about to die: in my tomb #2 Chr. 16:14; Isa. 22:16; Matt. 27:60that I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there shall you bury me.” Now therefore, let me please go up and bury my father. Then I will return.’” 6And Pharaoh answered, “Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear.” 7So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s household. Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left #See ch. 45:10in the land of Goshen. 9And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen. It was a very great company. 10When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, #[2 Sam. 1:17; Acts 8:2] they lamented there with a very great and grievous lamentation, and he #[ver. 3]made a mourning for his father seven days. 11When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning by the Egyptians.” Therefore the place was named Abel-mizraim;#50:11 Abel-mizraim means mourning (or meadow) of Egypt it is beyond the Jordan. 12Thus his sons did for him as he had commanded them, 13for #ch. 49:29, 30; [Acts 7:16] his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, which Abraham #ch. 23:16bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. 14After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

God’s Good Purposes

15When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” 16So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: 17‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of #ch. 49:25the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18His brothers also came and #[ch. 37:7, 10]fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for #ch. 30:2; [2 Kgs. 5:7]am I in the place of God? 20As for you, you meant evil against me, but #ch. 45:5, 7God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people#50:20 Or a numerous people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21So do not fear; #ch. 45:11; 47:12I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

The Death of Joseph

22So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father’s house. Joseph lived 110 years. 23And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children #[Job 42:16; Ps. 128:6] of the third generation. The #Num. 32:39; 1 Chr. 7:14, 15 children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were #[ch. 30:3]counted as Joseph’s own.#50:23 Hebrew were born on Joseph’s knees 24And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but #ch. 15:14; 46:4; 48:21; Ex. 3:16, 17; [Heb. 11:22] God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land #ch. 15:18; 26:3; 28:13; 35:12; 46:4that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25Then #Ex. 13:19; Josh. 24:32Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They #See ver. 2embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

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