Genesis 50
50
1And when Joseph saw this, he fell upon his father's face weeping and kissing him.
2And he commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father.
3And while they were fulfilling his commands, there passed forty days: for this was the manner with bodies that were embalmed. And Egypt mourned for him seventy days.
4And the time of the mourning being expired, Joseph spoke to the family of Pharao: If I have found favour in your sight, speak in the ears of Pharao.
5For my father made me swear to him, saying: Behold, I die: thou shalt bury me in my sepulchre which I have digged for myself in the land of Chanaan. So I will go up and bury my father, and return.
6And Pharao said to him: Go up and bury thy father according as he made thee swear.
7So he went up, and there went with him all the ancients of Pharao's house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
8And the house of Joseph with his brethren, except their children, and their flocks and herds, which they left in the land of Gessen.
9He had also in his train chariots and horsemen: and it was a great company.
10And they came to the threshing-floor of Atad, which is situated beyond the Jordan: where celebrating the exequies with a great and vehement lamentation, they spent full seven days.
11And when the inhabitants of Chanaan saw this, they said: This is a great mourning to the Egyptians. And therefore the name of that place was called: The mourning of Egypt.
12So the sons of Jacob did as he had commanded them.
13And carrying him into the land of Chanaan, they buried him in the double cave which Abraham had bought together with the held for a possession of a burying place, of Ephron the Hethite over against Mambre.
14And Joseph returned into Egypt with his brethren, and all that were in his company, after he had buried his father.
15Now he being dead, his brethren were afraid, and talked one with another: Lest perhaps he should remember the wrong he suffered, and requite us all the evil that we did to him.
16And they sent a message to him, saying: Thy father commanded us before he died,
17That we should say thus much to thee from him: I beseech thee to forget the wickedness of thy brethren, and the sin and malice they practiced against thee. We also pray thee, to forgive the servants of the God of thy father this wickedness. And when Joseph heard this, he wept.
18And his brethren came to him: and worshipping prostrate on the ground they said: We are thy servants.
19And he answered them: Fear not. Can we resist the will of God?
20You thought evil against me: but God turned it into good, that he might exalt me, as at present you see, and might save many people.
21Fear not: I will feed you and your children. And he comforted them, and spoke gently and mildly.
22And he dwelt in Egypt with all his father's house: and lived a hundred and ten years. And he saw the children of Ephraim to the third generation. The children also of Machir the son of Manasses were born on Joseph's knees.
23After which he told his brethren: God will visit you after my death, and will make you go up out of this land, to the land which he swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
24And he made them swear to him, saying: God will visit you. Carry my bones with you out of this place:
25And he died being a hundred and ten years old. And being embalmed he was laid in a coffin in Egypt.
An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Genesis 50
50
Jacob’s Burial
1Then Joseph, leaning over his father’s face, wept and kissed him. 2He commanded his servants who were physicians to embalm his father. So they embalmed Israel. 3They took forty days to complete this, for embalming takes that long, and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.#Gn 50:10; Nm 20:29; Dt 34:8
4When the days of mourning were over, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s household, “If I have found favor with you, please tell Pharaoh that 5my father made me take an oath,#Gn 47:29–31 saying, ‘I am about to die. You must bury me there in the tomb that I made for myself in the land of Canaan.’#2Ch 16:14; Is 22:16; Mt 27:60 Now let me go and bury my father. Then I will return.”
6So Pharaoh said, “Go and bury your father in keeping with your oath.”
7Then Joseph went to bury his father, and all Pharaoh’s servants, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt went with him, 8along with all Joseph’s family, his brothers, and his father’s family. Only their dependents, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. 9Horses and chariots went up with him; it was a very impressive procession. 10When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, which is across the Jordan, they lamented and wept loudly, and Joseph mourned seven days for his father. 11When the Canaanite inhabitants of the land saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a solemn mourning on the part of the Egyptians.” Therefore the place is named Abel-mizraim.#50:11 = Mourning of Egypt It is across the Jordan.
12So Jacob’s sons did for him what he had commanded them. 13They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave at Machpelah in the field near Mamre, which Abraham had purchased as burial property from Ephron the Hethite.#Gn 23:16–20 14After Joseph buried his father, he returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone with him to bury his father.
Joseph’s Kindness
15When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said to one another, “If Joseph is holding a grudge against us, he will certainly repay us for all the suffering we caused him.”#Gn 37:28; 42:21–22
16So they sent this message to Joseph, “Before he died your father gave a command: 17‘Say this to Joseph: Please forgive your brothers’ transgression and their sin — the suffering they caused you.’ Therefore, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept#Gn 43:30; 46:29; 50:1 when their message came to him. 18His brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, “We are your slaves!”
19But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?#Gn 3:5 20You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result — the survival of many people.#Gn 45:7; Rm 8:28 21Therefore don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.”#Gn 45:11; 47:12 And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.#50:21 Lit spoke to their hearts
Joseph’s Death
22Joseph and his father’s family remained in Egypt. Joseph lived 110 years. 23He saw Ephraim’s sons to the third generation;#Jb 42:16; Ps 128:6 the sons of Manasseh’s son Machir were recognized by#50:23 Lit were born on the knees of#50:23 Referring to a ritual of adoption or of legitimation; Gn 30:3 Joseph.#Gn 30:3
24Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die,#Gn 48:21; Ex 3:16–17; Heb 11:22 but God will certainly come to your aid and bring you up from this land to the land he swore to give to Abraham,#Gn 13:15–17; 15:7–8 Isaac,#Gn 26:3 and Jacob.”#Gn 28:13; 35:12 25So Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath: “When God comes to your aid, you are to carry my bones up from here.”#Ex 13:19
26Joseph died at the age of 110. They embalmed him and placed him in a coffin in Egypt.
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