Genesis 45–46

45TH CHAPTER

Joseph Reveals His Identity

¹Joseph could no longer control his emotions in front of everyone who was standing around him, so he cried out, “Have everyone leave me!” No one else was there when Joseph told his brothers who he was. ²He cried so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. 

³Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” His brothers could not answer him because they were afraid of him. 

⁴“Please come closer to me,” Joseph said to his brothers. When they did so, he said, “I am Joseph, the brother you sold into slavery in Egypt! ⁵Now, don’t be sad or angry with yourselves that you sold me. God sent me ahead of you to save lives. ⁶The famine has been in the land for two years. There will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. ⁷God sent me ahead of you to make sure that you would have descendants on the earth and to save your lives in an amazing way. ⁸It wasn’t you who sent me here, but God. He has made me ⸤like⸥ a father to Pharaoh, lord over his entire household, and ruler of Egypt. 

⁹“Hurry back to my father, and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says, “God has made me lord of Egypt. Come here to me right away! ¹⁰Live in the land of Goshen, where you will be near me. Live there with your children and your grandchildren, as well as your flocks, your herds, and everything you have. ¹¹I will provide for you in Egypt, since there will be five more years of famine. Then you, your family, and all who belong to you won’t lose everything.” ’ 

¹²“You and my brother Benjamin can see for yourselves that I am the one who is speaking to you. ¹³Tell my father how greatly honored I am in Egypt and about everything you have seen. Hurry and bring my father here!” 

¹⁴He threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and cried with Benjamin, who was crying on his shoulder. ¹⁵He kissed all his brothers and cried with them. After that his brothers talked with him. 

Pharaoh Invites Jacob’s ^[Israel’s^[ Family to Live in Egypt

¹⁶When Pharaoh’s household heard the news that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and his officials were pleased. ¹⁷So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Load up your animals, and go back to Canaan. ¹⁸Take your father and your families, and come to me. I will give you the best land in Egypt. Then you can enjoy the best food in the land.’ 

¹⁹“Give them this order: ‘Take wagons with you from Egypt for your children and your wives. Bring your father, and come back. ²⁰Don’t worry about your belongings because the best of everything in Egypt is yours.’ ” 

²¹Israel’s sons did as they were told. Joseph gave them wagons and supplies for their trip as Pharaoh had ordered. ²²He gave each of them a change of clothes, but he gave Benjamin three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothes. ²³He sent his father ten male donkeys carrying Egypt’s best products and ten female donkeys carrying grain, bread, and food for his father’s trip. ²⁴So Joseph sent his brothers on their way. As they were leaving, he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on your way back!” 

²⁵So they left Egypt and came to their father Jacob in Canaan. ²⁶They told him, “Joseph is still alive! Yes, he is ruler of Egypt.” Jacob was stunned and didn’t believe them. ²⁷Yet, when they told their father everything Joseph had said to them and he saw the wagons Joseph had sent to bring him back, his spirits were lifted. 

²⁸“You have convinced me!” Israel said. “My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.” 

46TH CHAPTER

Jacob’s ^[Israel’s^[ Seventh Encounter with God

¹Israel moved with all he had. When he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 

²God spoke to Israel in a vision that night and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” 

“Here I am,” he answered. 

³“I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to go to Egypt, because I will make you a great nation there. ⁴I will go with you to Egypt, and I will make sure you come back again. Joseph will close your eyes ⸤when you die⸥.” 

⁵So Jacob left Beersheba. Israel’s sons put their father Jacob, their children, and their wives in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to bring him back. ⁶They also took their livestock and the possessions they had accumulated in Canaan. 

Jacob and all his family arrived in Egypt. ⁷He had brought his sons, his grandsons, his daughters, and his granddaughters—his entire family. 

Jacob’s ^[Israel’s^[ Descendants—Exodus 6:14–16; 1 Chronicles 2:3–5

⁸These are the names of Israel’s descendants (Jacob and his descendants) who arrived in Egypt. 

Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn. 

⁹The sons of Reuben were 

Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 

¹⁰The sons of Simeon were 

Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. 

¹¹The sons of Levi were 

Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 

¹²The sons of Judah were 

Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. (Er and Onan had died in Canaan.) 

The sons of Perez were 

Hezron and Hamul. 

¹³The sons of Issachar were 

Tola, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron. 

¹⁴The sons of Zebulun were 

Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. 

¹⁵These were the descendants of the sons Leah gave to Jacob in Paddan Aram, in addition to his daughter Dinah. The total number of these sons and daughters was 33. 

¹⁶The sons of Gad were 

Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. 

¹⁷The sons of Asher were 

Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Their sister was Serah. 

The sons of Beriah were 

Heber and Malchiel. 

¹⁸These were the descendants of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah. She gave birth to these children for Jacob. The total was 16. 

¹⁹The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel were 

Joseph and Benjamin. 

²⁰In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest from the city of On. 

²¹The sons of Benjamin were 

Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. 

²²These were the descendants of Rachel who were born to Jacob. The total was 14. 

²³The son of Dan was 

Hushim. 

²⁴The sons of Naphtali were 

Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. 

²⁵These were the descendants of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel. She gave birth to these sons for Jacob. The total was 7. 

²⁶The total number of Jacob’s direct descendants who went with him to Egypt was 66. This didn’t include the wives of Jacob’s sons. ²⁷Joseph had two sons who were born in Egypt. The grand total of people in Jacob’s household who went to Egypt was 70. 

Joseph and Jacob ^[Israel^[ Reunited

²⁸Israel sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When Israel’s family arrived in the region of Goshen, ²⁹Joseph prepared his chariot and went to meet his father Israel. As soon as he saw his father, he threw his arms around him and cried on his shoulder a long time. 

³⁰Israel said to Joseph, “Now that I’ve seen for myself that you’re still alive, I’m ready to die.” 

³¹Then Joseph said to his brothers and his father’s family, “I’m going to Pharaoh to tell him, ‘My brothers and my father’s family, who were in Canaan, have come to me. ³²The men are shepherds. They take care of livestock. They’ve brought their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ ³³Now, when Pharaoh calls for you and asks, ‘What kind of work do you do?’ ³⁴you must answer, ‘We have taken care of herds all our lives, as our ancestors have done.’ ⸤You must say this⸥ so that you may live in the region of Goshen, because all shepherds are disgusting to Egyptians.”