Genesis 45–46

Joseph Reveals His Identity

45Joseph could no longer keep his composure in front of all his attendants, ^tso he called out, “Send everyone away from me!” No one was with him when he revealed his identity to his brothers. ^u2But he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and also Pharaoh’s household heard it. ³Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But they could not answer him because they were terrified in his presence.

⁴Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please, come near me,” and they came near. “I am Joseph, your brother,” he said, “the one you sold into Egypt. ^v5And now don’t be worried or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life. ^w6For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. ⁷God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. ^x8Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

⁹“Return quickly to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me without delay. ¹⁰You can settle in the land of Goshen ^yand be near me—you, your children, and grandchildren, your sheep, cattle, and all you have. ¹¹There I will sustain you, for there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise, you, your household, and everything you have will become destitute.” ’ ^z12Look! Your eyes and my brother Benjamin’s eyes can see that it is I, Joseph, who am ^aspeaking to you. ¹³Tell my father about all my glory in Egypt and about all you have seen. And bring my father here quickly.” ^b

¹⁴Then Joseph threw his arms around Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept on his shoulder. ¹⁵Joseph kissed each of his brothers as he wept, ^cand afterward his brothers talked with him.

The Return for Jacob

¹⁶When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace, “Joseph’s brothers have come,” Pharaoh and his servants were pleased. ¹⁷Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and go on back to the land of Canaan. ¹⁸Get your father and your families, and come back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you can eat from the richness of the land.’ ¹⁹You are also commanded, ‘Do this: Take wagons from the land of Egypt for your young children and your wives and bring your father here. ^d20Do not be concerned about your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’ ” ^e

²¹The sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh had commanded, and he gave them provisions for the journey. ²²He gave each of the brothers changes of clothes, ^fbut he gave Benjamin 300 pieces of silver and five changes of clothes. ^g23He sent his father the following: 10 donkeys carrying the best products of Egypt and 10 female donkeys carrying grain, food, and provisions for his father on the journey. ²⁴So Joseph sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving, he said to them, “Don’t argue on the way.”

²⁵So they went up from Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. ²⁶They said, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!” Jacob was stunned, ^hfor he did not believe them. ²⁷But when they told Jacob all that Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.

²⁸Then Israel said, “Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go to see him before I die.”

Jacob Leaves for Egypt

46Israel set out with all that he had and came to Beer-sheba, ⁱand he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. ²That night God spoke to Israel in a vision: ^j“Jacob, Jacob!” He said.

And Jacob replied, “Here I am.”

³God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. ^k4I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you back. ^lJoseph will put his hands on your eyes.” ^mn

⁵Jacob left Beer-sheba. The sons of Israel took their father Jacob in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him, ^oalong with their children and their wives. ⁶They also took their cattle and possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan. Then Jacob and all his children went with him to Egypt. ^p7His sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters, indeed all his offspring, he brought with him to Egypt.

Jacob’s Family

⁸These are the names of the Israelites, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: ^q

Jacob’s firstborn: Reuben.

⁹Reuben’s sons: ^rHanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

¹⁰Simeon’s sons: ^sJemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.

¹¹Levi’s sons: ^tGershon, Kohath, and Merari.

¹²Judah’s sons: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.

Perez’s sons: ^uHezron and Hamul.

¹³Issachar’s sons: ^vTola, Puvah, ^wJashub, ^xand Shimron.

¹⁴Zebulun’s sons: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

¹⁵These were Leah’s sons born to Jacob in Paddan-aram, as well as his daughter Dinah. The total number of persons: ^y33.

¹⁶Gad’s sons: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

¹⁷Asher’s sons: ^zImnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah.

Beriah’s sons were Heber and Malchiel.

¹⁸These were the sons of Zilpah—whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah—that she bore to Jacob: 16 persons.

¹⁹The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.

²⁰Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt. They were born to him by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, a priest at On. ^a

²¹Benjamin’s sons: ^bBela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

²²These were Rachel’s sons who were born to Jacob: 14 persons.

²³Dan’s son: ^cHushim.

²⁴Naphtali’s sons: ^dJahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

²⁵These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel. ^eShe bore to Jacob: seven persons.

²⁶The total number of persons belonging to Jacob—his direct descendants, ^fnot including the wives of Jacob’s sons—who came to Egypt: 66.

²⁷And Joseph’s sons who were born to him in Egypt: two persons.

All those of Jacob’s household who had come to Egypt: 70 ^gpersons. ^h

Jacob Arrives in Egypt

²⁸Now Jacob had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to prepare for his arrival ⁱat Goshen. ^jWhen they came to the land of Goshen, ²⁹Joseph hitched the horses to his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel. Joseph presented himself to him, threw his arms around him, and wept for a long time. ^k

³⁰Then Israel said to Joseph, “At last I can die, now that I have seen your face and know you are still alive!”

³¹Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and inform Pharaoh, telling him: My brothers and my father’s household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. ^l32The men are shepherds; they also raise livestock. They have brought their sheep and cattle and all that they have. ³³When Pharaoh addresses you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ ³⁴you are to say, ‘Your servants, both we and our fathers, have raised livestock ^mfrom our youth until now.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the land of Goshen, since all shepherds are abhorrent to Egyptians.” ⁿ