Genesis 46

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