Genesis 49–50

Jacob Gives Blessings to His Sons

49Then Jacob sent for his sons. He said, “Gather around me so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.

²“Sons of Jacob, come together and listen.

Listen to your father Israel.

³“Reuben, you are my oldest son.

You were my first child. You were the first sign of my strength.

You were first in honor. You were first in power.

⁴But you are as unsteady as water. So you won’t be first anymore.

You had sex with your father’s concubine in his bed.

You lay on his couch and made it ‘unclean.’

⁵“Simeon and Levi are brothers.

Their swords have killed a lot of people.

⁶I won’t share in their plans.

I won’t have anything to do with them.

They became angry and killed people.

They cut the legs of oxen just for the fun of it.

⁷May the Lord put a curse on them

because of their terrible anger.

I will scatter them in Jacob’s land.

I will spread them around in Israel.

⁸“Judah, your brothers will praise you.

Your enemies will be brought under your control.

Your father’s sons will bow down to you.

⁹Judah, you are like a lion’s cub.

You return from hunting, my son.

Like a lion, you lie down and sleep.

You are like a mother lion. Who dares to wake you up?

¹⁰The right to rule will not leave Judah.

The ruler’s rod will not be taken from between his feet.

It will be his until the king it belongs to comes.

It will be his until the nations obey him.

¹¹He will tie his donkey to a vine.

He will tie his colt to the very best branch.

He will wash his clothes in wine.

He will wash his robes in the red juice of grapes.

¹²His eyes will be darker than wine.

His teeth will be whiter than milk.

¹³“Zebulun will live by the seashore.

He will become a safe harbor for ships.

His border will go out toward Sidon.

¹⁴“Issachar is like a donkey

lying down between two saddlebags.

¹⁵He sees how good his resting place is.

He sees that his land is pleasant.

So he’ll carry a heavy load on his back.

He will obey when he’s forced to work.

¹⁶“Dan will do what is fair for his people.

He will do it as one of the tribes of Israel.

¹⁷Dan will be a serpent by the side of the road.

He will be a poisonous snake along the path.

It bites the horse’s heels

so that the rider falls off backward.

¹⁸“Lord, I look to you to save me.

¹⁹“Gad will be attacked by a group of robbers.

But he’ll attack them as they run away.

²⁰“Asher’s food will be rich and sweet.

He will provide food that even a king would enjoy.

²¹“Naphtali is a female deer that is set free

and gives birth to beautiful fawns.

²²“Joseph is a vine that grows a lot of fruit.

It grows close by a spring.

Its branches climb over a wall.

²³Mean people shot arrows at him.

They shot at him because they were angry.

²⁴But his bow remained steady.

His strong arms moved freely.

The hand of the Mighty One of Jacob was with him.

The Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, stood by him.

²⁵Your father’s God helps you.

The Mighty One blesses you.

He gives you blessings from the highest heavens.

He gives you blessings from the deepest oceans.

He blesses you with children and with a mother’s milk.

²⁶Your father’s blessings are great.

They are greater than the blessings from the age-old mountains.

They are greater than the gifts from the ancient hills.

Let all of those blessings rest on the head of Joseph.

Let them rest on the head of the one who is prince among his brothers.

²⁷“Benjamin is a hungry wolf.

In the morning he eats what he has killed.

In the evening he shares what he has stolen.”

²⁸All of those are the 12 tribes of Israel. That’s what their father said to them when he blessed them. He gave each one the blessing that was just right for him.

Jacob Dies

²⁹Then Jacob gave directions to his sons. He said, “I’m about to join the members of my family who have already died. Bury me with them in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite.

³⁰“The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre in Canaan. Abraham had bought it as a place where he could bury his wife’s body. He had bought the cave from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field.

³¹“The bodies of Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried there. So were the bodies of Isaac and his wife Rebekah. I also buried Leah’s body there. ³²Abraham bought the field and the cave from the Hittites.”

³³When Jacob had finished telling his sons what to do, he pulled his feet up into his bed. Then he took his last breath and joined the members of his family who had already died.

50Joseph threw himself on his father’s body. He sobbed over him and kissed him.

²Then Joseph talked to the doctors who served him. He told them to prepare the body of his father Israel to be buried. So the doctors prepared it. ³They took 40 days to do it. They needed that much time to prepare a body in the right way. The Egyptians sobbed over Jacob for 70 days.

⁴After the days of sorrow had passed, Joseph went to Pharaoh’s officials. He said to them, “If you are pleased with me, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, ⁵‘My father made me take an oath and make a promise to him. He said, “I’m about to die. Bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” So let me go up and bury my father. Then I’ll come back.’ ”

⁶Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father. Do what he made you promise to do.”

⁷So Joseph went up to bury his father. All of Pharaoh’s officials went with him. They were the important people of his court and all of the leaders of Egypt.

⁸All of Joseph’s family also went. His brothers and all of the rest of his father’s family went too. Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen.

⁹Chariots and horsemen also went up with him. It was a very large group.

¹⁰They came to the threshing floor of Atad. It was near the Jordan River. There they sobbed loudly and bitterly. Joseph set apart seven days of sadness to honor his father’s memory.

¹¹The people of Canaan who were living there saw how sad all of them were at the threshing floor of Atad. They said, “The Egyptians are having a very special service for the dead.” That’s why that place near the Jordan River is called Abel of the Egyptians.

¹²So Jacob’s sons did exactly as he had commanded them. ¹³They carried his body to the land of Canaan. They buried it in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre. Abraham had bought the cave as a place where he could bury his wife’s body. He had bought it from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field.

¹⁴After Joseph buried his father, he went back to Egypt. His brothers and all of the others who had gone to help him bury his father went back with him.

Joseph Sets His Brothers Free From Their Fears

¹⁵Now that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers were worried. They said, “Remember all of the bad things we did to Joseph? What if he decides to hold those things against us? What if he pays us back for them?”

¹⁶So they sent a message to Joseph. They said, “Your father gave us directions before he died. ¹⁷He said, ‘Here’s what you must say to Joseph. Tell him, “I’m asking you to forgive your brothers. Forgive the terrible things they did to you. Forgive them for treating you so badly.” ’ Now then, please forgive our sins. We serve the God of your father.”

When their message came to Joseph, he sobbed.

¹⁸Then his brothers came and threw themselves down in front of him. “We are your slaves,” they said.

¹⁹But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Do you think I’m God? ²⁰You planned to harm me. But God planned it for good. He planned to do what is now being done. He wanted to save many lives.

²¹“So then, don’t be afraid. I’ll provide for you and your children.” He set them free from their fears. And he spoke in a kind way to them.

Joseph Dies

²²Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all of his father’s family. He lived 110 years. ²³He lived long enough to see Ephraim’s children and grandchildren. When the children of Makir were born, they were placed on Joseph’s knees and counted as his own children. Makir was the son of Manasseh.

²⁴Joseph said to his brothers, “I’m about to die. But I’m sure that God will come to help you. He’ll take you up out of this land. He’ll bring you to the land he promised with an oath to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

²⁵Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath and make a promise to him. He said, “I’m sure that God will come to help you. Then you must carry my bones up from this place.”

²⁶So Joseph died at the age of 110. They prepared his body to be buried. Then he was placed in a casket in Egypt.