Genesis 45–46

Joseph Makes Himself Known

45Then Joseph could no longer control himselfⁱ before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!”^j So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. ²And he wept^k so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.^l

³Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?”^m But his brothers were not able to answer him,ⁿ because they were terrified at his presence.^o

⁴Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.”^p When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!^{q 5}And now, do not be distressed^r and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here,^s because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.^{t 6}For two years now there has been famine^u in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. ⁷But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant^v on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.^aw

⁸“So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.^x He made me father^y to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.^{z 9}Now hurry^a back 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; don’t delay.^{b 10}You shall live in the region of Goshen^c and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have.^{d 11}I will provide for you there,^e because five years of famine^f are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’^g

¹²“You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin,^h that it is really I who am speaking to you.^{i 13}Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt^j and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.^k”

¹⁴Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin^l embraced him,^m weeping. ¹⁵And he kissedⁿ all his brothers and wept over them.^o Afterward his brothers talked with him.^p

¹⁶When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come,^q Pharaoh and all his officials^r were pleased.^{s 17}Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals^t and return to the land of Canaan,^{u 18}and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt^v and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’^w

¹⁹“You are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts^x from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. ²⁰Never mind about your belongings,^y because the best of all Egypt^z will be yours.’ ”

²¹So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts,^a as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey.^{b 22}To each of them he gave new clothing,^c but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels^b of silver and five sets of clothes.^{d 23}And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys^e loaded with the best things^f of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey.^{g 24}Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”^h

²⁵So they went up out of Egyptⁱ and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.^{j 26}They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.”^k Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them.^{l 27}But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts^m Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. ²⁸And Israel said, “I’m convinced!ⁿ My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”^o

Jacob Goes to Egypt

46So Israel^p set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba,^q he offered sacrifices^r to the God of his father Isaac.^s

²And God spoke to Israel^t in a vision at night^u and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”

“Here I am,”^v he replied.

³“I am God, the God of your father,”^w he said. “Do not be afraid^x to go down to Egypt,^y for I will make you into a great nation^z there.^{a 4}I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again.^b And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.^c”

⁵Then Jacob left Beersheba,^d and Israel’s^e sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts^f that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. ⁶So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt,^g taking with them their livestock and the possessions^h they had acquiredⁱ in Canaan. ⁷Jacob brought with him to Egypt^j his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.^k

⁸These are the names of the sons of Israel^l (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt:

Reuben the firstborn^m of Jacob.

⁹The sons of Reuben:ⁿ

Hanok, Pallu,^o Hezron and Karmi.^p

¹⁰The sons of Simeon:^q

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

¹¹The sons of Levi:^t

Gershon,^u Kohath^v and Merari.^w

¹²The sons of Judah:^x

Er,^y Onan,^z Shelah, Perez^a and Zerah^b (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan).^c

The sons of Perez:^d

Hezron and Hamul.^e

¹³The sons of Issachar:^f

Tola, Puah,^ag Jashub^bh and Shimron.

¹⁴The sons of Zebulun:ⁱ

Sered, Elon and Jahleel.

¹⁵These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram,^cj besides his daughter Dinah.^k These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all.

¹⁶The sons of Gad:^l

Zephon,^dm Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.

¹⁷The sons of Asher:ⁿ

Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah.

Their sister was Serah.

The sons of Beriah:

Heber and Malkiel.

¹⁸These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah,^o whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah^p—sixteen in all.

¹⁹The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:^q

Joseph and Benjamin.^{r 20}In Egypt, Manasseh^s and Ephraim^t were born to Joseph^u by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.^ev

²¹The sons of Benjamin:^w

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

²²These were the sons of Rachel^y who were born to Jacob—fourteen in all.

²³The son of Dan:^z

Hushim.^a

²⁴The sons of Naphtali:^b

Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.

²⁵These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah,^c whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel^d—seven in all.

²⁶All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons.^{e 27}With the two sons^f who had been born to Joseph in Egypt,^f the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy^g in all.^g

²⁸Now Jacob sent Judah^h ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen.ⁱ When they arrived in the region of Goshen, ²⁹Joseph had his chariot^j made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel.^k As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father^h and wept^l for a long time.^m

³⁰Israelⁿ said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.”^o

³¹Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were living in the land of Canaan,^p have come to me.^{q 32}The men are shepherds;^r they tend livestock,^s and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.’^{t 33}When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’^{u 34}you should answer, ‘Your servants^v have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.’^w Then you will be allowed to settle^x in the region of Goshen,^y for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.^z”