Genesis 50

50Then Joseph ^afell on his father’s face and ^bwept over him, and kissed him. ²And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to ^cembalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. ³Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians ^dmourned ¹for him seventy days.

⁴Now when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to ^ethe household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying, ^5f‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am dying; in my grave ^gwhich I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back.’ ”

⁶And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”

⁷So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, ⁸as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen. ⁹And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great gathering.

¹⁰Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they ^hmourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. ⁱHe observed seven days of mourning for his father. ¹¹And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians.” Therefore its name was called ²Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.

¹²So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them. ¹³For ^jhis sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham ^kbought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place. ¹⁴And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father.

Joseph Reassures His Brothers

¹⁵When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, ^lthey said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may ³actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.” ¹⁶So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying, ¹⁷‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; ^mfor they did evil to you.” ’ Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of ⁿthe God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

¹⁸Then his brothers also went and ^ofell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”

¹⁹Joseph said to them, ^p“Do not be afraid, ^qfor am I in the place of God? ^20rBut as for you, you meant evil against me; but ^sGod meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. ²¹Now therefore, do not be afraid; ^tI will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke ⁴kindly to them.

Death of Joseph

²²So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father’s household. And Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. ²³Joseph saw Ephraim’s children ^uto the third generation. ^vThe children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, ^wwere also brought up on Joseph’s knees.

²⁴And Joseph said to his brethren, “I am dying; but ^xGod will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land ^yof which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” ²⁵Then ^zJoseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely ⁵visit you, and ^ayou shall carry up my ^bbones from here.” ²⁶So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.