Chapter 50

The Death of Israel

1 Then Joseph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him and kissed him.

2 Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians aembalmed Israel.

3 Now forty days were 1required for 2it, for 3such is the period required for embalming. And the Egyptians awept for him seventy days.

4 When the days of 1mourning for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your sight, please speak 2to Pharaoh, saying,

5 ‘aMy father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am about to die; in my grave bwhich 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; then I will return.’ ”

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

7 So Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household and all the elders of the land of Egypt,

8 and all the household of Joseph and his brothers and his father’s household; they left only their little ones and their flocks and their herds in the land of Goshen.

9 There also went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and it was a very great company.

10 When they came to the 1threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they alamented there with a very great and 2sorrowful lamentation; and he 3observed seven days mourning for his father.

11 Now when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at 1the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a 2grievous 3mourning for the Egyptians.” Therefore it was named 4Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.

Burial at Machpelah

12 Thus his sons did for him as he had charged them;

13 for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in athe cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field for a 1burial site from Ephron the Hittite.

14 After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “aWhat if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!”

16 So they 1sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father charged before he died, saying,

17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph, “Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.” ’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

18 Then his brothers also came and afell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.”

19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place?

20 “As for you, ayou meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about 1this present result, to preserve many people alive.

21 “So therefore, do not be afraid; aI will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke 1kindly to them.

Death of Joseph

22 Now Joseph stayed in Egypt, he and his father’s household, and Joseph lived one hundred and ten years.

23 Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim’s sons; also the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were aborn on Joseph’s knees.

24 Joseph said to his brothers, “aI am about to die, but God will surely 1take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He 2promised on oath to bAbraham, to cIsaac and to dJacob.”

25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely 1take care of you, and ayou shall carry my bones up from here.”

26 So Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years; and 1he was aembalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.